32 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
increase of expenditure : the cost of government by Europeans, the growth of a standing army in each Presidency, and other sources of legitimate or illegitimate expense, swallowing up all the anticipated surplus, and leaving nothing for the development of the resources of the country or even the maintenance of roads, canals, and other public works constructed by native rulers.”
Strange to say, the financial afairs of the Company were woefully mismanaged. A writer of the time said, “We have an army officered by British soldiers, manoeuvered according to European tactics. The spirit and much of the letter of the English law pervades our jurisprudence : our assessments for revenue are supposed to be based upon the doctrines laid down by Adam Smith and his followers (?). Our finance alone is Indian. Our military men study the strategy of Jomini : Blackstone and Bentham, Mills and Ricardo are the text-books of our civilians, but the system of our financiers is almost the same now as that of Abul Fazal, Akbar’s minister some three centuries ago.”
Year Gross Revenue Gross Expenditure £ £
1792-93 … … 5,512,761 3,873,859
1793-94 … … 8,276,770 6,593,129
1794-95 … … 8,026,193 6,567,808
1795-96 … … 7,866,094 6,888,997
1796-97 … … 8,018,171 7,508,038
1797-98 … … 8,059,880 8,015,327
1798-99 … … 8,652,033 9,139,363
1799-1800 … … 9,736,672 9,955,390
1800-01 … … 10,485,059 11,468,185
1801-02 … … 12,163,589 12,410,045
1802-03 … … 13,464,537 12,326,880
1803-04 … … 13,271,385 14,395,405
1804-05 … … 14,949,395 16,115,183
1805-06 … … 15,403,409 17,421,418
1806-07 … … 14,535,739 17,508,864
1807-08 … … 15,669,905 15,850,290
1808-09 … … 15,525,055 15,392,889
1809-10 … … 15,655,985 15,534,711
1810-11 … … 16,679,197 13,909,981
1811-12 … … 16,605,615 13,220,966
1812-13 … … 16,336,290 13,515,828
1813-14 … … 17,228,711 13,617,725