the clearness, the weight, the authority of
testimonies, that could make me believe it; I should attribute it to any
cause, either corruption, mistake, error, or madness, rather than
believe that fact. Why? Because it is totally alien to the character of
the persons, the situation, the circumstances, and to all the rules of
probability. But if, on the contrary, the crime charged has a perfect
relation with the person, with his known conduct, with his known habits,
with the situation and circumstances of the place that he is in, and
with the very corrupt inherent nature of the act that he does, then much
less proof than we are able to produce will serve; and according to the
nature and strength of the presumptions arising from the inherent nature
of a vicious principle and vicious motives in the act, will be
strengthened the weakest evidence, or, if it comes to a sufficient
height, the whole burden of proof will be turned upon the party
accused. And thus we shall think ourselves bound to show your Lordships,
in every step of this proceeding, that there is an inherent presumption
of corruption in every act. We shall show the presumptions which
preceded, we shall show the presumptions which accompanied the proof;
and these, with the subsequent presumptions, will make it impossible to
disbelieve them. Such a body of proof was never given upon any such
occasion: and it is such proof as will prevail against the whole voice
of corruption, that amazing, active, diligent, spreading voice, which
has been made, by buzzing in every part of this country, sometimes to
sound like the public voice; it will put it to silence, by showing that
your Lordships have proceeded upon the strongest evidence, active and
passive.

First, Mr. Hastings received a positive order to seize upon Mahomed Reza
Khan. That order he executed with a military promptitude of obedience,
which will show your Lordships what are the services which are congenial
to his own mind, and which find in him always a ready acquiescence, a
faithful agent, and a spirited instrument in the execution. The very day
after he received the order, he sent up, privately, without
communicating with the Council, from whom he was not ordered to keep
this proceeding a secret,--he sent up, and found that great and
respectable man and respectable magistrate, who was in all those high
offices which I have stated: and if I was to compare them to
circumstances and situations in this country,