f such iniquity as the world never yet had to blush
at.) "I founded a Mahometan college for your use; and I bore the expense
of it from September, 1780, when I placed a professor there, called
Mudjed-o-Din."--This Mudjed-o-Din was to perfect men, by contract, in
all the arts and sciences, in about six months; and the chief purpose of
the school was, as Mr. Hastings himself tells you, to breed theologians,
magistrates, and moulavies, that is to say, judges and doctors of law,
who were to be something like our masters in chancery, the assessors of
judges, to assist them in their judgments. Such was the college founded
by Mr. Hastings, and he soon afterwards appropriated one of the
Company's estates, (I am speaking of matters of public notoriety,) worth
3,000_l._ a year, for its support. Heaven be praised, that Mr. Hastings,
when he was resolved to be pious and munificent, and to be a great
founder, chose a Mahometan rather than a Christian foundation, so that
our religion was not disgraced by such a foundation!

Observe how he charges the expense of the foundation to the Company
twice over. He first makes them set aside an estate of 3,000_l._ a year
for its support. In what manner this income was applied during Mr.
Hastings's stay in India no man living knows; but we know, that, at his
departure, one of the last acts he did was to desire it should be put
into the hands of Mudjed-o-Din. He afterwards, as you have seen, takes
credit to himself with the Company for the expenses relative to this
college.

I must now introduce your Lordships to the last visitation that was made
of this college. It was visited by order of Lord Cornwallis in the year
1788, upon the complaints made against it which I have already mentioned
to your Lordships,--that it was a sink of filth, vermin, and misery. Mr.
Chapman, who was the visitor, and the friend of Mr. Hastings, declares
that he could not sit in it even for a few minutes; his words are,--"The
wretched, squalid figures that from every part ran out upon me appeared
to be more like anything else than students." In fact, a universal
outcry was raised by the whole city against it, not only as a receptacle
of every kind of abuse, not only of filth and excrements which made it
stink in the natural nostrils, but of worse filth, which made it
insufferably offensive to the moral nostrils of every inhabitant. Such
is the account given of a college supported at an expense of 3,000_l._ a
year, (a h