In our Indian government, whatever grievance is borne is denied to exist, and all mute despair and sullen patience is construed into content and satisfaction.  But this general insurrection, which at every moment threatened to blaze out afresh, and to involve all the provinces in its flames, rent in pieces that veil of fraud and mystery that covers all the miseries of all the provinces.  Calcutta rung with it; and it was feared it would go to England.  The English Chief in the province, Mr. Goodlad, represented it to Mr. Hastings’s Revenue Committee to be (what it was) the greatest and most serious disturbance that ever happened in Bengal.  But, good easy man, he was utterly unable to guess to what cause it was to be attributed.  He thought there was some irregularity in the collection, but on the whole judged that it had little other cause than a general conspiracy of the husbandmen and landholders, who, as Debi Sing’s lease was near expiring, had determined not to pay any more revenue.

Mr. Hastings’s Committee of Revenue, whilst these wounds were yet bleeding, and whilst a total failure was threatened in the rents of these provinces, thought themselves obliged to make an inquiry with some sort of appearance of seriousness into the causes of it.  They looked, therefore, about them carefully, and chose what they judged would be most plausible and least effective.  They thought that it was necessary to send a special commissioner into the province, and one, too, whose character would not instantly blast the credit of his mission.  They cast their eyes on a Mr. Paterson, a servant of the Company, a man of fair character, and long standing in the service.  Mr. Paterson was a person known to be of a very cool temper, placid manners, moderate and middle opinions, unconnected with parties; and from such a character they looked for (what sometimes is to be expected from it) a compromising, balanced, neutralized, equivocal, colorless, confused report, in which the blame was to be impartially divided between the sufferer and the oppressor, and in which, according to the standing manners of Bengal, he would recommend oblivion as the best remedy, and would end by remarking, that retrospect could have no advantage, and could serve only to irritate and keep alive animosities; and by this kind of equitable, candid, and judge-like proceeding, they hoped the whole complaint would calmly fade away, the sufferers remain in the possession of their patience, and the tyrant of his plunder.  In confidence of this event from this presumed character, Mr. Hastings’s Committee, in appointing Mr. Paterson their commissioner, were not deficient in arming him with powers equal to the object of his commission.  He was enabled to call before him all accountants, to compel the production of all accounts, to examine all persons,—­not only to inquire and to report, but to decide and to redress.