IX.--RESIGNATION OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR-GENERAL.


That Warren Hastings having by his agent, Lauchlan Macleane, Esquire, on
the 10th day of October, in the year 1776, "signified to the Court of
Directors his desire to resign his office of Governor-General of Bengal,
and requested their nomination of a successor to the vacancy which would
be thereby occasioned in the Supreme Council," the Court of Directors
did thereupon desire the said Lauchlan Macleane "to inform them of the
authority under which he acted in a point of such very great
importance"; and the said Lauchlan Macleane "signifying thereupon his
readiness to give the court every possible satisfaction on that subject,
but the powers with which he was intrusted by the papers in his custody
being mixed with other matters of a nature extremely confidential, he
would submit the same to the inspection of any three of the members of
the court," the said Court of Directors empowered the Chairman, Deputy
Chairman, and Richard Becher, Esquire, to inspect the authorities,
powers, and directions with which Mr. Macleane was furnished by Mr.
Hastings to make the propositions contained in his letter of the 10th
October, 1776, and to report their opinion thereon. And the said
committee did accordingly, on the 23d of the said month, report, "that,
having conferred with Mr. Macleane on the subject of his letter
presented to the court the 11th instant, they found, that, from the
purport of Mr. Hastings's instructions, contained in a paper in his own
handwriting given to Mr. Macleane, and produced by him to them, Mr.
Hastings declared he would not continue in the government of Bengal,
unless certain conditions therein specified could be obtained, of which
they saw no probability; and Mr. George Vansittart had declared to them,