The following is a copy 1027 of the Oude Supplementary Charge against the marquis Wellesley presented by Mr. Paull on the 7th instant, see p. 938; at which page it was inadvertently omitted.
Article of Charge of High Crimes and Misdemeannours committed by Richard Colley Marquis Wellesley, in his transactions with respect to the Rajahs and Zemindars in the Doab; and particularly in his transactions with respect to the Rajah Bugwunt Sing, Zemindar of Sasnee and Bidjeghur, and the Rajah Kakoor Addkeerin, Zemindar of Cutchoura.
"That Richard Colleymarquis Wellesley was constituted, appointed, and actually became a servant of the United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies, in the month of October, in the year of our Lord 1797, and in the reign of his majesty the 37th: That the office which he was appointed to fill was that of governor-general of Bengal, and subsequently that of captain-general of all the king's and company's forces serving in the British territories in the East Indies: That he arrived, and took possession of the government committed to his charge, in May 1798; and that he continued to fill, and to exercise the powers of the said office and offices until August 1805, when he was therein superseded by Charles marquis Cornwallis.—That in the countries which the said marquis Wellesley had unlawfully, perfidiously, and tyrannically extorted from the Nabob Vizier of Oude, dwelt several tributary chieftains called Rajahs, greatly respected by the sovereigns, and highly revered by the people of Hindustan, being descended from the ancient Hindu rajahs, or princes, who had resided in that country before the mussulman conquest; having from time immemorial possessed strong forts and populous towns independent of government, and maintained, with undiminished influence and power, numerous vassals and adherents, whose personal bravery and attachment to their lord were unimpaired, and, though owing allegiance to the nabob vizier bf Oude, possessing princely rights, and honours, and estates, which had descended to them unquestioned through a long line of venerable ancestry, and which their sovereign could neither alienate nor destroy.—That, on taking possession of the countries which he had so iniquitously extorted from the said nabob vizier, the said marquis Wellesley did determine upon the humiliation of the said rajahs,the ruin of their families, the destruction of their forts, and the seizure of their towns; a measure unjust and unwise in itself, and dangerous to the tranquil 1028 lity of the country; a measure which, even in the proudest days of mussulman despotism, had never been attempted.—That, for a series of years, it had been the custom of the country for the said rajahs, in the quality of Zemindars, to rent of the nabob vizier himself, or of his great Aumils, the lands surrounding their hereditary estates, which were again let by them to the Ryots, or husbandmen, by whom they were cultivated; the rent required of the cultivator being always, according to the liberality of avarice of the zemindar, proportionate to that at which the lands were held of the aumil, or of the nabob viziers.—That, in furtherance of his determination respecting the said rajahs, the said marquis Wellesley, (he having also determined, contrary to every principle of equity and humanity which should have actuated a British governor, to impose new and heavy burthens upon the already overburthened people of the said extorted countries,) did, by the means of his brother, the hon. Henry Wellesley, whom he had illegally appointed lieutenant-governor of the said countries, and other unlawful agents, require of the said rajahs and zemindars an enormous increase of the rents which they had theretofore paid; an exaction calculated to produce great discontent among the said rajahs and zemindars, and, by the oppression which it would infallibly drive them to exercise towards the husbandmen, to reduce those useful and unfortunate men to the extreme of poverty, wretchedness, and want.—That, taking advantage of the reluctance which the said rajahs and zemindars naturally felt to accede to the said oppressive and tyrannical requisitions, and making their reluctance a pretext for the execution of his long-meditated views respecting the said rajahs and zemindars, the said marquis Wellesley did declare all those who did not submit to the said requisitions, to be in a state of disaffection or rebellion to the government; a government which was notoriously an usurpation, and to which the said rajahs and zemindars had never acknowledged any allegiance, and to which they owed no obedience.