to the Nabob?—­A. No,—­except by marching and countermarching.  I marched in the year 1774 through the Nabob Sujah ul Dowlah’s provinces into Rohilcund.—­Q. Had you those opportunities from the time of your going there in 1774?—­A. I had; but not so much as I had after being appointed aide-de-camp to the Vizier, because I was always before in a subordinate situation:  I marched in a direct line before, with the troops; but afterwards, when I was aide-de-camp to his Excellency, I was my own master, and made frequent excursions into the different parts of the country.—­Q. Had you an opportunity of observing the difference in the general happiness and disposition of the people?—­A. I had.—­Q. Did you observe a difference in that respect also between your first coming and the year 1783?—­A. Yes, a very sensible difference:  in Sujah ul Dowlah’s time the country was in a very flourishing state, in merchandise, cultivation, and every article of commerce, and the people then seemed to be very happy under his government, which latterly was not the case; because the country in reality appeared in the year 1774 in a flourishing state, and in the year 1783 it appeared comparatively forlorn and desolate.—­Q. Was the court of Asoph ul Dowlah, when you left India, equal in point of splendor to what it was in the time of Sujah ul Dowlah?—­A. By no means:  it was not equally splendid, but far inferior.—­Q. Were the dependants and officers belonging to the court paid in the same punctual manner?—­A. No:  I really cannot say whether they were paid more regularly in Sujah Dowlah’s time, only they appeared more wealthy and more able to live in a splendid style in his time than they ever have done since his death.”

Here, then, your Lordships see the state of the country in 1783.  Your Lordships may trace the whole progress of these evils, step by step, from the death of Sujah ul Dowlah to the time of Mr. Hastings’s obtaining a majority in the Council, after which he possessed the sole and uncontrolled management of the country; you have seen also the consequences that immediately followed till the year 1784, when he went up a second time into the country.

I do not know, my Lords, that it is necessary to make any observation upon this state of things.  You see that the native authority was, as we have proved, utterly extinguished by Mr. Hastings, and that there was no superintendent power but his.  You have heard of the oppressions of the farmers of the revenues; and we have shown you that these farmers generally were English officers.  We have shown you in what manner Colonel Hannay, one of these farmers sent by Mr. Hastings, acted, and particularly the accumulation of hostages which were made by him.  We have shown you, that by their arbitrary and tyrannical proceedings all regular government was subverted, and that the country experienced the last and most dreadful effects