COURT'S DRAFT, 15. In continuing to make unauthorized advances on account of buildings and the new government-house, the expense of which is stated to be 167,8591 the court having limited such advances, including the purchase of lands for the purpose of building, to one lac of rupees per annum, in the public and judicial department: that, notwithstanding that instruc OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, 132. It is evident, therefore, that it would have been impossible to have referred these points to the previous consideration of the court of directors The Batavian commissioners for receiving the restitutions, were daily expected in the eastern seas, and the discussion of the company's rights in the eastern seas was intimately connected with the mode and time at which the restitutions were to be carried into execution. At the same it was necessary to furnish Mr. Farquhar with orders for the proposed settlement at Balambangan. Lord Wel lesley was in possession of the general opinion of the court of direc.ors, with respect to the importance of a British port in the eastern seas, and was convinced that this circumstance involved the welfare of the company in an essential branch of its commerce. His conduct was dicta ed by a zeal for the prosperity of the company's interests in the important trade to China, and he believed himself to be acting in exact conformity to the opinion of the court of directors on that subject. The renewal of the settlement of Balambangan at the time, and in the manner, directed by the governor-general in council, was also connected with a very important question respecting the orders received from his majesty's ministers, with regard to the time of making the several restitutions under the treaty of Amiens. This question is fully state-f in Mr. Farquhar's instructions. The orders on this subject having been received directly from the secretary of state, the reply was returned to him, with a desire that it might be communicated to the secret committee. 133. Under these circumstances, Mr. Farquhar was directed to re-occupy the island of Balambangan, and to state to the governor general his sentiments, with respect to the force necessary for the defence of that island, and to the measures which ought to be pursued, with a view of deriving the greatest advantage from the new settlement. 134. The court of directors, however, having ordered the establishment to be withdrawn, these orders were carried into execution as soon as they were received, and the settlement of Balambangan has been withdrawn with as much expedition as has been possible. This 135. The amount which the government is authorized, by the court's letter of the 26th August, 1801, to advance on account of public buildings is five lacs of rupees, or 60,000l. viz. one lac in the civil and judicial, and four lacs in the military department. order certainly cannot be considered to apply to buildings which had already been commenced, and were in a state of progress; nor is it reasonable to suppose, that it could be intended to prevent the government from making the necessary repairs to decayed buildings, or even from rebuilding publie offices or houses which were in a state of ruin. 136. With respect to the new government-house, it will be sufficient to state, that soon after the arrival of the governor-general, lord Wellesley, at Fort William COURT'S DRAFT, No. 128. tion, the advances in 1802-3, on account of the government-house alone, amounted to 3,27,887, rupees, or 40,9861.: that the court's orders upon this subject were never acknowledged or replied to. The new government house is stated to have been began in 1798, without the court's knowledge and previous consent, and without any information being communicatedto the court respecting the progress of the building, and the expense attending it, &c. &c. The first inti-, mation relative to the new building which the court received. is stated to have been conveyed in a letter to their chairman, dated 2d April, 1801, transmitting a general statement relative to public buildings, and an estimate of the expense of the new government house, amounting to Sicca rupees, 5,79,838, or 72,4791. OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, No. 128. William, in the month of May, 1798,* his attention was directed to the means of effecting, on just principles of economy, a reduction of the expenses incurred for the rent of public offices, and an improvement of the public buildings of the government. 137. The necessity and expediency of a new arrange ment, with regard to the buildings occupied for public purposes at Calcutta, and in the interior of the country, will appear from the following facts and ob servations. 138. 1st. That the apartments contained in the building occupied by the governor general, and deno minated the government-house, both with respect to their construction and accommodation, were inferior to the apartments in the ordinary houses of individuals, exposing the health of the governor general to the most serious injury from the effects of the climate. 