HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
that a system of revenue-assessment 
and collection, nearly similar to that: 
which had been discovered in Ben- 
gal, was in actual operation in those. 
countries*. Lord Cornwallis avail-, 
ed himself of the discovery, and. 
employed + two military gentle-. 
men, who were perfectly conver- 
sant in the languages and manners 
of the country, to superintend. the 
collections of the ceded revenue. 
The result has been extremely fa- 
vourable to the Company, and ho- 
nourable to those gentlemen; the 
revenues have been doubled, and 
with additional reliefto the natives. 
In a word, the agency of interme- 
diate oppression has been super- 
ceded ; and the cultivator, in pay- 
ing his exact assessment, according 
to the original record of the land, 
is secured against unjust and ex- 
traordinary assessments from the 
dependents of government. 
It has been alleged in the pub- 
lications which have appeared on 
the same subject, relative to the 
system of Bengal Revenue-Col- 
lection, that a million sterling a 
year might be realized in the same 
manner by the Company, in the 
act of securing the natives from 
the oppressions of zemindars and 
banians. 
On the Malabar side of India, 
the cessions made by Tippoo re- 
quired a more able management 
for their realization, The revenues 
obtained there were paid by chiefs 
who had retained much of their 
feudal authority; and who were 
descended from the ancient Zamo- 
Tins. Even the arms of Hyder 
[225 
and Tippoo: had:not reduced those 
countries) to regular» obedience; 
and the most perfect knowledge 
of the customs of the ancient: Hin- 
doos, as well as much political con- 
ciliation, was requisite to, calm and 
draw any real advantage from that 
part of the Mysore cessions, 
To regulate and secure this im- 
portant object, Lord Cornwallis 
selected Jonathan Duncan, . Es- 
quire; whom we have already nam- 
ed as the receiver, and indeed, re- 
dressor of complaints, from the na- 
tives at the exchequer of Calcutta. 
That Gentleman had been recom- 
mended to his Lordship by Sir 
John Macpherson, his predecessor 
in the Bengal government ;—who 
said on introducing Mr. Duncan to 
his Lordship, ‘* This is the gentle- 
man who enabled me to carry 
through my administration to the 
satisfaction of the natives: free ac- 
cess to their petitions, and a refer- 
ence of them to his investigation, 
they estimate from experience as 
justice.’ Mr. Duncan, who had 
been advanced by Lord Cornwallis 
to the administration of the cele- 
brated province of Benares, was 
accordingly selected by his Lord- 
ship for the final settlemeut of the 
Malabar districts; and ultimately 
recommended and appointed to the 
government of Bombay :—a go- 
vernment of peculiar difficulty, 
from the number of its dependant 
factories, and their discordant in- 
terests. 
We dwell with pleasure on these 
circumstances which connect the 
happiness of the Asiatics with 
# Seea very ingenious and laborious work, entitled ** Revenue Establishments 
of Tippoo Sultan,” written by the Right Honourable Mr. Greville, and published 
by Jetfery 1793. 
— # Lieutenant Colonel Reid, and Captain Macleod. 
7 
o4 
i 
Vou. XXXIV. 
[Q] the 
