Affairs of the East India Company: Appendix A (1) No. 8

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No.8.—COPIES of LETTERS from the Court of Directors of The East India Company to The Governor General and Governors in Council at Fort William in Bengal, Fort St. George in Madras, and Bombay, dated 10th March 1830.

(1.)—Letter from the Court of Directors of The East India Company to The Governor General in Council at Fort William in Bengal, dated 10th March 1830.

(Territorial Finance Department.)

OUR GOVERNOR GENERAL in COUNCIL at FORT WILLIAM in BENGAL.

PARA. 1. You will have observed in several of our recent Dispatches in this Department, particularly those dated the 12th of December 1827 and 24th of September 1828, how anxiously we have observed the progressive Increase in the Civil Charges of India, and how earnestly and repeatedly we have inculcated upon you the Necessity of reducing their Amount as far as may appear consistent with the Exigencies of the Public Service.

2. We have lately caused to be prepared Returns of the Extent and Expence of all the Civil Offices under our several Governments, and of the Establishments connected with them, in the Years 1816-17 and 1826-27, stating, in regard to Offices created or of which the Salaries have been augmented since the 1st May 1817, the Date of such Creation and of such Augmentation, with the Reasons assigned for each respectively.

3. We forward a Number in the Packet Copy of such of these Returns as relate to your Presidency, and we direct that you will reconsider every Item of increased Charge, and every Augmentation in the Number of Persons employed, both European and Native, with the view of reducing, as far as practicable, Offices, Establishments and Salaries to the State in which they were in 1816-17, making, of course, sufficient Allowance for the new Offices and Establishments which became necessary in consequence of Annexations of Territory since that Period. We are, indeed, desirous that it should be distinctly marked how much of the Augmentations apparent on these Returns have arisen from the Acquisition of new Territory.

4. We desire that you cause comparative Statements to be made upon the Principle of these now sent, but substituting the Year 1829-30 for the Year 1826-27, and that those Statements be dispatched to us in Time to ensure our Receipt of them by the Close of January 1831 at the latest; and you will at the same Time furnish us with a full Report of the Measures which you may adopt in obedience to the Instructions now communicated to you.

5. In our Examination of this Subject, our Attention has been particularly directed to the large Augmentations apparent in the Revenue to Customs Departments, upon which some Remarks were made in Paragraphs 82 and 91 of our Dispatch in this Department, dated the 24th September 1828; and in order that the Aggregate of such Augmentations might be clearly ascertained, we have caused Statements to be prepared of the Amount in each Year during the present System of Account, with a Computation of the Rate per Cent. on the Amount of Revenue collected, particularizing the Lower Provinces, Benares, the ceded and the conquered Territory.

6. These Statements, of which Copies accompany this Dispatch, shew that the Increase of the Charges alluded to has been general and of very large Amount.

7. We select, as a striking Example, the Statements applicable to the Lower Provinces, which shew that the Rate of Charge of collecting the Land Revenue has increased since 1816-17 from about 4²/3 per Cent. to nearly 8 per Cent, and that that of collecting the Customs and Town Duties has increased since 1816-17 from about 10⅓; to 19 per Cent.

8. We have also caused to be prepared a Statement of your Judicial Charges, which in the Lower Provinces alone appear to have increased since 1814-15 from 58.93.871 Current Rupees to 65.07.206 Current Rupees.

9. We are fully aware that various new Appointments, and other Arrangements involving Expences in the Revenue Department, have been proposed by your Government, and in many Instances sanctioned by us; but that Circumstance does not adequately account for the vast Increase of Charge which we are now pointing out, nor, if it did, could the Fact of the Arrangements having been all adopted with our Concurrence be deemed to preclude the Necessity for Inquiry whether it may not be practicable to reduce the Rates of Charge to their Amount in 1816-17.

10. In regard to our old Territory especially, it seems difficult to assign any Reason why it should not be fiscally and judicially administered at the same Cost now as it was then.

11. All Arrangements made subsequent to that Period, and which may have been considered beneficial and desirable to be adopted when our Finances were in a State to bear the increased Charge, must now be suspended or abolished, unless the urgent and unquestionable Exigencies of the Public Service require them, in order that the Revenues of India may be relieved from the Expence which they are at present unable to defray.

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12. These Observations are also applicable in a degree to the Charge of the Bengal Opium Monopoly, and to that of Salt, if an Average of the last Three Years is contrasted with that of the first Three Years of the present System of Account.

13. Statements of the Charges in these Departments accompany this Dispatch.

14. We also transmit a Statement of the Expence of the Public Offices at Calcutta in each Year since 1814-15, shewing an increased Charge of Three Lacs of Rupees in 1827-28 as compared with 1814-15.

15. These Statements furnish, we think, a convincing Proof of the Correctness of the Remarks contained in Paragraphs 161 and 162 of our Dispatch in this Department, dated the 24th September 1828, as to Increases of Civil Charges during War; and our Object in now furnishing you with such Documents is to indicate some of the principal Heads to which your Attention should be directed in those Efforts to restore our Finances which you are laudably making, and to the steady Prosecution of which we cannot too earnestly excite you, their early and complete Success being of vital Importance to the Character of our Administration and the Welfare of the Interests committed to our Charge.

