disclaim our own power, or to affirm that the
Nabob was the real sovereign of these provinces. In effect, I do
not hesitate to say that I look upon this state of indecision to
have been productive of all the embarrassments which we have
experienced with the foreign settlements. None of them have ever
owned any dominion but that of the British government in these
provinces. Mr. Chevalier has repeatedly declared, that he will not
acknowledge any other, but will look to that only for the support
of the privileges possessed by his nation, and shall protest
against that alone as responsible for any act of power by which
their privileges may be violated or their property disturbed. The
Dutch, the Danes, have severally applied to this government, as to
the ruling power, for the grant of indulgences and the redress of
their grievances. In our replies to all, we have constantly assumed
the prerogatives of that character, but eluded the direct avowal of
it; under the name of influence we have offered them protection,
and we have granted them the indulgences of government under
elusive expressions, sometimes applied to our treaties with the
Nabobs, sometimes to our own rights as the dewan; sometimes openly
declaring the virtual rule which we held of these provinces, we
have contended with them for the rights of government, and
threatened to repel with force the encroachments on it; we in one
or two instances have actually put these threats into execution, by
orders directly issued to the officers of government and enforced
by detachments from our own military forces; the Nabob was never
consulted, nor was the pretence ever made that his orders or
concurrence were necessary: in a word, we have always allowed
ourselves to be treated as principals, we have treated as
principals, but we have contented ourselves with letting our
actions insinuate the character which we effectually possessed,
without asserting it.

"For my own part, I have ever considered the reserve which has been
enjoined us in this respect as a consequence of the doubts which
have long prevailed, and which are still suffered to subsist,
respecting the rights of the British government and the Company to
the property and dominion of these provinces, not as inferring a
doubt with respect to an