Lucknow, under whatever circumstances
it might be represented, would be considered by him as a force
ultimately to be used in securing his person. In short, my dear
Sir, it is a matter of such immediate moment, and involving,
apparently, such very serious and important consequences, that I
have not only taken upon me to suspend the communication of it to
the Nabob until I should be honored with your further commands, but
have also ventured to write the inclosed letter to Colonel Morgan:
liberties which I confidently trust you will excuse, when you
consider that I can be actuated by no other motive than a zeal for
the public service, and that, if, after all, you determine that the
measure shall be insisted on, it will be only the loss of six or at
most eight days in proposing it. But in the last event, I earnestly
entreat your orders may be explicit and positive, that I may
clearly know what lengths you would wish me to proceed in carrying
them into execution. I again declare it is my firm belief, and
assure yourself, my dear Mr. Hastings, I am not influenced in this
declaration by any considerations but my public duty and my
personal attachment to you, that the enforcing the measure you have
proposed would be productive of an open rupture between us and the
Nabob; nay, that the first necessary step towards carrying it into
effect must be, on our part, a declaration of hostility."

Your Lordships have now before your eyes proofs, furnished by Mr.
Hastings himself from his correspondence with Mr. Middleton,
irrefragable proofs, that this Nabob, who is stated to have made the
proposition himself, was dragged to the signature of it; and that the
troops which are supposed, and fraudulently stated, (and I wish your
Lordships particularly to observe this,) to have been sent to assist
him in this measure, were considered by him as a body of troops sent to
imprison him, and to free him from all the troubles and pains of
government.

When Mr. Hastings sent the troops for the purpose, as he pretended, of
assisting the Nabob in the execution of a measure which was really
adopted in direct opposition to the wishes of that prince, what other
conclusion could be drawn, but that they were sent to overawe, not to
assist him? The march of alien troops into a country upon that occasion
could have no object but hostility; they could ha