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
"But I beg leave to point out how tenacious the government have been of
insuring implicit obedience to their rules on this subject in
particular, and in prohibiting conduct like that here exhibited against
their public officer, and how sacredly they have viewed the public
institutes on this subject, which have been violated and trampled on;
and it will suffice to show their public orders on a similar instance
which happened some time ago, and which the dewan, from his official
situation, must have been a party in detecting.
"I desire the board's letter to the Committee on this subject, dated the
31st May, 1782, may be read, and a copy be annexed to this minute.
"I therefore move the board that Gunga Govind Sing may be forthwith
required to surrender the original deeds produced by him as a title to
the grant of Salbarry, in order that they may be returned to the Rajah's
agents, to be made null and void.
"I further move the board, that the dewan, Gunga Govind Sing, together
with his naib, Prawn Kishin Sing, his son, and all his dependants, be
removed from their offices, and that the Roy Royan, Rajah Rajebullub,
whose duty only Gunga Govind Sing virtually is to perform, be reinstated
in the exercise of the duties of his department; and that Gunga Govind
Sing be ordered to deliver up all official papers of the circar to the
Committee of Revenue and the Roy Royan, and that they be ordered
accordingly to take charge of them, and finally settle all accounts."
This motion was overruled, and no final proceeding appears.
My Lords, you have heard the proceedings of the court before which Gunga
Govind Sing thought proper to appeal, in consequence of the power and
protection of Mr. Hastings being understood to exist after he left
India, and authenticated by his last parting deed. Your Lordships will
judge by that last act of Mr. Hastings what the rest of his whole life
was.
My Lords, I do not mean now to go further than just to remind your
Lordships of this, that Mr. Hastings's government was one whole system
of oppression, of robbery of individuals, of destruction of the public,
and of suppression of the whole system of the English government, in
order to vest in the worst of the natives all the powers that could
possibly exist in any government,--in order to defeat the ends which all
governments ought in common to have in view. Thus, my Lords, I show you
at one point of view what you are to expect from him in all the rest. I
have, I think, made out as clear as can be to your Lordships, so far as
it was necessary to go, that his bribery and peculation was not
occasional, but habitual,--that it was not urged upon him at the moment,
but was regular and systematic. I have shown to your Lordships the
operation of such a system on the revenues.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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