committing themselves.


_July 16._

Loch showed me two letters of Sir J. Malcolm, in which he deprecates the
sending of more writers, and says _numbers_ may be diminished, but not
_salaries_, especially in the higher ranks; and if writers are sent they
must be provided for. I believe he is right. I had already suggested the
non-appointment of writers this year, and the Chairs seemed to acquiesce--
indeed, to have thought of it themselves.

Recorder's Report. Before the report Madame de Cayla, the Duchess D'Escars,
&c., were presented to the King. I had some conversation with Rosslyn and
Herries as to the Indian Question. Herries seemed to be afraid of the House
of Commons. Rosslyn a little, too, of public opinion as to the opening of
the China trade. They both seemed rather hostile to the continuance of the
present system. I said I considered it to be a settled point that the
patronage of India should be separated from the Government. The necessity
of making that separation led to one great difficulty. The necessity of
remitting home in goods 3,200,000£ led to another difficulty, and to making
the Government of India, wherever it might be placed, _mercantile_. The
East India Company would not, and could not, without the monopoly carry on
the concern.

Neither Herries nor Rosslyn seemed to admit the necessary separation of the
patronage of India from the Government.

I said that, if it might not be separated, it would be easy to make a
better and a cheaper government. I can see that Peel, Fitzgerald, Herries,