vernor General; which the Government of Bengal approve. It is not difficult to imagine the irritable and ruinous uncertainty of fuch a mode of fettling with the ally of Great Britain, had it been in times of profound peace, but it happened in the period of famine and warfare, while the country was overrun by Hyder. The calculation of the depopulation of the Carnatic during that period was fent to me in 1783 by an eye witness of the miseries of that unfortunate country.

1781, 150,000

1782, 10,000

Died by fickness at Madras 1782, 20,000 Ditto, by famine at Madras, inhabitants of it Ditto, at Madras, inhabitants of the country, forced in by Hyder Died in removing northwards from Madras in confequence of the famine

1782, 50,000

1782, 40,000

It appeared fo very extraordinary, that I could not have credited any country existing under fuch complicated misfortune; from all quarters I heard of the merit of the gentlemen who acted on the part of the Company with Sir Charles Oakeley, the prefent Governor of Madras; but ability and humanity could only palliate fufferings; nothing can render the fyftem of affignment and irregular exaction juft or politic.

1

I had heard of that ftupendous building, the public granary, at Tanjore, and I was led to inquire whether fimilar eftablishments in the Carnatic and the Circars, with other resources of internal good ma

nagement, had operated during this period of public calamity, while Hyder was fubfifting on the country, and the fupply in the Company's ftore proved infufficient both for the people and the Government. Every confultation with commercial men preceded the final determination of Lord Macartney, by his proclamation, to feize all the rice for the ufe of Government, at a price low, comparatively with the prices given by individuals; this in a degree prolonged the scarcity by decreafing the import; the period was calamitous, and the means of the Madras Government were limited, confequently its pofitive engagements fhould have been proportioned exactly to its means; the credit of the Company, and of British India, could alone make up the deficiency with favour to the diftreffes of individuals, who rifqued for the public, even in preference to the Company, when the individuals and the Company became competitors in the market.

The Circars and Bengal were the fources of fupply; gentlemen in the Circars were induced to exert themselves by the promise

of being regularly paid at Mafulipatam; at firft they were paid by bills on a Shroff, who paid them in Pagodas; the fecond cargo was paid by bills on the Chief and Council of Mafulipatam, which that Board promised to pay when the Zemindars fent in their rents, which was ruin to gentlemen who were paying 12 per cent. for Pagodas to purchase the rice they had fent on their faith in the Madras Government.

Other traders, who had fitted out veffels to import rice, were disgusted by receiving in payment bills on the treasury of Bengal; they had no alternative but to discount their Bengal bills at Madras, with the lofs of 25 per cent.: thefe cafes can only be accounted for by the Government's want of intimate knowledge of the circumstances of the country. The supply on which

the Madras Government calculated, and to which their offers were applied, proved infinitely greater than they could make good; but its monopoly of the market after the neceffity was paft, can be confidered only as a facrifice of political justice to commercial interefts; the chief depen

dance of the Madras Government was in fuccour from Bengal, and, by the exertions of Mr. Haftings and the Supreme Council, an aftonishing fupply of grain was fent to Madras.

In August, 1783, when the dread of famine was over, and the rice market had been opened, without reftriction, an order of Government prohibited the difpofal of private rice, until the fuperfluity of the public granary was fold, at the Company's price, which, though not high, diftreffed the poor people very much, by being twice as dear as the coarser rice, which was to be had in the markets and in the Madras road; the merchants, without demurrage, were delayed in the fales of their cargoes, and as foon as peace was proclaimed they fent their ships of rice and flour to the French at Cuddalore.

These errors of judgement were of temporary effect; but the system of affignment appeared too likely to become the permanent plan of rendering influence productive, and accordingly we have seen, since that period, affignments neceffary to realise our deliberate liquidations of the Nabob's