fold to profit: as a commercial concern, the above conftant demand will be a fufficient encouragement, without the aid of rigorous exclufion of competition in the inland market. The comparison of German and English powder fhews the difference of a fupply by contract, partly paid in damaged powder, or by manufacture in the laboratories of arfenals, where the purity of the ingredients cannot be evaded. The regular fupply does not require monopoly: the natives could fupply any quantity on timely notice; but this article, from its nature, should remain more than others under the control of the Government; and in this view the right to monopoly, founded on usage, ought to be exercised according to circumftances.

As to Opium, unless not only the whole produce of the article in Bengal, and also all the produce of Oude, is fubjected to the Company's monopoly, the Vizier's Opium will open evafions; and therefore it appears better to give up a monopoly which fanctions improper interference in the cultivation of the country, than to extend its influence,

The Commiffioners authorised by parliament, will not overlook this obvious confideration they will alfo trace the degree of its importance as an article of export from Bengal, and of import in the markets to which it is fent. I only endeavour to demonftrate the neceffity of accurate inveftigation, and am fatisfied that my inquiries authorise this conclufion; that every article of management may be reduced to very simple and practicable rule, but that the inequality of offices, and inequalities of affeffments unneceffarily maintained, are the fources of corruption and abuse. I have endeavoured to trace principles, and to fhew their confequences when reduced to practice; it will be neceffary therefore to remember, that I am fatisfied that the collector of revenues, whether Zemindar or covenanted fervant, in the British as well as Mogul fyftem, ought to be paid by a per centage; that collections fhould be as regularly divided, in extent of income and in trouble, as poffible; and that the arrangement of collections need not confuse the rights nor tenure of any Pottah-holder, or Reyut: that the agents fuperintending the

manufacture of cloth or falt, might also he handsomely paid by a per centage, but that the quantum of the per centage, whether equal in all, or varied in the different branches of revenue as at prefent, must be the refult of deliberate confideration, as must also the diftribution of infpection of fuperiour Boards. I conceive that a landed revenue Board might control all the collections of territorial revenue, and the commercial branches, in which advances are neceffary; for where manufactures can be beft promoted, an investment agent might be appointed: where falt is the manufacture, a falt agent might be appointed; and where there is no manufacture, advances to the Reyut must be made by the Zemindar, or the collector. The confignment of goods and the trade, both import and export, might become a fimplified fyftem, under the head of foreign import and export; for no inland trade, according to fuch plan, would be fubjected to Government taxes, except falt and grain; the one operating as an excife by the fale of falt, and the other as a provident regulation to avert famine and encourage agriculture, by the

management of public granaries, and the regulation of Bazars, on certain report of the circumstances of the country, and recorded evidence of the fupply of grain in every district. It is no wonder Government has been puzzled, and that orators have not found limits to their imagery.Merchants, who are oppreffed with vexatious reftrictions in the branches of trade which are left to them, are not unlikely to exaggerate; but commiffioners under the prefent act and directors, must investigate and difcriminate real from artificial grievance, and draw the line of policy and justice by fome reprefentations it might be supposed, that the prohibition of import of coaft falt, was a prohibition of the rice trade. A zealous advocate for the encouragement of agriculture in Bengal, admits that under the difcouragement of the export of grain freighted in veffels which return empty from the coaft, the corn trade has produced, one year with another, 20 per cent profit*. We have known the extent to which the Bengal provinces af

Agricola's Letter 5, p. 27.

forded rice to the coaft in 1782; and I have heard that the price of rice rose in 1783 on an embargo being laid on its exportation. The danger of letting in European fpeculation uncontrolled into inland trade, may be evidenced by the confequences of the partial inundation in 1787 in Bengal; rice was then advanced 10 per cent. higher in price than it had been during the real famine of 1771. If Government is either ignorant or corrupt, the people are equally exposed to fictitious and to real scarcity.

Having brought to view the neceffary connection of financial and commercial interefts of British India, I must not omit to ftate, that a fubferviency of the interests of commerce to the political limits of the Company's fettlement at Calcutta, felferected into an independent kingdom, formed part of the phantom which vanished when the veil was drawn from Indian politics. The artificial denomination of import and export to and from Calcutta by fhipping, and the import and export by boats to and from Calcutta inland, to engrofs, according to circumstances, all the