_ or 15,000_l._) a year was as much
as Cheyt Sing could spend. And yet this young creature, settled in the
same country, and who was to pay 400,000_l._ a year, instead of
250,000_l._, tribute to the Company, was authorized by Mr. Hastings to
collect and reserve to his own use 60,000_l._ out of the revenue. That
is to say, he was to receive four times as much as was stated by Mr.
Hastings, on Mr. Markham's evidence, to have been necessary to support
him.
Your Lordships tread upon corruption everywhere. Why was such a large
revenue given to the young Rajah to support his dignity, when, as they
say, Cheyt Sing did not spend above a lac and half in support of
his,--though it is known he had great establishments to maintain, that
he had erected considerable buildings adorned with fine gardens, and,
according to them, had made great preparations for war?
We must at length imagine that they knew the country could bear the
impost imposed upon it. I ask, How did they know this? We have proved to
you, by a paper presented here by Mr. Markham, that the net amount of
the collections was about 360,000_l._ This is their own account, and was
made up, as Mr. Markham says, by one of the clerks of Durbege Sing,
together with his Persian moonshee, (a very fine council to settle the
revenues of the kingdom!) in his private house.
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