his thundering the sky grew calm and clear, and Mr. Hastings
sat with recorded peculation, with peculation proved upon oath on the
minutes of that very Council,--he sat at the head of that Council and
that board where his peculations were proved against him. These were
afterwards transmitted and recorded in the registers of his masters, as
an eternal monument of his corruption, and of his high disobedience, and
flagitious attempts to prevent a discovery of the various peculations of
which he had been guilty, to the disgrace and ruin of the country
committed to his care.

Mr. Hastings, after the execution of Nundcomar, if he had intended to
make even a decent and commonly sensible use of it, would naturally have
said, "This man is justly taken away who has accused me of these crimes;
but as there are other witnesses, as there are other means of a further
inquiry, as the man is gone of whose perjuries I might have reason to be
afraid, let us now go into the inquiry." I think he did very ill not to
go into the inquiry when the man was alive; but be it so, that he was
afraid of him, and waited till he was removed, why not afterwards go
into such an inquiry? Why not go into an inquiry of all the other
peculations and charges upon him, which were innumerable, one of which I
have just mentioned in particular, the charge of Munny Begum, of having
received from her, or her adopted son, a bribe of 40,000_l._?

Is it fit for a governor to say, will Mr. Hastings say before this
august assembly, "I may be accused in a court of justice,--I am upon my
defence,--let all charges remain against me,--I will not give you an
account"? Is it fit that a governor should sit with recorded bribery
upon him at the head of a public board and the government of a great
kingdom, when it is in his power by inquiry to do it away? No: the
chastity of character of a man in that situation ought to be as dear to
him as his innocence. Nay, more depended upon it. His innocence regarded
himself; his character regarded the public justice, regarded his
authority, and the respect due to the English in that country. I charge
it upon him, that not only did he suppress the inquiry to the best of
his power, (and it shall be proved,) but he did not in any one instance
endeavor to clear off that imputation and reproach from the English
government. He went further; he never denied hardly any of those charges
at the time. They are so numerous that I cannot be positive;