Star. — London, England, 1813-06-01 00:00:00

. . . • . • e rfstics were signified in its folds, its dormant energy At be exemplifiedin events. • Enough lutd been st a te d in evidence; enough was. matter of hissorieal re cord to s hew that they were the same peopl e w hi c h th ey we re three thousand years ago ; that amidst continual political fluctuation they had remained un changed ; that successive Empires hichbeee reared, an d systems of persecution been • established; that t he lordly .power . . of Timour i had been extended over them ; that even the convulsion of nature had, no t shaken them from their customs, and that the Ganges had changed its course whilst those who still drink of its waters adhered to the habits of their fathers. (Hear, hear, hear.) To any aug mentation of legitimate commerce, he saw, then, no prospect, yet this was the grand argument : our ma :,ufacturers were to be redeemed . from misfortunes, an d to find amongst sixty milli.:ns of men an equal r . tuber of customers. This' was the doctrine at Yosley and Glasgow; but why, he would ask them, if unlimited access was all that was wanting to the ex- Evasion of commerce, were dot the southern islands c overed with our manufactures ? why were not the shores of Africa varrounded with a commercial navy, not for the purpose of prosecuting that traffic in which puny most active agents of the company were once e ngaged:; but of maintaining an innocent and lucre. five trade ? But admitting all those advantages even to the fullest measure of the most sanguine, he would ag ain call their attention to the interests and happiness a the India people. How were these to be affected, by permitting mercantile adventurers to repair there with no other pursuit than the acquisition of wealth ? Was it reasonable to suppose that they would be scrupulously attentive to the prejudices, and sensibly alive to the comforts and rights of the natives ? He had heard much of the honourable British trader, a character of which it would be easy to produce a mul rtude of examples, both within and without those calls ; .but could they controul the conduct, or trans fuse their spirit into all their subordinate agents, and into all those classes of needy and desperate adven turers who would be tempted to try their fortunes on thatdistant and boundles stage ? He was supported by the uniform testimony of history, in the apprehen sion which he now expressed, and was justified by the same authority in observing, that except in Asia, the establishment of British dominion, in remote quarters of the globe, had been productive of nothing but misery and ruin to the natives. Look at North Ame rica, and see the curse which had been inflicted, see it in the unrttnitting exercise of every cruelty that could be devised, in the partial extirpation of the old in habitants, in the banishment of the remainder to forests, and in the . lasting strife and indelible ran cour which still subsisted between that race and the descendants of Europeans. He feared, indeed, that there were some who might not be unwilling to travel through the same list of enormities, for the sake of disposing of 12 millions of British manufactures. With this sacred view, these scenes might be again acted over on the plains of Hindostan, in the exercise of this philanthropic generosity all other considera-1 Lions were to be sacrificed, per fa: a imp: eelerare viam ague diem atkerd platen!. Yet had not it been seen in the course of these efforts which finally accom plished the tardy abolition of the Slave Trade, what were the motives and the conduct of these honour a\ale British traders, what was the resistance made by them to that glorious measure,a measure that would carry down to the remotest ages the names of its au thors, and which suspended a course of human afflic tion that would for ever sadden the face of History i Wai it then to their tender mercies that the House was, prepared to abandon the subjects of an Indian Impire ? Was it to the merchants of Liverpool, whojn a petition, written in the blood of Africa, had accused the Company of fomenting war and separa ting such natural allies as ,peace and commerce ? He knew that' the: sanguine visions entertained by some had been illust rated by an allusion to the feelings that were eiciteg i n those early adventurers who first be held the 'proipect of the Southern Ocean. He was ready to acknowledge the magnificence of the image, but it associated, itself in his mind with the memory of events to which he feare'd a countel-part, might one ely be presented 'in en Indian Empire. It recalled hisrecellectOn the withering look Which