The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 10 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 10 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
It is to no purpose for Mr. Hastings to spend time in idle objections to
the character of Nundcomar. Let him be as bad as Mr. Hastings represents
him. I suppose he was a caballing, bribing, intriguing politician, like
others in that country, both black and white. We know associates in dark
and evil actions are not generally the best of men; but be that as it
will, it generally happens that they are the best of all discoverers. If
Mr. Hastings were the accuser of Nundcomar, I should think the
presumptions equally strong against Nundcomar, if he had acted as Mr.
Hastings has acted.--He was not only competent, but the most competent
of all men to be Mr. Hastings's accuser. But Mr. Hastings has himself
established both his character and his competency by employing him
against Mahomed Reza Khan. He shall not blow hot and cold. In what
respect was Mr. Hastings better than Mahomed Reza Khan, that the whole
rule, principle, and system of accusation and inquiry should be totally
reversed in general, nay, reversed in the particular instance, the
moment he became accuser against Mr. Hastings?--Such was the accuser. He
was the man that gave the bribes, and, in addition to his own evidence,
offers proof by other witnesses.
What was the accusation? Was the accusation improbable, either on
account of the subject-matter or the actor in it? Does such an
appointment as that of Munny Begum, in the most barefaced evasion of his
orders, appear to your Lordships a matter that contains no just
presumptions of guilt, so that, when a charge of bribery comes upon it,
you are prepared to reject it, as if the action were so clear and proper
that no man could attribute it to an improper motive? And as to the
man,--is Mr. Hastings a man against whom a charge of bribery is
improbable? Why, he owns it. He is a professor of it. He reduces it into
scheme and system. He glories in it. He turns it to merit, and declares
it is the best way of supplying the exigencies of the Company. Why,
therefore, should it be held improbable?--But I cannot mention this
proceeding without shame and horror.
My Lords, when this man appeared as an accuser of Mr. Hastings, if he
was a man of bad character, it was a great advantage to Mr. Hastings to
be accused by a man of that description. There was no likelihood of any
great credit being given to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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