Original Papers relative to the Establishment of a Society in Bengal ([1784])

The Bengal Orphan Society proposed below was intended as a provident society for officers in the East India Company: money was deducted by the company from men’s wages to finance the support of officers’ children in event of their death. The Orphan Society was founded by Captain William Kirkpatrick, an army officer for the Company, linguist and diplomat. The subsequent pages are published at desire of certain respectable gentlemen, warmly interested in the success of the Bengal Orphan Society, with a view to the information of such benevolent persons among the Proprietors of the East-India Company as require only to be apprised of the existence of so useful and humane an institution, in order to be stimulated to afford it every support and countenance in their power. The officers of the army, after yielding their formal concurrence to the first article of the annexed scheme, will be intitled to be regarded as the natural and perpetual patrons of the institution.