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
My Lords, here is an accusation that Mr. Middleton had actually received
money, either in bills or assets of some kind or other,--and that, upon
quitting his Residency, he had handed it over to his successor, Mr.
Johnson. Here are, then, facts asserted, and we must suppose
substantiated. Here is a sum of money to be accounted for, in which
there is a gross malversation directly charged as to these particulars,
in Mr. Hastings's opinion. Mr. Macpherson, another member of the
Council, has declared, that he understood at the time that the ten lacs
were actually deposited in bills, and that it was not a mere offer made
by the Nabob to pay such a sum from the future revenue of the country.
Mr. Hastings has these facts disclosed to him. He declares that he was
"_morally_ certain" of it,--that is, as certain as a man can be of
anything; because physical certitude does not belong to such matters.
The first thing you will naturally ask is, "Why does he not ask Mr.
Johnson how he had disposed of that money which Mr. Middleton had put in
his hands?" He does no such thing; he passes over it totally, as if it
were no part of the matter in question, and the accusation against Mr.
Middleton terminates in the manner you will there find stated. When Mr.
Johnson is asked, "Why was not that money applied to the Company's
service?" he boldly steps forward, and says, "I prevented it from being
so applied. It never was, it never ought to have been, so applied; such
an appropriation of money to be taken from the Nabob would have been
enormous upon that occasion."
What, then, does Mr. Hastings do? Does he examine Mr. Middleton upon the
subject, who charges himself with having received the money? Mr.
Middleton was at that very time in Calcutta, called down thither by Mr.
Hastings himself. One would naturally expect that he would call upon him
to explain for what purpose he left the money with Mr. Johnson. He did
no such thing. Did he examine Mr. Johnson himself, who was charged with
having received the money from Mr. Middleton? Did he ask him what he had
done with that money? Not one word. Did he send for Major Palmer and
Major Davy to account for it? No. Did he call any shroff, any banker,
any one person concerned in the payment of the money, or any one person
in the management of the revenue? No, not one. Directly in the face of
his own assertions, directly contrary to his moral conviction of the
fact that the money had been actually deposited, he tries Mr. Johnson
collusively and obliquely, not upon the account of what was done with
the money, but why it was prevented from being applied to the Company's
service; and he acquits him in a manner that (taking the whole of it
together) will give your Lordships the finest idea possible of a Bengal
judicature, as exercised by Mr. Hastings.
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