3. Baky Keffyet, balance of profit arifing on the moderate original felling price of falt, before appropriated to partial benefit of individuals, but now, with great propriety and juftice, refumed and incorporated with the public

revenue.

Sicca rupees 16,60,000

By the distinct heads of native accounts, the monopoly of Cojaah Wazeed, protected by a duty of between 40 and 50 per cent. on imported or foreign falt*, under the Mogul Government, may be investigated; and British monopoly or revenue may be both investigated and controlled; but the British accounts having confounded ground rent, manufacture, and trade, the general balance of profit or lofs has been afcertained by oppofing grofs receipts to grofs difbursements; and the refult will thereby appear as follows: for the firft two or three years, after the acquifition of the De

* Extract from the Report of the Nazim, in 1776, on Salt.

wannee the profits of falt revenue were about 130,000l; in 1775-6 the charges exceeded the receipts 1500l; and subsequent to the resumption of the rights of the state in 1780 the profits have exceeded 600,000l.

The political and commercial objections to the present falt monopoly need not lead us to the controverfies of Mr. Haftings and Mr. Francis previous to 1780. Mr. Haftings* admitted, that the changes in departments had given great advantages to the artifices of individuals; that the intricacy of accounts, by fucceffive transfer of falt from Collectors to the Prefident and Council, from them to the Governor and Council, and from them to the Commercial Board, had occafioned much perplexity; that the defective system of fales had occafioned great loffes, and that the import of coaft falt had thereby arisen to great extent; that the measure of the Commercial Board to check the import of falt, by glutting the market with the fale of 3 years produce

* Ninth Report, Select Committee, 1783, Appendix 91. Mr. Haftings's Minute, 19 Sep. 1780.

at one time, equally affected the import and the manufacture; and when he propofed the reform in 1780, the Calcutta Committee could not let the falt Mahals at any rate.

It is evident that the advances or outlay for the manufacture is beyond the scale of private adventure, and the fupply of fo neceffary an article ought not to depend on chance; when the confumption of a country can be estimated, it is obvious that a provident Government will provide an excefs, to be able at all times, to distri bute the falt at eafy prices to the inland diftricts. The checks feem obvious; - if Government, to fave advances and charges, manfactures lefs falt than the estimated demand of the country, and fells the reduced quantity at an advanced price, it realifes the revenue, but defrauds the country; the quantum of the extortion will appear on the face of the accounts: if the proper quantity is manufactured and averaged through the country, the temptation to distress the frontier diftricts, by exporting inland the falt intended for home confumption, can be checked by judicious distribu

tiòn, and the export fhould be under the control and on the account of Government, not rafhly to be extended. In no political view can it be policy to abandon the internal confumption of Bengal to a precarious fupply; and we must remember merchants have lefs intereft in the fupply of the country than the Company, and will not be content with lefs profit. If falt fhall be raised to 4 or 5 rupees per Maund, it must be from ignorant or corrupt mifmanagement, and is eafily corrected; but the extortion of merchants is not easily distinguished from natural fcarcity by an improvident or ignorant Government, and cannot be controlled without much investigation and judgement, even when inquiry is inftituted with integrity and humanity.

As to the other articles of monopoly, Saltpetre and Opium, they ftand on very different grounds: their produce do not materially affect the country or the revenue, and notwithstanding it may be true that the diftrict of Patna furnishes three fourths, and Purneah and Oude the remaining fourth of the faltpetre collected for the Com

part

pany, it is not to be thought that it might not be obtained in other parts of the country; and it must be confidered a monopoly in the hands of the Company as a commercial body, and should be maintained at the charge of the Company, by which I mean, that the territorial revenue need not neceffarily make advances for this fpecies of produce from the foil, but merely to pay tenants after fulfilling their engagements according to contract: thus the advances of Government fhould be limited to the manufacture of cloth, salt, and produce of grain; all other articles ought not, and are not taken in kind, but when cultivated, the affeffed rent in coin fhould be fubftituted to the legal and cuftomary tender of the portion of produce.

Saltpetre neceffarily will be always an article of importance to the Company, both for the supply of the Indian establishment, and for its import to Europe. The regular replenishing of Government stores, by the Company, may be made in itself profitable, and the fuperabundance may be