ENGLAND. 
703 
grounds and pretences, arofe to the enormous fum of 
2,785,0001. fterling, which was confiderably more than 
two years net produce of the nabob’s revenues. In order 
to liquidate this debt, Mr. Haftings urged the nabob, 
and an article to this effect was inferted in the treaty of 
Chunar, to a general refumption of the jaghires, or go¬ 
vernment aflignments upon land, throughout the pro¬ 
vince, to the amount of many hundred thou land pounds 
annual rent, including the provifions made by the former 
nabob-viziers for their princes of the blood, and the an¬ 
cient friends and dependents of their family. The eftates 
thus confifcated were re-let on rack-rents, and at the fame 
time mortgaged to rich bankers of Benares, to fupply the 
immediate wants of the Englifh government. A gift from 
the vizier of ioo,oool. fterling was alfo at this period 
accepted by Mr. Mailings; which being, as he confeffed, 
a fum of too great magnitude to be concealed, he, after 
fome deliberation, thought proper to apprize the court of 
directors of this violation of their commands ; but he ne- 
verthelefs had to exprefs his hope, “ that, in consideration 
of his long and faithful fervices, and the furns he had ex¬ 
pended from his private fortune upon their account, they 
would permit him to apply this donation to his own life.” 
The confufion and diftrefs confequent on the late vio¬ 
lent expedition of refumption, and other devices of ex¬ 
tortion, it is intpoftible in adequate terms to defcribe. 
The regular authority of the magiftracy, and the admi- 
niftration of jultice, totally ceafed ; and no power was 
vifible but that of the farmers of the revenue, attended 
by bodies of troops, to enforce the collections. The 
country was declared, by one of the nabob’s minifters, to 
be “ a fpeaking pifture of famine and woe.”—“ From the 
total want of police, (fays the refid nt, Briftow,) hardly 
a day efcapes but I am informed of fome tragical event, 
whereof the bare recital is (hocking to humanity :” and 
he confeffes that his feelings are fenfibly hurt, and his 
compaftion ftrongly excited, by the difgraceful and mife- 
rable ftate of poverty to which the brothers of the nabob 
are reduced. From three of thefe princes, Mirza Ali, 
Mirza Hyder, and Mirza Sief, the refident received an 
affefting memorial, in which they fay, “ Our fituation 
is not fit to be told : for two years we have not received 
an hubba on account of our tur.caw (aflignment 011 the 
revenue). It is furprifing, having fuch a friend as yon, 
our fituation is arrived at that pafs that we fhould be in 
diftrefs for bread and clothing—yet we are the fons of 
Sujah ul Dowla ! ” 
The mother and wife of the late nabob kept their court 
at the city of Fyzabad, where, after the cuftom of the 
eaft, they lived in much magnificence, having the charge 
of educating the numerous offspring of the deceafed fove- 
reign, and of maintaining a houfehold confiding of two 
thoufand perfons. To fupport this vaft expence, the 
nabob had left them a large proportion of his treafures, 
and had fettled upon them jaghires, or permanent reve¬ 
nues, fuitable to their high rank and dignity, and to the 
importance of the truft committed to them; folemnly 
and earneftly recommending at the fame time the interefts 
of his family to the guardian care and protection of the 
company, by whom their poffeftions had been fubfe- 
quently and authentically guaranteed. By the treaty of 
Chunar, neverthelefs, the prefent nabob was authorized 
by Mr. Haftings to feize upon the jaghires, or landed re¬ 
venues, of thefe illuftrious relatives, and to allow them 
penfions equal to the amount. And this, the governor 
pretended, was conformable to the Mahommedan law. 
The nabob appearing, neverthelefs, manifeftly reluftant 
to carry this projeft into execution, Mr. Haftings figni- 
fied his pleafure to his own refident at Lucknow, Mr. 
Middleton, “ that as this meafure originated with the 
Englifh, and was intended for their benefit, the execution 
was to be forced upon him although the exprefs,words 
of the treaty of Chunar were merely, “ that the nabob 
be permitted to refume fuch jaghires, or eftates, as he 
may think neceli'jry.” 
