▁ 2 1 ▁November ▁ 1 7 4 8 ▁and ▁in ▁February ▁ 1 7 4 9 , ▁ ▁by ▁F ent on ▁Griff ith s ▁and ▁his ▁brother ▁Ralph ▁under ▁the ▁name ▁" G . ▁F ent on ". ▁There ▁has ▁been ▁spec ulation ▁that ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁at ▁least ▁partly ▁written ▁by ▁ 1 7 4 0 , ▁when ▁Cle land ▁was ▁station ed ▁in ▁Bomb ay ▁as ▁a ▁servant ▁of ▁the ▁British ▁East ▁India ▁Company . ▁ ▁Initial ly , ▁there ▁was ▁no ▁government al ▁reaction ▁to ▁the ▁novel . ▁However , ▁in ▁November ▁ 1 7 4 9 , ▁a ▁year ▁after ▁the ▁first ▁instal ment ▁was ▁published , ▁Cle land ▁and ▁Ralph ▁Griff ith s ▁were ▁arrested ▁and ▁charged ▁with ▁" cor rupt ing ▁the ▁King ' s ▁subjects ." ▁In ▁court , ▁Cle land ▁ren ounced ▁the ▁novel ▁and ▁it ▁was ▁officially ▁with dra wn . ▁ ▁As ▁the ▁book ▁became ▁popular , ▁pir ate ▁ed itions ▁appeared . ▁It ▁was ▁once ▁believed ▁that ▁the ▁scene ▁near ▁the ▁end , ▁in ▁which ▁F anny ▁react s ▁with ▁dis g ust ▁at ▁the ▁sight ▁of ▁two ▁young ▁men ▁eng aging ▁in ▁anal ▁inter course , ▁was ▁an ▁interpolation ▁made ▁for ▁these ▁pir ated ▁ed itions , ▁but ▁the ▁scene ▁is ▁present ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁edition ▁( p . ▁xx iii ). ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁copies ▁of ▁the ▁book ▁sold ▁under ground ▁in ▁the ▁UK , ▁the ▁US ▁and ▁elsewhere . ▁In ▁ 1