★ Find a new page to transcribe in our list of Untranscribed Manuscripts
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| (3 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
Murray Fleet Street 1777.</p> | Murray Fleet Street 1777.</p> | ||
Another defect in the present constitution of the Board of<lb/> | <p>Another defect in the present constitution of the Board of<lb/> | ||
Trade consists in the number of its members. Four members<lb/> | Trade consists in the number of its members. Four members<lb/> | ||
have been thought sufficient by the legislature of Great Britain,<lb/> | have been thought sufficient by the legislature of Great Britain,<lb/> | ||
for the general government of India; and the Company<lb/> | for the general government of India; and the Company<lb/> | ||
have thought fit to continue the original number of<lb/> | have thought fit to continue the original number of<lb/> | ||
members in the Board of Trade, which is no less than eleven<lb/> | members in the Board of Trade, which is no less than eleven.<lb/> | ||
For what purpose is there so great a difference? It will<lb/> | For what purpose is there so great a difference? It will<lb/> | ||
never be alledged, that the objects of deliberation of the latter<lb/> | never be alledged, that the objects of deliberation of the latter<lb/> | ||
are more important or numerous than those of the former. | are more important or numerous than those of the former. It <lb/> | ||
will perhaps then be said, that they have a greater detail<lb/> | will perhaps then be said, that they have a greater detail<lb/> | ||
of executive transactions. This is not true; and if it were<lb/> | of executive transactions. This is not true; and if it were<lb/> | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
number; for I affirm, and every man who has been conversant<lb/> | number; for I affirm, and every man who has been conversant<lb/> | ||
in the practice of Boards must be sensible, that the detail of<lb/> | in the practice of Boards must be sensible, that the detail of<lb/> | ||
minute executive transactions is more correctly and expeditiously conducted by a few, or even a single man, than by many. | minute executive transactions is more correctly and expeditiously <lb/> | ||
conducted by a few, or even a single man, than by many.<lb/> | |||
The Company's investment was never, I believe, <add>or any time</add> better managed<lb/> | |||
than in the year 1773, when it was left to the sole superintendancy<lb/> | |||
of M<hi rend="superscript">r</hi> Aldersey.</p> | |||
<p>Possibly it will be observed, that although the board<lb/> | |||
of trade consists of eleven, yet there is never that number<lb/> | |||
assembled at the Presidency, it being an established rule, that<lb/> | |||
four of the commercial chiefships shall shall be filled by the members<lb/> | |||
in rotation. This <del>I</del> also I affirm to be one of the defects of<lb/> | |||
this constitution. The change of the subordinate stations should<lb/> | |||
never be given to <del>purposes</del> possessed of a right to vote at the Board;<lb/> | |||
for under such circumstances, their merits will seldom be impartially<lb/> | |||
<unclear>scanned</unclear>; either their faults will be overlooked, or if party<lb/> | |||
disputes <add>should</add> unhappily prevail, their exertions will be disturbed<lb/> | |||
and checked by unnecessary cavils.</p> | |||
<p>In these observations which I have made on the defects<lb/> | |||
of the present system, I do not allude to any particular instances.<lb/> | |||
I speak only of <del>the</del> general principles, which must always invariably <lb/> | |||
produce the same consequences. I shall now offer a few remarks<lb/> | |||
on the general subject of the Company's commerce in Bengal.</p> | |||
<!-- DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS LINE --> | <!-- DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS LINE --> | ||
{{Metadata:{{PAGENAME}}}}{{ | {{Metadata:{{PAGENAME}}}}{{Completed}} | ||
From "Memoirs relative to the State of India: by Warren
Hastings Esq." A new Edition with additions London
Murray Fleet Street 1777.
Another defect in the present constitution of the Board of
Trade consists in the number of its members. Four members
have been thought sufficient by the legislature of Great Britain,
for the general government of India; and the Company
have thought fit to continue the original number of
members in the Board of Trade, which is no less than eleven.
For what purpose is there so great a difference? It will
never be alledged, that the objects of deliberation of the latter
are more important or numerous than those of the former. It
will perhaps then be said, that they have a greater detail
of executive transactions. This is not true; and if it were
admitted, I would require no other grounds for reducing the
number; for I affirm, and every man who has been conversant
in the practice of Boards must be sensible, that the detail of
minute executive transactions is more correctly and expeditiously
conducted by a few, or even a single man, than by many.
The Company's investment was never, I believe, or any time better managed
than in the year 1773, when it was left to the sole superintendancy
of Mr Aldersey.
Possibly it will be observed, that although the board
of trade consists of eleven, yet there is never that number
assembled at the Presidency, it being an established rule, that
four of the commercial chiefships shall shall be filled by the members
in rotation. This I also I affirm to be one of the defects of
this constitution. The change of the subordinate stations should
never be given to purposes possessed of a right to vote at the Board;
for under such circumstances, their merits will seldom be impartially
scanned; either their faults will be overlooked, or if party
disputes should unhappily prevail, their exertions will be disturbed
and checked by unnecessary cavils.
In these observations which I have made on the defects
of the present system, I do not allude to any particular instances.
I speak only of the general principles, which must always invariably
produce the same consequences. I shall now offer a few remarks
on the general subject of the Company's commerce in Bengal.
|
Identifier: | JB/109/060/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 109. |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
1802-10-28 |
|||
|
109 |
|||
|
060 |
[[info_in_main_headings_field::Collectanea - Board Management […?] […?] Hastings]] |
||
|
001 |
From "Memoirs relative to the state of India: by Warren Hastings Esq" / A new Edition with additions, London, Murray, Fleet Street, 1777 |
||
|
Collectanea |
1 |
||
|
recto |
|||
|
JOHN DICKINSON & C<…> 1809 |
|||
|
A. Levy |
|||
|
1809 |
|||
|
35715 |
|||
