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Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797

"The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 08 (of 12)"

Middleton's charge was _a
present on account of an agreement entered into by the Bhow Begum_. I
therefore affixed my seal to the account, and forwarded it to Mr. Goring
by means of the Nabob."
In this answer, the accounts given to Mr. Goring she asserts to be
genuine. They are explained, in all the particulars, by all the
secretaries and clerks in office. They are secured under Mr. Goring's
seal. To them she refers for everything; to them she refers for the
three lacs of rupees given to Mr. Hastings and Mr. Middleton. It is
impossible to combine together a clearer body of proof, composed of
record of office and verbal testimony mutually supporting and
illustrating each other.
The House will observe that the receipt of the money is indirectly
admitted by one of the Governor's own questions to Munny Begum.
If the money was not received, it would have been absurd to ask _on what
account it was given_. Both the question and the answer relate to some
established usage, the appeal to which might possibly be used to justify
the acceptance of the money, if it was accepted, but would be
superfluous, and no way applicable to the charge, if the money was never
given.


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