The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1803-03-15 00:00:00

r see .• • die ternaielder weuld belong to the public. This statement he may b e t h o n g h t too saneuiree. A • .I%inble Friend of hi s (Mr. Dunias, now 'Lord Mel ville) had said, that the India possessions, instead of hanging. on this country for aid, would scum be ena bled to 'render it very meterial assistance. That prediction had not yet been accoMplished ; but it must be recoliefted, that in the war made in the rear 179 h, and that since that time, the cnuntre was in a continual suite of warfare. The pronihe, how ever, of his Noble Friend, to whom the nation and the East India Company in particular were so much inclehted, would shortly be realieel ; •for in the next year the Company would pay .500,0001. to the e , public, which he had every reason to think would be every year increasing. The Noble Lord serial, he honked with perfiel confi dence m a saving of one miliiiri a year, even in the event of a war; and he had the. satisfellion of as suring the Committee,' that the surplus capital and bonds would enable the Company to extend their trade to the amount of six million's. After carry ing into execution the means detailed to the Com mittee, the Company would be able to extend their trade to the full extent they could possibly envie) , 'it. He was happy to state that none of the-arrange ments in pursuance of this plan could possibly cripple the exertions of the Company in the event of a war. He had thus gone through the Company's situation, both with reference to the alternative of peace and war; and althoutth peace must be to- India, and the whole world, the greatest blessing, yet if that country should be involved, for its honour an:l existence, in theealamities of war, there was no portion of the British Empire better able to maintain a glorious struggle, than that adder the do minion of tie East India Company. It had el:Urged with splendru7 from a ten years war ; it had not on' y in common with every other e scrtion of the British Empire, borne its part in the , general inconvenien ties of the war in which this country had been in volved ; but it had been engaged in very active military operations in the Mystic o, from the first ex peditions under Lord Corewaliis to the death of ippoe Sultaun. Cahed upon to exert its energies, it had :::splayed unexampled resources and'meens, and the Company were WWI ii pcssessien , of an In crease of I.::eitory, yielding nearly an additional revenue of two millions annually, having during the tea:' added orlj ten millions to her debt. He only desired the Committee to consider what would have been the situation of lnoia had the country enjoyed the blessings of peace! It had tierirg the war not on supported the expellees of it, but at its coricla sion remained with a reventte eons; deeebly latger than the most oinguincexpealatien could have ameetpated. He thought the view lie had taken of the Empire of India would fully satisfy the Committee and the public at large, that there ss es a mighty support to tbe derived from its resoerces. so tar from its be ing a drain to this country, it had been the means orafrardin g a facility to our financial operations ; it had supported them by an addition of half a mil lion,and to the Sinking Fund of a miiiion and an half. Bat whatever were the expeatatimis this country might entertain, with regard to support from the re sources of India, it must necessarily forego them in fhe event of a war. He had theught it his duty to state the subject to the Committee ;—it was one, the complete understanding of which interested every man in the country. As.far as he had inves tigated the subject,. he was satisfied it stood on a solid foundation. The Committee would find the same caution on the part of the public officers, with respeEt to the Estimates, which had uniformly dis tinguished them: they were clear and accurate, and could not mislead. As far as he w.ss able, he had explatied the subject to the Committee. He had stated the surplus at five millions, and that in the event of peace the public would have an addition of two millions, with one millioe aed an laa to the Sinking Fund ; .but in the event of a war the public must, as he had already observed, be content to foeago those advantages, with the exception only of one million to the Sinking Fund. The Noble Lord concluded b 3 moving his (list Resolution: he said he should only more it pre forma, and should