That the said Warren Hastings did not obey, as in duty he was bound to
do, the said standing orders; nor did communicate all his correspondence
with Mr. Middleton, the Company's agent at the court of the Subah of
Oude, or with Colonel Champion, the commander-in-chief of the Company's
forces in the Rohilla war, to the Select Committee: and when afterwards,
that is to say, on the 25th of October, 1774, he was required by the
majority of the Council appointed by the act of Parliament of 1773,
whose opinion was by the said act directed to be taken as the act of the
whole Council, to produce _all_ his correspondence with Mr. Middleton
and Colonel Champion for the direction of their future proceedings
relative to the obscure, intricate, and critical transaction aforesaid,
he did positively and pertinaciously refuse to deliver any other than
such parts of the said correspondence as he thought convenient, covering
his said illegal refusal under general vague pretences of secrecy and
danger from the communication, although the said order and instruction
of the Court of Directors above mentioned was urged to him, and although
it was represented to him by the said Council, that they, as well as
he, were bound by an oath of secrecy: which refusal to obey the orders
of the Court of Directors (orders specially, and on weighty grounds of
experience, pointed to cases of this very nature) gave rise to much
jealousy, and excited great suspicions relative to the motives and
grounds on which the Rohilla war had been undertaken.
Pages:
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469