A View of the Rise, Progress, and Present State of the English Government in Bengal: Including a Reply to the Misrepresentations of Mr. Bolts, and Other Writers.

A scarce copy of Verest's A View of the Rise, Progress, and Present State of the English Government in Bengal. Bound in half leather with gilt lettering. Scarce. First edition. Rebound with new endpapers and professional repairs. Harry Verelst (1734 1785) was a colonial administrator with the British East India Company and the governor of Bengal from 1767 to 1769. William Bolts (1740?-1808) is well-known for his exposition of the nature of exploitation and despoiling of Bengal by the East India Company and its officials. As a participant in the post-Palashi pillages, Bolts had seen very intimately how Bengal, once a prosperous region, was despoiled and bled white by the East India Company. His observations and experiences were recorded in his notable Considerations on Indian Affairs, 1772. Bolts' work is a unique source for scholars inquiring into the nature of early British rule in Bengal. Bolts, himself a private trader, had amassed immense wealth in Bengal and returned home only to lose it in defending himself in the series of lawsuits brought against him by the East India Company. The binding is tight and firm. There is slight wear to the extremities, including bumping. Internally the pages are slightly browned with some mild spotting and evidence of past worming throughout, the worst of which has been repaired. Probably been in India where this is very common. There is an ink signature on the title page. Good.…