that they will serve as a shield to cover the honor of England, whenever
this country is upbraided in India.

They found a rumor running through the country of great peculations and
oppressions. Soon after, when it was known what their instructions were,
and that the Council was ready, as is the first duty of all governors,
even when there is no express order, to receive complaints against the
oppressions and corruptions of government in any part of it, they found
such a body (and that body shall be produced to your Lordships) of
corruption and peculation in every walk, in every department, in every
situation of life, in the sale of the most sacred trusts, and in the
destruction of the most ancient families of the country, as I believe in
so short a time never was unveiled since the world began.

Your Lordships would imagine that Mr. Hastings would at least ostensibly
have taken some part in endeavoring to bring these corruptions before
the public, or that he would at least have acted with some little
management in his opposition. But, alas! it was not in his power; there
was not one, I think, but I am sure very few, of these general articles
of corruption, in which the most eminent figure in the crowd, the
principal figure as it were in the piece, was not Mr. Hastings himself.
There were a great many others involved; for all departments were
corrupted and vitiated. But you could not open a page in which you did
not see Mr. Hastings, or in which you did not see Cantoo Baboo. Either
the black or white side of Mr. Hastings constantly was visible to the
world in every part of these transactions.

With the other gentlemen, who were visible too, I have at present no
dealing. Mr. Hastings, instead of using any management on that occasion,
instantly set up his power and authority, directly against the majority