By Reverend Yousouf Gooljary

Dundas was President of the Board of Control over the East India Company from 1793-1801.

On leaving the Board of Control [of the East India Company] in May 1801 he accepted, after previously refusing it, an East India Company pension of £2,000 as long as their charter was in force. That is £200,000 in today’s money . While Home Secretary in 1792 and first Secretary of State for War in 1796 he was instrumental in deferring the abolition of the slave trade.

Henry Dundas was President of the Board of Control over the East India Company from 1793-1801. The East India company business Model relied heavily on slaves working in the Forts and settlements around the Indian Ocean . It is frankly wrong to say Dundas had nothing to do with the slave trade. The goods Western Europe received :spices, salt, cotton , opium , tea, pepper, silk was only possible because of the slave trade continued by Dundas via the East India Company.

Henry Dundas ran a company where The ‘business model’ of the EIC relied on the purchase of slaves from Africa and Madagascar to run its forts and settlements and work in its warehouses and factories, over 200 years to turn a profit. Many born into slavery were then transported throughout its vast enterprise from the Atlantic Ocean to Sumatra as specialist labour was required to trade, spices, salt, cotton , opium , tea, pepper, silk etc . The total numbers of slaves purchased or so moved probably over a million plus. 50% of the population of St Helena at one point were slaves. The EIC army at one point was double in size of the British Army. The EIC ruled India before the British took over. Henry Dundas as Home Secretary took over control of the EIC board hence it became an arm of the British Government at end of 18th Century.

Dundas delaying of the Abolition of slavery may have been motivated by financial gain .