.MTI.NTA
the day of Election. The Chairman and Deputy have each a Salary only of £200. per Annum, and the other Directors £150. each; besides the load of obligations which these incurr amongst the independent and real Proprietors, they every year six months before the Election, introduce at the risk of their own fortunes, a considerable number of temporary Stockholders for the purpose of voting, who after having answered this purpose, retransfer their fictitious Qualifications to the respective Owners. The Servants of the Company in India, know the nature of contested Elections in Leadenhall Street, and too often perform their Duty in proportion to the Expectations they form of seeing the Power in the hands of their Friends the next year, and trust if they disobey orders from home, to escaping punishment, by a change of Masters, or deletionof /deletion addby /add the over-awing Interest of Individuals at a General Court; for the Directors will wave any Exertion of Authority over their Servants, rather than hazard their future Seats in the Direction by offending those who have a Proprietary interest. The Governor and Council too often despise the temporary power of the Court of Directors, and the Army the power of the Governor and Council; and the new Covenants prohibiting the Receipt of presents, seem only to make those who return from India with large fortunes subservient to the Directors. When the Company was merely Commercial, these Jobs and Contests were but little known; they naturally grew up with that Extent of Wealth and Dominion which gave ^ add new /add space to power, Avarice, and Ambition.
The East India Company from Merchants having become in a manner Sovereigns, sufficiently points out the necessity of a new formed Constitution.
The expences have so enormously encreased since 1767. that the Revenues amounting nearly to £4,000,000. per Annum
are little more than sufficient to defray them, although the
