et
gifts, confiscations, and presents. You would have imagined that he
would at least have kept _him_ out of these farms, in order to give the
measure a color at least of disinterestedness, and to show that this
whole system of corruption and pecuniary oppression was carried on for
the benefit of the Company. The Governor-General and Council made an
ostensible order by which no collector, or person concerned in the
revenue, should have any connection with these farms. This order did not
include the Governor-General in the words of it, but more than included
him in the spirit of it; because his power to protect a farmer-general
in the person of his own servant was infinitely greater than that of any
subordinate person. Mr. Hastings, in breach of this order, gave farms to
his own banian. You find him the farmer of great, of vast and extensive
farms. Another regulation that was made on that occasion was, that no
farmer should have, except in particular cases, which were marked,
described, and accurately distinguished, a greater farm than what paid
10,000_l._ a year to government. Mr. Hastings, who had broken the first
regulation by giving any farm at all to his banian, finding himself
bolder, broke the second too, and, instead of 10,000_l._, gave him farms
paying a revenue of 130,000_l._ a year to government. Men undoubtedly
have been known to be under the dominion of their domestics; such
things have happened to great men: they never have happened justifiably
in my opinion. They have never happened excusably; but we are acquainted
sufficiently with the weakness of human nature to know that a domestic
who has served you in a near office long, and in your opinion
faithfully, does become a kind of relation; it brings on a great
affection and regard for his interest. Now was this the case with Mr.
Hastings and Cantoo Baboo? Mr. Hastings was just arrived at his
government, and Cantoo Baboo had been but a year in his service; so that
he could not in that time have contracted any great degree of friendship
for him. These people do not live in your house; the Hindoo servants
never sleep in it; they cannot eat with your servants; they have no
second table, in which they can be continually about you, to be
domesticated with yourself, a part of your being, as people's servants
are to a certain degree. These persons live all abroad; they come at
stated hours upon matters of business, and nothing more. But if it had
been otherwise, Mr.