My Lords, before he took the important steps which I have just stated, he consulted no one but Mr. Markham, whom he placed over the new Rajah.  The Rajah was only nineteen years old:  but Mr. Markham undoubtedly had the advantage of him in this respect, for he was twenty-one.  He had also the benefit of five months’ experience of the country:  an abundant experience, to be sure, my Lords, in a country where it is well known, from the peculiar character of its inhabitants, that a man cannot anywhere put his foot without placing it upon some trap or mine, until he is perfectly acquainted with its localities.  Nevertheless, he puts the whole country and a prince of nineteen, as appears from the evidence, into the hands of Mr. Markham, a man of twenty-one.  We have no doubt of Mr. Markham’s capacity; but he could have no experience in a country over which he possessed a general controlling power.  Under these circumstances, we surely shall not wonder, if this young man fell into error.  I do not like to treat harshly the errors into which a very young person may fall:  but the man who employs him, and puts him into a situation for which he has neither capacity nor experience, is responsible for the consequences of such an appointment; and Mr. Hastings is doubly responsible in this case, because he placed Mr. Markham as Resident merely to show that he defied the authority of the Court of Directors.

But, my Lords, let us proceed.  We find Mr. Hastings resolved to exact forty lacs from the country, although he had no proof that such a tribute could be fairly collected.  He next assigns to this boy, the Rajah, emoluments amounting to about 60,000_l._ a year.  Let us now see upon what grounds he can justify the assignment of these emoluments.  I can perceive none but such as are founded upon the opinion of its being necessary to the support of the Rajah’s dignity.  Now, when Mr. Markham, who is the sole ostensible actor in the management of the new Rajah, as he had been a witness to the deposition of the former, comes before you to give an account of what he thought of Cheyt Sing, who appears to have properly supported the dignity of his situation, he tells you that about a lac or a lac and a half (10,000_l._ or 15,000_l._) a year was as much as Cheyt Sing could spend.  And yet this young creature, settled in the same country, and who was to pay 400,000_l._ a year, instead of 250,000_l._, tribute to the Company, was authorized by Mr. Hastings to collect and reserve to his own use 60,000_l._ out of the revenue.  That is to say, he was to receive four times as much as was stated by Mr. Hastings, on Mr. Markham’s evidence, to have been necessary to support him.

Your Lordships tread upon corruption everywhere.  Why was such a large revenue given to the young Rajah to support his dignity, when, as they say, Cheyt Sing did not spend above a lac and half in support of his,—­though it is known he had great establishments to maintain, that he had erected considerable buildings adorned with fine gardens, and, according to them, had made great preparations for war?