the first' appearance of EuroPeans presented to the New World,: that shed the blight of death upon its happiness, and deluged those smsliag regioni with torrents of nativel blcod.. Never ineglat such a fate be in 'Store for Asia, Fewer might, his apprehensions be realiZed, and that worn happy dominion be converted into a vast stage of atilt and desolation! The Indian people of all things deprecated change; they were not then indeed to re monstrate against it, but thel would not be without ;their advocates, In hiM th 4 now .spoke ; through him limy 'millions threw supplkating Yoke at the feet of . ihtrlianient, 'waft:Wok the* to. exercise that mighty aticietiOn 'which was tearadhover i waste of ocean, :and decide.the Hestia es of a continent with anxious' anOretnernhe'ring humanity, conjuring theM not to !indulge in balinfolia 'speculations or selfish avidity', by every bond that Could connect the 'Governor and rte subje'cr, by all those . ClutieS and regard's which' 'formed the very essence of legisjatiOn, and by eiery, te that could bind the heart of man to the pri n ciple ftf eternal j ust i ce . If the experiment were once made , !the txperiment vas ma d e f or ever.:—(Hedr, herir.)— tic fences were once broken up, they were fOr ever ilernolished ; the spiiit of the system, if it sli”Ulci once xp:re, could not be revived, and the Vote of that : fi , use, which involved in it the diatherge of a so lemn duty,would confer inestimable benefit, or listing a:ll* u on the population of Hindostan. (Rea . r,heir.) Mr.. HART DAVIS took notice of the losing' I ride which h a d b een l ong c a rry i ng on , an d w hi c h be still more evident, but fur the gross deln- On alCeb the nature of their accounts enabled them m m aintain. He believed that, if fairly stated, there was no hoprietor of East India Stock who would not_ desire the Directors to abandon their Indian ri.intrals and to con fi ne their views to the China n u ue 4 nrs and the m ana g ement o f t h e i r terr i tor i a l reve • As to the conduct of the agents of the nub rats, it had been perfectly fair and candid, and thv s. 2 n !ad . profess e d to Ministers a perfect readiness to to every - restriction necessary to political se tulit7• with respt ci to an increase of trade and to tne•aid of 'our manufacture, it was more desirable tha t • IL s h ou ld be gra-!ual than immediate ; but they • saint be much lesysanguine than he was who did not ste infie • nite advantages to the carrying trade of this " 1 "7, in conevetan g the voyages of private adven 14"as to inch . / with the marts of Brazil andWestera • • -• " ' ••: • • America: By the imposition of proper Antitorilt wouhluottbe•difficult ID guard against the rivalship of for e'gners. ' , Much 'greater. facilities existed for disposing of smuggled articles in the port of London, which was the great mart, than could be found in the oittports, whence they mu L! be afterwards trans ported across the-country....lt was in evidence from one's:W. the Combissioners of the Customs, that al though small ships may easily evade the search of cruisers at . seski yet that hr the river they were more easily watched and guarded:than the large ships of the Company: ,* He saw an opportunity now afforded of supplying ourselves with seven-eighths of all the cotton wanted for our manufacturers,- of reaping great advantages from the increased culture of indigo, of hemp, not to mention coffee, 'rice, and other ith portant articles. The Hon. Gentleman -who had spoken last with so much eloquence, had imputed to the advocates of the outportt, a participation in the Slave Trade before its abolition. He could safely say, that not a single ship from the port of Bristol was engaged in that trade for a considerable period before its abolition. With.equal justice he might im pute, which he was far front doing. a wish on the part of the Directors to retain their tpatronage at all events. He hoped, however, that the Act of Par liament would clothe his M ajesty's Ministers with power sufficient for the protection of the private Bri tish merchant, should he be oppressed by the Com pany either in their capacity as sovereigns, or in that of corporate traders. Mr. PHILLIPS said, that the great danger which appeared to be apprehended, arose from the inter course of Europeans with the natives; but Lor d Teignmouth had stated, that the Police was equal to' the prevention of any such danger—a danger which he considered as merely chimerical. It, however, it was real, it was not sufficient to prevent the opening of the trade. The Hon. Gentleman then went into a detail of the cotton trade, to shew that the export of the raw material from India might be greatly in creased, to the great benefit of the manufacturers ins England. Cotton yarn, upon a calculation made by Mr. Lee, of Manchester, could be spun at one-fourth of the charge that it would cost in India, even rating the labour of the Indian at two pence per day, and the yarn would cost only half as much as that of India, supposing cotton to be purchased there at five-pence per pound, and in England at 2s. 6d. per pound.