was allowed to the commander and officers, including the petty officers, such as quartermasters, stewards, cooks, carpenter, boatswains, gunners, caulker, armorer, and sailmaker,—the commander himself having fifty-six and a half tons of space. This liberality naturally attracted the finest type of young men in England, who entered the Company's service as midshipmen, having been appointed by the Court of Directors.
The Court of Directors had also rich gifts to bestow upon deserving friends and relatives: Governors and members of the Indian Council had to be appointed, and there were also writerships worth from £4000 to £6000 per annum. But the appointment of young men to the civil service of the company in China was reserved exclusively for the Chairman, who invariably bestowed these appointments upon some near kinsman of his own, or upon a kinsman of one of the directors, who, in due course, would, in some form, reciprocate. These young men, then, had only to live to become tyepans,—positions estimated to be worth £20,000 per annum. Nor were the directors wholly unmindful of themselves. For while their remuneration was nominally £300 per annum, each directorship was estimated to be worth £10,000 per annum, in one form or another. The eagerness therefore with which these directorships were sought, and the sums of money paid to obtain them, demonstrates that their estimated worth was carefully considered; that these men took good care of themselves.
