New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-15


l6mo, PIP. 235. Macmillan Co.
The life and character of Warren Hastings must
always be of singular interest to the student oil
history : for while no man has ever been the SUD-
ect of more tremendous indictment, neither
has any man borne himself more lntrepldiy IN
his own defence The facts of his career, more
over are such as to afford large opportunities, Doth
for blame and praise and, given political plaS
it. is peculiarly easy IN his case
N acouit or to condemn him. The
temper Of the present age, however us
t;rctlv on the side of clement Judgment, and
this not from merely sentimental CONSCIENTIOUS
but because it is now possible to survey all the
circumstances clearly, to weigh the agencies ana
Influences which surrounded and controlled nm,
10 apportion responsibilities fairly, and TO MS
tincuish between historical truths and rhetorical
exaggerations and Misrepresentation III Is now
apparent that a very large part OF the oulum
which was thrown upon Hastings during his h'c-
time was the direct product of the system uhder
which he was compelled to work IN INDIA ana 'h"O
human ingenuity has never been perverted 10 Uhc
creation of a more fatuOus, lmpracucape anu
absurd scheme Of government than that "nlch
tho Fast India Company devised at that period
of its history 1t would have paralyzed OF orohch
the heart of an ordinary man. Warren Hastings
far better IT, an they did themselves, was driven
nv il into omen rebellion, and, desperately taking
his own way. solidifed and saved the Indian En-
miro hut at the same time laid himself open 10
CHARGES which the malice Of his enemies EN-
ployed almost to his ruin.
Hastings took high Office in India az moSU
critical inncture The East India Company had
inst nassed from the position of traders 10 that
of territorial lords The directors did not as ycs
realize the significance of the change, out "heh
Give won the battle of Passey the ole was
cast. and there was thcnceforth no retreat shoIC
of entire abandonment of the great cohimeIclai
.rtornrise In the impeachment of Warren
Hastings the managers, III order TO helsh'eh uc
eoloring of their picture of the defendant gum,
renresented India as enjoying peace harmony anu
nrosperitv before the English appeared therc'
NotbinC could have been further from tie uu'h
than this statement. The fact is that Tor many
vea1s before the Company estaDnsheu us lac'oIlcS
on the coast, the whole OF Hlhdustah h"u 'ocn
..ooaiI,, moving toward anarchy and chaos.
general scramble had been going on Tor the rag
ments of the Empire of the Moguls All the
subtle intrigue, all the duplclty, treachery anu
,ruelty of the Oriental character were exhibited
In nernetual conflicts, and, while the shifts ana
Turns of fortune presented a Kaleidoscope series
~ mixtures the masses suffered with equal GER
,a;n+v mo matter which side won the lay.
When the Fast India Company once eh'ereu
unon the policy of helping native princes 10 Cd
tain security for its own interests, IL WAS Ooii
noitted TO that course, and very soon louhu .II'V
II must not only go on with, but eNtehd It, i"o
expedient of Disgusting interference by ruiinS
through native puppet princes proved u'S"'''"'
t. simply led to anarchy, oppression ana was"
If the revenues Yet it could not he ABANDONED
for the people of England looked with dslaVoI
unon the idea of commercial corporation P"S
ING at government, and there was SERIOUS q"o'-
.ior nc IA the constitutonality of the procedure
So the clumsy device was adhered TO- anu ~
sneedily entangled the Indian authorities IN all
nor Of snores They found themselves re-
snonsible for the intrigues Of Onentas "honi
tbov could not wholly direct or control ana
,bey discovered also that their interference was
t,rnisbinq excuse for new expressions oil the
noonle who were now subject to the cruelest
.xactions levied by adventurous lmpostors pre-
tending to represent English authority All VniS
was embarrassing enough, but the dllhcui'ics uiu
not end here. The company in appointing wal,
rem Hastings Governor-General gave MIN couhoii
maturity OF which could at all times paTalyze
his actions and override his policy III also gave
him a Supreme Court with jurisdiction 50 III
definite that disputes as to the range oI lOS
mowers perpetual AS iH"J'i'''
council proved to be bitter personal enemies oil
the Goyernor-General, and as for several years
these men. led by Sir Philip Francis devoted
themselves 70 thwarting and reversing the policy
- tho Executive il is not surprising that
nos,erful man like Hastings should have endcd
bv breaking the bonds that confined him ana
Cor the sake of freedom Of action should nave
;ncurred the risks Of illegal or eXtra-egal pro-
ceedings.
There is no doubt that he did some things which
modern opinion cannot palllae; that ls' from
the point Of view of English duty to the people
~ India. But it is equally clear that IN all
he did he was actuated solely by regard Tor ne
interests of his employers, ana that PERSONALLY
his hands were clean. No charge oil seH-agerah-
dizement or corruption could ever be made to
hold against him AS q matter of fact after
tbirtv-dve wears of service in India he brought
home the very modest fortune of GlOO,OOo-
nearly the whole of which he was forced to spend
uuon the expenses of his inordnately protracted
trial In the case of Murcomar one Of the heavy
counts against him, it is the deliberate opinion
Of SO high an authority as Sir James Stephen
Y that he was blamcless In the case OF the
] Begums, another heavy count, enlarged upon
greatly by Burke and Sheridan at the trial. IL IS
difficult to see, at this distance Of time, any
ground for strong denunciation. native prince
owed the Company money, and could not pay IL
because his mother and sister had seized and held
a great amount of treasure belonging to his father
The prince asked the English to help him IL
recovering this treasure, and Warren Hastings
lent him troops for that purpose. That Is the
sum and substance Of the case. AS regards The
Mahratta war and the subsequent troubles grow
ing out of it,, it is impossible TO hoio
Hastings responsible at all. for al
these difficulties were directly due TO Tile
INSTRUMENTATION and fiat disobedience of the Gov
srnments of Madras and Bombay, which, though
they entirely dependent upon the Bengal
Government in every crisis, assumed an indie
pendence of action which in open defiance
of their instructions Hastings. no doubt was
nr,d illnh md Of i'm,