The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-11-21 00:00:00

FOREIGN TRADE.

....mum-
TII IRD REPORT.

The Select Committee of the Howse of Cotillion appointed
to consider of the Mesas of maintaining and improving
the Foreign Trstlefuf the Country, said to report their
'opinion and ohsevymiona therewpoo from Irate lo time to
the Home, and to whom the Report communicated by
' the Lints, relative to the Trade with the East Indies and
- China was referred, have, pursuant to the order of the
House, further considered the Matters to them referred,
and hays agreed to the following Report :
Yonr Committee purpose to call the attention of llio
House, iu the present Report, to the peculiar regulations
which govern the commercial intercourse of this country
with the British possessions in the East Indies; the cont.
name of those pumessinus with other parts of the world;
and also generally the trade of the other countries included
within lb, limits of the charter uf the East India Company,
so for as the United Kingdom is interested.
The trade of British subjects with all the countries si-
tuated between the Cape of Good Hope sod the Straits of
Ithmellan, was almost exclusively confined, fur more than a
ceiiinry preceding the year 1814, to the East India Corn.
piny. Your Committee do Hut think it necessary to truce
the progress uf this trade, or/ the partial modifications which
were applied to the Company's numopoly, at former pe.
limit, or to desetibe the inareestal attempts which were
made to extend to the King's subjects generally, by any
thing shoot of a perntionen to trade with India its their awe
skip., • participative in the Molls trade. Mush valuable
inforniat. eras Mime subjects will be lomat in the Reports
from Committees its former l'arlitusseuts; and in the dome.
orients and exansmations %shirt, insatedistety preceded the
eslahlisloneet tit the leveret system.
The beet Inths trade is now regulated 6y the Act of 1813,
styled the Chatter Act ; stud by aunt* later Acts, to which
'ow Ceppoitere V 4 111 Vf • PRO* refer.
The unitive ,and effeet of the 'admire Sitilligernent your
Committee will Now proceed to explain; wad they think it
right to .he more particular its their statenieut of the
lows, end of the practice which ha. been adopted under
them, because they bare reason (or believing that much niis-
eiruceptiun has psevailed upon these points; whereby, in
sense instances, BriiMet ruerchsista have been deterred from
enterprises which it rat within their lawful competence to
undertake.
The Aet of 1813, at the same time that it continued to
the East kudia. Company, for • period of twenty years, the
admillistretiou (under Cie superintendence and control of
the Crown, thrungh the Board of Coininimiuners) of the
' Britiab les rituries in lodate renewed also for the same period,
but with rely impurtam modifications and exceptions, the
exclusive lame:. with regard to the trade eastward of the
Cape, which had been conferred upon the Company by we-
enie' Illenner _Acts; especially by that of the 33dof Geu.lll.
c. 52, cailli;l ibe Charter Act of 1793.
Thit this re.enactment of the Company's monopoly, fol-
lowed byelie exteassuo of email limited rights to his Mo-
jesiy's subjects genesally, Wattles form in which the partial
opening of the East India trade was effected by Parliament,
a n point to which it is very necessary to mtend. It is out
fur your Cumnoilee to deter mhos whether it might wog have
been more emoted( ut to remist the whole law, and to arta.
blish by free euarteneuts the privileges of the Company and
of private traders rt,peetively; Nis was not the mode which
the lagislatore thought fit to adopt. Auld the (urns which
was uctually adopted, has subjected the ludian trade, mid
the tradeetish aU plact• witbiss the limits of the charter, to
a rule essentially opposite to that by which all other trade is
regulated: so that, whereas is all other , the general
rule to whieto merchants may appeal, is prraiiiiion, and the
prohibition is the exception; ill the present case, the gene-
ral mile is (a: bs all but the Company) a strict and rigoroos
interdiction of all commerce and intercourse with the coup.
tries eastward of the Cape; and that alone is permitted, fur
which these is • special warrant in an Act of Parlisimem.—
lo some porticulass, the eseeption is so extrusive, as to
smomis to en abreealiun of the rule; hut a recollection of
the pecultarite which has he.n minced, is nevertheMas in
thole cases important, with a view to a right naderitaud.
Mug of the .law, and the security of commercial enter-
prises.
The privileges then, which the Aet of 1813 extends to
private traders, may be thus stated :
tithe tint place, any person may export,io ships navigated
according, to law, from any port or ports within the Visited
Kingdom •of Great Ills main and Ireland, to all ports and
places within the limits uf the East ludic Company's charter
(save arid except tlie dutuoduiss of the Emperor of China),
any goods; warm, and estrecheadise, which may be legally
exported; mid Ice may also import, in ships navigated DC.
cording to law, from any port or purls within those limits,
except aesformaid, WO the United Kingdom, any goods,
wares, and merchandise, the product ur manufacture of any
uf the countries within those limits., which may be legally
imported.
The Itnsib r 1 Ms East India Company's Charier, to
which Him general permission refers, comprise all the' seas
nod eouotries eastward of the Cape of Curd Hope, and
westwaed of the Straits of Mag.llan ; and it is to be
observes% Met whenever Ibis description occurs in au Act of
Parliasneut or elsewhere, without a enalification, it has
this enteral extensive application ; but the Act, in effect.
establishes Bete rubilivisious of these limits (exclusive of
China, which is altogether excepted), to each of which a
diffeecnt reguletion is applied.
First, what are relied The Company's peculiar limits,"
being—all places satiate on the continent of Asia, hum the
river lodes to the town of Malacca inclusive, aril any
island under the goverunseet of the Compete" lying to the
numb uf the Emaator (that is, Prince of Wales Wand),
and the Company's factory at Bencoolen.
Secondly, all phew', other than those included within the
first division, width are situate more to the northward than
eleven degrees of )th latitude, nod bee the 6411 s and