DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68024#0045
37
total sum collected each month is deducted from the Establishment salary bill of each month,
and the Examiner of Claims sends the Principal a cheque for the amount of the Establishment
salary bill, minus the amount of fees collected.
122. In September 1866, Colonel Lees on proceeding on leave to the Punjab, made over
the Principal’s duties to Major St. George, and at the same time gave him a cheque on the Bank
of Bengal lor the balance at credit of the Principal. The late Head Clerk then produced a
statement showing the state of the account in detail. Major St. George has not the slightest
recollection what sum was mentioned in the cheque, nor did he look at the Bank Pass Book to
test the correctness of the cheque. Confident that all was right, he endorsed it for the pur-
pose of opening a new account in his own name, and left with the said Head Clerk, to send as
usual to the Bank with the Pass Book. A few days afterwards Major St. George drew a
small cheque, but was informed by the Secretary, Bank of Bengal, that there were no assets.
Supposing there were some mistakes, he then sent for the Head Clerk, and requested him to
bring his accounts. The clerk attended in the afternoon. Major St. George was not at home,
but on his return learnt that the clerk had not brought the accounts. On the following day a
peremptory order was issued for the clerk’s attendance with his books, and he sent in a medical
certificate the next morning, asking for a few days’ leave, which Major St. George granted,
not believing that any fraud had been perpetrated, and not wishing the Baboo should think he
suspected him. Major St. George does not remember whether he made any enquiry into the
accounts at this period ; but as on the expiry of the leave the clerk, instead of presenting
himself, applied for extension, he began to suspect something was wrong, and ordered him to
join his post at once. The clerk failing to do this, Major St. George proceeded to the Bank
of Bengal to ascertain the state of the College account. He also instituted an enquiry in the
College Office, and found that the statement of account prepared when he took over charge
and the account books had been carried off. It was also discovered that the counterfoil of the
cheque, which he received.from Colonel Lees, had been torn out.
123. When Major St. George began his enquiries, he found in the Office an English
Memorandum dated 1864, bearing no signature, but in the hand-writing of the Head Clerk,
which showed that in 1864 there was a balance in the Bank of Bengal of R812-10-6 on
account of Arabic Library, and fines and sales of old books, &c. There also appeared the sum
of R3,900, which had been advanced by Government to Colonel Lees and the Resident
Moonshee for the publication of Arabic works (of this R3,290 repaid by the Resident
Moonshee in 1859, see paragraph 114). Opposite this item was the remark “ paid by cheque,”
which Major St. George, without referring to the Pass Book or Cheque Book, took to mean
that the amount had been actually repaid to Government by cheque, and therefore no longer a
balance in the Bank. Major St. George also found that since 1863 three years’ allowance,
(Rl,260) for the Arabic Library had been received, and had not been expended. Putting,
therefore, all this together, and aided by the Bank Pass Book, the Cheque Book, and the
College Pay Ledger, he considered that a sum of a little over R2,000 was alone missing,
and the deficit was at once accounted for, by finding that the schooling fees for some months
previous had not been paid into the Bank, but had been retained by the clerk.
124. Major St. George then sent to the clerk’s house to see if the College accounts were
ffiere, but he was informed that the clerk had absconded, and that no books had been left be-
hind and that his family knew nothing of his whereabouts. No report was made to the Police,
but Major St. George wrote to Colonel Lees telling him what had occurred. In reply, Colonel
Lees requested Major St. George to consult Mr. Berners (Colonel Lees’s Attorney), and to en-
deavour to obtain the money from the clerk’s uncle, who was supposed to be security for him.
Mr. Berners wrote to the uncle, but there being no security bond, the so-called security was
found worthless.
125. A few days after this, three or four of the clerk’s friends came to Major St. George,
and offered to pay R2,000, on the condition that he would not prosecute. Believing this
to amount nearly to the sum abstracted, Major St. George consented, and the amount was
at once paid and remitted to the Bank of Bengal to the credit of the Principal. Major St.
George does not appear to have been at the first made acquainted by Colonel Lees that the
amount abstracted was very much in excess of R2,000, and it was subsequent to what has just
been stated that the former heard from Colonel Lees that the R3,900, referred to in para-
graph 123, had not been repaid to Government.
126. Colonel Lees returned to duty on 3rd December’ 1866, and took the matter up him-
self. A new clerk was then appointed, but, according to his account, it was not till April
1868 that a full and searching enquiry into the deficit was completed, It was only then, he
says, he found that the accounts showed that a sum of R4,284-6-3, in addition to the
R2,000 paid by the late clerk’s friends (total R6,284-6-3), had been embezzled, that is to
say, that for a length of time the late clerk had systematically misappropriated all the
total sum collected each month is deducted from the Establishment salary bill of each month,
and the Examiner of Claims sends the Principal a cheque for the amount of the Establishment
salary bill, minus the amount of fees collected.