139. 2d. That the building did not furnish any ac. commodation for the family of the governor-general, or for the public officers immediately attached to his person. 140. 3d. That the building did not contain any apartments suited to occasions of public ceremony, or for the reception of the augmented number of the inhabitants of the capital of the British possessions in India, reducing the governor-general to the necessity of hiring buildings constructed by individuals for places of entertainment, whenever public or other occasions required that he should assemble the principal officers and inhabitants of the settlement. 141. 4th. That from the decayed state of the building, the sum of Sicca rupees 79,000, or 93751. was requisite for putting it into a suitable state of repair; that the proprietort could not, with justice, have been required to defray this charge, in addition to the heavy expenses which he had recently incurred for repairs and alterations, and, consequently, that the expense of the further repairs required must have been made at the charge of government. 142. 5th. That the amount of the rent paid for the building being Sicca rupees 1625, or 2031. per month, far exceeded the value of the building. 143. 6th. Vide proceedings of the government, and resolutions of the governor-general in council, 24th December, 1798. Vide also extracts from the proceedings of the governor-general in council, under date the 1st April, 1891. The proceedings of government are regularly transmitted to the court of directors every year. The general plan, for the improvement of the public buildings, therefore, must have been near seven years Lefore the court. + The proprietor of the house was a native of high rank, named Dilavur Jung, (son of Mohammed Reza Khan) and the house was mortgaged to a private indi vidual residing at Calcutta. If the mortgagee, in the event of failure in the payments due to him from the proprietor had taken possession of the house, and had chosen to proceed to that extremity, he might either have raised the rent to an exorbitant price, or have deprived the governor-general of his residence at Calcutta. COURT'S DRAFT, OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, 143. 6th. That the building denominated the council-house (which was separate from the govern ment-house,) did not afford the necessary accommodations for the meeting of the council, and for the public officers attached to the government, exposing the members of the government, and the public offcers, immediately attached to it, to serious personal inconvenience, and subjecting the transaction of the public business to material obstruction. 144. 7th. That the council-house was an old and extremely decayed building, and that from the long period of time which had elapsed since the principal part of the council-house had been erected, from the various alterations which it had undergone, and from the bad quality of the materials of which it had in general been constructed, the building was actually in danger of falling, and that the expense of re-constructing the council-house, even on the same confined scale, would have subjected the company to a charge of Sicca rupees 120,000, or 15,000l. an expense which must have been incurred in the course of a few years. The expense alone of repairing the council-house would have been Sicca rupees 43,243, or 5,405). 145. Under these circumstances, it was considered to be expedient to adopt an arrangement which should afford a suitable residence to the governor-general, and should, at the same time, combine objects of utility and of ultimate œconony, by concentrating the public offices in the vicinity of the government-house, and by effecting a general reduction of the expense to be incurred by the company for the rent of public buildings. 146. The governor-general therefore determined to purchase the house, hitherto appropriated for the government-house, to direct that house, as well as the council-house, (which was the property of the com pany) to be taken down, and a suitable government house to be erected on the site of those buildings. 147. The details of the plan, adopted for the attain ment of these objects, are stated in the proceedings of the government, under date the 24th December, 1798, and the first April, 1801. 