The defence of an East India Company whistleblower, shortly thereafter lost at sea

Vansittart, Henry. A Narrative of the Transactions in Bengal, From the Year 1760, to the Year 1764.

€ 3.500,00

First edition of this three-volume defence mounted by Henry Vansittart, the disgraced former president of the East India Company's Fort William, who had fallen from grace after accusing his fellow Company men of rampant corruption.

When Vansittart (1732-70) ascended to the presidency in Bengal, he took measures to solidify the Company's position by the usual strategy of deposing Nir Jafar, the Nawab of Bengal, and replacing him with his nephew, who was more sympathetic to the Company's interests. However, he also took steps to curb the widespread corruption he claimed was rife within the colonial administration of the East India Company. This latter move was much less popular, as it deprived most of Vansittart's own British power base of some of the privileges which gave EIC traders such a strong economic advantage over their native Bengal business rivals. Vansittart, faced with internal pressure for his removal and other setbacks, resigned in 1764 and returned to England, where he faced a tribunal in front of the Company's board of directors. He did, however, still have one defence available to him: having originally hired on to the EIC at thirteen for his writing ability, he penned and used his own wealth to self-publish this three-volume set defending his choices. Whether or not the books had an effect, Vansittart's reputation had recovered within three years; he was reinstated as a director of the Company, and sent to investigate further the alleged corruption in Bengal. However, on the voyage to India, he was last seen embarking on a ship at the Cape of Good Hope; it is presumed that all hands were lost at sea. His unfortunate travel companions included the explorer Robert Pitcairn and the poet William Falconer.