— The Georgia cotton was said to be superior to that of India ; such, however, was not the case; but if it were, the circumstances under which it was grown in India, would account for the inferiority. The Com pany took five-eighths for the rent of the land, and bought the other three eighths at what price their agents chose to fix—and this was the system, the subversion of which the natives were said to dread so much. An open trade, which would raise the price of their produce, would, of course, ruin them, at least such was the argument of the India Company. The difference between Georgia and India was, therefore, obvious; the one had flourished under a free trade, while the other had been borne down by a monopoly. (Hear, hear.)—But it might be asked, if machinery was so advantageous for spinning cotton, would it not be exported to India in case of a free trade ? The cotton-spinners, however, were not only willing, but desirous, of incurring the risk. The number of skil ful engineers, and the permanent establishments that would be required, would prevent the introduction of machinery into India.—The Hon. Gentleman then entered into the policy of the India government and China trade, and paid some compliments to the ser vants of the Company. He stated the territorial reve nues of the Company at £17,000,000, which, how ever, was found insufficient for the purposes of go vernment : he thought it would be better to levy a. direct tax on the natives of India to pay the divi dends of the Proprietors, than any longer to oppress them with a monopoly. The Hon. Gentleman then advertei to the speech delivered by Lord Grenville in the House of Lords, of which he spoke in terms of high commendation, as containing the most just views of that system of policy which ought to be adopted towards the East India Company, and the territories tinder their controul. He saw no ground for fear on the part of the Company, if a fair competition in trade was allowed ; on the contrary, he thought the great est advantages were to be anticipated from such an arrangement. He imagined the House would not be inclined td think that the British Merchants were so besotted as to carry on the Trade longer than they perteived their own interests were likely to be pro moted. With respect to the question of smuggling, as thire ware many Gentlemen in the House who knew more of this subject than himself—(Laughter) —he would not enter into it at any length, but should simply content himself with observing, that such an arguMent afforded no just ground for depriving Bri tish merchants of privileges which were enjoyed by foreigners. . Mr. C. GRANT (the Director) said, that a great . de.ll of the prejudice which had subsisted against the Company had arisen from the public being unac quainted with their affairs. Till within this shut time, it was pretty generally conceived that a great extension could be effected of the consumption of our manufactures in. India. This error was now generally perceiied to be such t and it was much to have gained even point. He, believed a sufficient inquiry would ifflct on all other points a change in the public 'opinion; 'equal* , favourable to the Company.. The Holt. hgembe i r thin idrerting to Lord Grenvllle's speech; 'objected to his Lordship't hee l ing refused in it to recogbise the terrorial rights of the Com panY, which,. whenever their Charter had been 'renewed; had teen redognilid by Parliament, expressed himielf as sured thin if their claimi were to be decided by jus tice, not iikre pOWer, the decision roust be, favour able; add imaeavoueed to thew, that the trade of the Corit,pa.rtt Was sufficient to support itself ; ilmt they had new* looked to the surplus revenue of Ihdia as the iffeatil of supporting it, and that so 'far froth the Company being indebted to the territory of India, that territory was indebted to theta. They had never borrowed in India for the purpose of enabling them to carry on their trade. The authority of a Mr. Cole broke had been quoted respecting Bengal, but that gentleman himielt had disowned the publication ; and if it were not so, the authority of that gen tleman could not be of much value, as he re sided in Bengal twenty years ago, since which time things had veil' materially changed.