[205] These were all allowed for in his accounts as Governor, which he had presented to the Company.
[206] As Persian Interpreter.
[207] 15th May, 1765.
[208] It is painful to perceive that a writer so intelligent, so industrious, and so anxious to be impartial, as Mr. Mill, should have conceived what, in several instances, seem to be unjust prejudices against Lord Clive. Thus, he blames him for superseding the Council by the Select Committee. But it is clear that if Lord Clive had allowed his acts to be controlled by the Council, as it was constituted, "the sixteen Governors," he could have effected nothing. All that he did was in spite of them. The majority seem to have been thoroughly corrupt. It was only by means of the Select Committee, which he animated with his own spirit, that any redress of grievances was possible. Lord Clive always saw and wrote that these unwieldy Councils were totally unfit for the government of the country; and every successive legislature has sanctioned his opinion, by reducing their numbers more and more. A large executive council and a large representative body, nobody knows better than Mr. M., are totally different things. If the one is a blessing, the other is a nuisance.
[209] Political India, vol. ii. p. 29-32.
[210] Seir Mutaqherin, vol. iii. p. 150. Note.
[211] Biog. Britannica, 2d edit., art. Clive.
[212] Biog. Brit., ut supra.
[213] Historical Views, &c. p. 57.
[214] Historical View of Plans, &c. p. 62.