There is a sacred veil to be drawn over the beginning of all governments. The Indian question again became a contentious political issue. The son of a clergyman of the Church of England, Hastings was abandoned by his father at an early age. [20] As the trial progressed, public attitudes about Hastings also began to shift. Warren Hastings and the Historical Basis for Retroactive Impeachments [Updated] It sometimes seems that every impeachment road leads back to Warren Hastings. Disclaimer Copyright, History Discussion - Discuss Anything About History, Role of Warren Hastings as the Governor of Bengal, Top 5 Wars during the Governance of Hastings, Complaints to the Council for High-Handedness of Hastings, Economic Impact of Early British Rule on Indian Trade, Forts in India: 5 Magnificent Ancient Forts in India, Mosques in India: 15 Ancient Mosques in India. The charges on which he was impeached were the affairs of Chait Singh, Raja of Benares and the Begums of Oudh. [9] During the voyage he wrote a defence of his conduct The State of Bengal and presented it to Henry Dundas. [27] This overwhelming verdict had been expected for some time and caused little surprise. The Pitt’s India Act of 1784 was a rude shock and bitter disappointment for Warren Hastings. It soon became clear that he was heading towards an impeachment. The Impeachment of Warren Hastings. Justice had become a by­word. Lastly, his interest in education and literature, history and culture deserve special mention. "Edmund Burke, the Warren Hastings trial, and the moral dimension of corruption. Read this article to learn about the impeachment and estimate of Warren Hastings. The war shook public confidence and raised questions about the supposed mismanagement by the Company's agents in India. Sheridan now complained he was "heartily tired of the Hastings trial" despite being one of its instigators. He also sent Abdul Quadir Mission to Nepal to study the Company’s trade prospects in that country. TOS4. The Fox–North Coalition fell from power after it attempted to bring in a radical East India Bill in 1783. "Impeachment Of Warren Hastings." 1787–1795 impeachment of the Governor-General of Bengal, Nothing in the History of Empire Is Stranger Than the Creation of British Rule in India (2000), Lec 9-Introduction to Governor Generals,Clive,Warren Hastings with Fantastic Fundas | Modern History. "III. Hastings sailed for home on 6 February and reached Britain in June 1785. Against this backdrop the criticisms circulated by Francis and others provoked a general consensus that the 1773 India Act hadn't been sufficient to rein in the alleged excesses. Truly speaking, Warren Hastings was the real founder of the British Empire in India. After working his way through the ranks of the Company he was appointed in 1773 as Governor General, a new position that had been created by the North government in order to improve the running of British India. In defining the scope of impeachment, they had in mind the alleged crimes of Warren Hastings. Hastings was to be prosecuted in the House of Lords by an Impeachment Committee. The lower house of Parliament, the House of Commons, impeached Warren Hastings, who had retired as governor-general of British India and was back in England, for corruption and mismanagement. “It was the impeachment of Warren Hastings, the former governor-general of the British colony of Bengal, and a corrupt guy. Roads and highways were infested with marauders and robbers. It proved to be a catalyst for the growing campaign in London against Hastings which gathered strength during the ensuing years. Francis developed a strong dislike of Hastings and was convinced that the Governor General's policies were self-serving and destructive. [31] Henry Dundas was himself later impeached in 1806 and acquitted in the final ever impeachment in Britain. And many share the pathos of Hastings’ exclamation: I gave you all and you have rewarded me with confiscation, disgrace and a life of im­peachment. ", Brian Smith. The net result of the impeachment was that it breathed a sense of respon­sibility and justice in the Company’s administration in India. The name Warren Hastings may not be one that many Indians, bar those with a special interest in the nation' history, may be familiar with but the second impeachment trial of former US President Donald Trump, found prosecutors rolling back the years to invoke the 18th century trial of the former Governor-general of Bengal. [26] Unlike many other Indian officials he had not amassed a large fortune while in India and he had to fund his legal defence, which had cost an estimated £71,000, out of his own funds. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. It was due to his patronage that the Calcutta Madrasa and the Royal Asiatic Society had been founded. He had warned the Lords that it would be "to the perpetual infamy" of the House if they voted to acquit and remained convinced of Hastings' guilt until his death in 1797.