would imagine the trust to be placed in him was such as enabled
him to overturn the Company in a moment. Now the situation in which the
Nabob's uncle, Yeteram ul Dowlah, would have been placed was this: he
would have had no troops, he would have had no treasury, he would have
had no collections of revenue, nothing, in short, that could have made
him dangerous, but he would have been an absolute pensioner and
dependant upon the Company, though in high office; and the least attempt
to disturb the Company, instead of increasing, would have been
subversive of his own power. If Mr. Hastings should still insist that
there might be danger from the appointment of a man, we shall prove that
he was of opinion that there could be no danger from any one,--that the
Nabob himself was a mere shadow, a cipher, and was kept there only to
soften the English government in the eyes and opinion of the natives.

My Lords, I will detail these circumstances no further, but will bring
some collateral proofs to show that Mr. Hastings was at that very time
conscious of the wicked and corrupt act he was doing. For, besides this
foolish principle of policy, which he gives as a reason for defying the
orders of the Company, and for insulting the country, that had never
before seen a woman in that situation, and _his_ declaration to the
Company, that their government cannot be supported by private justice,
(a favorite maxim, which he holds upon all occasions,) besides these
reasons which he gave for his politic injustice, he gives the following.
The Company had ordered that 30,000_l._ should be given to the person
appointed. He knew that the Company could never dream of giving this
woman 30,000_l._ a year, and he makes use of that circumstance to
justify him in putting her in that place: for he says, the Company, in
the distressed state of its affairs, could never mean to give 30,000_l._
a year for the office which they order to be filled; and accordingly,
upon principles of economy, as well as upon principles of prudence, he
sees there could be no occasion for giving this salary, and that it will
be saved to the Company. But no sooner had he given her the appointment
than that appointment became a ground for giving her that money. The
moment he had appointed her, he overturns the very principle upon which
he had appointed her, and gives the 30,000_l._ to her, and the officers
under her, saving not one shilling to the Company by this infamous
measure,