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merchants in thofe diftricts*.

The Go

vernment duties on falt, as I before remarked, were referved by Meer Jaffier; but the will of the conqueror decided the amount. Mr. Vanfittart had agreed with Meer Coffim to pay 9 per cent.; going down the river, he inquired of the boatmen, who informed him that they paid 25 per cent., therefore he fuppofed all above 9 per cent. to be Zemindary impofition, and he ́applied to Meer Coffim to equalize the duty at 9 per cent.; Mr. Haftings alone concurred with him, and the majority settled the duty to be 21 per cent. +. The importance and extent of the object cannot be well underflood without a particular inquiry; and the falt monopoly being on all occafions inveighed against in a political and cominercial view, it will be more conclufive to ftate what it really is, and infert an abftract which I made of Mr. Grant's analyfis of the revenues of Bengal, when I examined his communication on the falt re

* Fourth Report Select Committee, 1772, p. 460. + Vanfittart, Vol. II. p. 399, 165, 193, 140.

venue, presented to the House of Commons in 1789 by Mr. Dundas.

“Mr. Grant obferves, that Sunderbund by fome perfons is derived from Soondery, a wood which abounds there; by others from Soonder, beautiful woods and jungle; but he derives it from Chunder-bund, or offspring of the Moon. The beft and richest Sunderbunds are in the Pergunanh, Chunderdeep, or lunar territory, falt marshes, for the most part overflowed by the fea.

The diftrict of falt lands in which the Bengal manufacture is carried on, for the fake of distinction, he terms Noondeep; it borders on the fea coaft, in a curve, ftretching across the mouths of the Ganges, about 330 British miles from Tellafore Weft, on the frontiers of the Chucklah of Midnapore in Oriffa, to Islamabad, the port and capital of Chittagong, near the south-east extremity of Bengal; it comprehends, inclufive of the Sunderbunds, an area of at leaft 7000 fquare miles, in continent or iflands comprised in the general dimenfions of the Soubah, and always of confiderable

political importance as a strong natural barrier against foreign invafion; as yielding the neceffary article of falt for home confumption, it appears to have been the fource of oppreffion, whenever corrupt Fougedars and a few Mogul or other merchants poffeffed the whole trade; the country then fupplied irregularly, and the larger body of natives employed in this, as in every other branch of commerce, merely as their brokers, Shroffs, or agent Banians, with indefinite commiffions; they fettled at their difcretion the Sovereign's rights to the waste, to the timber, and his allowances for maintenance of works and pay of Molungees and boilers, who are kept constantly in pay, and receive, befides an allowance of at least one rupee per mensem each while employed as ufual, in their fix dry months occupation, a farther conftant annual full fubfiftence, in free produce land, fet apart for their maintenance, under the head of Kharje Jumma of Chakran, or fervants, to be cultivated by themselves; all these allowances became the benefit of individuals instead of the ftate, though it is certain

that land fo poffeffed, affifted by labour fo purchased, is as much the civil right and faleable property of the Sovereign as the natural yearly growth of thofe lands termed Khafs and Comar, occurring every where daily throughout the country, which, becoming for a time untenanted, are cultivated by hire or contract on the special account of the ftate. The virtue and political economy of British adminiftration in India ought to be acknowledged at least in the inftance of the refumption, with improvements of this hitherto mifapplied source of public fupply under the head of Feroo Nemuck, or fales of manufactured or purified falt, at all periods charged with a duty on the country, but only realifed in the Exchequer fince the year 1780. The annual confumption of Bengal, eftimated at 20 Lacks of Maunds, each of 80 pounds weight, is produced by the labour of 45,000 Molungees, who, with fuperiour agents, including all expences paid in money, were entitled to an allowance of 20 rupees, ufually advanced by contracting merchants, befides what was deemed equi valent to 40 rupees more, furnished con

ftantly in land, was returned to the ftate by the original standard price of delivery at Houghly, fixt latterly at 60 rupees per 100 Maunds.

The benefit of the manufacture was afterwards enjoyed by a few Mogul monopós lifts, whofe chief was denominated Fakher ul Tejar, moft exalted of merchants, and the price enhanced in the different markets of the Soubah, on a medium to, at least, 2 rupees the Maund; but fince the annexation of Bahar to Bengal, the home confumption has increafed 8 lacks of Maunds; for, before that event, Bahar was, and the greater part of upper Hindoftan is ftill, fupplied with falt from the lake of Sambbur, in Ajmere: at prefent not only Bahar, but fome export of falt to Asham and Napaul, and other neighbouring inland states, has been opened, and may be extended.

The extra demand was at first imported from the coaft of Coromandel, in what is called Madras or Bay falt, of bafer quality and value, being produced by the fimple operation of the fun on fea water, intro.

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