country, and because his inheritance cannot be removed, and it would be
improbable that he should risk the loss of it by eloping from his
district, which is too frequently practised by a farmer when he is
hard-pressed for the payment of his balances, and as frequently
predetermined when he receives his farm." That, notwithstanding all the
preceding declarations made by the said Warren Hastings of the loss of
one third of the inhabitants and general decline of the country, he did,
immediately after his appointment to the government, in the year 1772,
make an arbitrary settlement of the revenues for five years at a higher
rate than had ever been received before, and with a progressive and
accumulating increase on each of the four last years of the said
settlement.

That, notwithstanding the right of property and inheritance, repeatedly
acknowledged by the said Warren Hastings to be in the zemindars and
other native landholders, and notwithstanding he had declared "that the
security of private property is the greatest encouragement to industry,
on which the wealth of every state depends," the said Warren Hastings,
nevertheless, in direct violation of those acknowledged rights and
principles, did universally let the lands of Bengal _in farm_ for five
years,--thereby destroying all the rights of private property of the
zemindars,--thereby delivering the management of their estates to
farmers, and transferring by a most arbitrary and unjust act of power
the whole landed property of Bengal from the owners to strangers. That,
to accomplish this iniquitous purpose, he, the said Warren Hastings, did
put the lands of Bengal up to a pretended public auction, _and invited
all persons to make proposals for farming the same_, thereby encouraging
strangers to bid against the proprietors,--in consequence of which, not
only the said proprietors were ousted of the possession and management
of their estates, but a great part of the lands fell into the hands of