—That, true to the character of an usurper and a despot, disdaining to conciliate acquiescence where he had the power to compel submission, the said marquis Wellesley did, to the disgrace of the British arms, call in British troops to enforce his said unlawful, unjust, severe, and arbitrary demands upon the said rajahs and zemindars.—That the greater part of the said rajahs and zemindars, some intimidated by threats, and others overawed by the presence of the military; some 1029 yielding to numerous bodies of troops which surrounded their fields, and prepared to assail their mansions, and others actually attacked, conquered, and subdued; some conscious of the hopelessness of resistance; and some terrified by the awful example of others; were finally compelled to submit, in the most humiliating and abject manner, to all the said unlawful, unjust, severe, and arbitrary demands of the said marquis Wellesley.—That those of the said rajahs and zemindars Who had the hardihood to resist the oppression of the said marquis Wellesley, were treated as rebels and enemies, expelled from their homes and driven from their country, their towns being plundered or burnt, their fortresses demolished or held by their enemies, and their estates confiscated for the use of their conquerors.—That thus, in violation of all law and justice and humanity, and to the disgrace of the British name in India, were the said rajahs and zemindars, the descendants of the most ancient, the most princely, and the most venerable families in Hindustan, degraded, oppressed, ruined, or destroyed by the said marquis Wellesley and his illegal agents.—That, among those of the said rajahs and zemindars who had the misfortune to incur the displeasure and the vengeance of the said marquis Wellesley was the rajah Bugwunt Sing, zemindar of Sasnee and Bidjeghur, a Hindu prince residing in the extremity of the Doab, on the north-western frontier of Oude, the head of a powerful tribe, surrounded by a numerous and warlike body of vassals and adherents, whom the personal bravery and private worth of their chief had strongly attached to his fortunes; beloved by the whole country, on account of the equity and the liberality of his character; possessing an extensive district, several considerable towns, and two strong forts, from which he took his title; and able to bring 20,000 men to the field.—That the said rajah Bugwunt Sing had for a long time farmed the jumma (or land revenue) and the sayer (or duties) of the surrounding districts, under Almas Ali Khan, one of the great aumils of the nabob vizier, for regular terms of 3 years, conformably with the practice which prevailed throughout that part of the said nabob vizier's territories.—That the said marquis Wellesley, in pursuance of his before-mentioned unjust determination respecting the said rajahs and zemindars, and in pursuance of his before-mentioned unjust determination to increase the burthens of the people of the said extorted countries, did, by means of his before-mentioned unlawful agents, require of the said rajah Bugwunt 1030 Sing an enormous increase of the rents which he had before paid, did positively insist upon the separation of the jumma and the sayer, and did declare that he would grant no engagement to the said rajah, either for the jumma or the sayer, for more than one year.—That the said rajah Bugwunt Sing, naturally averse to a measure so injurious to his own interests, did, in the most respectful and conciliating manner, state his objections to the 2 last-mentioned conditions of the said proposals.—That the collector of the district, who was employed as the agent of communication between rajah Bugwunt Sing and the before-mentioned hon. H. Wellesley, whom his brother, the said marquis Wellesley, had illegally appointed lieutenant-governor of the said extorted countries, did at the same time write to the said hon. Henry Wellesley, telling him, that, "after the difficulty he had experienced in endeavouring to carry his orders into execution (generally), that he did not expect to be able to induce the zemindar of Sasnee and Bidjeghur to engage for the sayer separately for one year, without having recourse to very serious measures against him; but that he hoped that he would be induced to engage for it, were the period extended to 3 years."—That the said hon. H. Wellesley, without making any attempt to gain the acquiescence of the said rajah, either by negociation, conciliation, or persuasion, without attending to the suggestions of the said collector for effecting an amicable settlement, and without any further correspondence or communication with the said rajah or the said collector, did immediately request the commander-in-chief of the army, who was then stationed in the said extorted countries, to send, without any delay, a sufficient force to punish the "contumacy" of the said rajah.