What influence it really had on the conduct of the Company's
servants may be collected from the facts that followed it.
The disobedience of Mr. Hastings has of late not only become uniform and
systematical in practice, but has been in principle, also, supported by
him, and by Mr. Barwell, late a member of the Supreme Council in Bengal,
and now a member of this House.
In the Consultation of the 20th of July, 1778, Mr. Barwell gives it as
his solemn and deliberate opinion, that, "while Mr. Hastings is in the
government, the respect and dignity of his station should be supported.
In these sentiments, I must decline an acquiescence in _any_ order which
has a _tendency_ to bring the government into disrepute. As the Company
have the means and power of forming their own administration in India,
they may at pleasure place whom they please at the head; but in my
opinion they are not authorized to treat a person in that post with
_indignity_."
By treating them with indignity (in the particular cases wherein they
have declined obedience to orders) they must mean those orders which
imply a censure on any part of their conduct, a reversal of any of their
proceedings, or, as Mr.
Pages:
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277