their superior dexterity, from
their knowledge of the country and of business, and from their extreme
industry, vigilance, and parsimony, are generally an over-match for
Europeans, and indeed are, and must ultimately be, employed by them in
all transactions whatsoever, will find it very extraordinary that they
did not by the best offers secure this dealing to themselves. It can be
attributed to this cause, and this only,--that they were conscious,
that, without power and influence to subdue the cultivators of the land
to their own purposes, they never could afford to engage on the lowest
possible terms. Those whose power entered into the calculation of their
profits could offer, as they did offer, terms without comparison better;
and therefore one of the English bidders, without partiality, secured
the preference.
The contract to this first bidder, Mr. Griffiths, was prolonged from
year to year; and as during that time frequent complaints were made by
him to the Council Board, on the principle that the years answered very
differently, and that the business of one year ran into the other,
reasons or excuses were furnished for giving the next contract to Mr.
Mackenzie for three years. This third contract was not put up to
auction, as the second had been, and as this ought to have been. The
terms were, indeed, something better for the Company; and the engagement
was subject to qualifications, which, though they did not remove the
objection to the breach of the Company's orders, prevented the hands of
the Directors from being tied up. A proviso was inserted in the
contract, that it should not be anyways binding, if the Company by
orders from home should alter the existing practice with regard to such
dealing.
Whilst these things were going on, the evils which this monopoly was in
show and pretence formed to prevent still existed, and those which were
naturally to be expected from a monopoly existed too. Complaints were
made of the bad quality of the opium; trials were made, and on those
trials the opium was found faulty. An office of inspection at Calcutta,
to ascertain its goodness, was established, and directions given to the
Provincial Councils at the places of growth to certify the quantity and
quality of the commodity transmitted to the Presidency.
In 1776, notwithstanding an engagement in the contract strictly
prohibiting all compulsory culture of the poppy, information was given
to a member of the Council-Gene
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