COURT'S DRAFT, OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, No. 198. No. 128 gotiations shall, in fu the purpose of inducing them to return to their own terPure, be carried on in ritories as a mode of preserving peace. The accuracy writing. of culonel Collins's report was afterwards confirmed by Scindiah's ambassadors, in their conferences with Sir A. Wellesley, for the negotiation of peace. But the court of directors have in their possession the documents which they require. In the letters from Scindiah and the rajah of Berar, to the governor general, written in the month of July,* 1805, those chieftains have stated their opinion of the treaty of Bassein; and, in their letters to Sir A. Wellesley, written in the month of August, 1803, they declare their positive refusal to withdraw to their own territories, excepting on condi. tions which manifested that their sole object was to gain time. 192 With respect to the general principle of the court's orders, contained in the 67th paragraph of the paper No. 128, that, in future, all negotiations shall be carried on in writing, it is only necessary to advert to the systematic delay which prevails in the negotiations of all the native powers of India, and to observe, that this delay will necessarily be increased to a most inconvenient degree, if every negotiation is to be care ried on in writing. Increase of expense. 193. In consequence of the extended nature of our Para. 68. relations, during lord Wellesley's administration, the expenses of the government have unavoidably been increased in different branches of the government. But the public records afford abundant evidence, that, on every proper occasion, lord Wellesley has not omitted to make every prudent retrenchment in the public charges, which was compatible with the conduct of the public business and with those principles of just economy, which are calculated to ensure, on the part of the public officers of the government, a faithful execution of their respective duties. The court of directors, themselves, have, on various occasions, expressed their sense of lord Wellesley's endeavours to etrect every possible reduction of expense. 194. In their answer to the letter from the governorgeneral in council in the public department of the 2d Se, tember. 1799, the court, in a etter, dated 26th March, 1801, observe, paragraph 57, “ we entirely concur in the sentiment contained in the governorgeneral's minute of the 12th June, 1798, that it is a most urgent part of your duty to institute a diligent inquiry into the nature of all the branches, both of your expenses and resources, in order to commence, without delay, every just and salutary reduction of the one, and every practicable improvement and augmentation of the other. From a memorandum which accompanied the governor-general's letter to our chair. man, of the 29th of November, 1799, we observe, that the retrenchments already effected in consequence of Vide printed papers relative to the Mahratta war. COURT'S DRAFT, No. 128. OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, No. 128. of his lordship's suggestions, amount, under the head of civil establishments, to Sicca rupees per month, 50,230 being a saving of six lacs of rupees per ann. or 75,000l. His lordship transmitted, at the same time, a general outline of the plan which he had adopted for the improvement of the system of public buildings, and of house and office rent allowed to the public servants at Calcutta. "We entertain a due sense of the merits of the governor-general's conduct, in his endeavours to reduce the charges of the various departments under your presidency within the most economical bounds. nor can we too earnestly exhort you to co-operate with his lordship, until a complete reform in your several establishments shall be finally accomplished, of the progress of which we direct that you keep us constantly advised of your proceedings at large upon this very important subject; confidently relying on the assurances contained in the 11th paragraph of your subsequent dispatch of the 31st December, 1799, that every practicable retrenchment will be made in those establishments, as well as in every other branch of the public expenditure. "We observe, by the foregoing minute of the governor-general, that, although the establishments mainfained in our several conquests, were considered as permanent charges until the conclusion of the war, his lordship very properly deemed them the objects of immediate revision. You will, therefore, report to us distinctly upon this article of the proposed reform.” 195. In the general letter from the court on the revenue department, dated 8th of March, 1803, paragraph 18, the court makes the following observations: "We take this occasion to express our high commen. dation of the measures which have hitherto beon adopted towards a reduction of our expenses, and our confi lent hope that you will continue to exert your most zealous endeavours for bringing the charges of the various establishments under your presidency, within the most moderate bounds that may be consistent with a rational economy, as connected with a due execution of the public business, and with an adequate compensation to those employed therein." 196. The court also in their general letter in the public department, dated 29th February, 1804 paragraph 17, signify their approbation of the governor-general's conduct in the following terms: "We notice with approbation the zeal and exertions manifested by you in the perusal of the several dispatches to which you have referred In a former part of the court's draft the court observes, that the first intimation which they received on the subject of the government-house, which formed a principal part of the "plan for the improvement of the system of public buildings," was transmitted in a letter to the chairman, dated 2d April, 1801. COURT'S DRAFT, Alteration in the secretary's office, creating an increase of 1,50,000 rupees, or 17,4001. annually. Para. 69. OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, ferred us in this paragraph relative to the reductions 197. In the mintary nepartment. theourt in their ge neral letter dated 20th June, 1804 paragraph 13, ob serve, We have already signified our approbation of the zeal and exertions of our governor general in effecting various reductions and retrenchments in the several departments of government, prior to 802. The promptitude with which he proceeded in this desirable object after receiving intelligence of the ratification of the preliminaries of peace, merits our highest applause." "Again, in paragraph 118, the court state that the abours and exertions o: our governor general in council and the officers chiefly employed under his direct on, in affecting reaction of so considerable an amount, cannot fail to meet with our applause " 198. With respect to the particular instances adduced by the court which have contribute 4 to the increase of e pense since 1798 it