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
Your Lordships will observe that the virtuous majority, whose reign was
but short, and two of whom died of grief and vexation under the
impediments which they met with from the corruptions and oppositions of
Mr. Hastings, (their indirect murderer,--for it is well known to the
world that their hearts were thus broken,) put their conduct out of all
suspicion. For they ordered an exact account to be kept by Mahomed Reza
Khan,--though, certainly, if any person in the country could be trusted,
he, upon his character, might; but they did not trust him, because they
knew the Company did not suffer them to trust any man: they ordered an
exact account to be kept by him of the Nabob's expenses, which finally
must be the Company's expenses; they ordered the account to be sent down
yearly, to be controlled, if necessary, whilst the means of control
existed.--What was Mr. Hastings's conduct? He did not give the persons
whom he appointed any order to produce any account, though their
character and circumstances were such as made an account ten thousand
times more necessary from them than from those from whom it had been in
former times by the Company strictly exacted. So that his not ordering
any account to be given of the money that was to be expended leaves no
doubt that the appointment of Munny Begum was in pursuance of his old
system of bribery, and that he maintained her in office, to the
subversion of public justice, for the purpose of robbing, and of
continuing in the practice of robbing, the country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account