—That the said commander-in-chief did accordingly dispatch a large body of troops under the command of a lieut.—colonel, which, on the 12th of Dec. 1802, took a position before the fort of Sasnee, where the said rajah then was, and made formidable preparations for attacking and reducing it: And thus commenced an unjust and crud war against the said rajah.—That the attack was continued with various success until Jan. 7, 1803; when a detachment of the assailants, after setting fire to the town, and thus wantonly extending their vengeance to the quiet and harmless villagers, fell upon a party of the said rajah's troops, and slew great numbers of them; and thus began the lawless and barbarous slaughter of the said rajah's brave and faithful adherents.—That the warfare was thus carried on until Jan. 15, when 1031 an unsuccessful attempt was made to carry the fort by assault; and this failure having been attended with some loss, and having brought great discredit on the British arms, the commander-in-chief, on 31st Jan., appeared in person before Sasnee, at the head of a powerful reinforcement.—That more vigorous preparations were accordingly made, the most effectual means taken to prevent the escape of the said rajah, and the admission of succours; and, on 8th Feb., another attack was made upon the town, and another dreadful slaughter of the said rajah's brave and faithful followers ensued.—That, on the night of Feb. 12, the said rajah, discouraged by the loss of so many of his troops, alarmed by the magnitude and extent of the preparations which were making for his destruction, unable to oppose any further effectual resistance without exposing himself and his people to the risk of being wholly destroyed, and justly averse to falling into the hands of his avaricious, tyrannical, rapacious,and blood-thirsty enemies, taking advantage of the uncommon darkness of the night, and followed by many of his adherents, fled from the fort of Sasnee, and, thus banished from the country of his forefathers, took refuge in the country of the Mahrattas.—That others of his adherents, haying attempted to take shelter in his fort of Bidjegliur, were, to a man, most barbarously cut to pieces by the British troops who surrounded it.—That, on 13th Feb., the said commander-in-chief, not satisfied with the devastation and carnage which had already been made, posted the army under his command before Bidjeghur, stationed them in such a manner as to prevent the garrison from escaping and from receiving any succours, and, after having Summoned the Killedar, rajah Ham Chobbie, to deliver up the fort, upon the promise of sparing the lives of the garrison, and, after having refused to grant the said Killedar a few days to obtain the consent of his master, the said rajah Bugwunt Sing made preparations for storming the fort.—That, on the night of Feb. 27, the said Killedar, incapable of holding out against the attacks of the assailants, and unwilling to give up those who had been entrusted to his care to the merciless enemies of his chief, availing himself of the uncommon darkness of the night, and of a heavy rain, led the garrison out of the fort, and, after being attacked and having many of his followers killed, and great numbers taken prisoners, with much difficulty succeeded in making his escape with the rest.—That, the expulsion of the said rajah Bugwunt Sing and his adherents being 1032 accomplished, his forts were taken possession of by those who had accomplished it, and all his estates and property of every kind were confiscated for the use of the aforesaid usurped government.—That thus was the said rajah Bugwunt Sing, zemindar of Sasnee and Bidjeghur, a Hindu prince of great worth and courage, the descendant of one of the oldest and mast respected families in Hindustan, solely from an unwillingness to consent to the oppressive and unjust demands of those who had extorted the territories, and usurped the government of his sovereign, treated as a rebel and an outlaw, attacked in his own mansions by a powerful military force, driven in exile, as a criminal and fugitive, from the countries where his forefathers had from time immemorial lived in greatness and splendour; his brave and faithful ad lie rents driven from their families and their homes, dispersed among strangers and enemies, or most wantonly and most barbarously slaughtered; his towns laid waste, his forts seized, and all his possessions for ever wrested from him, and confiscated for the benefit of his avaricious, his unprincipled, and relentless destroyers.