[28]. Considered from the point of view of the British interests it has to be conceded that Has­tings consolidated the foundations of the British rule in India extri­cating Company’s administration from venality and tyrannical con­duct of the Company’s servants, from the internal disorder and finan­cial bankruptcy of the Company, as also of the intricate frontier problems. But from the Indian point of view the conduct of Warren Hastings as the Governor and later as Governor-General stands con­demned. When Hastings assumed charge as the Governor of Bengal, the evils of Clive’s dual government manifested themselves in the adminis­trative confusion and corruption among the Company’s servants and near bankruptcy of the Company’s finances. For he had trodden upon the interests, rights, dignity of the Indians, his tyranny over the Raja Chait Singh, Begums of Oudh, his immoral and illegal method of dealing with his adversary Nanda Kumar had not only blackened his own character but had turnished the name of the British nation. Ours in India had an origin like … Abstract. Other major events dominated the news particularly once the French Revolution began in 1789. Hastings spent much of his time in office marshalling his own supporters on the Council in an effort to avoid being outvoted. Publication date 1890 Topics Hastings, Warren, 1732-1818 Publisher London : G. Bell Collection Towards the end of Indian career of Warren Hastings, there began a good deal of criticism in England of his high-handedness in administration. From the point of view of the British interests, ‘the impeach­ment of Warren Hastings was nothing more or less than ingratitude on the part of the English nation towards Hastings’. In 1782 Lord Malville Dundas moved a resolution in the Parliament for the recall of Warren Hastings, Sir Elijah Impey, Lawrence Sullivan etc. Not that all his work was success­ful or faultless but his failures in revenue matters were the failures of pioneers and partly due to inexperienced, corrupt officers of the Company. The speeches of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke on the impeachment of Warren Hastings : to which is added a selection of Burke's epistolary corespondence by Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797. His minor reforms, but of great social consequences, were the prohibition of the tyranny of the Mahayans on the debtor ryots, realization of interest higher than at specified rate, realization of gratifica­tions by the Kazees and Muftis from the litigant public. Taking advantage of Britain's involvement in the American War of Independence and the support of French forces Hyder went on the offensive and enjoyed success during the opening stages of the war, inflicting a serious defeat at the Battle of Pollilur and at one point threatening Madras itself with capture. The frontier policy had no direction. The impeachment prosecution was led by Edmund Burke and became a wider debate about the role of the East India Company and the expanding empire in India. [23], A further blow for the prosecution came with the evidence of William Larkins the former Accountant General of Bengal. Warren Hastings FRS (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818), an English statesman, was the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and thereby the first de facto Governor-General of Bengal from 1772 to 1785. In total there were nineteen members of the Impeachment Committee. Hyder was unable to secure victory and the war ended in a stalemate. [11] Initially this proved to be the case as he enjoyed an audience with King George III and a unanimous vote of thanks by the directors of the East India Company. Our mission is to provide an online platform to help students to discuss anything and everything about history. The powers of the Governor General were balanced out by the establishment of a Calcutta Council which had the authority to veto his decisions. At the Trial of Warren Hastings" Edmund Burke (1729–97), archive.org: "The speeches of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke on the impeachment of Warren Hastings : to which is added a selection of Burke's epistolary correspondence" (1890 ed. He sent George Bogle to Tashi Lama in Tibet on a Commercial Mis­sion (1774). Sheri­dan now com­plained he was "heartily tired of the Hast­ings trial" de­spite being one of its in… Now Hastings is back as a historical precedent for the impeachment of former officials. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. A precedent being discussed is that of the Warren Hastings case — the famous failed attempt by the British Parliament to impeach India’s first governor-general. Meanwhile, Hastings appealed to the British government for financial assistance and was eventually compensated by the East India Company with a loan of £50,000 and a pension of £4,000 a year. ". September 25, 2019 In spite of the early ex­cite­ment about the trial pub­lic in­ter­est in it began to wane as it dragged on over months and years. Edmund Burke's impeachment of Warren Hastings for his conduct as governor-general in India represented the era's most serious internal challenge to British imperialism. When the eventual verdict was given Hastings was overwhelmingly acquitted. A precedent being discussed is that of the Warren Hastings case — the famous failed attempt by the British Parliament to impeach India’s first governor-general. They had rested their hopes on his revealing widespread corruption but he denied that Hastings had amassed any illicit money and made a defence of his conduct. Francis and Hastings' personal rivalry continued for many years and led to a duel between them in 1780 in which Francis was wounded, but not killed. George Mason referred to Hastings … The great famine of 1770 had left the ryots who survived the scourge extremely impoverished. It was his timely help to the Madras and Bombay Government that led to the success of the English in the First Anglo-Maratha and Second Anglo-Mysore wars. Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea! [21], A major lift for the defence came with the testimony on 9 April 1794 of Lord Cornwallis who had recently returned from India, where he succeeded Hastings as Governor General. Hastings was accused of misconduct during his time in Calcutta, particularly relating to mismanagement and personal corruption. But he fought against I hostile majority in his own Council, safeguarded the Company’s interests in Bengal, Madras and Bombay Presidencies and met the challenges of the Marathas and the Mysoreans with success. [20] His defence lawyer was Richard Shaw(e) who built his mansion Casino House in Herne Hill at least in part from the proceeds, employing John Nash and Humphry Repton as landscape designer (responsible for the water garden the remnants of which survive as Sunray Gardens in 2012). It sometimes seems that every impeachment road leads back to Warren Hastings. On most charges he was unanimously found not guilty. The situation quickly deteriorated for Hastings. Warren Hastings also did not hesitate to despoil the Chait Singh of Benares by illegal exactions and eventual dispossession of the Raja of this Kingdom and to tyrannise over the eunuchs of the Begums of Oudh to compel them to part with their treasures. That's it. The trial became a debate between two radically opposed visions of empire—one represented by Hastings, based on ideas of absolute power and conquest in pursuit of the exclusive national interests of the colonizer, versus one represented by Burke, of sovereignty based on a recognition of the rights of the colonized. [6] When Pitt introduced his Bill he failed to mention Hastings at all, seen as expressing a lack of confidence, and made wide-ranging criticisms of the Company. He is credited along with Robert Clive for laying the foundation of the British Empire in India. Would you like Wikipedia to always look as professional and up-to-date? Previously, I wrote about Hastings in addressing the bribery theories being voiced by Democratic leaders and legal experts in the first Trump impeachment. [10] Hastings anticipated he would face attacks in Parliament and the press but expected them to be short-lived and to fall away once he was there in person to defend himself. By Arul Louis New York, Feb 10 : Warren Hastings, the 18th Century British Governor-General of Bengal, made an appearance in the Senate trial when the prosecutors cited his impeachment by the British House of Commons after he had left office as a precedent for trying Donald Trump who is no longer the President. He handed over to an Acting Governor General, John MacPherson until a permanent replacement was appointed. Hastings held no further public office, but was regarded as an expert on Indian matters and was asked to give evidence to parliament on the subject in 1812. Edmund Burke, the English Demosthenes, charged Hastings at the bar of the House of Lords on the tyranny and misdemeanour and also in the name of humanity, the English nation and the Indians and called him an enemy of humanity. Privacy Policy3. Initially Hastings’ use of the Company’s troops as mercenaries against the Rohillas who did no harm to the Company was the major charge. By Thomas Babington Macaulay. In fact, it was Warren Hastings’ success in laying solidly the foundations of the British empire in India that served as a model for future expansion of British rule in other non-European countries. [5] The following year the new government of William Pitt passed an India Act of 1784 which established a Board of Control and which finally stabilised the governance of India. He made attempts to expand the Company’s trade into Nepal through Tibet by finding markets for the increased production of the textile industry in England, due to the Industrial revolution. The impeachment of Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of Bengal, was attempted between 1787 and 1795 in the Parliament of Great Britain. accords with the British impeachment of Warren Hastings two years after his resignation as the governor-general of Bengal. His settings up Sadr Diwani Adalat in Calcutta and Sadr Nizamat Adalat for hearing appeals from the lower Courts were certainly measures consequential upon the reforms of the judicial system. He and Robert