—(Hear.) He was aping opening the trade of India to the general merchant, because he would not feel so much interest in preserving the peace and good will of the • • • . • . 0 . . t I • . • ... • . p .., . 0 • h.. vb . • , 4 , a .! ' . i a .) . o i7 ' 1 1 'A S' I •;• Weft" 4 • rI • a holly ! : (s ‘weemnent of the tountty as would the Permanent beheld cl . : t hlit . ' d iii . ge nitwit tkli t tite :r. ternal etthISMIS trader and the regular settler.' What hid beenhsaid b a t n ue ;t si t he lande d interest; and they had seen amongst respecting the atcotrnts of the Company; had not been . drawn from the most correct sources,' for *then! was ti Christian' o banner s :l '. Such, wear the iiiiniutabilihtof 01 . _ , 7 t .000 . hf its inlistbitanas aitayed under no truth in theittatement that the Company had lost hi l a at ic. : unity 'o et fir . hich ; aged had rolled " withoni four millionshvithin the last nineteen lean'. Henfould contend: that the Coinpany had galheit' Mill Rom not t i ru k e aß lo 'i r m th P e res fi l a n d n' bel ifeas' • ; hear )— Bet it stns every 'branch of the India trade, than'had ever been all %their cial . Au ty . ice . and•military establishment* the)' ) laid 1 beheld '' tn corn ; lite chattgeof gained. by private traders under the most advanta. genus circumstances . ' If wag- said•of th e ComNiny, t a u d t i n ie oti w o a n s c h l thongli . t.:eauch Might yet be done; not throwing- opett the trade' withhut that they had. established a most 'excellent•gottern strict ‘ regolationt• tor the secu r ity'of i paritimmi meat in India; :but that -thei r view . s 'of commercial party—the Company.' If' the House, ' in IlispOsing policy.were extmmely narrow. : He begged it to be o f t h e ' ptesent quest i ons, d i d hot f a ll 446' a:Speen Of obserredis that the Company had always had higher ' exclusion, what they were abotic to - du might idd id views than those of mere monopoly; and they cons ' th e rac e . and indepenaence• of this'E l ap re; tended against the enlargement of the trade, not be-and to .the id ju appinTs , and wo lf - b e i ng of our possessions in cause it would affect their monopoly, but because by vs doing, the possession of the whole would be risked. s 1 : 1 Mr . ' C . GRANT,... kW.' W. Ceannto, and Mr. C. He, therefore, protested against the ideathat they GRANT, severally explained, • -. • acted from those narrow views Whichhome were in- i , hfr. PONSONBY thou g ht th e ot h er p ro p os i t i on s elined to attribute to them. • With others he would should first have been considered, before the House ask, whether the hope of toetributing to the little in was called on to give a-vote cn tha subjeat of conti: terests of some petty port ought to induce them to :suing the Governnient in the h an d s o f t h e C o mp an y ; neglect the security of sixty Millions of people ? • •.. anchif now forced to give a vote nn the subjec4 he ' H Mr.. CANNING felt inclined quo agree which with had . the should say the Government of India ought not to con. 'on. Director, that of all -eestion* 'tinue in the hands nf the Compa n y. It had been said, been discussed in that House, none had been exposed that the Company had been' the reformers of In*dia.— to•a greater degree of exaggeration than , the one new He did not mean to impute blame t i the Company ; before them ; but he could not agree with the Hon. but he was bound to say, they were not the Telma Director, that all the exaggeration was on one side. mers of India; India owed- its reformation and im. He admitted that there.was much delusion in .all the provement - to Mr. Burke t that great man it was who glowing visions of the golden results that would at first called the auention of P a rliamen t t o I n dia ; and tend-the opening of the trade; but they only required Parliament- it was that had refarm •d her ; and he the chastening views of. that House, and of other • could now see nothing in the situation of India whidt branches of thh Legislature, to bring them•within the rendered it necessary that she should be g Iverned by coMpass of sober expectaflonsto lop away those ex a different system to that which prevailed in every crescences which were barren .and fruitless, and to other part of the empire: If he could regulate this leave the parts of the case that were sound and whole. subject, he would continue the government td the some. Such would be the advantages that would, Company for six or seven learsa •In Which time it most assuredly, result from the discussion; at all would be seen what effect was produced