trusted none of his regular secretaries with these
transactions,)--he calls him to help him to make out his accounts during
his absence. You would imagine that at that time he trusted this man
with his account. No such thing: he goes on with the accountant-general,
accounting with him for money expended, without ever explaining to that
accountant-general how that money came into his hands. Here, then, we
have the accountant making out the account, and the person accounting.
The accountant does not in any manner make an objection, and say, "Here
you are giving me an account by which it appears that you have expended
money, but you have not told me where you received it: how shall I make
out a fair account of debtor and creditor between you and the Company?"
He does no such thing. There lies a suspicion in his breast that Mr.
Hastings must have taken some money in some irregular way, or he could
not have made those payments. Mr. Larkins begins to suspect him. "Where
did you lose this bodkin?" said one lady to another, upon a certain
occasion. "Pray, Madam, where did you find it?" Mr. Hastings, at the
very moment of his life when confidence was required, even when making
up his accounts with his accountant, never told him one word of the
matter. You see he had no confidence in Mr. Larkins. This makes out one
of the propositions I want to impress upon your Lordships' minds, that
no one man did he let into every part of his transactions: a material
circumstance, which will help to lead your Lordships' judgment in
forming your opinion upon many parts of this cause.

You see that Mr. Larkins suspected him. Probably in consequence of those
suspicions, or from some other cause, he at last told him, upon the 22d
of May, 1782, (but why at that time, rather than at any other time, does
not appear; and this we shall find very difficult to be accounted
for,)--he told him that he had received a bribe from the Nabob of Oude,
of 100,000_l._ He informs him of this on the 22d of May, which, when the
accounts were making up, he conceals from him. And he communicates to
him the rough draught of his letter to the Court of Directors, informing
them that this business was not transacted by any known secretary of the
Company, nor with the intervention of any interpreter of the Company,
nor passed through any official channel whatever, but through a
gentleman much in his confidence, his military secretary; and, as if
receiving bribes, and receiv