Clive are credited with laying the foundation of the British Empire in India. The Prime Minister’s speech censuring the policy of the Government of Bengal was considered by Warren Hastings as a reflection on his personal character. Warren Hastings, who was the former British governor general of Bengal, was undergoing his impeachment even as the Framers met in Philadelphia. To install click the Add extension button. s Speech On The Impeachment of Warren Hastings (15/2/1788) From Impeachment Of Hastings part of Prose Of Edmund Burke edited by Sir Philp Magnus (1948). Hastings' successors as Governor General, beginning with Lord Cornwallis, were granted the much wider powers that Hastings had sought while in Calcutta. Lastly, I impeach him in the name of human nature itself, in the name of both sexes, in the name of every age, in the name of every rank. The impeachment occurred during the Convention debates and was noted expressly by the delegates without expressing disapproval of the timing. The overwhelming failure to secure a conviction, and the stream of testimony that came out of India praising him, have led commentators to ask why Hastings, who appeared to many observers to have given dedicated service to the company and to have curbed its worst excesses, ended up being prosecuted in the first place. His reforms of the confused currency system removed the difficulties of the trade and commerce. In December, Trump became the third US President to be impeached in the country’s history. True, Hastings had extorted money from Raja Chait Singh, Begums of Oudh, took bribes from Muni Begum, got Nanda Kumar hanged with the help of Sir Elijah Impey, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court which tainted his character as also of the British nation. [2], Born in 1732, Warren Hastings spent much of his adult life in India after first travelling out as a clerk of the East India Company in 1750. saw the inhuman and immoral conduct Of Hastings as an affront to the moral prestige of the British nation and made him stand trial at the bar of the House of Lords for long seven years, yet strictly from the national and imperial interests of Britain, there was a feeling that Hastings had been betrayed. But, interest started to drop as figures once keyed up about Hastings retreated. I impeach him in the name of the people of India, their right he has trodden under foot, and whose country he has turned into a desert. Kalt and other proponents of late impeachment point out that the delegates referenced the ongoing English impeachment trial of Warren Hastings (a late impeachment… Warren Hastings served as Britain’s first Governor General in India, from 1773 to 1784. Indeed, the impeachment and trial of Warren Hastings, the former governor-general of Bengal, one of the most famous impeachment cases in British history, began shortly before the Constitutional Convention assembled. But for a dispassionate consideration of Has­tings’ policy and work, it is imperative that we remember the internal disorder in the Company’s administration, financial straits of the Company as well as the undefined hence confused nature of the frontier policy of the Company when he had come as the Governor of Bengal. I use WIKI 2 every day and almost forgot how the original Wikipedia looks like. The Impeachment of Warren Hastings. Various other figures came forwards as character witnesses to support Hastings. I impeach the common enemy and oppressor of all.”, For long seven years the impeachment proceedings went on and eventually he was acquitted, but to meet the expenditure of defend­ing himself Hastings became almost a pauper. He himself had ac­quired good knowledge of Bengali and Persian languages, he had great interest, even respect for the Sanskrit literature. His image and reputation were tarnished in England. Demands for financial support coming from the Bombay and the Madras Presidencies ad­ded to the already desperate financial condition of the Company. [7] He suggested that recent wars in India had been ruinous and unnecessary. Realization of revenue was also not possible except through extortionate methods. Although this did not solve all his financial worries, Hastings was ultimately able to fulfill his lifelong ambition of purchasing the family's traditional estate of Daylesford in Gloucestershire which had been lost in a previous generation. Hastings was personally attacked by Charles James Fox during the presentation of his India Bill. At the Constitutional Convention, George Mason positively referenced the impeachment of Hastings. [19] Burke took the [29] [12] Hastings even hoped to be awarded an Irish peerage. It was halted by the Treaty of Mangalore in 1784 which largely restored the status quo ante bellum. Hastings recruited Edward Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough to act in his defence. G. Bell, London), Mukherjee, Mithi. Hastings was financially ruined by the impeachment and was left with debts of £70,000. On three questions five or six peers gave guilty verdicts, but Hastings was still comfortably cleared by majority