My Lords, it only remains for me, at this time, to make a few
observations upon some proceedings of the prisoner respecting the
revenue of Benares. I must first state to your Lordships that in the
year 1780 he made a demand upon that country, which, by his own account,
if it had been complied with, would only have left 23,000_l._ a year for
the maintenance of the Rajah and his family. I wish to have this account
read, for the purpose of verifying the observations which I shall have
to make to your Lordships.
[_Here the account was read._]
I must now observe to your Lordships, that Mr. Markham and Mr. Hastings
have stated the Rajah's net revenue at forty-six lacs: but the accounts
before you state it at forty lacs only. Mr. Hastings had himself
declared that he did not think the country could safely yield more, and
that any attempt to extract more would be ruinous.
Your Lordships will observe that the first of these estimates is
unaccompanied with any document whatever, and that it is contradicted by
the papers of receipt and the articles of account, from all of which it
appears that the country never yielded more than forty lacs during the
time that Mr. Hastings had it in his possession; and you may be sure he
squeezed as much out of it as he could.
Pages:
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370