transit down into the valley of the Jumna and Ganges, and to have
only one line on which these articles shall be liable to duties.[3]
They are free to pass everywhere else without search or molestation.
This has, no doubt, relieved the people of these provinces from an
infinite deal of loss and annoyance inflicted upon them by the former
System of levying the Customs duties, and that without much
diminishing the net receipts of Government from this branch of its
revenues. But the time may come when Government will be constrained
to raise a greater proportion of its collective revenues than it has
hitherto done from indirect taxation, and when this time comes, the
rule which confines the impost to a single line must of course be
abandoned.[4] Under the former system, one great man, with a very
high salary, was put in to preside over a host of native agents with
very small salaries, and without any responsible intermediate agent
whatever to aid him, and to watch over them. The great man was
selected without any reference to his knowledge of, or fitness for,
the duties entrusted to him, merely because he happened to be of a
certain standing in a certain exclusive service, which entitled him
to a certain scale of salary, or because he had been found unfit for
judicial or other duties requiring more intellect and energy of
character. The consequence was that for every one rupee that went
into the public treasury, ten were taken by these harpies from the
merchants, or other people over whom they had, or could pretend to
have, a right of search.[5]

Some irresponsible native officer who happened to have the confidence
of the great man (no matter in what capacity he served him) sold for
his own profit, and for that of those whose goodwill he might think
it worth while to conciliate, the offices of all the subordinate
agents immediately employed in the collection of the duties. A man
who was to receive an avowed salary of seven rupees a month would
give him three or four thousand for his post, because it would give
him charge of a detached post, in which he could soon repay himself
with a handsome profit. A poor 'peon', who was to serve under others,
and could never hope for an independent charge, would give five
hundred rupees for an office which yielded him avowedly only four
rupees a month. All arrogated the right of search, and the state of
Indian society and the climate were admirably suited to their
purpose. A person of a