And yet he was fnatch'd from the plain

In prime of his juvenile bloom, And now for companions, my fwain, Has the worms, and the damps of

the tomb !

Had fome brighter fhepherd than I, Stepp'd forth and fung Corydon's praife;

My quill had lain carelessly by,

To the task fo unequal my lays. I'll wear out my pipe with my plaint; I'll forgoe th' delights of the field; My forrow fhall know no reftraint, 'Till to death the fell tyrant I yield. Jan. 11th. Mercator.

1773.

To the PUBLISHER of the PERTH MAGAZINE.

SIR,

AS your Mifcellany is exactly calculated, to draw forth into life and vigour the feeds of infant genius, and to encourage works of merit, which otherwife would have fleeped in endlefs obfcurity; and as I have admired it ever fince its first publication, as a work well-worth the encouragement and fupport of every lover of literature. So one of your readers, very willing to contribute his mite, fends you thefe pieces, which if you infert in your agreeable Magazine, will ftill render it dearer to him, and I prefume no lefs acceptable to your other readers; for whofe improvement every fingle article

fhould be calculated. As thefe are the productions of a Juvenile Mufe, I hope encouragement will be given to the author, by the candid and impartial publisher, for a future correfpondence betwixt him and one of his humble admirers. VARO.

Eftrang'd from innocence and truth Thou feek'ft unknown the paths of woe;

Now fubject to vile pleasure's power, Unthoughtful of the days to come, With idiot mirth, thou spend'it the hour

That whirls thee nearer to thy doom;. Shake off this Lethargy profound, And view the fcenes that rife around.

What mighty fweep our time employs,
Our fhort uncertain life to end;
Do thou with speed forfake thy toys,

And from the paft, the future mend; Wilt thou while time thus glides away, Still trifle with deceitful things, Nor mind reproof, the' confcience fay

Man's life upon a thread but hings; Forever fled is feventy-two, Fleet are thy days, their pleasures few.

Our hours, our days, years, ages too

With speed irrevocable fly, Lend them thy tongue, that tale how true!

They in foft preffing whifper's figh; Be wary man, time makes no ftay, This moment thou enjoys-its paft! Uncertain of another day,

Know't thou, even this may be 'the laft.'

Then learn to praife all-gracious heaven, Who thee another year haft given.

Hark youth, nor fay I fpeak in vain,

Be mindful of that hidden date, When all thy pleasure shall be pain,

Repentance then will be too late. Behold! that aged Sire how pale!

With hoary head,and wrinkled brow; Pray afk the fage for he can tell,

Such pleafure is the fource of woe. In Pleafure's paths, Oh! tread no more, But Virtue's facred paths explore.

Roufe from the chains of vice be brave,

Caft all her poifon'd flowers away, No lafting toys fuch pleafures have, Soon, foon they wither and decay; But Virtue's charms are ever green, No fatal deftiny they know, However fortune change the fcene, The virtuous feel no real woe;

Their

Scatter their poifon through the land;
Inflame diffention, kindle ftrife,
And ftrew with ills the path of life.
On fuch her gifts let Fortune fhow'r,
Add wealth to wealth, and pow'r to
pow'r.

On me, may fav'ring heav'n bestow
That peace which good men only know;
The joy of joys, by few poffeft,
Th' eternal funthine of the breast.
Pow'r, fame, and riches, I refign,
The praife of honefty be mine;
That friends may weep, the worthy
figh,

And poor men blefs me, when I die!

The MINUTES of the Select Committee, appointed by the House of COMMONS, to enquire into EASTINDIA Affairs.

(Continued from page 117. VOL. III.)

Thomas Rumbold, Efq;

With regard to purvannahs, they are of very different kinds. When they are iffued in the manner of that produced for the purchase of goods, the fervants of the Company have only been intitled to them. They exempt the poffeffor from all duties or impofitions of the officers of the country-government. And no man refiding in Bulwantfing's country without them, or within the provinces, could have carried on their bufinefs without being liable to frequent interruptions and demand of duties from the farmers of the districts. I believe there have been no Armenians refiding in Sujah Dowla's country, till the influence obtained by the English: and they were after that in common, with other gomaftahs, employed by the fervants, of the Company. It was fometimes a doubt, whether we had a right to grant thefe purvannahs for the purchase of goods within his dominions; it had been however for fome time done, and

no notice taken of it, probably from Sujah Dowla's being put in poffeffion of that country. In courfe of time complaints came, that gomaftahs of the English were guilty of many oppreffions in that country; many letters were wrote by Sujah Dowla: fome I received myself, and General Smith, who was at the court of Sujah Dowla, often made representations how difagreeable was it to the Nabob to have those gomaftahs refiding with fuch a protection within his country.

This occafioned orders from the Prefident and Council of Fort-William, that no purvannahs should in future be granted that all gomaftahs fhould be recalled; and that goods which passed the boundaries of the Bahar province, whether belonging to the natives of Bengal, Bahar, or Oriffa, or not, should be fubject to the duties collected by Sujah Dowla's officers from other merchants: in fhort, that the Englifh privilege fhould be withdrawn. I believe that these orders from the Prefident and Council were in confequence of fome directions from home. Every man who had these purvannahs was intitled to particular privileges; an exemption from all duties of the country-government. When the orders

came

same for recalling thefe gomaftahs, feveral gentlemen at Patna reprefented, that they fhould fuffer greatly by the immediate recal of their gomaftahs, before they could have time to adjust their concerns; and feveral who made this reprefentation were indulged with a longer time; but there appearing no end to that indulgence, another order was fent for their immediate return, and to deliver up their parvannahs. This order was fignified to feveral of the gentlemen I had granted purvannahs to: many of the purvannahs were delivered to me.

