The other object of this brief apology was to clear himself of _corrupt influence_. Of all ostentation he stands completely acquitted in the month of November, however he might have been faulty in that respect in the month of June; but with regard to the other part of the apprehended charge, namely, _corrupt influence_, he gives no satisfactory solution. A great sum of money "not his own,"--money to which "he had no right,"--money which came into his possession "by whatever means":--if this be not money obtained by corrupt influence, or by something worse, that is, by violence or terror, it will be difficult to fix upon circumstances which can furnish a presumption of unjustifiable use of power and influence in the acquisition of profit. The last part of the apology, that he had converted this money ("which he had no right to receive") to the Company's use, so far as your Committee can discover, _does nowhere appear_. He speaks, in the Minute of the 26th of June, as having _then_ actually deposited it for the Company's service; in the letter of November he says that he converted it to the Company's property: but there is no trace in the Company's books of its being ever brought to their credit in the expenditure for any specific service, even if any such entry and expenditure could justify him in taking money which he had by his own confession, "no right to receive." The Directors appear to have been deceived by this representation, and in their letter of January, 1782,[18] consider the money as actually paid into their Treasury. Even under their error concerning the application of the money, they appear rather alarmed than satisfied with the brief apology of the Governor-General. They consider the whole proceeding as _extraordinary and mysterious_. They, however, do not condemn it with any remarkable asperity; after admitting that he might be induced to a temporary secrecy _respecting the members of the board_, from a fear of their resisting the proposed application, or any application of this money to the Company's use, yet they write to the Governor-General and Council as follows:--"It does not appear to us that there could be any real necessity for delaying to communicate to _us_ immediate information of the _channel_ by which the money came into Mr. Hastings's possession, with a complete illustration of the cause or causes of so _extraordinary_ an event." And again: "The means proposed of defraying the extra expenses are very _extraordinary_; and the money, we conceive, must have come into his hands by an _unusual_ channel; and when more complete information comes before us, we shall give our sentiments fully on the transaction." And speaking of this and other moneys under a similar description, they say, "We shall suspend our judgment, without approving it in the least degree, or proceeding to censure our Governor-General for this transaction." The expectations entertained by the Directors of a more complete explanation were