will be sufficient to state the following observations: 199. The reasons which induced lord Wellesley to make an alteration in the secretary s department, are fully stated in his minute, dated 29th Octo er, 1799, It is impossible to state upon what principle the court's calculation of expense is founded. The governor-general's minute of the 9th October, 1799, observes, “That the imme 'iate addition to the expense of the establishment of the secretary's office, which will be occasioned by the proposed arrangements, will amount to about sicca rupees 58,200, or 7 275l per annum, as specified in the annexed statement. This sum would I trust, be deemed of little consequence, when it is considere that the arrangement has in view the important object of making an adequate and permanent provision for the transactions of the numerous detais necessarily involved in the general government of In lia with ability and dis patch The great augmentations of those details, connected with the recent extension of our empire constitutes alone a sufficient proof of the necessity of the measure" "It is my intention however, shortly to propose the annexation of the office of civil auditor to the office of deputy-accountant general, and the saving which will arise from this measure (the grounds of which I shall hereafter state) will nearly meet the immediate expense of the present arrangement. The difference, as well as the ultimate increase of expense, when the salary of the office of the secretary to the judicial and revenue department, shall be increased to its full standard, will be provided for by other arrangements, which I have it in contemp ation to suggest "The board, concurring entirely in the proposition, resolved that the following appointments take place, and that the allowance, recommended by his lordship, to be annexed to the several offices, be fixed accord. ingly." COURT'S DRAFT, No. 128. OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, Additional expense of the proposed arrangement, viz, Addition of the allowances of the chief secretary per annum 200 Ditto to the secretary to the secret, poli tical, and foreign department 32,000 Ditto to the secretary to the public 26,000 58,200 The college. Para. 69 Excess in the Durbar charges, being in the year 1802-3, 12.00,000 rupees, or 1,39,000l. beyond the amount in 1797-8, principally owing to costly and useless embassies. Para. 70th. Total difference of ultimate expense per annum 200. This arrangement was regularly communicated to the court of directors; who, in their general letter in the public department, dated 24th March, 1801, paragraph 98, signified their approbation of it in the following terms: "In your dispatch, in the public department of the 25th January, 1800, we are referred to the minute of the governor-general, recorded on your proceedings of the 29th October preceding, respecting a new arrangement which you have adopted for the conduct of the publie business in the office of secretary to your government; as this arrangement has professedly in view the important object of making an adequate and permanent provision for the transaction of the numerous details necessarily involved in the general government of India, with ability and dispatch, (and which details must evidently have greatly increased since the recent extension of our dominions, in consequence of the late brilliant termination of the war in Mysore,) we have been induced to sanction it with our approbation: especially as the augmentation of expense occasioned thereby, will be nearly provided for by the proposed annexation of the office of civil auditor to the office of deputy. accountant general, and by other economical arrangements." 201. This question has already been discussed in the 120th paragraph of these notes. 202. The Durbar charges are constantly fluctuating, according to the nature of the political relations of the government in India. The Durbar charges are principally affected by political missions, and the mission to Persia of course contributed to increase the Durbar expenses of 1802-3. It would be difficult to determine whether embassies are" useless," without knowing the particular missions to which the court advert. With regard to the mission to Persia, this is the first time that this embassy has been declared to be useless. The resolution to send a mission to Persia was communicated to the secret committee as early as the month of September, 1799: that mission was directed to the accomplishment COURT'S DRAFT, OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, complishment of various objects of an important nature 203. The excess of the Durbar charges, in the year 1802-3, is principally owing to a variety of temporary charges arising from extraordinary embassies, and other charges of a temporary nature, some of which will not occur again. The Durbar charges must fluctuate every year according to the state of public affairs, and to the extension of our political relations with the native states of India. The amount of the excess occasioned by these temporary charges in 1802-3 is rupees 9,35,542, or 116,9421.; the excess was occasioned by the amount of allowance to Rajah Run Bahandur, the abdicated Rajah of Napaul, which has been repaid; by colonel Palmer's travelling charges and expenses from Poonah to Calcutta, in July, 1802; by arrear of salary to residents in November, 1802; by feeding the poor at Hyderabad during the famine; by the expenses of the embassy to Persia from April, 1801, to July, 1802, and the expense incurred on account of the Persian ambassador at Bombay; by colonel Symes's mission to Ava; by major Malcolm's mission to Bombay on the death of the Persian ambassador; by the expenses of the honourable H. Wellesley at Lucknow, and in the ceded provinces, charged on the principle applied to personal expenses of all political agents. By extraordinary and contingent charges arising from the purchase of furniture for the new government-house, extraordinary public entertainments, draining the company's grounds at Barruckpore, &c. as explained in detail in the private secretary's report of the 25th June, 1805, which has been ordered to be laid upon the table of the House of Commons. 204. From these circumstances, the charges of 1802-3 were on a higher scale than usual. The total of the political expenses for the year 1802-3, including every ordinary and temporary charge, was 24,11,476 rupees, or 301,4341, which, under all the circumstances of the case, cannot certainly be considered a very heavy charge for all the political expenses of such an extensive government as that of the British empire in India, yielding a revenue of above fifteen millions sterling. 205. The political charges of the government in India have necessarily increased in proportion to the extension of the political relations of the British government in India with the native powers, and also to the more intimate connection formed with all the principal states. 206. The |