by it under events, to throw out of it what might tend to inflame the new regulations% :If, however, the restrictions and irritate,. even if they could not come to •one ge- were put for twenty years, he should certainly oppose neral opinion of the great question before them. But it.. , The Right Hon: Gentleman ' alsd proposed, that much as they had heard about the exaggerations ' of the Chill Trade, shouldbe thrown open to the public. others, he must own, if up to that night he had heard nothing which could induce him to believe that they , t Mr. • ROBINSON' said, :'he did not conceive it ought to lessen the dignity of the Company, and to would be expedient to limit the period of anew Char. alter the mode of carrying on the• trade of India, he ter to a few years, but he concurred 'in the wisdom had heard abundant reasons in the Hon. Director's pl opening the :Trade. . All apprehensions of Euro speech, and in the arguments of one of whose speech peans exciting anarchy and confusion in India, on the that Hon. Director had much reason to be proud— trade being . thrown open, were to him wholly vi (Near) —for not guiding themselves by their views of sionarYa The•numerous Petitions for the introdoc- , the question.—Thotigh he was speaking of a corporate tion of Christianity into India also was a sufficient body, he had no intention to deal in corporate enmity; proof that Country did not entertain them seriously. but he could not withhold the expression of the surprise —The Hon. Gentleman then adverted to the island with which be had heard, that the Company were to of Ceylon, which contains 800,000 Christians, and be considered as the rightful sovereigns of the soil of from which. all the valuable pioducti ins of India India—that it was a question how far it was delicate could be obtained, were we even to possess no settle to discuss their Ode to the territory! But he could nei- meet there.: . ther entertain sech views of their right, nor could he • General GASCOYNE said a few words in favour see the great delicacy of touching on any such ques- of an open trade, but said heshould have no objection tion, especially whenhe remembered that they were le- to the Company's retaining their Charter for another gislating respecting the trade and government of India years • equally as theymight have been calledupon to legislate • Sir JOHN NEWPORT said the House was called for the colonies properly so called. The question of ex- upon to correct the Government of India about once pediency arose as to the propriety of continuing the go- in every ten years, and yet it was now propcisekto vernment of India in the hands in which it was now continue the present imperfect system. He denied placed ? but they had advanced very little, if the ques- that the Company of themselves had introduced any tion of right had not been completely settled. The salutary regulations of Government, but on the con- Government of India had been called an anomaly— trary, they were compelled to it by the Legislature. it was so ; but did it follow that this anomaly was a Every year they were applying for fresh loans to save something ex necessitate rei which, according to the them from bankruptcy, and now they most unjustly Hon. Member who spoke so eloquently, ought to be called upon the House to shut out all spirited adeen continued for the sake of forming a striking page in turers from competing with them. the history of the present times. Because it was our The Resolution was then put and agreed to. anomaly, it did not follow that they ought not there- . • Lord CASTLEREAGH said, at that late hour fore to make it more analogous to other governments the House probably would not think proper to pro-' in the world. But, he wished it to be remarked, that teed with the next Resolution. (A cry of Adjourn 1 he was not for removing the sovereign power in India ildjourn !) If it was the wish of the House now to out of the hands of the Company ;on the contrary, adjourn, he had no objection. An Hon. Member he wished it to remain there ; yet must not this be (Mr. Creevey) had a motion standing for to-morrow; considered as recognizing the right of the Company but perhaps, as this wet a subject of so much impora to the territory of India, for it resulted from his no- tance, that Gentleman would postpone it. tions of its expediency. He certainly was not for Mr. CREEVEY assented to this proposition. doing that which would erect the Company into an The House then resumed, the Chahman reported independent sovereignty ; but even assuming what progress, and obtained leave to sit again to-morrow. they said to be true, and that they wished to become The several Irish Bills were forwarded in their re the ally of England, they assumed most ungracious • spective stages. language. If the Autocrat of Russia, or the Empe- T he Fire Arms Bill went through a Committee.