“Mr. Francis.—­As a member of this Council, I do not deem myself obliged to answer any question of mere curiosity.  I am willing, however, to inform the Governor-General, that, though I was totally unacquainted with the contents of the paper I have now delivered in to the board till I heard it read, I did apprehend in general that it contained some charge against him.  It was this apprehension that made me so particularly cautious in the manner of receiving the Rajah’s letter.  I was not acquainted with Rajah Nundcomar’s intention of bringing in such charges as are mentioned in the letter.

    “Warren Hastings. 
    J. Clavering. 
    Geo. Monson. 
    P. Francis.”

Now what the duty of Mr. Hastings and the Council was, upon receiving such information, I shall beg leave to state to your Lordships from the Company’s orders; but, before I read them, I must observe, that, in pursuance of an act of Parliament, which was supposed to be made upon account of the neglect of the Company, as well as the neglects of their servants, and for which general neglects responsibility was fixed upon the Company for the future, while for the present their authority was suspended, and a Parliamentary commission sent out to regulate their affairs, the Company did, upon that occasion, send out a general code and body of instructions to be observed by their servants, in the 35th paragraph of which it is said,—­

“We direct that you immediately cause the strictest inquiry to be made into all oppressions which may have been committed either against the natives or Europeans, and into all abuses that may have prevailed in the collection of the revenues, or any part of the civil government of the Presidency:  and that you communicate to us all information which you may be able to learn relative thereto, or to any dissipation or embezzlement of the Company’s money.”

Your Lordships see here that there is a direct duty fixed upon them to forward, to promote, to set on foot, without exception of any persons whatever, an inquiry into all manner of corruption, peculation, and oppression.  Therefore this charge of Nundcomar’s was a case exactly within the Company’s orders; such a charge was not sought out, but was actually laid before them; but if it had not been actually laid before them, if they had any reason to suspect that such corruptions existed, they were bound by this order to make an active inquiry into them.

Upon that day (11th March, 1775) nothing further passed; and, on the part of Mr. Hastings, that charge, as far as we can find, might have stood upon the records forever, without his making the smallest observation upon it, or taking any one step to clear his own character.  But Nundcomar was not so inattentive to his duties as an accuser as Mr. Hastings was to his duties as an inquirer; for, without a moment’s delay, upon the first board-day, two days after, Nundcomar came and delivered the following letter.