be happy to afford any faller information that might be required of him on any future day. lie moved that the gesohition should be laid on the Table. Mr. JOHNSTON said, though he differed from the 'Noble Lord as to the statement he had laid hefore the Committee; he 'agreed with him as to the precision and accuracy of the accounts. He cot cnrred with the Nord Lord, in expressing his sense of the accounts—Then certainly did presences complete ,a system of the financial state of the vaet Ernpite of Wit as was possible—lle, however, con sidered the increase of the Debt, as the only cri terion Orthe situation, of India being improved. There were certain of the accounts which contained fair estimates, but it appeared to himthat atten tion had only been paid to the Ordinary, and not to • the Extraordinary Disburscfnents. He uniformly found that there was a material difference between the Estimates and. the Expenditure. With regard to the alleged increase of the Revenue, it arose solely from the seizing the territories of those who were our allies. Upon this point the Hon. Member thought it his duty to say, that the extension of the British Empire in India was in contradiaion to the express eats of the Legislature, and the opinions of some of the greatest men who had written or deli vered their sentiments noon the subject. He was persaaded he should find no diiiculty in proving to the Committee, that, in proportion as the Empite wee extended, the Revenue was diminished. In no one instance whatever was the reproach thrown out against the French Goverument, more applicable to our own. Ho maintained, ;hat in no one instance had the violetion of the rights of territory, on the part of France, been more repugnant To every prin ciple of national honour and justice, than the course this country had pursued, with regard to the acquisi tion of territory in India. Lord CASITER EA GH said, he certainly should not enter upon the stibjeats referred to by the Hon. Centleman in detail, and he really wislied he had oracle his ol:eraations with more reserve, as he did nut think it was proper at the. present moment to discuss there ; particularly as he wAs not going to tall upon 'the Committee for a vote ; h e merely meant to lay the accounts on the table, satisfied that on the face of there there would appear an improve ment id the finances of India of 5,40r1,0001. The CIIANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. " Sir, t *mu hot be doing my duty if I suffered the Coromitectoto separate, without adverting to what fell from an Hon. Gentleman, towards the close of his speech. He has thought proper to say that our recent acquisitions in India have been made , . _. • . 4r.- at the ettrnee, and in violatik of thisse prinetple4 which it is no less the duty of this country, than it has ever been part of its national eha • raler t' pre serve. lam truly sorry the Hon. Gentleman should entertain such an unworthy sentiment ; but I am •tll more sorry that he should have expressed it at such a time as the present, when there is no subjeal of investigation before-the Committe which could justify me in proving that St 'is unfounded. The Hon. Gentleman will forgive me, if I . express my Bret at what (I hope unadvisedly) has fallen from h:nt, and the more so that he should have intimated such an idea now. All I ask of the House is, that if Gentlemen have not investigated the suhjetSt, they will at least abstain from foaming any judgment, or safferiag their minds to he blessed by what the Hon. Gentleman hes ale:treed. I have thutight it neces sary to say thus much, because I know how expres sions are sometimes hastily-taken up, and adopted as proofs of fasqs. This is due to some of the most meritorious men the country can boast. It is due tri them, that selsde they are serving their country abroad, we should not suffer feelings and i. •pres• sifts to go f: rat which must have the Kea of de priVing them of what they -have eartied*by long set vices—she 4ttinttion of their countrymen, before they have had an opportunity of inquiring into all the partienlars their conduit. Upon the result of .sack an Mvestigation, I am sure, they are willing to .7.C:q what is dealer to them than any cnnsideration— their private cher:LS . ler. 1 beg pm-don for what I have said, but I thought I was only dischargime a debt of jastice."' Sir HUGH INGLIS said, that for the last four years the prrelts of the IndiaTrede had been nearly eqnel to those of the