150 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



rect, for the sale thereof; and to 

 report the same as it should appear 

 to thetn, to the house, together 

 with their observations thereon ; 

 and who were empowered to re- 

 port the minutes of evidence 

 taken before them, and their 

 proceedings from time to time 

 to the house," From the report 

 of the committee it appeared, 

 that a very great number of ca- 

 detships and writerships had been 

 disposed of in an illegal manner; 

 and though nothing had coine out 

 that could form any reasonable 

 ground for suspicion tliat such 

 bargains had been made or carried 

 into execution with the consent or 

 knowledge of the proprietors ; 

 yet, not only particular facts, but 

 the general tenor of the whole in- 

 vestigation clearly proved, that if 

 all the directors had exercised, in 

 the disposal of their patronage, 

 the same vigilance and caution 



which are usually applied in the 

 management of individual con- 

 cerns, such a regular and conti- 

 nued traffic could not have been 

 carried on for such a length of 

 time. The committee having 

 stated a great number of cases in 

 which a traffic in the patronage of 

 the East India Company had been 

 most glaring, proposed a check 

 against those who were inclined to 

 purchase appointments in the ser- 

 vice of the company,* and gave 

 it as their opinion, that the imme- 

 diate consequence of the informa- 

 tion contained in this report must be, 

 tliat a certain number of persons 

 in the service of the company will 

 be instantly deprived of their em- 

 ployments and recalled from India. 

 The committee concluded their re- 

 port with the following paragraph: 

 " The practices which are deve- 

 loped in the present report, and 

 other transactions which this house 



has 



receive any jierquisite, emolument, or favniiv, for tVip appointment of any person 

 to am' office in the gift of tlie company, or on account of fixing the voyage of any 

 ships in the company's employ. A heavy penalty was imposed on the abuse of 

 patronage. And the directors who should recommend a person to a cadetship, as 

 well as the nearest of kin to tlie newly appointed cadet, was obliged to sign a cer- 

 tificate : the former, that neither he, nor any other for him, or any person to whom 

 he had given the appointment, Jiad received or was to receive, any thing for it ; 

 the latter, that it had been given to his relation gratuitously. Witliin a very few 

 years, however, after these enactments, suspicions of abuses in the nomination of 

 writers were so strong and prevalent, that the court of directors thought it neces- 

 sary, in 1798, to set on foot an in<iuiry into this subject. A committee was ac- 

 cordingly appointed, who came to some resolutions, which, if thev had been 

 adopted and acted upon, might certainly have had a very considerable effect in 

 checking the abuses complained of The court did indeed approve of the resolu- 

 tions of the committee ; but before any step could be taken, the direction was 

 changed, and of course it became necessary to appoint a new committee. So 

 many obstacles and difficulties wej-e thrown in the way of this new committee, 

 that their proceedings were verv slow and unpromising. In 1800, a motion 

 made before the general court of directors, that the declaration respecting patron, 

 age required from each meni'ter should be on oath, was rejected. The committee 

 of patronage ceased in April that year, and it was never re-appointed. No farther 

 proceedmgs on the part of the directors, respecting the abuse of their patronage, 

 till the subject was forced on the attention of the House of Commons by the 

 iiiquu-y into the conduct of the Duke of York. 



• See the lleport from the Committee of the House of Commons on the Patron. 

 ;?ge oi the East India Company, Appendix to Chronicle, p. 477. 



