ur Lordships' Minutes.

"For sending repeatedly to the Vizier, and to his minister, Hyder
Beg Khan, to advise them against transferring the ten lacs of
rupees intended as a present to the Governor-General to the
Company's account; as it would be a precedent for further demands,
which if the Vizier did not refuse in the first instance, the
government would never cease to harass him for money."

The first thing that will occur to your Lordships is an assertion of the
accuser's:--"I am morally certain, that jaidads or assets for ten lacs,
either in assignment of land or in bills, had been prepared, and were in
the charge or possession of Mr. Middleton, before Major Palmer's
arrival, and left with Mr. Johnson on Mr. Middleton's departure."

My Lords, here is an accusation that Mr. Middleton had actually received
money, either in bills or assets of some kind or other,--and that, upon
quitting his Residency, he had handed it over to his successor, Mr.
Johnson. Here are, then, facts asserted, and we must suppose
substantiated. Here is a sum of money to be accounted for, in which
there is a gross malversation directly charged as to these particulars,
in Mr. Hastings's opinion. Mr. Macpherson, another member of the
Council, has declared, that he understood at the time that the ten lacs
were actually deposited in bills, and that it was not a mere offer made
by the Nabob to pay such a sum from the future revenue of the country.
Mr. Hastings has these facts disclosed to him. He declares that he was
"_morally_ certain" of it,--that is, as certain as a man can be of
anything; because physical certitude does not belong to such matters.
The first thing you will naturally ask is, "Why does he not ask Mr.
Johnson how he had disposed of that money which Mr. Middleton had put in
his hands?" He does no such thing; he passes over it totally, as if it
were no part of the matter in question, and the accusation against Mr.
Middleton terminates in the manner you will there find stated. When Mr.
Johnson is asked, "Why was not that money applied to the Company's
service?" he boldly steps forward, and says, "I prevented it from being
so applied. It never was, it never ought to have been, so applied; such
an appropriation of money to be taken from the Nabob would have been
enormous upon that occasion."

What, then, does Mr. Hastings do? Does he examine Mr. Middleton upon the
subject, who charges himself with having r