The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 08 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 08 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
During the whole day of that deliberation things wore a decided face.
Mr. Hastings stood to his principles in their full extent, and seemed
resolved upon unqualified disobedience. But as the debate was adjourned
to the day following, time was given for expedients; and such an
expedient was hit upon by Mr. Hastings as will, no doubt, be unexpected
by the House; but it serves to throw new lights upon the motives of all
his struggles with the authority of the legislature.
The next day the Council met upon the adjournment. Then Mr. Hastings
proposed, as a compromise, a division of the object in question. One
half was to be surrendered to the authority of the Court of Directors,
the other was reserved for his dignity. But the choice he made of his
own share in this partition is very worthy of notice. He had taken his
_sole_ ground of objection against Mr. Bristow on the supposed ill
effect that such an appointment would have on the minds of the Indian
powers. He said, "that these powers could have no dependence on his
fulfilling his engagements, _or maintaining the faith of treaties_ which
he might offer for their acceptance, if they saw him treated with such
contempt." Mr. Bristow's appearing in a political character was the
_whole_ of his complaint; yet, when he comes to a voluntary distribution
of the duties of the office, he gives Mr. Bristow those very political
negotiations of which but the day before he had in such strong terms
declared him personally incapable, whose appointment he considered to be
fatal to those negotiations, and which he then spoke of as a measure in
_itself_ such as the bitterest adversary to Great Britain would have
proposed. But having thus yielded his whole ground of ostensible
objection, he reserved to his own appointment the entire management of
the pecuniary trust. Accordingly he named Mr. Bristow for the former,
and Mr. Middleton for the latter. On his own principles he ought to have
done the very reverse. On every justifiable principle he ought to have
done so; for a servant who for a long time resists the orders of his
masters, and when he reluctantly gives way obeys them by halves, ought
to be remarkably careful to make his actions correspond with his words,
and to put himself out of all suspicion with regard to the purity of his
motives. It was possible that the political reasons, which were solely
assigned against Mr. Bristow's appointment, might have been the real
motives of Mr. Hastings's opposition. But these he totally abandons, and
holds fast to the pecuniary department. Now, as it is notorious that
most of the abuses of India grow out of money-dealing, it was peculiarly
unfit for a servant, delicate with regard to his reputation, to require
a _personal_ and confidential agent in a situation merely official, in
which secrecy and personal connections could be of no possible use, and
could only serve to excite distrust. Matters of account cannot be made
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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