The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 11 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 11 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
those testimonies with the greatest slight, and they consider as nothing
all evidence given by persons who are interested in the very
cause,--persons who derive their fortunes from the ruin of the very
people of the country, and who have divided the spoils with the man whom
we accuse. Undoubtedly these officers will give him their good word.
Undoubtedly the Residents will give him their good word. Mr. Markham,
and Mr. Benn, and Mr. Fowke, if he had been called, every servant of the
Company, except some few, will give him the same good word, every one of
them; because, my Lords, they have made their fortunes under him, and
their conduct has not been inquired into.
But to return to the observations we were making upon the ruinous
effects in general of the successive governments which had been
established at Benares by the prisoner at your bar. These effects, he
would have you believe, arose from the want of a constitution. Why, I
again ask, did he destroy the constitution which he found established
there, or suffer it to be destroyed? But he had actually authorized Mr.
Markham to make a new, a regular, an official constitution. Did Mr.
Markham make it? No: though he professed to do it; it never was done:
and so far from there being any regular, able, efficient constitution,
you see there was an absolute and complete anarchy in the country. The
native inhabitants, deprived of their ancient government, were so far
from looking up to their new masters for protection, that, the moment
they saw the face of a soldier or of a British person in authority, they
fled in dismay, and thought it more eligible to abandon their houses to
robbery than to remain exposed to the tyranny of a British governor. Is
this what they call British dominion? Will you sanction by your judicial
authority transactions done in direct defiance of your legislative
authority? Are they so injuriously mad as to suppose your Lordships can
be corrupted to betray in your judicial capacity (the most sacred of the
two) what you have ordained in your legislative character?
My Lords, I am next to remind you what this man has had the insolence
and audacity to state at your bar. "In fact," says he, "I can adduce
very many gentlemen now in London to confirm my assertions, that the
countries of Benares and Gazipore were never within the memory of
Englishmen so well protected, so peaceably governed, or more
industriously cultivated than at the present moment."
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