China Trade. The China Trade had produced near 3/)00,0001. and the India I Trade 2,700,0001. Was not that an object ? Would any man wish to throw up such an advantage ? He hoped that we should ever preserve them. Mr. FRANCIS said, he 'had ever looked upon estimates as no better than promises. Nothing was more Edlaeines ; of the 503,001 a year to be paid for the renewal of the chaster, only one year had ever been received. in the ac counts on the Table, he faund the whole capi 'tal stock of the Company was omitted. Why it had been omitted, he knew not ; but it appeared plainly, that no less a sum than 7,8(TZ,0601. has been entirelrleft out of the debits. There was also a snm mentioned as due by Government, amounting to 3,573,0001. But did Covernment e':cr acknow ledge the debt ? att.l it was not so acknowledged, why was it stated as-seeh? if he coald have his wish (uncormeiled as he was w'ith aa•eirs) he would be ler a Corernitese to investigate those .accounts, when he was confident it would appear, that instead of the Company having five millions in its favour, it would be found that they had so rnstch against them ; and he concluded by observing, that the Papers onthe Table, afforded a false and very de lusive view of the akeirs of Llia, and the re soarcos of the East India Compeny. • Lord CASTLERF.AGH, in explanation, said that the Bon. Gentleman's expressions were rather harsh, when• he accused such a body of men as the Directors of the East-India Company with intentions of laying a false view of the affairs before - t'ist House, for the purpose of misleading the public. He insisted that •the Company was incapable of such conduit; and that the accounts on the table were as correct as it was possible to make them. • As to the capital stock, it was expressly stated to be excluded, and as to the 3,573,0001. due by Govern ment, that was mentioned barely as a memorandum -at the bottom, as it was a subjeet for future consi deration, and he was confident the statement made by the Company was exact and prudent, and such, as on the most severe scrutiny, would be found, in every point of view, unexceptionable, when it came properly before the House at another period of disc elusion. The noble Lord then recapitulated most of his observations oa the affairs of India, and stated that the debts in Europe amounted to 12ai00,0001. The debts in India amounted to 16,`.200,0301. amounting to a debt of 28,800,0901. in the whole, at home and abroad. It would be founl, therefore, that the debts and the assets balanced each other ; and it was but fair, when the Hon. Gentleman con sidered the debt, to consider the assets also. The Noble Lord then entered again into a description of the flourishing state of the Company, and concluded by asserting that it was able to liquidate every de mand, anti leave. a balance of 5,800,0901. in its fa vour. • • Mr. FRANCIS said, he stuck to his account. The Noble Lord had gone into matter entirely irre levant thereto. The Noble Lord did not answer why the capital stock of tbe Company was omitted ; for his part, he was confident it could not be left out for any fair purpose. He would insist on it, there were ten millions omitted, via. the capital stock, amounting to. seven millions, and three millions due by Government, equally unaccounted for. The Rt. Hon. WILLIAM DUNDAS rose and said, that the Hon. Gentleman who spoke last, had thought proeer to expatiate on the contents of the papers on the Table, to a very extraordinary man ner indeed, which he had thought proper to class without further ceremony, under the denoMination of lase accounts. The Honourable Gentlemen says —Why is the capital stock omitted, unless for the purpose of deception ?---but he would reply, that any clerk at the India-House could give the Hon. Gentleman the answer for which he prest so closely; and as the Hon. Gentleman had resigned all manner of pretensions to infalibili.y, he would, notwith steadily; that he was almost choaking with the in- H (a kw! laugh.) endeavour to satisfy the Hon. Gentleman, which could be done in a most satisfac tory manner front the very accounts which seem to • have so very much engaged the Hon. Gentleman's attention ; and as a proof of the accuracy with which the lion. Gentleman had considered them, he would read as far as his voice enabled him those very accounts to him. Time Right Hon. Gentleman then read the account, which explicitly mentioned that the sums contained therein were exelsr,ive