F10195_0020

6.
the Company, which at that time only owned
factories at Calcutta, Madras, Masulipatam,
Bombay, & Surat, obtained the power of civil
& criminal jurisdiction, of making war on
native states, & of coining their own money.
The acquisition of these rights by the Company
naturally led to its becoming more & more
an administrative instead of a merely commercial
body. It had come into possession
of district upon district until 1785, at
the close of the rule of Warren Hastings, it
not only owned large tracts of land around
Bombay, Fort St. David & Madras, but possessed
& governed the Circars & the whole
of Bengal & Behar as far as Benares, & had
reduced the Kingdom of Oudh to vassalage.
It had also secured some sort of control over
the Karnatik, which Clive had separated
in 1765 from the Nizam's dominions. But the
work of Clive & Warren Hastings, great
though it was, had not unburdened the
Company of the difficulties & responsibilities
of Government. It had, rather, added to
the load. Now that it was a power in the
land, the Company found a ready & jealous
enemy, longing to annihilate it or oust
it from its strong position. Holland's rivalry
had been practically removed by the war
with that country, which had ended in

6.
the Company, which at that time only owned
factories at Calcutta, Madras, Masulipatam,
Bombay, & Surat, obtained the power of civil
& criminal jurisdiction, of making war on
native states, & of coining their own money.
The acquisition of these rights by the Company
naturally led to its becoming more & more
an administrative instead of a merely commercial
body. It had come into possessions
of district upon district until 1785, at
the close of the rule of Warren Hastings, it
not only owned large tracts of land around
Bombay, Fort St. David & Madras, but possessed
& governed the Circars & the whole
of Bengal & Behar as far as Benares, & had
reduced the Kingdom of Oudh to vassalage.
It had also secured some sort of control over
he Karnatik, which Clive had separated
in 1765 from the Nizam's dominions. But the
work of Clive & Warren Hastings, great
though it was, had not unburdened the
Company of the difficulties & responsibilities
of Government. It had, rather, added to
the load. Now that it was a power in the
land, the Company found a ready & jealous
enemy, longing to annihilate it ow oust
it from its strong position. Holland's rivalry
had been practically removed by the war
with that country, which had ended in