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
Your Committee examining Mr. Scott and Mr. Baber on this subject, they
also produced a Persian paper, which Mr. Baber said he had received from
the hands of a servant of Munny Begum,--and along with it a paper
purporting to be a translation into English of the Persian original. In
the paper given as the translation, Munny Begum is made to allege many
matters of hardship and cruelty against Mr. Goring, and an attempt to
compel her to make out a false account, but does not at all deny the
giving the money: very far from it. She is made to assert, indeed, "that
Mr. Goring desired her to put down three lacs of rupees, as divided
between Mr. Hastings and Mr. Middleton. I begged to be excused,
observing to him that this money had neither been tendered or _accepted_
with any criminal or improper view." After some lively expressions in
the European manner, she says, "that it had been customary to furnish a
table for the Governor and his attendants, during their stay at court.
With respect to the sum mentioned to Mr. Middleton, it was a _free gift_
from my own _privy purse_. Purburam replied, he understood this money to
be paid to these gentlemen as a gratuity for _secret services_; and as
such he should assuredly represent it." Here the payments to Mr.
Hastings are fully admitted, and excused as agreeable to usage, and for
keeping a table. The present to Mr. Middleton is justified as a free
gift. The paper produced by Mr. Scott is not referred to by your
Committee as of any weight, but to show that it does not prove what it
is produced to prove.
Your Committee, on reading the paper delivered in by Mr. Scott as a
translation, perceive it to be written in a style which they conceived
was little to be expected in a faithful translation from a Persian
original, being full of quaint terms and idiomatic phrases, which
strongly bespeak English habits in the way of thinking, and of English
peculiarities and affectations in the expression. Struck with these
strong internal marks of a suspicious piece, they turned to the Persian
manuscript produced by Mr. Scott and Mr. Baber, and comparing it with
Mr. Goring's papers, they found the latter carefully sealed upon every
leaf, as they believe is the practice universal in all authentic pieces.
They found on the former no seal or signature whatsoever, either at the
top or bottom of the scroll. This circumstance of a want of signature
not only takes away all authority from the piece as evidence, but
strongly confirmed the suspicions entertained by your Committee, on
reading the translation, of unwarrantable practices in the whole conduct
of this business, even if the translation should be found substantially
to agree with the original, such an original as it is. The Persian roll
is in the custody of the clerk of your Committee for further
examination.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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