BURKE EDMUND: (1729-1797) Irish Statesman, Orator, Political Theorist and Philosopher. A.L.S., Mr. B...

BURKE EDMUND: (1729-1797) Irish Statesman, Orator, Political Theorist and Philosopher. A.L.S., Mr. B...
BURKE EDMUND: (1729-1797) Irish Statesman, Orator, Political Theorist and Philosopher. A.L.S., Mr. Burke, in the third person, one page, 4to, n.p. (London?), 8th February n.y. ('Wednesday morn.'; early 1780s?) to the Duke of Manchester. Burke presents his respectful compliments and adds that he 'has the honour of communicating to his Grace the first article of the specific charges which are to be made with relation to Indian delinquency', further writing 'Mr. B. trusts his Grace will think the matter important & clear' and assuring the Duke of Manchester that the next articles will be, according to their nature, of equal importance and asking that, once perused, they are returned to Burke at his lodgings at 45 Pall Mall. With blank integral leaf. VG George Montagu (1737-1788) 4th Duke of Manchester. British Politician & Diplomat who served as Lord Chamberlain from 1782-83. Burke pursued the impeachment efforts against Warren Hastings, the former Governor-General of Bengal, for many years, culminating in the trial of 1786. The trial was the pinnacle of years of unrest and deliberation and Burke had first been able to delve into the issues surrounding the East India Company in 1781 as Chairman of the Commons Select Committee on East Indian Affairs, and it is likely that the present letter dates from around this time. From his appointment as Chairman until the end of the trial, India was Burke's primary concern. Charged to investigate alleged injustices in Bengal, Burke authored a report for the Committee which conveyed to the Indian princes that Britain would not wage war on them, along with demanding that the East India Company should recall Hastings. This was Burke's first call for substantive change regarding imperial practices and when addressing the House of Commons regarding the Committee report Burke described the Indian issue as one that ''began 'in commerce' but 'ended in empire'''.