We are,

your affectionate Friends,

(Signed)

J. Loch.
W. Astell.
J. G. Ravenshaw
J. Masterman.
H. Alexander.
W. Young.
C. E. Prescott.
G. Raikes.
J. Thornhill.
N. B. Edmonstone.
R. Campbell.
C. Mills.
W. S. Clarke.
J. Stuart.

London, the 10th March 1830.

(A true Copy)

P. Auber, Sec^y.

(2.)—Letter from the Court of Directors of The East India Company to The Governor in Council at Fort St. George in Madras, dated 10th March 1830.

(Territorial Finance Department.)

OUR GOVERNOR in COUNCIL at FORT St. George.

PARA. 1. You will have observed in several of our recent Dispatches in this Department, how anxiously we have observed the progressive Increase in the Civil Charges of India, and how earnestly and repeatedly we have inculcated upon you the Necessity of reducing their Amount as far as may appear consistent with the Exigencies of the Public Service.

2. We have lately caused to be prepared Returns of the Extent and Expence of all the Civil Offices under our several Governments, and of the Establishments connected with them, in the Years 1816-17 and 1826-27, stating, in regard to Offices created or of which the Salaries have been augmented since the 1st of May 1817, the Date of such Creation and of such Augmentation, with the Reasons assigned for each respectively.

3. We forward a Number in the Packet Copy of such of these Returns as relate to your Presidency, and we direct that you reconsider every Item of increased Charge, and every Augmentation in the Number of Persons employed, both European and Native, with the view of reducing, as far as practicable, Offices, Establishments and Salaries to the State in which they were in 1816-17, making, of course, sufficient Allowance for the new Offices and Establishments which became necessary in consequence of Annexations of Territory since that Period. We are, indeed, desirous that it should be distinctly marked how much of the Augmentations apparent on these Returns have arisen from the Acquisition of new Territory.

4. We desire that you cause comparative Statements to be made upon the Principle of these now sent, but substituting the Year 1829-30 for the Year 1826-27 now sent, and that those Statements be dispatched to us in Time to ensure our Receipt of them by the Close of January 1831 at the latest; and you will at the same Time furnish us with a full Report of the Measures which you may adopt in obedience to the Instructions now communicated to you.

We are,

your loving Friends,

(Signed)

J. Loch.
W. Astell.
G. Smith.
J. G. Ravenshaw.
J. Masterman.
H^y Alexander.
W^m Young.
C. E. Prescott.
G. Raikes.
J. Thornhill.
C. Mills
R. Campbell.
Ja^s Stuart.
H. St. G. Tucker.

London, the 10th March 1830.

(A true Copy)

P. Auber, Sec^y.

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(3.)—Letter from the Court of Directors of The East India Company to The Governor in Council at Bombay, dated 10th March 1830.

(Territorial Finance Department.)

OUR GOVERNOR in COUNCIL at Bombay.

PARA. 1. You will have observed in several of our recent Dispatches in this Department, how anxiously we have observed the progressive Increase in the Civil Charges of India, and how earnestly and repeatedly we have inculcated upon you the Necessity of reducing their Amount as far as may appear consistent with the Exigencies of the Public Service.

2. We have lately caused to be prepared Returns of the Extent and Expence of all the Civil Offices under our several Governments, and of the Establishments connected with them, in the Years 1816-17 and 1826-27, stating, in regard to Offices created or of which the Salaries have been augmented since the 1st of May 1817, the Date of such Creation and of such Augmentation, with the Reasons assigned for each respectively.

3. We forward a Number in the Packet Copy of such of these Returns as relate to your Presidency, and we direct that you reconsider every Item of increased Charge, and every Augmentation in the Number of Persons employed, both European and Native, with the view of reducing, as far as practicable, Offices, Establishments and Salaries to the State in which they were in 1816-17, making, of course, sufficient Allowance for the new Offices and Establishments which became necessary in consequence of Annexations of Territory since that Period. We are, indeed, desious that it should be distinctly marked how much of the Augmentations apparent in these Returns have arisen from the Acquisition of new Territory.

4. We desire that you cause comparative Statements to be made upon the Principle of these now sent, but substituting the Year 1829-30 for the Year 1826-27 now sent, and that those Statements be dispatched to us in Time to ensure our Receipt of them by the Close of January 1831 at the latest; and you will at the same Time furnish us with a full Report of the Measures which you may adopt in obedience to the Instructions now communicated to you.

We are,

your loving Friends,

(Signed)

J. Loch.
W. Astell.
G. Smith.
H. Alexander.
W. Young.
C. E. Prescott.
J. Masterman.
G. Raikes.
J. Thornhill.
C. Mills.
W. S. Clarke.
J. Stuart.
H. St. G. Tucker.
R. C. Furgusson.
R. Campbell.

London the 10th March 1830.

(A true Copy)

P. Auber. Sec^y.