2 
In order to impart fome colour of juftice to thefe pro¬ 
ceedings, depofitions the moft futile and ridiculous were, 
as at Benares, extra-judicially made before fir Elijah 
Impey, who unexpectedly prefented himfelf in the courf'e 
of his progrefs, after leaving Benares, firft at Chunar, 
then at Lucknow. For this vriagi(irate fo highly degraded 
his character and ftation, as to become a principal agent 
in this bufinefs. And fuch was the filent celerity of his 
movements, that the chief juftice has been, with hu¬ 
mourous aliufion, compared to the ghoft in Hamlet, ex¬ 
claiming, in almoft every quarter at the fame inftant, 
“ Swear!” Thefe affidavits, founded on vague rumours, 
were defigned to prove, that the princeffes of Oude fo¬ 
mented the infurreftion at Benares, and were even en¬ 
gaged in a plot for the dethronement of their own for,, 
and the utter extirpation of the Englifh nation. Very 
little ftrefs, however, was at this crifis placed by Mr. 
Haftings on the validity of thefe proofs, which were evi¬ 
dently calculated to anfwer a different and diftant pur- 
pofe. “ Your pleafure, (lays Mr. Middleton,) refpeft- 
ing the begums, I have learnt from fir Elijah Impey. 
Finding the nabob wavering in his determination about 
the refumption of the jaghires, I this day ordered the ne- 
ceffary perwannahs for that purpofe. But before they 
were tranfcvibed, 1 received a meflage from the nabob, 
entreating that I would withhold them till the morning. 
As it is poflible that the nabob, feeing the bufinefs will 
at all events be done, may make it an ait of bis own, I 
have confented to indulge him in this requeft.” The 
nabob at length blued his perwannahs, but with extreme 
reluctance, and, to ufe the language of Mr. Middleton, 
“ after much trifling evafion and puerile excufes;” the 
irrefiftible effufions, no doubt, of that natural afteftion 
which it is fo difficult totally to eradicate from the human 
heart. “ At the fame time the nabob declared, (fays 
Mr. Middleton,) both to me and his minifters, that it wasu 
an aft of compulfion.” a. 
In a fubfequent letter, Mr. Middleton informs the go¬ 
vernor, that the vizier, wi filing to evade the meafure of 
refumption, fuggefted to him, that the debt of the com¬ 
pany might be better and more expeditioufly liquidated 
by taking the amount at once from the treafures left by 
his father. Mr. Haftings, now, Hill infifting upon the 
refumption of the jaghires, declared his refolution alfo t« 
feize the treafures ; enjoining upon the agent, Middleton, 
the execution of this nefarious aft, in the following pe¬ 
remptory terms : “You yourfelf muft be perfonally pre¬ 
fent. You muft not allow any negociation or forbear¬ 
ance, but muft profecute both fervices until the Begums 
are at the entire mercy of the nabob.” In conformity to 
this order, the Britifh refident, at the head of a body of 
troops, accompanied by the terrified vizier, marched to 
Fyzabad, and with little or no refiftance ftormed firft the 
town, and then the caftle. The chief officers of the 
houfehold, the eunuchs Jewar Ali Khan and Bahar Ali 
Khan, perfons of diftinguifhed rank, who had been in 
high truft and favour with the late nabob, were ignomi- 
nioufly thruft into confinement, in order to extort from 
them Hie difcovery of the-treafures and effefts committed 
to their care.- In confequence of thefe feverities, the 
bkow begum, i. e. the mother princefs, at length con¬ 
fented to the furrender of her treafures, hid in the moft 
fecret recedes of the palace, to the amount of the bond 
debt due from the nabob to the company. But avarice 
is infatiable as the grave! Another demand of 120,0001. 
was made for the balance pretended to be due fince the 
execution of the bond; and to enforce compliance, the 
two eunuchs were, by order of the refident, Middleton, 
committed to clofe cuftody, put in irons, and kept from 
all food. To raife this fum, great part of the furniture 
of the palaces, the jewels, and other effefts of the begums, 
even to the wardrobe, were difpofed of by public -ale. 
Fully apprifed of the diftrefsful fituation of the prin- 
ceffes, Mr. Haftings could, neverthelefs, write at this pe¬ 
riod to the relident,Middleton, as follows: “The nabob 
having 
