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Mr. Burke's speech, on the 1st December 1783
Mr Burke's speech on the 1st December 1783 Author:Edmund Burke Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: territory, by which they furrendered all they had obtained by their unhappy fuccefies in war, and almoft all that they had obtained under the treaty of Poorunder... more ». The reftitution was proper, if it had been voluntary and feafonable. I.attach on the fpi- rjt of the treaty, the difpofuions it mewed, the provifions it made for a general peace, and the faith kept with allies and confederates; in order thac the Houfe may form a judgment, from thischofen piece, of the ufe which has been made (and is likely to be made, if things continue in the fame hands) of the truft of the federal powers of this country. It was the wifh of almoft every Englifhman, that the Maratta peace might lead to a general one ; becaufe the Maratta war was only a part of a general confederacy formed againft us on account of the univerfal abhorrence of our conduct which prevailed in every ftate and almoft in every houfe in India. Mr. Haftings was obliged to pretend fome fort of acquiescence in this general and rational defire. He therefore confentedv in order to fatisfy the point of honour of the Marattas, that an article fhould be inferred to admit Hyder Ali to accede to the pacification. But obferve, Sir, the fpirit of this man (which if it were not made manifeft by a thoufand things, and particularly by his proceedings with regard to Lord Macartney) would be fufficiently manifeft by this—What fort of article think you does he require this efiential head of a folemn treaty of general pacification to be ? In his inltruclion to Mr. Anderfon, he defires him to admit " a vague " article" in favour of Hyder. Evafion and fraud were the declared bafis of the treaty. Thele vague articles, intended for a more vague per- C 4 formance, chapter{Section 4formance, are the things which have damned our reputation in India....« less