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body; and fo fatal have been its confequences, "that no person of either credit or character, "would enter into engagements with government "for farming the country." He then proceeds to give ftrong inftances of the general calamity, and its effects.

It was now to be feen what fteps the governorgeneral and council took for the relief of this dif treffed country, long labouring under the vexations of men, and now ftricken by the hand of God. The cafe of a general famine is known to relax the feverity even of the most rigorous government. Mr. Haftings does not deny, or shew the leaft doubt of the fact. The reprefentation is humble, and almost abject. On this representa tion from a great prince of the distress of his fubjects, Mr. Haftings falls into a violent paffion; fuch (as it feems) would be unjustifiable in any one who speaks of any part of his conduct. He declares, "that the demands, the tone in which they were "afferted, and the feafon in which they were "made, are all equally alarming, and appear to "him to require an adequate degree of firmness "in this board, in oppofition to them." He proceeds to deal out very unreferved language, on the perfon and character of the nabob and his minifters. He declares, that in a divifion between him and the nabob, "the strongest must decide." With regard to the urgent and inftant neceflity,

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from

from the failure of the crops, he fays, "that peri

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haps expedients may be found for affording a

gradual relief from the burthen of which he fo

heavily complains, and it shall be my endeavour "to feck them out:" and left he should be fuf pected of too much hafte to alleviate fufferings, and to remove violence, he fays, "that these must "be gradually applied, and their complete effect

may be diftant; and this I conceive is all he can "claim of right."

This complete effect of his lenity is distant indeed. Rejecting this demand, (as he calls the nabob's abject fupplication) he attributes it, as he ufually does all things of the kind, to the divifion in their government; and fays, "this is a power"ful motive with me (however inclined I might “be, upon any other occafion, to yield to some part "of his demand) to give them an abfolute and un"conditional refufal upon the prefent; and even to bring to punishment, if my influence can produce that

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effect, thofe incendiaries who have endeavoured to "make themfelves the inftruments of divifion between

Here, Sir, is much heat and paffion; but no more confideration of the diftrefs of the country, from a failure of the means of fubfiftence, and (if poffible) the worfe evil of an ufelefs and licentious foldiery, than if they were the most contemptible of all trifles. A letter is written in confequence,

in fuch a ftyle of lofty defpotism, as I believe has hitherto been unexampled and unheard-of in the records of the Eaft. The troops were continued. The gradual relief, whofe effect was to be fo dif tant, has never been fubftantially and beneficially applied-and the country is ruined.

Mr. Haftings, two years after, when it was too late, faw the abfolute neceffity of a removal of the intolerable grievance of this licentious foldiery, which, under pretence of defending it, held the country under military execution. A new treaty and arrangement, according to the pleasure of Mr. Haftings, took place; and this new treaty was broken in the old manner, in every effential article. The foldiery were again fent, and again fet loofe. The effect of all his manœuvres, from which it seems he was fanguine enough to entertain hopes, upon the state of the country, he himfelf informs us, "the event has proved the reverse "of his hopes, and accumulation of distress, debafe

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ment, and dissatisfaction to the nabob, and dif "appointment and difgrace to me.-Every measure

[which he had himself propofed] has been fo "conducted as to give him caufe of displeasure; "there are no officers established by which his af"fairs could be regularly conducted; mean, in"capable, and indigent men have been appointed. "A number of the diftricts without authority, "and without the means of perfonal protection;

"fome

e fome of them have been murdered by the ze"mindars, and thofe zemindars, inftead of pu "nishment, have been permitted to retain their "zemindaries, with independent authority; all "the other zemindars fuffered to rife up in rebellion, and to infult the authority of the fircar, "without, any attempt made to fupprefs them; "and the company's debt, instead of being dif

charged by the affignments and extraordinary "fources of money provided for that purpose, is likely to exceed even the amount at which it stood at "the time in which the arrangement with his excellency

was concluded." The houfe will smile at the refource on which the directors take credit as fuch a certainty in their curious account.

This is Mr. Haftings's own narrative of the effects of his own fettlement. This is the state of the country which we have been told is in perfect peace and order; and, what is curious, he informs us, that every part of this was foretold to him in the order and manner in which it happened, at the very time he made his arrangement of men and meafures.

The invariable courfe of the company's policy is this: Either they fet up fome prince too odious to maintain himself without the neceflity of their affiftance; or they foon render him odious, by making him the inftrument of their government. In that cafe troops are bountifully fent to him to VOL. IV. maintain

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maintain his authority. That he should have no want of affiftance, a civil gentleman, called a refident, is kept at his court, who, under pretence of providing duly for the pay of these troops, gets affignments on the revenue into his hands. Under his provident management, debts foon accumulate; new affignments are made for thefe debts; until, ftep by step, the whole revenue, and with it the whole power of the country, is delivered into his hands. The military do not behold without a virtuous emulation the moderate gains of the civil department. They feel that, in a country driven to habitual rebellion by the civil government, the military is neceffary; and they will not permit their services to go unrewarded. Tracts of country are delivered over to their difcretion. Then it is found proper to convert their commanding officers into farmers of revenue. Thus between the well paid civil, and well-rewarded military establishment, the situation of the natives may be eafily conjectured. The authority of the regular and lawful government is every where and in every point extinguifhed. Disorders and violences arife; they are repreffed by other disorders and other violences. Wherever the collectors of the revenue, and the farming colonels and majors move, ruin is about them, rebellion before and behind them. The people in crowds fly out of the country; and the frontier is guarded by lines of

troops,