It only remains, Sir, for me just to recapitulate some heads.—­The treaty with the Mogul, by which we stipulated to pay him 260,000_l._ annually, was broken.  This treaty they have broken, and not paid him a shilling.  They broke their treaty with him, in which they stipulated to pay 400,000_l._ a year to the Subah of Bengal.  They agreed with the Mogul, for services admitted to have been performed, to pay Nudjif Cawn a pension.  They broke this article with the rest, and stopped also this small pension.  They broke their treaties with the Nizam, and with Hyder Ali.  As to the Mahrattas, they had so many cross treaties with the states-general of that nation, and with each of the chiefs, that it was notorious that no one of these agreements could be kept without grossly violating the rest.  It was observed, that, if the terms of these several treaties had been kept, two British armies would at one and the same time have met in the field to cut each other’s throats.  The wars which desolate India originated from a most atrocious violation of public faith on our part.  In the midst of profound peace, the Company’s troops invaded the Mahratta territories, and surprised the island and fortress of Salsette.  The Mahrattas nevertheless yielded to a treaty of peace by which solid advantages were procured to the Company.  But this treaty, like every other treaty, was soon violated by the Company.  Again the Company invaded the Mahratta dominions.  The disaster that ensued gave occasion to a new treaty.  The whole army of the Company was obliged in effect to surrender to this injured, betrayed, and insulted people.  Justly irritated, however, as they were, the terms which they prescribed were reasonable and moderate, and their treatment of their captive invaders of the most distinguished humanity.  But the humanity of the Mahrattas was of no power whatsoever to prevail on the Company to attend to the observance of the terms dictated by their moderation.  The war was renewed with greater vigor than ever; and such was their insatiable lust of plunder, that they never would have given ear to any terms of peace, if Hyder Ali had not broke through the Ghauts, and, rushing like a torrent into the Carnatic, swept away everything in his career.  This was in consequence of that confederacy which by a sort of miracle united the most discordant powers for our destruction, as a nation in which no other could put any trust, and who were the declared enemies of the human species.

It is very remarkable that the late controversy between the several presidencies, and between them and the Court of Directors, with relation to these wars and treaties, has not been, which of the parties might be defended for his share in them, but on which of the parties the guilt of all this load of perfidy should be fixed.  But I am content to admit all these proceedings to be perfectly regular, to be full of honor and good faith; and wish to fix your attention solely to that single transaction which the advocates of this system select for so transcendent a merit as to cancel the guilt of all the rest of their proceedings:  I mean the late treaties with the Mahrattas.