nce of happiness and joy over us. He
reestablished justice and impartiality. We were during his government in
the enjoyment of perfect happiness and ease, and many of us are thankful
and satisfied. As Mr. Hastings was well acquainted with our manners and
customs, he was always desirous, in every respect, of doing whatever
would preserve our religious rites, and guard them against every kind of
accident and injury, and at all times protected us. Whatever we have
experienced from him, and whatever happened from him, we have written
without deceit or exaggeration."

My Lords, here is a panegyric; and, directly contrary to the usual mode
of other accusers, we begin by producing the panegyrics made upon the
person whom we accuse. We shall produce along with the charge, and give
as evidence, the panegyric and certificate of the persons whom we
suppose to have suffered these wrongs. We suffer ourselves even to
abandon, what might be our last resource, his own confession, by showing
that one of the princes from whom he confesses that he took bribes has
given a certificate of the direct contrary.

All these things will have their weight upon your Lordships' minds; and
when we have put ourselves under this disadvantage, (what disadvantage
it is your Lordships will judge,) at least we shall stand acquitted of
unfairness in charging him with crimes directly contrary to the
panegyrics in this paper contained. Indeed, I will say this for him,
that general charge and loose accusation may be answered by loose and
general panegyric, and that, if ours were of that nature, this panegyric
would be sufficient to overset our accusation. But we come before your
Lordships in a different manner and upon different grounds. I am ordered
by the Commons of Great Britain to support the charge that they have
made, and persevere in making, against Warren Hastings, Esquire, late
Governor-General of Bengal, and now a culprit at your bar: First, for
having taken corruptly several bribes, and extorted by force, or under
the power and color of his office, several sums of money from the
unhappy natives of Bengal. The next article which we shall bring before
you is, that he is not only personally corrupted, but that he has
personally corrupted all the other servants of the Company,--those under
him, whose corruptions he ought to have controlled, and those above him,
whose business it was to control his corruptions.

We purpose to make good to your Lordship