.

I cannot fpeak particularly to the purvannahs of thele Armenians, why, it was not given up, or whether the time was elafped. Several gomaftahs ftill remained in Sujah Dowla's country, and took the names of English gentlemen: three in particular took my name, and were feized upon, either by Sujah Dowla, or the troops acting under Capt. Starpen. Mr Verelt, Prefident at Calcutta, wrote to me, that he was furprised there fhould be men act ing for me in that country, when the orders from the Prefidency had fo frequently been repeated against it. I wrote him for answer, that I was very glad they had been taken up, and hoped they would meet with a due punish ment, for acting in my name without any authority from me: the only gomaftahs that I kept in the country at that time, were for the fervice of the Company, and by permiffion of Sujah Dowla, to provide timber at a place called Gurruckpore, for building barracks for the troops. I never had any complaint from Mr Hare, who was the fecond at Patna, of thofe perfons, who. by that purvannah had acted as his gomaftahs, being seized. I cannot recollect the time, but Mr Bolts wrote to me mentioning these Armenians being in Sujah Dowla's country, and recommending it to me to employ them as my gomaftahs: he particularly mentioned to me the advantages that would arife by carrying on a particular trade

2. In what light do you confider Shitabroy?-A. I confider Shitabroy as a man appointed by the Nabob and his minifters,to collect the revenues with the approbation of the Company's agents, as having the Dewanna in their poffeffion.

2. Who pays Shitabroy his falary?

A. He is paid out of the revenues, the fame as other officers employed in collecting them.

2. Who is it that pays him; the Nabob, or the Eaft-India Company?

A. Certainly the Nabob. He receives it out of the revenues, and makes up his accounts every year to the Nabob at Muxadabad.

2. Whether is it paid out of the grofs revenue, or out of the particular revenue affigned to the Nabob by treaty?- -A. Out of the grofs re

venue.

2. About what time were thofe purvannahs firft iffued?-A. There were purvannahs iffued before I was chief of the factory, which was in December 1766.

2. Were any purvannahs ordered by Lord Clive?A. I don't recollect.

2. Whether purvannahs to the fame effect as that produced were not iffued

A.

in Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa? They were to the Company's fervants, mentioning the name of the gomaftah employed by them.

2. Whether a gomaftah acting under fuch a purvannah, could fend goods free of duties without a duftuck?. A. Certainly not. The duftuck paffes the goods by the different customhoufes, which are called Chokies; but there is a duty upon almost every fpecies of goods which is paid to the farmer where thofe goods are manufactured, which the duftuck has nothing to do with, and which all the country-merchants are fubject to; but which the purvannah given to our merchants exempts them from, as I have always understood. I am not sure whether the duty is paid by the purchaser or the manufacturer, but which-ever it is, the purvannah exempts him. I have traded in Sujah Dowla's country in opium, and fome little faltpetre.

2. Do they pay duties in Sujah Dowla's country?A. I always traded as a fervant of the Company, and confequently my agents were furnished with purvannahs and duftucks, and therefore I can't speak pofitively to the duties. When the orders came to me, every gomastah of

mine was recalled.

2. Had you ever any complaints a gainst Coja Gregore, Coja Melcombe, Cojah Johannes Padre Rafael, or Ramfuncher?-- -A. Never particularly. The complaints that I heard were in general against the English gomaftahs.

2. Did you ever hear or know the caufes of confining thofe gomastahs? --A. I never heard any thing in particular about them.

2. Had you ever any complaint from any of the princes of the country whilst you was chief at Patna, a gainst Mr Bolts?- A. No, not to my recollection.

Fort-William Confultations, May 18. 1768, read.

2. Do you remember any public orders for prohibiting Armenians, their

defcendents, and others, from trading in Bulwantfing's or Sujah Dowla's dominions, before the edict of the 18th of May 1768, which has now been read? A. I don't recollect: but fhould there have been any order at that time which may have flipt my memory, I hope the Committee will not fuppofe that I had any intention of fecreting it.

2. Was it not your custom at Patna, to enter in a book all your letters of correfpondence with the countrypowers? A. I believe they were, but I have no copies.

2. Are those books tranfmitted from the fubordinate factories to the Prefidency?A. I do not believe the books of country-correfpondence have been fo tranfmitted.

2. Was that general order for withdrawing the gomastahs and purvannahs iffued by you, entered?- -A. I believe they are.

Gregore Cojamaul.

Q. When you purchased goods for Mr Hare, did you pay the duty to the Zemindar?- A. I know but of one duty, and that goes to the Doufder or his officers. I never purchased any thing without paying the duty.

Q. Why did you not produce the purvannah to excufe Mr Hare from paying the duty?--A. Because I did not chufe to act as a gomaftah, but as a merchant. I told Mr Hare I would not do it.

Q. Why did you take the purvannah? A. I was advifed by my friends, but I never used it.

Q. Do you know nothing of any duties whatsoever from which the producing the purvannah would exempt you?A. The force of this purvannah, as I have heard, is to hinder the duty in the English or any other dominions; but I never made ufe of it. Q. Did you charge Mr Hare with the duties? A. Yes.

Q. Why did you, when you had a purvannah that would have exempted them?A. Because I told Mr Hare

at