— ror of Austria, on proposing to become our ally, The other Or ders I Day . o tine were disposed of, and were to say at the same time :—" but you shall not the House adjourned at Half past Twelve. trade with us, because you are a pack of piratical re bels ; we will not admit you into our kingdom, be- cause you come with the taint upon you of an odious traffic, carried on by you for one hundred years, and which you did not at last abandon without a struggle; ' we will have nothing to do with you, lest you pollute our atmosphere!" If such language were to be as sumed on such an occasion, would it not be deemed most ungracious. Yet such was the language used at the very moment when the Company was propos ing to become our ally. But from whom did this language come ? Not from the Sovereigns of the race of Timonr, but from the British Merchants trading with India—not from the Sultans of Asia, but from those a great ones" who had sprung from their own loins, from the Conquerors and Kings of Leadenhall street—(Laiizhier.) But they must be considered as the territorial Loids of India, who were amenable to Parliament—( Loud cries of Hear, hear, hear,) — for our Indian Empire was purchased by British blood and policy; and it had ever since been sup ported by British :urns and British money. As to the allusion that had been made to the Slave Trade, it was illogical, wed the bearing that it might be in tended to have on the present question was incompre hensible. It was heaping censure on large bodies of men which did not of right,belont; to them. It was not the crime of any particular set of men—at the Peace of Utrecht it was the game of Europe; and in England it was sanctioned by every succeeding Parliament till the accomplishment of that work of imm.ortaiity which emancipated the African from the horrors of traffic. But was this load pf na tional shame to be got rid of by removing the bur then on to the backs of any individuals? The changes now proposed, it was said, would be of no avail, for they were to affect a country that had continued immutably. the same for the period of three thousand years. It was maintained that the vast Continent of Hindostan had seen the revolu tions of empires, and the convulsions and downfalls of thrones ; —nay, it had even beheld rivers change their courses, without ever evincing any thing like change. But what was the truth respecting this im mutable quarter of the globe ? Why, that they had His Grace the LORD LIEUTENANT of IRELAND was this day pleased to confer the honour of Knighthood on ALEXANDER WILSON, of Bath, M. D.—Dab. Gas. May 25. • The Earl of BREADALBANE returned to town a few days since, with a carriage, in which his Lordship travelled nearly one thousand miles with only the third part of a half-crown box of the Patent Anti. lAttrition Composition being applied to the axletreess and there is no doubt but this carriage would go many miles further, without any other application. FRIDAY Nur, the 75th Anniversary of the Birth of our good, venerable, and beloved Monarch, will give a new birth to the fortunes of many of his loyal subjects, who are, and still may be, adventurers in our present State Lottery. It is the Last Day of the Drawing, and from the few Numbers now remaiaing in the Wheel, has to boast an unprecedented interest aii,l‘veiglit ti C:apital Prize:. LACNCiI OF THE BLF.NIIIIIM, or 74 OUNS.-.-Yeller. day this beautiful ve,sel was launched from Deptford, and cailed the Blenheim, in memory of the aelieve. men:A acquired at Blenheim by the illustrious Duke of Maici.soiouctt. She WAS received most cordially into the bosom of old Father Thames, amidst the. acclamatiens of thousands of spectators, all rejoicing in the additional reception she afforded our brave tars, and adding to British thunder to chastise the disturbers of the race of mankind. W. G. Harrison was yesterday brought up to r...- ceive the judgment of the Court of Kii-g's Bench, for a conspiracy with Edits St. Julian, to detraud the Hoe nourable B. Cochrane of AB lO,OOO. The Court sen tenced him to be imprisoned for one month in. the King's Bench. FIRE.—A large wood in the neighbourhood Bo urcleauz ,calleti the Four Squares, was set on fi•-• in April last. Notwithstanding the utmost efforts if the people of the commune, the flames destroyed houses, barns, cattle, growing crops, and timber, along a surface of `PI mil:: in exteat, aad twelve i ' - broad.