HISTORY OF EUROPE. [87 
and, finally, when the letters from 
Lord Cornwallis, now lving on the 
table, defcribed Bengal as a declin- 
ning and almoft reined country. 
. As a proof of the diltreis of the 
company’s affairs at home, and the 
poverty of their treafury, he ftated. 
that they were then taking up fil- 
ver, tin, and copper upen credit, 
_ which formerly they ufed to pay tor 
with ready money. The difcount 
upon their Bengal bonds ‘he. alfo 
-confidered as another fymptom of 
 diftrefs. 
~~ With regard to Bengal, Mr. 
- Dundas had faid, that the jumma’s 
_ being collected entire was a proof 
of the profperity of a country, and 
_ that therefore Bengal was mott prof- 
 perous. Neither the premifes nor 
the inference were founded on fact, 
fince an oppreflive government 
“might get their revenue entire, and 
‘the country be neverthelefs rapidly 
going to ruin. 
_ Mr. Francis proceeded to take 
_ motice of what Mr. Dundas had faid 
_sefpecting the revenue arifing from 
falt. He had truly ftated falt to be 
_ a neceflary of life in Bengal more 
than in any other country. — It ac- 
- tually was fo; and nature feemed to 
have confidered the circumttance, as 
at hath made falt one of the cheap- 
eft manufactures of the country. 
_ They could get it there for next to 
nothing, if an oppreflive revenue 
_ were not derived from it. ‘The late 
Lord Clive, who was acculed of hav- 
‘ing eftablifhed a monopoly offalt, had 
-exprefsly provided, “ ‘That the price 
_ of falt, fold by the Society of 
_ Trade, fhould never exceed 200 
-** rupees per 100 maunds;” and 
_ Mr. Bolts, who ftretched every thing 
to the utmoft that could be wien 
to bear again{t the government of 
- Lord Clive, flated s00 rupees per 
roo maunds, as the higheft price to 
the confumer. 
The felling price of the company 
at Calcutta, a:peared to have been 
in Auguft, 1789, about 300 Sicca 
rupees per 100 maunds. At one pe- 
riod within thefe two years, the 
price, at the company’s fale, had got 
up to the enormous amount of 700 
Sicca rupees; upon which there was 
alfo to be a proportionate increafe 
for profit and charges on the re- 
tail. siaiaaia 4 
But fuppofing the final retail price 
of falt, in the provinces, to be 700 
Sicca rupees per 100 maunds, it 
would then colt the confumer two- 
pence three-farthings per pound 
Englifh. Every individual native 
would, as long as it is poffible for 
him to get it, confume half a chit- 
tac, or one ounce per day; confe- 
quently a family of five perfons, liv- 
ing on the labour of one man, muft 
fpend 5-16ths of two-pence three- 
farthings in falt, or about three-far- 
things a day. The medium price 
of labour throughout Bengal, is one 
anna and half per day, or three- pence 
halfpenny Englifh, Confequently, 
when he has paid for the falt, with- 
out which his vegetable food would 
be poifon to him, ‘he has juft feven 
farthings a day left to provide him- 
felf, a wife, and three children, with 
every other neceflary of life, and to 
pay fome rent for a.mud-houfe; not 
to mention any allowance for falt for 
his cow, if he has one; for without 
falt the' cattle in that country cannot 
exift for any ufeful purpoie. 
Mr. Francis concluded with fome 
obfervations upon the. letter of 
Lord Cornwallis, dated 2d Auguft 
1789. “The firit paflagehe remark- 
ed upon was the following—*< ‘The 
« {ecurity of property, however, and 
“ the certainty which each indivi- 
[F 4] dual 
