During his tenure as the deputy-governor of Bencoolen, Collett is believed to have made the infamous remark on the rajas of the East Indies: I treat them as a man treats his wife, very complaisant in trifles, but immovable in matters of importance[2] Immediately after his assumption of the Presidential chair, Collett was entrusted with the responsibility of tackling an irksome situation.

Struck by financial crisis, Collett decided to rent five villages obtained by the firman at the rate of 1,200 per annum each for 12 years.

Enraged when the demands were not met, on 18 October, Dayaram, the Head Renter of the territory who waS subordinate to the Nawab of Carnatic, marched to Tiruvottiyur with an army of 250 horse and 1000 foot, removed the British flag and took possession of the village.

Dayaram's men resisted but ROach inflicted a crushing defeat upon them and pursued them in their flight to the plains surrounding Madras.

Lieutenant Fullerton arrived on the scene with 100 men and the combined forces defeated Dayaram and pursued the fleeing troops up to Sattangodu.

Since the conclusion of peace, cordial relations existed between the Nawab of Carnatic and the British East India Company.

When Dakhna Roy, the Prime Minister to the Nawab visited Madras in February 1719, he was given a grand reception and was allotted a fine house in Black Town for his stay.

In April 1719, Joseph Collett issued a proclamation authorizing severe measures against Portuguese Roman Catholics of St. Thome marrying Protestants from Madras.

However, when the extreme poor complained to the President regarding their inability to pay such high rates for registration, Collett issued an amendment by which all houses valued at less than 50 pagodas were exempted from taxation.

In October 1719, Joseph Collett proposed to resign and return to England expressing his inability to bear the harsh clime of the city during the previous month.

He proposed the name of Francis Hastings of Fort St David as successor but the Directors chose Nathaniel Elwick instead.

[1] The self-penned inscription on his tomb in Bunhill Fields reveals his semi-Arian sympathies in the phrase: "The gift of the only and only supreme God the Father, by the ministration of His Son Jesus Christ".