year, and to set out at the end of July for that purpose. It will be material that I should get all possible information the first year.'
Again he writes: —
'Ill as I thought of the late system of Benares, I found it on enquiry much worse than I could have conceived. The Resident, although not regularly invested with any power, enjoyed the almost absolute government of the country without control. His emoluments, besides the thousand rupees per month allowed him by the Company, certainly amounted to little less than four lacks a year, exclusive of the complete monopoly of the whole commerce of the country, with the power of granting parwánas, &c. It has been generally supposed that in return for all these good things, the Residents at Benares have not been ungrateful to the friends of the Governor-General. I have no reason to suppose that Mr. —— took more than his predecessors — God knows what he gave; but as he was on bad terms with the Rájá and his servants, and as new measures are more likely to succeed with new men, I thought it better to remove him. Although many persons were desirous, nay even importunate, to show their zeal for the Company's service by undertaking this office, it was not very easy for me to find a successor to my mind. For I could not venture to lower the authority of the Resident too abruptly, from apprehension of losing our revenue; and as the Rájá is a fool, his servants
