Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/737

 Chap. XII.] "OLIVE'S FUND.' 703

directors in refusing, ni .several instances, to give effect even to tliese sentences, a d. itso and more especially in reinstating Sir Robert lletcher, whom we shall again see installed as commander-in-chiet* at Madras, and taking a jjrominent part in a transaction only less discreditable than that for which he had been previousl}' cashiered.

At the very time wlien Olive was thus called to maintain the discipline of Tiiee«tab-

•1 ^ A f • ay 111 ii'i • I'slinient of

tne army agamst the great body oi its otncers, he had announced his determi- "ciiv«« nation to confer upon it the very liberal donation which, largely augmented first by the nabob and afterwards by the Company, constitutes what is still known Ijy the name of "dive's Fmid." Meer Jather, on his death -bed, had expressed a wish to leave Olive a legacy of five lacs of rupees. It has been insinuated that this sum was a legac}^ only in name, and was in fact a ])resont by which the members of Meer Jaffier's family not only wished to manifest their gratitude for the elevation which they owed to the victor of Pl.issey, but hoped to con- ciliate his future favour If it was only a present, it was evidently struck at by the new covenants, and notiiing could have been more preposterous than that the governor specially appointed to enforce these covenants should set an example of violating them-, if it was tridy a legacy, the propriety of acce])ting it was still moi'e than doubtful, because, although not contrary to the letter, it was i'vidently at variance Avith the sj)irit of the covenants, and furnished an easy method of perpetuating the abuses which they were meant to supj)ress. Olive felt the difficulty, and was conscious that, whatever became of the money., lie could not appropriate it to himself without incurring the obnoxious charge of breaking the promise he had repeatedly made, not to derive any pecuniary lienefit from his re-appointment. In these circumstances it occurred to him that us the abolition of double batta was about to be enforced, it would be at once a graceful and appropriate compensation to employ the legacy in establishing a fund out of which not only officers and soldiers disabled by wounds, disease, or length of service, but also their widows might be pensioned. The announce- ment of this determination set at rest the questions which tlie bequest would naturally have raised ; and the coui-t of directors, wisely abstaining from giving any opinion as to it^ true character or legal validity, unanimously resolved, that "his loidshi'p be en)i)owered to accept of the Siiid legacy or donation, and they do highly ap[)rove of his lordship's generosity in bestowing the said legacy of five lacs in so useful a charity ; and they hereby consent and agi'ee to accept of the trust of the said fund, and will give directions that the same be can-ied into execution in legal and proper form." The five lacs of rupees produced, accord- ing to the rate of exchange at the time, £02,833, 6s. Hd. To this Syf-ul-Dowlah, n* '""oiuit. tlie brotiier and successor of xNujum-ud-Dowlah, wlio died at Mooi'shedabad, in May, a few days after Olive set out to quell the mutiny, added three lacs of rupees, equivalent to £37,000. On the Gtli of April, 1770, when the deed estal)- lishing the fund was formallv executed, the accumulated interest amounted to