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not to have paffed unnoticed by any accurate examiner of the different adminiftrations, with a view of establishing princi-. ples of fixed government.

Mr. Haftings, during his whole adminiftration, was under the preffure of complicated claims from Proprietors, Directors, and Minifters, to participate in his patronage; Mr. Macpherson was relieved from this complicated uncontroled fyftem, by the arrival of Mr. Pitt's India Bill, the 26th of February, 1785, at Calcutta: but the first advice of the Company's orders to liquidate the India bond debt by bills on England was received at Calcutta the 6th of February, 1786; confequently all the financial efforts of the Bengal Government were not then affifted, as they have been fince 1786.

The arrangements introduced by Mr. Macpherfon, immediately tending to a real diffufion of knowledge, and to a real practicable control of British India, which have been approved and continued, were, a new calendar, or abridgement of the Ben

gal Government, in the form which has ever fince been usually made part of the Court Calendar in England; it was compiled by a committee of the heads of the different offices, in 1785, and was in the press in January, 1786. The establishment for the Company's fhipping at Diamond Point, the establishment of the fettlement of Prince of Wales's Island, for commercial and political purpofes; the commercial negociations with the European foreign chiefs, and the political confiderations relative to the native powers, at least are entitled to general view; fome of the objects of internal government appear, from public advertisement, or in the Bengal confultations, to be poftponed for the neceffary intervention of Parliament: the police of Calcutta, the regulation of Bazars, and reduction of oppreffive taxes on provifions, appeared practicable to Mr. Macpherson, from the example of Chinfura, Serampore, and Chandernagore, neighbouring European factories; the judges found difficulty in forming a legal and effectual

Bengal Consultations, 25th of March, 1785.

remedy; the markets however, were, regulated; wages of fervants could not, though there appeared to be in Calcutta 30,000 fervants and 6000 horses, and the wages one half more at Calcutta than at the above-mentioned foreign factories. A bank was established by individuals in Calcutta; the Bengal Gazette, 23d of March, 1786, contained the plan, and the legal opinion of Mr. Dunkin and Mr. Davies, which enabled every perfon to know that the plan ftood on private confidence until the Legiflature, or a charter from the Crown, incorporated incorporated and regulated a bank. But Mr. Macpherson's certificate plan established at once confidence in the Company's paper, which he iffued, as a fubftitute to the deficiency of fpecie from the remittances, to the Coaft and China; he published in the Bengal Gazette the names of the holders, and number of the certificates, and pledged payment of every certificate according to priority of date, whereby it is obvious he deftroyed the poffibility of continuing private management or preference to the prejudice of the Company's creditor,

By a regulation of March, 1785, in the revenue department, every farmer, Zemindar, or landholder, was required, at the close of the year, to pafs his bond, at 12 per cent. intereft, to the Company for whatever balance remained unpaid, to be cancellable only by the order of Directors, whereby it is obvious he cut up the fyftem of fraudulent balances and compofitions ; thefe appeared fundamental principles, and led me to investigate the degree of. security which was given to the meanest landholder, native pottah holder, bound by his heritable pottah or grant, to pay a certain portion of the produce, or an equivalent in money, to the protecting fovereign: the reference I make to Mr. Grant's information is fufficient to fhew at least that I have been convinced his fyftem alone will realise practicable fecurity to native landholders, and to the British nation. The honourable diftinction of a Baronetage conferred on Mr. Macpherfon, followed his fuperceffion, and the thanks of the Company, hitherto without their liberality, have acknowledged the extent of the

reforms completed during his administration.

Grand total established charges of the Bengal government, as they ftood 31ft of January, 1785, when Sir John Macpherfon received charge of the government, per month, C. R. 29,60,627 2 3

Grand total of the fame

charges, as they stood
30th June, 1786, two
months and feventeen
days before Lord Corn-
wallis's acceffion to the

government

19,76,742 4 3.

Total monthly decrease

of charges or reduction 9,83,884 14 0.

Total annual reduction in the established charges of the Bengal government, from the 31st of June, 1785, to the 30th of June 1786, 1,18,06618 8 current rupees, or about £.1,200,000 fterling.-See comparative account charges of Bengal government, dispatched from the Accomptant

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