of the capi tal stock of the Company. The Hon. Gentleman had thought proper to make some allusions to a No ble ltelavon of his (Lord Melville) whom he stated to have deluded the country for twenty years past. It could nut be expelled that he should stand up in vindication of the charter of his Noble Friend and Relation, as any thing he might urge would be liable to the imputation of partiality ; and though the ver dkt he might give in would have but little weight of' itself with the House, yet he trusted that a um , Ment's consideration of the merits, the services, and the zeal of his Noble Friend, Which was acknow hedged by his country, would give it a sandiOn. The --- - a ~ . • }ion, Gentleman has said, that the. liable Perdu Alluded to, had been vapouring for twenty years past with promise; s:milar to those mentioned by his Noble Friend (Lord Castlereagh). Perhaps the Hon. Gentleman mey have some season• to dislike him ; but he was confident that Noble Person never made a promise but what was founded on the fairest prospeEts—founiled on the soundest policy.—But twenty years ago he could make no such promise, for the eause.did not then exist ; and if he had ever held out a hope,, at a later period, of having; the public particirate in the five hundred thousand pounds, it was prevented by an uninter rur.ted state of war ; and there was not a person who knew the Noble Lord (Melville) but had re peatedly l'lard him say, in and out of this House, that the five hundred thousand pounds could not he paid in time of war—He must therefore observe, that the Hon. Gelaleman's oblation, in every point of view, wined to be timnded on misconception or misinful mation. Mr. FRANCIS explained, and still contended, that lie had not been answered. Sir I'IIANCIS BARING said, that though lie m.l>t acitaowlcalge tlite accuracy of the Noble 1 r:rd's statement, he could not attempt to follow him in ..!7e prophetic spirit in which he had so deeply in- The Noble Lord had undertaken a task which stagsjcred It . man possessed of the greate s t abilities and experience (Lord Melville), and he hoped the Lord would sustain it with credit to himself and advantage to the country. The In.i is Dircciors proposed to raise two millions without raising one penny stock. This had his approbation; but the Noble Lord in the beginning of his career was rather bold in promisinv to the public a speedy participation of the 500,0007 which his predecessor, notwithstanding all his knowledze, would -not yen titre to do ; he concluded by cieOlaring himself de cidedly against raising any more stock. • • Lord CASTLEREAGabrieIIy explained: Sir T. METCALFE said, that the Noble Lcrd who lately managed the affairs of India, regularly laid e§tiaiates on the table for the last ten years, which were always to be proved by the accounts of the ensuing year. The Hon. Gentleman opposite to him (Mr. Francis) has thought proper to say that the East India Company was guilty of fallacy in the accounts now before the House. But he would say, that the East India Company—the first com pany of merchants in the world, were incapable of fdsifying an account. He denied it; and defied the Hon. Gentleman to prove it. The Hon. Gentle man no doubt best knew why he thus attacked the Court of Direaors ; hut why would the y falsify an account against themselves ? Fo r the sum the lion. Gentleman alludad to, instead of appearing for, woad be evidently against them, .accoraing to the manner it stands in t'he account. The Hon. Gen tleman thinks that the flattering prospects of the Noble Lord (Castlereagh) would never be realized, but if we take a view of the state of India —our -ac quisition of territory, revenue, &c. we dill no longer consider it an unreasonable expedation to have the Noble Lord's prospeds realized in their fullest ex tent. (Here the Hon. Gentleman entered into a very minute and flattering description of the anirs. of India.)" Put," said the . Hen. Gentleman, " the best informed' men on the subjed have pointed out the pro pr'ety and necessity of liquidating the Indian debt. We ail know, that by the orders of his Majesty's Government a cOnsiderable xpeditions were made, at a very heavy eipence a which made it necessary to borrow money to a greater arnpunt than he in sound policy thought it should have done, and which debt the Court had determined to. liquidate. He then again adverted to the word falsify, whi c h w as an expression which he did not expeft from the