It was not to be expected from human nature that the natives could be much thought of. What _has_ been done for them by the devoted few, we shall recognise with delight; at present we must revert to the evil influences of nearly two hundred years. Amongst the first to claim our attention, are those doings in high places which have excited so strongly the cupidity of thousands, and especially those dazzling presents which became the direct causes of the most violent exactions on the people, for out of them had all these things to be drawn. The Company could, indeed, with a very bad grace, condemn bribery in its officers, for it has always been accused of this evil practice at home in order to obtain its exclusive privileges from government; and so early as 1693, it appeared from parliamentary inquiry, that its annual expenditure under the head of gifts to men in power previous to the Revolution, seldom exceeded 1,200_l._, but from that period to that year it had grown to nearly 90,000_l._ annually. The Duke of Leeds was impeached for a bribe of 5,000_l._, and 10,000_l._ were even said to be traced to the king.[21] 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 } 280,000 Ditto, as Commander-in-Chief 200,000 Ditto, as a private donation 1,600,000 ————————— 2,080,000 234,000