Chap. XI I.J .^ BUSES OF THE COMPANY'S SERVANTS. 073
connive at it. Mr. Vansittart, on the otlier hand, seeing nothing but what was a.d. irei. reasonable in Meer Cossim's demand, insisted that every facility should be given him. Coote and Carnac still refusing to abandon the course which they Pe'-fiJ'"'!* had taken, and which they held to be the only one consistent with honoin* and -f lumim- equity, a violent quarrel ensued ; and Mr. Vansittart, with the sanction of a majority of his council, took the extraordinary step of recalling both these officers to Calcutta. The remainder of the plot was easily cairied out. Rani- narain, deprived of the protection which had been solemnly pledged to him, was seized by his remorseless enemy, pillaged, and thrown into prison.
If Mr. Vansittart's object in thus shamefully sacrificing Ramnarain, was to Q'lairti i.e- hind Meer Cossim to British interests, the result must have miserably disap- cotsim ana pointed him A (piarrel of a much more serious nature immediately arose. Mr. i^uiy. Ellis, a violent and arrogant man, had been appointed head-factor at Patna, and acted, from the first day he entered upon office, as if his object had been not to conciliate, but to exasperate the native government. His folly soon produced its proper fruits ; and Meer Cossim, stung to the quick by repeated insults which disgraced him in the eyes of his subjects, began to meditate revenge. The abuses practised under the name of private trade had long been a subject of bitter complaint. Meer Jaffier had not been a month on the musnud when he remonstrated against the loss sustained by the public revenue by claims of exemption from custom on the part of Em-opean officials of the Company, or natives professing to be authorized by them. The trade of the Company was wholly foreign, and was consequently confined to imports and exports. By express treaty, neither of these were liable to customs or transit duties. This exemption was perfectly understood, and couUl not be challenged. But besides the foreign trade there was a most important inland trade, for which no such exemption could be claimed. The Company, in fact, had no concern with it. Their servants, however, very indifferently paid by fixed salaries, were allowed to engage in it, and derived from it the better part of their incomes. This was in itself a great abuse, and ultimately became a crying injustice. Not sati-sfied with being placed on a footing with native traders, the European officials not Monstrous
•111 1 I'lii r»i' 1 pretensions
only availed themselves oi the dustuks or pa.s.sports of their employers, to oftuecom- smuggle goods which they were never designed to cover, but boldly a.sserted '* that they were entitled to carry on private trade for their own behoof duty free. The native traders were thus virtually excluded from their own markets, since it was impossible for them, while burdened with duties, to compete with those who paid none. They were hence reduced to the alternative of either becoming commercial agents to the British officials, or of paying large sums to them for the privilege of being permitted to trade in their name. In either case the public revenue was grossly defrauded. Meer Cossim had previously complained of the abuse, and after the insults of Mr. Ellis had exa.sperated him, was deter- mined no longer to tolerate it. There cannot be a doubt that in this he had Vol. I. 85
jwny 8 ser- auts.
