pen to his employers, and all
the obscurity of his transactions to be elucidated. Here are indeed new
discoveries, but they are like many new-discovered lands, exceedingly
inhospitable, very thinly inhabited, and producing nothing to gratify
the curiosity of the human mind.

This letter is addressed to the Honorable the Court of Directors, dated
Fort William, 22d May, 1782. He tells them he had promised to account
for the ten lacs of rupees which he had received, and this promise, he
says, he now performs, and that he takes that opportunity of accounting
with them likewise for several other sums which he had received. His
words are,--

"This promise I now perform, and, deeming it consistent with the spirit
of it, I have added such other sums as have been occasionally converted
to the Company's property through my means, in consequence of the like
original destination. Of the second of these sums you have already been
advised in a letter which I had the honor to address the Honorable Court
of Directors, dated 29th November, 1780. Both this and the third article
were paid immediately to the treasury, by my order to the sub-treasurer
to receive them on the Company's account, but never passed through my
hands. The three sums for which bonds were granted were in like manner
paid to the Company's treasury, without passing through my hands, but
their _application_ was not specified. The sum of 50,000 current rupees
was received while I was on my journey to Benares, and applied as
expressed in the account.

"As to the manner in which these sums have been expended, the reference
which I have made of it in the accompanying account, to the several
accounts in which they are credited, renders any other specification of
it unnecessary,--_besides_ that these accounts either have or will have
received a much stronger authentication than any that I could give to
mine."

I wish your Lordships to attend to the next paragraph, which is meant by
him to explain why he took bribes at all,--why he took bonds for some of
them, as moneys of his own, and not moneys of the Company,--why he
entered some upon the Company's accounts, and why of the others he
renders no account at all. Light, however, will beam upon you as we
proceed.

"Why these sums were taken by me,--why they were, except the second,
quietly transferred to the Company's use,--why bonds were taken for the
first, and not for the rest,--might, were this matter exposed to the
v