Mr. Burke.—­Your Lordships have heard the letter read,—­I mean the letter from the Directors, which I read just now.  You will judge whether it is an order or not.  I did hope within these two days to put an end to this business; but when your Lordships hear us charged with direct falsehood at your bar, when you hear this wicked wretch who is before you—­

     [From a Lord.—­Order! order! order!]

Mr. Burke.—­Order, my Lords, we call for, in the name of the Commons!  Your Lordships have heard us accused at your bar of falsehood, after we had read the order upon which our assertion was founded.  This man, whom we have described as the scourge and terror of India, this man gets up, and charges us, not with a mistake, an error, a wrong construction, but a direct falsehood,—­and adds, that his patience is worn out with the falsehood he hears.  This is not an English court of justice, if such a thing is permitted.  We beg leave to retire, and take instructions from our constituents.  He ought to be sent to Bridewell for going on in this manner.

     [Mr. Wyndham here read the letter again.]

Mr. Burke.—­With regard to the ravings of this unhappy man, I am sure, if I were only considering what passed from him to the Managers in this box, and knowing what allowance is due to a wounded conscience, brought before an awful tribunal, and smarting under the impressions of its own guilt, I would pass them over.  But, my Lords, we have the honor of the Commons, we have the honor of this court to sustain. [Your Lordships, the other day, for an offence committed against a constable, who was keeping the way under your orders, did, very justly, and to the great satisfaction of the public, commit the party to Bridewell, for a much slighter insult against the honor and dignify of your court.] And I leave it, therefore, for the present, till your Lordships can seriously consider what the mode of proceeding in this matter ought to be.—­I now proceed.

* * * * *

We have read to your Lordships the orders of the Court of Directors:  I again say we consider them as orders:  your Lordships are as good judges of the propriety of the term as we are.  You have heard them read; you have also heard that the Council at Calcutta considered them as orders, for resolutions were moved upon them; and Mr. Stables, in evidence before you here, who was one of the Council, so considered them:  and yet this man has the frantic audacity in this place to assert that they were not orders, and to declare that he cannot stand the repetition of such abominable falsehoods as are perpetually urged against him.  We cannot conceive that your Lordships will suffer this; and if you do, I promise you the Commons will not suffer the justice of the country to be trifled with and insulted in this manner:  because, if such conduct be suffered by your Lordships, they must say that very disagreeable consequences