122. In September 1866, Colonel Lees on proceeding on leave to the Punjab, made over
the Principal’s duties to Major St. George, and at the same time gave him a cheque on the Bank
of Bengal lor the balance at credit of the Principal. The late Head Clerk then produced a
statement showing the state of the account in detail. Major St. George has not the slightest
recollection what sum was mentioned in the cheque, nor did he look at the Bank Pass Book to
test the correctness of the cheque. Confident that all was right, he endorsed it for the pur-
pose of opening a new account in his own name, and left with the said Head Clerk, to send as
usual to the Bank with the Pass Book. A few days afterwards Major St. George drew a
small cheque, but was informed by the Secretary, Bank of Bengal, that there were no assets.
Supposing there were some mistakes, he then sent for the Head Clerk, and requested him to
bring his accounts. The clerk attended in the afternoon. Major St. George was not at home,
but on his return learnt that the clerk had not brought the accounts. On the following day a
peremptory order was issued for the clerk’s attendance with his books, and he sent in a medical
certificate the next morning, asking for a few days’ leave, which Major St. George granted,
not believing that any fraud had been perpetrated, and not wishing the Baboo should think he
suspected him. Major St. George does not remember whether he made any enquiry into the
accounts at this period ; but as on the expiry of the leave the clerk, instead of presenting
himself, applied for extension, he began to suspect something was wrong, and ordered him to
join his post at once. The clerk failing to do this, Major St. George proceeded to the Bank
of Bengal to ascertain the state of the College account. He also instituted an enquiry in the
College Office, and found that the statement of account prepared when he took over charge
and the account books had been carried off. It was also discovered that the counterfoil of the
cheque, which he received.from Colonel Lees, had been torn out.
123. When Major St. George began his enquiries, he found in the Office an English
Memorandum dated 1864, bearing no signature, but in the hand-writing of the Head Clerk,
which showed that in 1864 there was a balance in the Bank of Bengal of R812-10-6 on
account of Arabic Library, and fines and sales of old books, &c. There also appeared the sum
of R3,900, which had been advanced by Government to Colonel Lees and the Resident
Moonshee for the publication of Arabic works (of this R3,290 repaid by the Resident
Moonshee in 1859, see paragraph 114). Opposite this item was the remark “ paid by cheque,”
which Major St. George, without referring to the Pass Book or Cheque Book, took to mean
that the amount had been actually repaid to Government by cheque, and therefore no longer a
balance in the Bank. Major St. George also found that since 1863 three years’ allowance,
(Rl,260) for the Arabic Library had been received, and had not been expended. Putting,
therefore, all this together, and aided by the Bank Pass Book, the Cheque Book, and the
College Pay Ledger, he considered that a sum of a little over R2,000 was alone missing,
and the deficit was at once accounted for, by finding that the schooling fees for some months
previous had not been paid into the Bank, but had been retained by the clerk.
124. Major St. George then sent to the clerk’s house to see if the College accounts were
ffiere, but he was informed that the clerk had absconded, and that no books had been left be-
hind and that his family knew nothing of his whereabouts. No report was made to the Police,
but Major St. George wrote to Colonel Lees telling him what had occurred. In reply, Colonel
Lees requested Major St. George to consult Mr. Berners (Colonel Lees’s Attorney), and to en-
deavour to obtain the money from the clerk’s uncle, who was supposed to be security for him.
Mr. Berners wrote to the uncle, but there being no security bond, the so-called security was
found worthless.
125. A few days after this, three or four of the clerk’s friends came to Major St. George,
and offered to pay R2,000, on the condition that he would not prosecute. Believing this
to amount nearly to the sum abstracted, Major St. George consented, and the amount was
at once paid and remitted to the Bank of Bengal to the credit of the Principal. Major St.
George does not appear to have been at the first made acquainted by Colonel Lees that the
amount abstracted was very much in excess of R2,000, and it was subsequent to what has just
been stated that the former heard from Colonel Lees that the R3,900, referred to in para-
graph 123, had not been repaid to Government.
126. Colonel Lees returned to duty on 3rd December’ 1866, and took the matter up him-
self. A new clerk was then appointed, but, according to his account, it was not till April
1868 that a full and searching enquiry into the deficit was completed, It was only then, he
says, he found that the accounts showed that a sum of R4,284-6-3, in addition to the
R2,000 paid by the late clerk’s friends (total R6,284-6-3), had been embezzled, that is to
say, that for a length of time the late clerk had systematically misappropriated all the