long the term of the above contract
with Archibald Frazer for the space of three years more on the same
conditions, namely, the payment of 80,000 sicca rupees for each year: to
which was added a permission to Mr. Frazer to make _dobunds_, or special
repairs, whenever he should judge them necessary, at the charge of
government.

That the said contracts, both in the manner of their acceptance by the
Supreme Council, without having previously advertised for proposals, and
in the extent of their duration, were made in direct violation of the
special orders of the Court of Directors.

That, so far from any advantage having been obtained for the Company in
the terms of these contracts, in consideration of the length of time for
which they were to continue, the expense of government upon this article
was increased by these engagements to a very great amount.

That it appears that this contract had been held for some years before
by the Rajah of Burdwan at the rate of 25,000 rupees per annum.

That the superintendent of poolbundy repairs, after an accurate and
diligent survey of the bunds and pools, and the Provincial Council of
Burdwan, upon the best information they could procure, had delivered it
as their opinion to the Governor-General and Council, before the said
agreement was entered into, that, after the heavy expense stated in Mr.
Kinlock's estimate, viz., 119,405 sicca rupees, if disbursed as they
recommended, the charge in future seasons would be greatly reduced,
_and, after one thorough and effectual repair, they conceived a small
annual expense would be sufficient to keep the bunds up and prevent
their going to decay_.

That, whatever extraordinary and unusual damages the pools and bunds
might have sustained, either from the neglect of the Rajah's officers,
or from the violence of the then late rains, and the torrents thereby
occasioned, to justify the expense of the first year, yet, as they were
all considered and included in the estimate for that year, there could
be no pretence for allowing and continuing so large and burdensome a
payment as 80,000 rupees per annum for the four succeeding years.

That the said Warren Hastings did, in his minutes of the 13th of
February, 1778, himself support that opinion, in the comparison to be
made between Mr. Thomson's proposals, of undertaking the same service
for 60,000 rupees a year for nine years, and the terms of Mr. Frazer's
contracts: preferring the latter, becaus