30 HOW I KILLED THE TIGER. 



Great Britain's Ministers, who, in that capacity, 

 bore the title of Commissioners for the Affairs of 

 India, and this system continued until the year 

 1858, when British India was brought under the 

 direct control of the Crown. During that 

 interval, however, the Home Government of India 

 had consisted of a Board of eighteen members, 

 and was called the Directors of the East India 

 Company, and the President of the Board of 

 Control. The Directors had nearly all the 

 patronage as to appointments in their hands, 

 except the higher offices and commands which 

 were made in communication with the Ministry, 

 who likewise originated and controlled all questions 

 of peace and war. They also possessed the power 

 of reversing the acts of the East India Company, 

 and the Government of India, and of sending 

 out instructions on special matters to the 

 Governor-General without consulting the Directors. 

 Between the first formation of an English East 

 Indian Company and the year 1858 the following 

 were the chief historical events : 



In 1664 the French East India Company was 

 formed. Their capital was built at Pondicherry 

 in 1674. 



In 1667 the first mention of tea occurs in the 

 Company's records. In a despatch to their agent 

 at Bantam of twenty-fourth of January he is 



