The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke

LATE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF BENGAL:

PRESENTED TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

IN APRIL AND MAY, 1786.

ARTICLES VII.-XXII.

VII.—CONTRACTS.

That the Court of Directors of the East India Company had laid down the following
fundamental rules for the conduct of such of the Company's business in Bengal as could be
performed by contract, and had repeatedly and strictly ordered the Governor and Council of
Port William to observe those rules, viz.: That all contracts should be publicly advertised,
and the most reasonable proposals accepted; that the contracts of provisions, and for
furnishing draught and carriage bullocks for the army, should be annual; and that they
should not fail to advertise for and receive proposals for those contracts every year.

That the said Warren Hastings, in direct disobedience to the said positive orders, and, as the
Directors themselves say, by a most deliberate breach of his duty, did, in September, 1777,
accept of proposals offered by Ernest Alexander Johnson for providing draught and carriage
bullocks, and for victualling the Europeans, without advertising for proposals, as he was
expressly commanded to do, and extended the contract for three years, which was
positively ordered to be annual,—and, notwithstanding that extension of the period, which

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