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 any respectability would feel himself
dishonoured were the females of his family to be _seen_, much less
_touched_, while passing along the road in their palanquin or covered
carnage; and to save himself from such dishonour he was everywhere
obliged to pay these custom-house officers. Many articles that pass
in transit through India would suffer much damage from being opened
along the road at any season, and be liable to be spoiled altogether
during that of the rains; and these harpies could always make the
merchants open them, unless they paid liberally for their
forbearance. Articles were rated to the duty according to their
value; and articles of the same weight were often, of course, of very
different values. These officers could always pretend that packages
liable to injury from exposure contained within them, among the
articles set forth in the invoice, others of greater value in
proportion to their weight.
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