The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 12 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 12 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
The next thing of which I have to remind your Lordships respecting these
black agents of the prisoner is, that we find him, just before his
departure from India, recommending three of them, Gunga Govind Sing,
Gunga Ghose, and Nundulol, as persons fit and necessary to be rewarded
for their services by the Company. Now your Lordships will find, that,
of these faithful domestic servants, there is not one of them who was
not concerned in these enormous briberies, and in betraying their own
native and natural master. If I had time for it, I believe I could trace
every person to be, in proportion to Mr. Hastings's confidence in him,
the author of some great villany. These persons he thinks had not been
sufficiently rewarded, and accordingly he recommends to the board, as
his dying legacy, provision for these faithful attached servants of his,
and particularly for Gunga Govind Sing. The manner in which this man was
to be rewarded makes a part of the history of these transactions, as
curious, perhaps, as was ever exhibited to the world. Your Lordships
will find it in page 2841 of your Minutes.
The Rajah of Dinagepore was a child at that time about eleven years old,
and had succeeded to the Rajahship (by what means I shall say nothing)
when he was about five years old. He is made to apply to Mr. Hastings
for leave to grant a very considerable part of his estate to Gunga
Govind Sing, as a reward for his services. These services could only be
known to the Rajah's family by having robbed it of at least 40,000_l._,
the bribe given to Mr. Hastings. But the Rajah's family is so little
satisfied with this bountiful and liberal donation to Gunga Govind
Sing, that they desire that several purgunnahs, or farms, that are
mentioned in the application made to the Council, should be separated
from the family estate and given to this man. Such was this
extraordinary gratitude: gratitude, not for money received, but for
money taken away,--a species of gratitude unknown in any part of the
world but in India; gratitude pervading every branch of the family; his
mother coming forward and petitioning likewise that her son should be
disinherited; his uncle, the natural protector and guardian of his
minority, coming forward and petitioning most earnestly that his nephew
should be disinherited: all the family join in one voice of supplication
to Mr. Hastings, that Gunga Govind Sing may have a very large and
considerable part of their family estate given to him. Mr. Hastings,
after declaring that certain circumstances respecting this property,
which are mentioned in his minutes, were to his knowledge true, but
which your Lordships, upon examination, will find to be false, and
falsified in every particular, recommends, in the strongest manner, to
the board, a compliance with this application. He was at this time on
the eve of his departure from India, in haste to provide for his
faithful servants; and he well knew that this his last act would be held
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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