Hon. Gentleman's liberal mind, and he hoped it was dropped inadvertently. • The subject of the Car ', natic WAS almost improperly introduced by another Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Johnston.) It is a question by itself, and when it came in a proper manner be fore the House, he was confident every thing con nected with it would be explained in the most satia fakdory manner. As to the trade of India, for the last four years, after every charge .had been paid, the balance in favour of trade was upwards of three millions each year. It is true, there was an increase of debt, but it should also be considered, that there was an increase of assets in proportion. The capital stock, which was stated by the Hon-Gentleman to have been omitted, should, if mentioned at all, be stated at twelve millions, as it was guaranteed for so much by an ad of the Legislature. The India Company had now a clear b:ilance of two millions t aao lrandred thousand pounds in their favour. The Noble Lord (Melville) whom the Hon. Gentleman had thought proper to animadvert upon, had lea a high charzader behind him in the department which he'filled, and it was pleasing to retied that his suc cessor was possessed of such assiduity, zeal, and ta lents, as prothised the fairest prospeds. As to the debt due-by Government, he thought it a fair debt, notwithstanding what had been urged to the con trary by the lion. Gentleman. He was sanguine in his hopes of having the prosped of the participa tion of the public in the 500,0001. speedily real ized. And he could not help alluding to a certain description of persons, who were not fairly krefore the House—he meant the Proprietors of East India Stock, and urged the propriety of raising the di vidend to 11 per Cent. in justice to them, which would tend to reduce the debt. He concluded by giving it as his decided opinion, that Great Britain will derive mare advantage from her East India possessions than the rest of Europe from all their colonies. Mr. JOHNSON explained. The Resolutions were then read and agreed to, and the Report brought up and onkred for further consideration on this day se'imight, and copies of the Report to be printed. Mr. ALEXANDER brought up the Report of the Committee of Supply, for ten thousand sailors for eleven lunar months ; when the Resolutions were read and agreed to, and a Bill ordered accord ingly. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave notice, that he should, on Wedne;day next, move for a Committee to enquire into the Charges on the Civil List, and to prevent the Acmmulation of Debt. The LORD MAYOR postponed his Motion on the Ship Owners' Petition, until Wednesday. fort night. The house went through a Committee on ti e Irish Law Courts Hill ; which was reported, and or dered to be read a third time on Thursday right. Mr.TANSITTART moved; that • a lOW ivr * st should be issued :lot—Ayrshire, in Scotland, in :h: .._:: ... ' r • • ' root% of W. Fiatiton, f"5l. w7to v•le one of the Commissioners for the Nand of Tnnidal. Mr. WICK HAM moved, that this House sHottl‘ on to , rnorrow, reimlve itielf into a Committee of ... the witole House, on the Irish Militia Cloathing Ad . .—Agrted to. The Report on the Iri,h Bill was post poned to this clay fortnight. The House went through a Committee on the Grenada Bill, which was reported, and a Bill ct dered accordingly. The House went tilt-I - igh a Committee on the Expiring LAWS Bill. Report to-morrow. The other Orders of the Day were then read and deferred. Adjourned. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FROM T:IE FRENCet PAPERS: • PARIC. MAP'" 10. • Letters from the Hague mention, that t:•he French . exredition destined for Louisiana, will set sail in eie end of March. A private letter from the Cape, of the 11th of January- last, says-44 Pert-de-Paix, is retaken by 2000 troops who have arrived froni Brest ; we have this Moment received an account of it. The rebels sustained the shock from twelve o'clock until-five in the evening, when our troops entered the place. We have,had thite killed; and 17 wounded. Ge neral Rochambeau is esteemed and respeaed." Letters from Brest, of the 2d March, state, that the expedition for the East Indies was to sail in a few days : it is composed of the Marensc, of 74t guns, the frigates 4talarite, le Bdle Pode, la Send la•dt, le Ccte d'Or, and the transrport la Marie Franroi:e. The troops embarked consist of one battalion of the 109th demi-brigade of the line, of one of the 18th light infantry, a company of light artillery, and a company of guides, some artisans, and the corps of clicers of the two battalions of Scapoys,• who are to be formed in India. There troops are animated with the best sririt. The Commander in Chief sails on board the Ma roue, in which ship is also rear-Admiral LI NWS, and part of the Staff and of the En;-?veers. Th‘. , Civil Officers, who are very naincrous, are distri buted among the other vessels. At the Diplomatic Audience of the 6th March, Lord WHITWORTH presented to the haST CONSCL Messrs. SANDFORD * JOHN SANDFORD* Ciptail S CR AIOIE and Ci.ivt, Major BARNI:S * Lient.