ecial orders, on one of which the above extraordinary
doctrine was maintained.
These are the cases of Mr. Fowke, Mr. Bristow, and Mahomed Reza Khan. In
a few weeks after the death of Colonel Monson, Mr. Hastings having
obtained a majority in Council by his casting vote, Mr. Fowke and Mr.
Bristow were called from their respective offices of Residents at
Benares and Oude, places which have become the scenes of other
extraordinary operations under the conduct of Mr. Hastings in person.
For the recall of Mr. Bristow no reason was assigned. The reason
assigned for the proceeding with regard to Mr. Fowke was, that "the
purposes for which he was appointed were then fully accomplished."
An account of the removal of Mr. Fowke was communicated to the Court of
Directors in a letter of the 22d of December, 1776. On this
notification the Court had nothing to conclude, but that Mr. Hastings,
from a rigid pursuit of economy in the management of the Company's
affairs, had recalled a useless officer. But, without alleging any
variation whatsoever in the circumstances, in less than twenty days
after the order for the recall of Mr. Fowke, and _the very day after the
dispatch_ containing an account of the transaction, Mr. Hastings
recommended Mr. Graham to this very office, the end of which, he
declared to the Directors but the day before, had been fully
accomplished; and not thinking this sufficient, he appointed Mr. D.
Barwell as his assistant, at a salary of about four hundred pounds a
year. Against this extraordinary act General Clavering and Mr. Francis
entered a protest.
So early as the 6th of the following January the appointment of these
gentlemen was communicated in a letter to the Court of Directors,
without any sort of color, apology, or explanation. That court found a
servant removed from his station without complaint, contrary to the
tenor of one of their standing injunctions. They allow, however, and
with reason, that, "if it were possible to suppose that a saving, &c,
had been his motive, they would have approved his proceeding. But that
when immediately afterwards two persons, with _two_ salaries, had been
appointed to execute the office which had been filled with reputation by
Mr. Fowke alone, and that Mr. Graham enjoys all the emoluments annexed
to the office of Mr. Fowke,"--they properly conclude that Mr. Fowke was
removed without just cause, to make way for Mr. Graham, and strictly
enjoin that the former be reinst
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