The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 09 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 09 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
brigade, the corps of horse, and the other detached bodies of the
Company's troops might not be required from him: alleging, "that the
former was not only quite useless to his government, but, moreover, the
cause of much loss, both in the revenues and customs; and that the
detached bodies of troops under their European officers brought nothing
but confusion into the affairs of his government, and were entirely
their own masters."
VI. That it appears that the said Nabob was not bound by any treaty to
the maintenance, without his consent, _even of the old brigade_,--the
Court of Directors having, in their letter of the 15th December, 1775,
approved of keeping the same in his service, "_provided it was done with
the free consent of the Subah, and by no means without it_." And the
_new brigade_ and temporary corps were raised on the express condition,
that the expense thereof should be charged on the Nabob only "_for so
long a time as he should require the corps for his service_." And the
Court of Directors express to the Governor-General and Council their
sense of the said agreement in the following terms: "But if you intend
to exert your influence first to induce the Vizier to acquiesce in your
proposal, and afterwards _to compel him to keep the troops in his pay
during your pleasure, your intents are unjust; and a correspondent
conduct would reflect great dishonor on the Company_."
VII. That, in answer to the decent and humble representation aforesaid
of the Nabob of Oude, the allegations of which, so far as they relate to
the distressed state of the Nabob's finances, and his total inability to
discharge the demands made on him, were confirmed by the testimony of
the English Resident at Oude, and which the said Hastings did not deny
in the whole or in any part thereof, he, the said Warren Hastings, did,
on pretence of certain political dangers, declare the relief desired to
be "without hesitation _totally_ inadmissible," and did falsely and
maliciously insinuate, "that the _tone_ in which the demands of the
Nabob were asserted, and the season in which they were made, did give
cause for _the most alarming suspicions_." And the said Warren Hastings
did, in a letter to the Nabob aforesaid, written in haughty and insolent
language, and without taking any notice of the distresses of the said
Nabob, alleged and verified as before recited, "require and insist upon
your [the Nabob's] granting _tuncaws_ [assignments] for the full amount
of their [the Company's] demands upon you for the current year, and on
your reserving funds sufficient to answer them, _even should the
deficiencies of your revenues compel you to leave your own troops
unprovided for, or to disband a part of them to enable you to effect
it_."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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