the entire powers of the fupreme council, the governor general resolved to visit the province in person. At a meeting which took place at Chunar, on the confines of Benares, a secret treaty was concluded by the governor with the vizier, containing several articles of an extraordinary nature; and it has been faid, that no treaty ever contained so much treachery in so small a compass. By this time the claims upon the nabob, on various grounds and pretences, arofe to the enormous fum of 2,785,000l. fterling, which was confiderably more than two years nett produce of the nabob's revenues. In order to liquidate this debt, Mr. Hastings urged the nabob, and an article to this effect was inferted in the treaty of Chunar, to a general resumption of the jaghires, or government assignments upon land, throughout the province, to the amount of many hundred thousand pounds annual rent, including the provifions made by the former nabob-viziers for their princes of the blood, and the antient friends and dependents of their family. The estates thus confiscated were re-let on rack rents and at the same time mortgaged to rich bankers of Benares, to supply the immediate wants of the English government.

A GIFT from the vizier of 100,000l. was also at this period accepted by Mr. Hastings, which being, as he confefsed, a fum of too great magnitude to be concealed, he, after some deliberation, thought proper to apprize the court of directors of this violation of their commands, and of his own oath. But he nevertheless had the prefumption to express his hope " that, in confideration of his long and faithful services, and the fums he had expended from his private fortune upon their account, they would permit him to apply this donation to his own ufe.

The confufion and distress consequent on the late violent expedient of resumption, and other devices of extortion, it is impoffible in adequate terms to describe. The whole fabric of civil government seemed to totter, and verge upon annihilation and anarchy. The regular authority

authority of the magistracy, and the administration of justice, totally ceased; and no power was visible but that of the farmers of the revenue, attended by bodies of troops to enforce the collections. The country was declared by one of the nabob's ministers to be " a speaking picture of famine and woe." " From the total want of police," says the resident Bristow, "hardly a day escapes but I am informed of fome tragical event, whereof the bare recital is shocking to humanty:" and he confefses that his feelings are sensibly hurt, and his compassion strongly excited, by the disgraceful and miferable state of poverty to which the brothers of the nabob are reduced. From three of these princes, Mirza Ali, Mirza Hyder, and Mirza Sief, the resident received an affecting representation or a memorial, in which they say,- " Our fituation is not fit to be told-For two years we have not received an hubba on account of our tuncaw (affignment on the revenue). It is furprising, having fuch a friend as you, our situation is arrived at that pass that we should be in distress for bread and clothing-YET we are the sons of Sujah ul Dowla!" But the heart of Mr. Hastings never in any instance counteracted the designs of his head, and the wretched inhabitants of Oude were destined to fee yet greater abominations than these.

The mother and wife of the late nabob kept their court at the city of Fyzabad, where, after the custom of the east, they lived in much magnificence, having the charge of educating the numerous offspring of the deceased fovereign, and of maintaining a household confifting of 2000 persons. To support this vast expence, the nabob had left them a large proportion of his treasures, and had fettled upon them jaghires fuitable to their high rank and dignity, and to the importance of the truft committed to them; folemnly and earnestly recommending at the same time the interests of his family to the guardian care and protection of the company, by whom their poffeffions had been fubfequently and authentically guarantied. By

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the treaty of Chunar, nevertheless, the present nabob was authorized by Mr. Hastings to seize upon the jaghires, or landed estates, of thefe illuftrious relatives, and to allow them pensions equal to the amount. And this, the governor pretended, was conformable to the Mahommedan lawt. The nabob appearing nevertheless manifestly reluctant to carry this odious project into execution, Mr. Haftings signified his pleasure to his own resident at Lucknow, Mr. Middleton, "that as this meafure originated with the English, and was intended for their benefit, the execution was to be FORCED upon him," -although the exprefs words of the treaty of Chunar were merely, "that the nabob be permitted to refume such jaghires as he may think neceffary."

