previous to the Revolution, seldom exceeded 1,200l., but from that period to that year it had grown to nearly 90,000l. annually. The Duke of Leeds was impeached for a bribe of 5,000l., and 10,000l. were even said to be traced to the king.[1] Besides this, whenever any rival company appeared in the field, government was tempted with the loans of enormous sums, at the lowest interest. Like fruits were to be expected in India, and were not long wanting. We cannot trace this subject to its own vast extent—it would require volumes—we can only offer a few striking examples:—
None can be more remarkable than the following list, which, besides sums that we may suppose it to have been in the power of the receivers to conceal, and of the amount of which it is not easy to form a conjecture, were detected and disclosed by the Committee of the House of Commons in 1773.
The rupees are valued according to the rate of exchange of the Company's bills at the different periods.
Account of such sums as have been proved or acknowledged before the Committee to have been distributed by the Princes and other natives of Bengal, from the year 1757 to the year 1766, both inclusive; distinguishing the principal times of the said distributions, and specifying the sums received by each person respectively:—
| Resolution in favour of Meer Jaffier—1757. | ||||
| Rupees. | Rupees. | £. | ||
| Mr. Drake (Governor) | 280,000 | 31,500 | ||
| Col. Clive, as second in the Select Committee |
280000 | |||
| Ditto, as Commander-in-Chief | 200,000 | |||
| Ditto, as a private donation | 1,600,000 | |||
| 2,080,000 | 234,000 | |||
- ↑ Macpherson's Annals, ii. 652, 662.
