Observations on the State of Society among the Asiatic Subjects of Great Britain

Scotsman Charles Grant (1746-1823) travelled to India in 1767. During his 22-year stay, he rose through the ranks of the East India Company, serving as a member of the company's board of trade. Following his return to Britain, he served three times as the company's chairman and was also elected to Parliament. His conversion to a fervent form of Christianity had occurred in 1776, making him a well-known advocate of evangelisation in the newly acquired British territories. In this work, he launches a strong attack on Hindu belief, labelling it as depraved, degenerate and despotic. 'The true cure of darkness is the introduction of light,' he argues. Written in 1792 but first published in 1797, this work was also presented to Parliament in 1813 in a bid to influence the renewal and amendment of the East India Company's charter.