vote. But the impeachment's legal and institutional implications have been neglected. [1], The trial did not sit continuously and the case dragged on for seven years. Indian History, Governor-Generals, Warren Hastings. The Whigs in the Parliament made the impeachment of Warren Hastings purposely a sensational trial in order to increase the popularity of their party. This was a belief shared with some other members of the Council whom he was able to influence. It was War­ren Hastings who saved the Company’s rule in Bengal from collapse and the British possessions in India from the financial ruin and con­solidated the British Empire in India. But considered from the points of view of administra­tive morality and humanity the impeachment exemplified the high sense of morality and dignity of the leaders of Great Britain. We have created a browser extension. Pitt's India Act served to move much of the supervisory role for India away from the East India Company directors and officials in Leadenhall Street to a new political Board of Control based in London. Warren Hastings, the first and most famous of the British governors-general of India, who dominated Indian affairs from 1772 to 1785 and was impeached (though acquitted) on his return to England. Previously, I wrote about Hastings in addressing the bribery theories being voiced by Democratic leaders and legal experts in the first Trump impeachment. Donald Trump’s impeachment trial started in the US Senate. Donald Trump’s impeachment trial started in the US Senate on Tuesday (January 21). His realization of 40 lakh’s from the Nawab of Oudh by rendering military assistance to him against the Rohillas was dictated by the double purpose of finding money for the Company which was in dire need of it and making Oudh stronger as a buffer State. Warren Hastings FRS (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818), an English statesman, was the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and thereby the first de facto Governor-General of Bengal from 1772 to 1785. Hastings' trial began on 13 February 1788 and took place in Westminster Hall with members of the House of Commons seated to his right and the Lords to his left and a large audience of spectators, including royalty, in the boxes and public galleries. The Court of Direc­tors in the circumstances offered to grant him an allowance which could not be done due to the opposition of Pitt and Dundas. We have to examine the policy and achievements of Warren Hastings from two different points of view. On 23 April 1795 the Lord Chancellor Lord Loughborough oversaw the delivery of the verdict. The old structure of rule had come under strain as the Company's holdings had expanded in recent decades from isolated trading posts to large swathes of territory and population.[3]. But later on this charge was dropped. Ultimately only Elijah Impey was recalled and the proposal for the recall of others was dropped. Cornwallis rejected the accusations that Hastings' actions had damaged Britain's reputation and observed that Hastings was universally popular with the inhabitants. Its decline coincided with the rise of another, more effective process by which high officials could be held accountable, writes Eliga Gould. In the wake of this an anti-Hastings motion was passed in the Commons 119–79. Warren Hastings had to effect change in the civil jus­tice as it was a part of the responsibilities of the Diwani. Opinions vary as to Hastings’ policy and work in India. Whatever might have been the legal objec­tion to the Company’s meddling in the criminal jurisdiction of the Nawab, his judicial reforms had laid the foundations of the Indian judicial system no doubt. Welcome to HistoryDiscussion.net! [24] Burke's reply to the defence lasted nine days from late May to mid-June 1794.[25]. Hastings was particularly upset by this, as he was an admirer of Pitt. It was not possible to identify the author of these anonymous letters although the style of composition of the letters were supposed to have been very much similar to the writings of Philip Francis. Burke, who had invested a large amount of time and energy into the prosecution, was frustrated by the ultimate failure of the impeachment. This website includes study notes, research papers, essays, articles and other allied information submitted by visitors like YOU. His principal enemy was the Irish-born politician Philip Francis. Impeachment was a relatively rare process of prosecuting those in high public office. Previous figures who had faced such trials included the Duke of Buckingham, a favourite of James I, and the Earl of Strafford, whose impeachment failed (but was followed up by a legislative bill of attainder that resulted in Strafford's execution). The next three years (1785-88) papers for impeaching Hastings were made ready at the instance of Prime Minister Pitt and Dundas and from February 13, 1788 till April 23, 1795, the impeachment proceedings went on before the bar of the House of Lords, the prosecutors being the House of Commons.
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