Confidential report to Mr. Townshend on the state of the Madras Presidency, September-October 1782

Report answering enquiry on state of the Presidency. Finds it bad because of the characters of the chief personnel and the general venality and loss of morale of the Company's servants and the Army. Strongly opposed to Coote (and Stuart and Graham), Sir Edward Hughes, and Paul Benfield; mildly opposed to Hastings, p. 7: "...you would not... send out a vain, unsteady Man as Governor General, a peevish Old Woman to command Your Arrays, or a goodnatured old Man, guided by an avaricious Secretary to Pilot your Fleets, or ... restore a sower of sedition to your distant Settlements..."

Describes military and naval manoeuveurs since 6 July 1782 in detail. Gossips about peculation, Benfield's lawsuit, Coots wanting his secretary T. Graham to be the Nahob's vizier, and thus ruining diplomatic relations with the Indians. Evaluates power-structure of India.

Mentions Sir Hector Munro, Hyder All , Gower, Sir Richard Bickerton, Hughes' secretary Cuthbert, the wounded Capt. Wood.

Probably written to Thomas Townshend, 1737-1794 (later Viscount Sydney); possibly Charles Townshend, 1728-1910 (later Baron Bayning), by supporter of Lord Macartney, perhaps an aid to Macartney? (See page 14.) Appears to be by an amanuensis, with corrections, excisions, complimentary close, addition to postscript in a black jotty hand, presumably the author's; but several hands have added notes, the signature and top of p. 14 have been overwritten. Probably nevertheless a dictated draft kept as a carbon, with a few marks by later owners (although it could be a later copy). Pages 1-24 glued together, pages 25-58 loose sheet.