—That another of the unfortunate victims to the rapacity, cruelty, and tyranny of the said marquis Wellesley, and his unlawful agents, was the rajah Kakoor Addkeerin, zemindar of Cutchoura, a Hindu prince of venerable ancestry, of great bravery, of large possessions, the chief of a powerful and numerous body of vassals and adherents, and, for many years, a renter of very considerable districts in the Doab, under Almas Ali Khan, the great aumil of the nabob vizier of Oude.—That, conformably with the before-mentioned determination which the said marquis Wellesley had long formed respecting the humiliation of the rajahs and zemindars, and in pursuance of the before-mentioned determination which he had also formed of imposing new burthens upon the people of the extorted countries, an enormous increase of rent was imposed upon the said rajah, and very degrading concessions were exacted from him; which, after some respectful hesitation on his part, and some imperious menace on the part of the agents of the said marquis, were agreed to: the said rajah, intimidated by these threats, "having consented to acquiesce in any terms which might be proposed."—That an arrangement was accordingly made, and a settlement agreed to; and the said rajah was about to give up his guns and ammunition, and evacuate his fort of Cutchoura, conformably to the humiliating and oppressive terms which he had been compelled to accept, when, some 1033 misunderstanding taking place in Consequence of the insolence and indignity which were offered to the said rajah, by the person who came to enforce the fulfilment of the said stipulations, and in consequence of a gross outrage committed on some of the said rajah's people by some of the Company stroopers, the soldiers of the said rajah, justly indignant at such conduct, were unwilling to give up the fort under such disgrace, and prepared to resist.—That the commander-in-chief, with the army under his command, fresh from the slaughter of the hundreds who had fallen by their hands at Sasnee and Bidjeghur, immediately took up a position before Cutchoura, a strong and well-garrisoned fort, where the said rajah and all his family were, and made preparations for an assault—That the said rajah, anxious to soften the displeasure and avert the enmity of his assailants, and solicitous to prove his adherence to his agreements, and his submission to their will, on the 7th of March wrote the following respectful letter to the said commander-in-chief: "In consequence of a message received from Mr. Russell, I waited upon him at Mecitchy, and accompanied him thence to Aksooly, and accepted the terms of settlement which were proposed to me for the districts of Dihooliser and Cutchoura; and obtained leave to proceed to Cutchoura, for the purpose of sending out the guns and ammunition. I admitted the company of Sepoys, which came along with me into the fort, intending early in the morning to go to Mr. Russel with all the guns, &c. Mr. Russell came to the fort very early in the morning, and, in terms of anger and reproach, ordered me to evacuate and deliver up the fort, desiring me to go immediately, and take my people with me, and treated me with great disrespect. Perceiving this, my soldiers conceived it improper to quit the fort under such circumstances of disgrace, and prepared to resist. Just then the Sepous went away. Soon afterwards the Dewan Sooka Loll and the Mulavi arrived from Aksooly, and having restored peace to my mind, they departed. a short time had elapsed, when 4 or 5 troopers galloped after 2 or 3 of my people, whom they wounded with their swords; and thus began hostilities. My people seeing no alternative, fired 2 or 3 matchlocks. My evil destiny has created this misunderstanding. I never meant to wage war, nor do I now. You are master and ruler of the country; if, out of your great bounty, you will cast a favour 1034 able eye on me, and allow me to reside in this place, it will be an act of mercy and great kindness. I am ready to pay the stipulated revenue, to be perfectly obedient, and never to shelter myself behind any excuse; and whatever you shall order respecting me, shall be fulfilled."—That to this letter, explaining so minutely and so faithfull the cause of the misunderstanding that had taken place, and testifying so fully the great regret which that circumstance had produced expressing, in such mild and submissive terms, the willingness of the said rajah to do whatever might be required of him by those whose displeasure he so sincerely deprecated, and whose favour he so earnestly courted, and, from its unaffected and ingenuous simplicity, so well calculated to excite, not merely the clemency, but the compassion, and the good-will of the humane the generous, and the just, the said commander-in-chief, on the same day, returned the following harsh, severe, and haughty answer: "After having so wantonly broken your faith in refusing to evacuate and deliver up the fort of Cutchoura, agreeably to the terms of your agreement with Mr. Russell,and treated the troops who went with you to receive possession of the place with harshness and contempt, turning them out of the fort, and thereby proclaiming war; the only terms which can now be granted are, that you shall deliver up the fort, the garrison, your children, and yourself, to the commander-in-chief, to be disposed of as he shall judge proper. No promise of future favour to you or your people is to be understood to be granted. If these terms, are accepted, they must be fulfilled by sun-rise to-morrow morning, and the garrison are to leave their arms in the fort, and march out unarmed.