Did he
insinuate in that letter that he was going up to Benares to suppress a
rebellion of the Rajah Cheyt Sing or to punish him? No, not a word. Did
he, my Lords, at the eve of his departure from Calcutta, when he
communicated his intention of taking 500,000_l._, which he calls a fine
or penalty, from the Rajah, did he inform Mr. Wheler of it? No, not a
word of his rebellion, nor anything like it. Did he inform his secret
confidants, Mr. Anderson and Major Palmer, upon that subject? Not a
word, there was not a word dropped from him of any such rebellion, or of
any intention in the Rajah Cheyt Sing to rebel. Did he, when he had
vakeels in every part of the Mahratta empire and in the country of Sujah
Dowlah, when he had in most of those courts English ambassadors and
native spies, did he either from ambassadors or spies receive anything
like authentic intelligence upon this subject? While he was at Benares,
he had in his hands Benaram Pundit, the vakeel of the Rajah of Berar,
his own confidential friend, a person whom he took out of the service of
his master, and to whom he gave a jaghire in this very zemindary of
Benares. This man, so attached to Mr. Hastings, so knowing in all the
transactions of India, neither accused Cheyt Sing of rebellious
intentions, or furnished Mr.
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