ross
amount of his expense; but it may be easily conceived that both were
enormous, and of a nature the most likely to lessen the profits of
government, instead of adding to them." And in justification of his
proposal of giving the Rajah the symbols of sovereignty in the power of
life and death, and in the coining of money, as pledges of his
_independence_, he states the deplorable situation of princes reduced to
dependence on the Vizier or the Company, and obliged to entertain an
English Resident at their court, in the following words: "It is proposed
to receive the payment of his [the Rajah's] rents at Patna, because that
is the nearest provincial station, and because it would not frustrate
_the intention of rendering the Rajah independent_. If a Resident was
appointed to receive the money, as it became due, at Benares, _such a
Resident_ would unavoidably acquire an influence over the Rajah, and
over his country, _which would in effect render him the master of both_.
This consequence might not perhaps be brought completely to pass without
_a struggle and many appeals to the Council_, which, in a government
constituted like this, _cannot fail to terminate against the Rajah, and,
by the construction to which his opposition to the agent would be
liable, might eventually draw on him severe restrictions, and end in
reducing him to the mean and depraved state of a mere zemindar_."

X. That, in order to satisfy the said Rajah of the intentions of the
Company towards him, and of the true sense and construction of the
grants to him, the said Rajah, to be made, the Governor-General (he, the
said Warren Hastings) and Council did, on the 24th August, 1775,
instruct Mr. Fowke, the Resident at the Rajah's court, in the following
words: "It is proper to assure the Rajah, we do not mean to increase his
tribute, but to require from him an exact sum; that, under the
sovereignty of the Company, we are determined to leave him the free and
uncontrolled management of the internal government of his country, and
the collection and regulation of the revenues, so long as he adheres to
the terms of his engagement; and will _never_ demand _any_ augmentation
of the annual tribute which may be fixed."

XI. That the said Warren Hastings and the Council-General, not being
satisfied with having instructed the Resident to make the representation
aforesaid, to remove all suspicion that by the new grants any attempt
should insidiously be made to change