—That these terms, so degrading, so insulting, and so barbarous, so unworthy of a British general to demand, and of a Hindu prince to receive, not being complied with, the said commander-in-chief, on the following day, proceeded to attack the said rajah's fort.—That the said rajah, having withstood these attacks for several days, and being at last convinced of the hopelessness of resistance, awed by the terrible example of the rajah Bugwunt Sing, seeing no safety but in flight, justly averse to the ignominious surrender of himself, his children, and his people, to his cruel, rapacious, and implacable enemies, and driven to despair by the unrelenting severity of his assailants, did, on the night of March 12, with his whole family 1035 and several thousands of his faithful followers, (as it is thus described in a letter from the said commander-in-chief to the said marquis Wellesley,) "rush out of the fort, with an intention of forcing their way through the chain of posts by which they were surrounded; when they were immediately attacked by the advanced parties, and pursued for 4 miles with great slaughter: Hunserage Sing, the second son of the rajah, the rajah's Dewan, and 4 of his principal commanders, being among the killed; and the number of private men who fell being very great.—That the family and followers of the said rajah being thus inhumanely massacred, and himself driven from his home and his country with the rest, his forts were taken possession of by the conquerors, and all his estates and property of every kind confiscated.—That thus was the said rajah Kakoor Addkeerin, zemindar of Cutchoura, a descendant of the ancient princes of Hindustan, after being insulted with the most humiliating and barbarous proposals, attacked by a powerful army in his own fortress, driven from the country where his ancestors had for many generations lived in princely grandeur, to wander as an outcast among strangers; his son, his dewan, his commanders, and great numbers of his vassals, most wantonly and most inhumanely massacred, and the rest dispersed or taken captive; his villages laid waste, his fields ravaged, his forts seized, and all his possessions for ever wrested from him, and confiscated for the use of his avaricious, his unprincipled, and his relentless destroyers.—That all these acts and proceedings, so disgraceful to the British name, so openly in violation of all law, so repugnant to justice, and so shocking to humanity, were committed towards persons over whom the said marquis Wellesley had no just or legal controul, from whom he had no right to exact allegiance, and who owed no obedience to his commands, but who were, in law and in fact, the subjects of the nabob vizier of Oude; the said marquis having most iniquitously extorted the countries in which these deeds were acted, from that unfortunate and despoiled prince, and exercising in it, in the name of the East-India Company, an unlawful, despotic, and usurped authority.—That, the said acts and proceedings having been committed either by the said marquis Wellesley himself, or by persons whom he had illegally appointed, and for whose conduct he was responsible, or by persons who acted under his orders, and for whose actions he was accountable; and the 1036 said marquis having been regularly and duly informed of the said acts and proceedings while they were in the course of commission, and not only having never discountenanced, prohibited, or censured them, but, on the contrary, having formally approved them, and publicly thanked those by whom they were committed; the said marquis is justly chargeable with all the said acts and proceedings.—That, in all and singular of the above recited acts and proceedings, the said Richard Colley marquis Wellesley has been wholly unmindful of the solemn engagements of duty to the East-India Company, to his sovereign, and to his country, by him entered into; has daringly contemned the parliament, the king and the laws, and dishonoured the British nation and name; and has therein been guilty of high offences, crimes, and misdemeanours."