Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-12-25
WHAT TIE EAST INDIES COST THE
RRTTISH GOVERNMENT.

s'Merrie England" is not exempt from those diff
CultieS ever consequent upon struggle for the
"loaveS and fishes and SpOlS of Office. The select
committee on Indian Affairs, it is highly probable,
will be renewed at the present session OF the House
of Commons; and the Wing journals are exceeding
~ fearful that the civil patronage OF India Will be
made cover fortwenty years to the Times. This same
civil list is very nice thing for those who are SO
fortunate to be upon 1t, amounting as 1t does in
the nggfeeae to about IS, 000, exclusive Of the
charge of collection, or bout of
the Whole Indian Tevenue-while the civil list of
Great Britain only amounts 10 about one-SlXth and
a half one hundredthS of revenue. The number
of superhuous GovernmentS-there being no less
than seven of them, and monStTouS SalaTleS-are
the principal causes of this great extravaganza.
civil officer, from the day he arrives in India,
receives the full ola Lieutenant. Colonel in the
British Infantry, and alter ten years service has
pension of FL 900 per annum. -
| The salary of the GOveTnOr-G General Is S26,OOO
per annum, Give times as much as the President OF
the United States) besides furnished palace, any
quantity Of servants, public feastS at public cost,
| all his travelling expense and the snug sum of
ct, 900 for outfit and passage money. There are
four CounSellorS to advise him at salaries OF GlOI-
600 each; one of them, the Communicated CHIEF,
who does nothingin particular, has S6 600 per an
mum in addition to his military capacity. The Gov
ernorS of Madras aud Bombay have not quite so
much, but are cruelty obliged to manage on E15,-
600 per annum; lille their Counsellors suffer on
the short allowance of only $4,000. Thus, the
Executive Legislative Government OF India costs
| about e2, 100000.
The Judicial branch is not far behind. It costs
about co, 600 more, which is little Shot OF
ETOO, 600 more than that of Great Britain and Ire
land. f
There are four Queens Courts, three Supreme
and one Recorders Court, with eight Judges in all.
Their annual cost is about G275,0 600. The Chief
Justice of Bengal has Is, 600 year, and those OF
Madras and Bombay $4,000. The Pushes Of Ben
gal have &c, 600 each, and those Of Madras and
bombay G5, 900. The Recorder of the three cast
rrn settlements, Who travels over 500 miles TO full
fiji his duties, has G4,5 00 and all have pensions,
after ten Yeas service, Of from E1 600 TO $4,000
per year, besides outfit and passage money.
There are also extensive ecclesiastical establish
ments, consisting of Bishops, Arch DeaconS, Chap
lains, Presbyterian Ministers of the Scotch Kirk,
and Others, all of whom receive salaries, Pensions
outfits, passage money &C.; but whether they re-
turn QiIid pro quo in Indian souls saved Is not
settled OF taken into consideration.
The passage money alone, in 1851, amounted to
1896 l1s9d.
Reward for services is not, in any degree, pro-
portionate to the dignity or usefulness OF the Of
fee; all rewarded as near as can be alike, the
only principle governing being that every officer
should be paid as large asum as possible. Supreme
Judges and Collector of Taxes receive the same
salaries. A Chief Provincial Judge has G3,SOO a
year, and an ExciSeman exactly the same sum.
The pension list is open TO all alike after the pre-
scrbed time of service, from the small tax Collector
with his G2, 600 year, to an Indian Counsellor,
growing bilious on 100000.
Such "Spoils'' as these worth having; but the
contrast between these enormous salaries paid to
the English officers and those paid to the English
subordinates is very great. There are 100000
Indians, and in all India only about 100000 Eng
lishmen. There are three classes of native Judges
who receive salaries amounting to G522, 83O6 and
El34 per year. The first draws Just One-tenth of
the salary OF an English Supreme Judge, the second
one twelfth of the salary of an English Provincial
Judge, and the third less than ne-twentleth OF
what is paid TO subordinate Collector of land tax
| The exorbltant salaries OF the English officers in
India were fixed at time when it was thought to
be rich in mineral wealth; but it has proved poor
enough; snce the wages of The laboring classes are
| only two pence day, ard 1Q0,000,00O OF people
only contribute GO, 600 900, or about one-half Of
what AZ quarter of people contribute in Great Bri-
tain! The salaries of the Goyernor-G General and
Judges were fixed so years ago, anu some high sub
ordinate officer GO years since, when voyage to
India occupied six months andwasvery expensive.
| It can now be made easily and agreeably IN thirty
days, and one one may live iii Calcutta almost as
cheap as he can in London and enjoy the same
luxures thatth metropolis affords. .5
| An East India Director, with his enormous pa
ronnge to beStow, is certainly man to doll one s
hat to, and whose smile and favor are not to be
deSpised. But all this goes to show that much of
these possessions, upon some of which the sunrise
flag is being hoisted every hour out of the twenty
four costs more than comes to; and that may be
all very well to boast Of but it IS an exceedingly
expensive luxury to keep.