I
Chap. VIIL] BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION. 359
a bill brought into parliament under the name of the " Orphans' Bill." The guilt ad. i695. of the Company was not so easily established, thoiigh enough was at once discovered to show that bribery to an enormoas extent must have been carried on. From an abstract obtained from the Company's books, it appeared that from 1688 to 1694 mclusive, «P1 07,013, I2s. 7d. had been paid in cash for what was called the "Com])any's special service." In 1693, when Sir Thomas Cooke was governor and Francis Tyssen dejDuty-governor, the sum issued under this head was i;S7,402, 12i 3d On searching for the orders for this issue, the Bribery, committee discovered a minute of a court of committees, dated the 13th of April, 1693, and stating, inter alia, "'The governor this day acquainting the court with what proceedings had been made in their affairs towards granting a new charter, and with what had been disburst by him in prosecution thereof, the court approved of the said charges, and ordered a warrant to be made out for the same ; and returned him thanks for his great care, pains, and trouble in their service, desiring liim to proceed in the perfecting thereof " Two other minutes to a similar effect were found, together with one dated the 23d of November, 1693, in which "it is ordered that the cashier-general do from time to time make payment of such sums of money for carrying on of the Company's service as the governor shall direct, piu'suant to the sense of the present debate."
In regard to the disposal of the money, the committee reported that they Empioy-
nient of
iiad been unable to obtain any further account than that it was for s])ecial secret ser- service, and that a large part of it had been put into the hands of Sir Basil Firebrace. On examining the Company's cash-book, they found a balance at their credit of 0^124,249, los. lOd.; but on asking Mr. Portmans, the cashier, if he had the same in cash, he answered that he had not, and in its stead produced the following voucher by Sir Thomas Cooke: — "Received, the 10th of Janu- ary, 1693 [1694], of Mr. Edmond Portmans, for account of the Ea.st India Company, c£'90,000; which I have disburst and paid for oC99,197 stock, in the East India Company, for their account ; which I promise to be accountable for on account of the Efist India Company ; and was by order of the Company the 24tli of November, 1693." No such amount of stock had been transferred to the Company's account; but the committee, on examining Sir Benjamin Bathurst, one of the Company's court of committees, were told by him, that "finding so great a sum as ,£'30,000 charged for secret services, he had some warm discourse with Sir Thomas Cooke about it, to know how it was disburst ; but he refused to give him any particulars, and told him he should remember he was bound by his oath to the Company to keep their secrets." Sir Benjamin added, that "about April, 1694, understanding they were in want of money, he looked into the cash-book ; which casting up, he found a considerable sum in cash ; and taking some persons with him, discoureed Sir Thomas Cooke thereof, who .said the ^90,000 he had received was to gratify some persons in case the bill shoidd pa.ss."