In order to impart some color of justice to this outrage, depositions the most futile and ridiculous were, as recently at Benares, extra-judicially made before fir Elijah Impey, who unexpectedly presented himself in the course of his progrefs, after leaving Benares, first at Chunar, then at Lucknow. For this magiftrate so miferably degraded his character and station, as to become a principal agent in this business. And fuch was the filent celerity of his movements, that the chief justice has been with humorous allufion compared to the Ghost in Hamlet, exclaiming in almost every quarter at the same instant, "SWEAR!" Thefe

↑ Soon after the decease of Sujah uł Dowla, a dispute arose between Afoph ul Dowla his fucceffor, and the begums his relations, respecting the proportion of treasure which legally appertained to them; and the board of Calcutta, taking cognizance of this matter, unanimoufly decided (fir John Clavering, colonel Monfon, and Mr. Franeis, then fitting at the board) that by the Mahommedan law the princesses were entitled only to the property of their husbands within the zenana or seraglio where they refided. The begums cheerfully acquiefced in this decision; in confequence of which, a vast sum was refunded by them, and their remaining treasure secured by a formal guarantee, in which Mr. Hastings concurred, though, as he infinuates, without responsibility, "being then an inefficient member of the board." But for Mr. Haftings to appeal to the KORAN as a fanction for his fubfequent enormities, is, to adopt the language of Mr. Sheridan, in his famous speech of February 7, 1787, "as if there were something in the institutions of Mahommed, that made it meritorious for a christian to be a favage that rendered it criminal to treat the inhabitants of India with humanity or mercy-that even made it impious in a fon not to plunder his mother!"

These affidavits, founded on vague and incoherent rumors, were defigned to prove, that the princesses of Oude fomented the insurrection at Benares, and were even engaged in a plot for the dethronement of their own fon, and the utter extirpation of the English nation. Very little stress, however, was at this crisis placed by Mr. Haftings on the validity of these proofs, which were evidently calculated to answer a different and distant purpose*.

" Your pleasure," says Mr. Middleton, " respecting the begums I have learnt from fir Elijah Impey.-Finding the nabob wavering in his determination about the resumption of the jaghires, I this day ordered the neceffary per wannahs for that purpose. But before they were transcribed, I received a message from the nabob, entreating that I would withhold them till the morning. As it is possible that the nabob, seeing the business will at all events be done, may make it an act of his own, I have consented to indulge him in this request."

The nabob at length issued his perawannahs, but with extreme reluctance, and, to use the language of Mr. Middleton, " after much trifling evasion and puerile excuses;" -the irresistible effusions, no doubt, of that natural affection which it is so difficult totally to eradicate from the human heart, but which by men hardened in villany is regarded as fond and childish imbecility. "At the fame time the nabob declared," says Mr. Middleton, " both to me and his ministers, that it was an ACT of COMPULSION."

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In a subsequent letter Mr. Middleton informs the governor, that the vizier, wishing to evade the measure of resumption, suggested to him, that the debt of the company might be better and more expeditioufly liquidated by taking the amount at once from the treasures left by his father. With all the eager rapacity of a bird of prey, which in the act of seizing with out-stretched beak its helpless quarry aims to grasp another victim also in its talons, Mr. Hastings, still insisted upon the resumption of the jaghires, declared his resolution also to seize the treasures; enjoining upon the agent Middleton, under menaces of a dreadful responsibility, the execution of this barbarous act, in the following peremptory terms:--" You yourself must be personally present. You must not allow any negotiation or forbearance, but must profecute BOTH SERVICES until the begums are at the entire mercy of the nabob." In conformity to this order, the British refident, at the head of a body of troops, accompanied by the terrified vizier, marched to Fyzabad, and with little or no resistance stormed first the town and then the castle. The chief officers of the household, the eunuchs Jewar Ali Khan and Bahar Ali Khan, persons of distinguished rank, who had been in high trust and favor with the late nabob, were ignominioufly thrust into confinement, in order to extort from them the discovery of the treasures and effects committed to their care. In confequence of these severities, the bhow begum, i. e. the mother princess, at length consented to the furrender of her treasures, hid in the most secret receffes of the palace, to the amount of the bond debt due from the nabob to the company. But avarice is insatiable as the grave. Another demand of 120,000l. was made for the balance pretended to be due fince the execution of the bond: and to enforce compliance, the two eunuchs were, by order of the resident Middleton, committed to clofe custody, put in irons, and kept from all food. To raise this sum, great part of the furniture of the palaces, the jewels

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