-'.201. Cc.AUFian, M.P. -- Ls TE, of the 3d regiment of Guards, Capt. DUNBAR. (.1 the 21st Light Dra goons, Lieut.-Col. CHAMBERS . * Lord JOHN CAII? SELL ' , Ca't. J4eicsox of the Foot Guards. Letters from Basle of the 4th March state, that Ar.ors REDING, and the other Swiss Patriots, lately confined in the citadel of Arbotirg, have been set at liberty, in pursuance of orders from the French Governimnt. General BIWNE, Ambassador of the Fiench re. public to the Siblime Porte, arrived at Constanti nople the 21st of January. His squadron was composed of six ships,' large and sinail, one of which was a ship of the line. He has been received by the .Captain Pacha. Th- Vizier and the Divan have'sent him presents, a: d his reception has been attended w'tli the great. s: solemnities. The news of his arrival has spread joy throughout the whole empire. The same day the Ambasdador of England cm• barked on board a frigate of his nation, to replir to Palermo, and from thence to England. His fri gate got ender weigh about eight in the eveninF, he thought proper to salute the Seraglio with 18 discharges of cannon, though it was night, a cir cumstance which extremely alarmed the city. The Cormnissaries for Foreign Affairs in all the . trading towns of the Levant, have obtained fir mans, and have departed for their destination on board the different small vessels of the squadron. The Porte has nominated GA Lte F.FPLNDI the resident Ambassador at Paris. AU the commercial relatians of the French have been resumed in the trading towns of the Levant their ordinary course. They have reason to flatter themselves with the re ception they have met from the Turks. On the de.' mand of General Si - I:Aar, the Point has granted to the Mamelukes that part cf Upper Egypt com posed of Scvan and Senile. The CAPTAIN PACHA daily expecas news of - evacuation of Alexandria. LLITC:i MAIL. -- SALTZBL;RG, En. 17. This day has been a day of mirth and joy to 1:5, on which we are become the subjects of the intended Erector of Salthbtarg, his Royal Highness Duke Fer. dinand. We now possess a Prince on whom the Florentines cannot think' but with regret. This evening, in the magnificanly illuminated theatre, will be performed the dramatic piece entitled burg's Goklen The Duke has also been proclaimed anew Go vernor in fierchtolsgaden, and other counties which are comprised in the Grand Duke of Tuscany's in demnities. ROTTERDAM, MARCH 8. The funds have not acqui:cd any sort of additional Lriskness since our last. The Batavian rescrip:ions payable after peace are noted at 681 a 69 pr. c. The oti...x stocks do not vary meili in price. The navigation and trade to Batavia and the Dutch West and East Indies, is de'clar,'d., by Govern ment, to be free and open for all natives of this Re public, under certain conditions. ri:tnA. FEB. 18. Through the ilcd7..fa`igable diiiTenor of the secret Commission of Coifference, the Orange Principality of Fulda is at length orgiinized : of the twenty Princely Offices, and the ten remaining ones belong ing to the Dome-Chapter, twenty-one offices of Jus tice and Police arc formed, which are freed of various military services. The Collage of SuFreme Fores ters is also united to the Court,of Exchequer Evei y thing is fixed with respell to the salaries of place. men, and other persons receiving ralhries or pen sions. The Dome-Deacon gets YOOO gileers, and the Abbcts from 2.500 to 6000. The Convention proposed on May 2d lest, with the Prince ,f N.msan Siegen,.now in Paris, )s, hear, finally concluded: and he is to have from .our Prince u certain pension, in-that Convention, a:i is tt . oru his own property. CurrMRAGEN, FIB. 22. His Majesiy has been extremely indisposed Sian .some clays pt t. During the last year, morchanslisel to the amount I , _,.,~r_:.rrr } :,!_ ~_;~ 'I Y , . ~~ a '. - { 4