XXXVII 1787. ing in the fmallest compass the most extenfive CHAP treachery. An apology adduced by Mr. Haftings for his conduct is, that the begums refifted the refumption of the Jaghires: the amount of this charge is, that these poor old women attempted to prevent robbery. Could any thing be more abfurd, than to accufe perfons of endeavouring to preferve their property from plunder? But the fact is, they made no refiftance; they well knew that their feeble efforts could not reftrain the force of the plunderer: but, Mr. Haftings farther added, the begums complained that they had fuffered injuftice. "God of heaven! had they not a right to com. plain? After the violation of a folemn treaty, plundered of their property, and on the eve of the laft extremity of mifery, were they to be deprived of the ultimate refource of impotent wretchednefs, lamentation and regret? Was it a crime that they fhould croud together in fluttering trepidation, like a flock of helpless birds, on feeing the felon kite, who, having darted at one devoted victim and miffed his aim, fingled out a new object, and was fpringing on his prey with redoubled vigour in his wing, and keener vengeance in his eye?" After the eloquence of Sheridan had exhibited fuch a view of the acts of the accused, he proceeded to his general character. "It has (he faid) been advanced by admirers of Mr. Haftings, who are not fo implicit as to give unqualified applause to his crimes, that they found an apology for their atrocity in the greatness of his mind. To eftimate the folidity of fuch a defence, it is fufficient to confider wherein this prepoffeffing diftinction, this captivating N 2 XXXVII 17871 CHAP. Vating characteristic confifts: is it not solely to be traced in great actions directed to great ends? In them only are we to fearch for true magnanimity; to them only can we affix the fplendor and the honours of true greatness. There is, indeed, another species of greatnefs, which difplays itself in boldly conceiving a bad measure, and undauntedly pursuing it to its accomplishment. Had Mr. Haftings the merit of exhibiting either of these? There was nothing great, nothing magnanimous, nothing open, nothing direct, in his meafures or his mind: on the contrary, he purfued the worst objects by the worst means; his courfe was an eternal deviation from rectitude: at one time he tyrannized over the will, and at another time deluded the understanding; he was by turns a Dionyfius and a Scapin as well might the writhing obliquity of the ferpent be compared to the direct path of the arrow, as the duplicity of Mr. Haftings's ambition to the fimple steadinefs of genuine magnanimity; in his mind all was fhuffling, ambiguous, dark, infidious, and little; nothing fimple, nothing unmixed; all affected plainnefs and actual diffimulation he was an heterogeneous mafs of contradictory qualities, with nothing great but his crimes, and those contrafted by the littleness of his motives; which at once denoted his profligacy and his meannefs, and marked him for a traitor and a juggler: in his very style of writing there was the fame mixture of vicious contrarieties; the moft groveling ideas he conveyed in the most inflated language; giving mock confequence to low cavils, and uttering quibbles in heroics; so that his compofitions difguft XXXVII. 1787 disgust the taste of the understanding, as much as CHAP. his actions excite the abhorrence of the foul. The fame character pervaded every department of his government; alike in the military and the political line, we may obferve auctioneering ambaffadors, and trading generals: we faw a revolution brought about by an affidavit; an army employed in èxecuting an arreft; a town befieged on a note of hand; and a prince dethroned for the balance of an account. Thus a government was exhibited, uniting the mock majesty of a bloody fceptre, and the little traffic of a merchant's counting-house; wielding a truncheon with one hand, and picking a pocket with the other." This energetic, grand, and fplendid display of eloquence was closed by the following peroration: Factions exift in this house, and there is scarcely a subject on which we are not broken and divided into fects; habits, connections, parties, all lead to diversity of opinion: but when inhumanity presents itself to our observation, it finds no divifion in the representatives of the British people; we attack it as our common enemy; and conceiving that the character of the country is involved, in our zeal for the destruction of cruelty, we quit not our undertaking till it be completely overthrown. It is not allowed to this affembly to behold the objects of our compaffion and benevolence in the prefent extenfive inquiry: we cannot contemplate the workings of their hearts, the quivering lips, the trickling tears, the loud yet tremulous joys of the millions, whom our vote of this night will for ever fave from the cruelty of corrupted power: but, though we cannot directly N 3 fee XXXVII. 3787. CHAP fee the effect, is not the true enjoyment of our be nevolence increased, by its being conferred unfeen? Will not the omnipotence of Britain be demonftrated to the wonder of nations, by ftretching its mighty arm across the deep, and faving by its fiat diftant millions from deftruction? And will the bleffings of the people diffipate in the empty air? No. If I may dare use the figure, they will conftitute heaven itself their proxy, to receive for them the bleffings of their pious thanksgiving, and the prayers their gratitude will dictate !" Such is the outline and chief substance of this celebrated fpeech, whofe delivery occupied the extraordinary length of five hours and a half; during. which its excellence was uniform in vivid, animated, and fervid description of conduct, that excited the various emotions of the human heart* for the alleged fufferers, and against the alleged tyrant: filled the hearers with contempt and scorn against exhibited meannefs, deteftation of reprefented atrocity, and called their vengeance upon powerful guilt overwhelming helpless innocence. The late Mr. Logan, well known for his literary efforts, and author of a most masterly defence of Mr. Hastings, went that day to the houfe of commons, prepoffeffed for the accufed and against his accufer. At the expiration of the firft hour he faid to a friend, "All this is declamatory affertion without proof :" when the second was finished; "This is a most wonderful oration:" at the close of the third; " Mr. Haftings has acted very unjustifiably:" the fourth; "Mr. Haftings is a moft atrocious criminal:” and at laft; " Of all monfters of iniquity, the most enormous is Warren Haftings!" This I was told by Mr. Peter Stewart, proprietor of the Oracle, who was prefent. XXXVII. 1787. Its effects of commons public. on the house and the Never was Mr. Sheridan furpaffed by any orator in CHAP brilliant and irrefiftible eloquence, nor has he often been equalled in ingenuity and acuteness of deduction from the premises which he affumed. If the governor-general had acted in the mode, and from the motives reprefented with so impressive effect by Mr. Sheridan, he would have certainly deferved to have been ranked among all the Caligulas, Neros, and Caracallas, that had ever fcourged humanity by lawless power; with all the Jonathan Wilds and Scapins, that, by fraud and imposture, supplied the want of force to perpetrate villainy. The fpeech fo manifeftly aftonished the house, that Mr. Pitt proposed to adjourn their meeting without coming to a deliberation, until they should be fufficiently recovered to distinguish the blaze of eloquence from the light of truth: throughout the country the impreffion was little lefs powerful; and great numbers conceived Haftings as guilty as he was reprefented by tranfcendent genius. To the commons there appeared fo probable grounds of accufation, as to produce a vote of one hundred and feventy-five to fixty-eight, for impeaching Mr. Hastings upon the third charge: feveral other inferior charges. were voted to contain grounds of impeachment. On the 2d of April various other accufations were examined, and the impeachment was at length voted; when the form in which that inquest should be carried on, became a subject of confideration. Mr. Fox proposed, that there fhould be a general charge of impeachment, and that the houfe, on acquainting the lords with their intention, fhould inform them that they were preparing articles which they would prefent with all convenient difpatch; N 4 |