F10195_0038

15
neutrality rewarded. Indeed, as they had
given nothing but passive support, whatever
they might get, would - as Mornington
himself said - be but a gift. But the
Governor-General's decision as to the partition
of Mysore was influenced, not so
much by how little the Nizam, & the Marathas
deserved, as by what was most advantageous
to the Company. Three things
were necessary to this end. First, that
the two states in question should be as
satisfied with their lot as was possible;
secondly, that - while the Company retained
territory extensive enough to be
proportionately greater than the provinces
assigned to the native states - it should
nevertheless not take more than it could
well manage; & thirdly that the balance
of power should be maintained. How
was Mornington to satisfy these three
conditions seemingly so self-contradictory?
How was he to overcome the difficulty
that if he gave away enough to
satisfy his allies, he would fail to leave
enough for the Company; or that he might
upset the balance of power; or that if he
took for the Company a proportionately
large amount of territory, it would very
likely prove to be more than the Company