148. In conformity to this resolution of the govern ment, captain Wyatt, an officer of engineers, and Mr. Teretta, the company's civil architect, were called upon to lay before the government plans for the new building. The plan prepared by captain Wyatt was preferred; but, in order to ensure every possible degree of economy in the construction of the new building, captain Wyatt's plan was sent to the chief engineer, major-general Cameron, and Mr. Teretta, the civil architect, who were directed to prepare an estimate of the expense which would be incurred in completing the proposed plan. The amount of this estimate Vide letter from captain Wyatt, and Mr. Teretta, the civil architect, dated Calcutta, 18th September, 1798, to D. Campbell, Esq. sub-secretary to the government. † Vide letter from major-general Cameron and Mr. Teretta to Mr. Barlow, chief scoretary to the government, dated Fort William, 1st November, 1799, COURT'S DRAFT, OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, No. 128. estimate was Sicca rupees 475,088: 9; or 59,8791. but no allowance was made for marble and iron-work, which was indispensable, and which was actually purchased by captain Wyatt, to the amount of rupees 54,173, or 6,7711, making the estimate of the building, rupees 529,211: 8:8, or 66,150l. instead of rupees 4,75,038. 149 In May, 1801, in conformity to the company's regulations, a committee of survey was appointed to examine the woodwork, masonry, &c. of the building, previously to the commencement of the plasterwork, &c. and reported that the "materials employed were of the best quality, and the workmanship excellent." The report of the committee of survey is entered in the military consultations, 14th May, 1801, No. 58. 150. On the 18th January, 1803, the building being reported to be complete, a second committee,t composed of a president and five members, was appointed to examine the building, and reported that the work had been "executed in a manner far superior to what had ever come within their observation in this country, (Bengal) and that the skill and judgment displayed throughout, and the indefatigable labour and attention that must have been exerted in completing in so masterly a manner so great a work, does the highest credit to captain Wyatt." The actual cost of the work was Sicca rupees 5,06,326, or 63,2911. being rupees 22,885, or 2,8611. less than the original calculation of the expense of the building, (viz. Sicca rupees 5,29,211) as above-stated. 151. A further expense was incurred for extra works, such as gateways, an iron railing round the area, &c. as per statement transmitted to government by captain Wyatt, dated 14th January, 1804, of Sicca rupees 1,26,994: 7: 2, or 15,8741. 152. The expense of ornamental work by Mr. Croese, within the house, was also an additional expense, amounting to Sicca rupees 69,000, or 8,6251. 153. In order to complete the general plan for erecting a new government-house, and for improving the town, as well as for concentrating the public offices, and reducing the rent of the public buildings, it was necessary to purchase several houses belonging to individuals, (as stated in the proceedings 1st April, 1801, and the estimates annexed to those proceedings) and to purchase some ground in the vicinity of the new ✰ Vide letter to the governor-general in council from captain Wyatt, dated 15th A pril1803. + President-M. G. Cameron, chief engineer. Members-Leut-colonel Ga sten. C'ptain Salmond, military-auditor-general. Captain Blunt, barrack-master and engineer. Vide captain Wyatt's letter of the 15th April, 1902, to the governor-general In council. *D2 COURT'S DRAFT, OBSERVATIONS ON THE COURT'S DRAFT, new house. The expense incurred on this account 154. A further expense was incurred in prosecution of the general plan, of rupees 27,466, or 3,4331, in making two new streets in the vicinity of the new house. 155. From the preceding statement it appears, that the total expense incurred in completing the general plan for the regulation of public buildings resolved upon in December, 1798, was as follows: Amount. Actual cost of the new government-house as per account. Sicca rupees. English Pounds sterl. Particulars received by govern ment from captain Wyatt, Ditto of charges incurred on Choese, for ornamental work Ditto disbursed in the pur chases of houses, ground, &c. 5,71,500 Ditto of expenses incurred by 71,437 making new streets, &c. &c. Total Sicca rupees, - 13,01,286, or 162,660 2.6 the Sicca rupee. 156. From this sum is to be deducted the amount of savings already effected, viz. Sicca rupees 5,18,904: 10, or 64,8631. Is. 4d. leaving the actual net expense incurred in completing the general plan Sicca rupees 7,82,382, or 97,7971. This sum has been disbursed in the course of seven years, making the annual average expenditure on this account about 14,000l. If the amount of the expense, which would have been incurred in building a council-house, (15,000l.) and repairing the wharf at the custom-house, (which has been effected with the old materials of the houses purchased by the company, and which otherwise would have cost 14,4801.) be deducted, the actual net expense of the new government-house will amount to 68,3171. 157. The increase of property, acquired by government, under this expenditure, is as follows: Sicca rupees. English Pounds sterl. 89,040 to the government-house, |