The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-02-26 00:00:00

re •
7,090,400 H. to the Publl circuit d have been paid, 4141;6
wool.! !aye eerv•cr tnextinguish a considerable part
of the National lkbt of Great Britain. It was a
tatisfeEtion to him to know, that the production of
the papers he hail L. move for, would be a work of
much time and trouble, and he should take a subse-
Ilisent opportunity of moving for a Committee, to
investigate fully, the. state of the affairs hi India;
liff Was aware, that'll; this proceeding,* under-
took a service of some danger,_ arid oißht expose
himself to obloquy and misrepltesetfation ; but he
s felt it a point of duty, to lonk into the state of the
Company's affairs, when he fouud them encumbered
with a debt of 30 millions in India, and seven
hmillions to the public. He concluded with moving,
-ebat there be laid before the House, an account of
all sums paid into Ills Majesty's Excheqeer, by the
mast India Company, in compliance with the third
oilodion of the Aft of 1797.
.;• Lard CASTLEREAGII said, he should abstain
:m going generally iato all the topics alluded to
a the Hon. Gentleman ; but he did not wish to
-
„Lave it supposed, that he acquiesced in what was
tetaied of the misappropriation of the Company's
1 -seventies. 'rho Hun. Gentleman had either for-
. ,
_ or cursorily ar.d hastily glanced over the
Inf. 1797, when he assumed, that bullion was
. . out of this country fur political purposes ; whim,
epnroc:os,
las the transfer of debt from India to
. etxpitiy. ThscHouse, or the Parliament, could
-
by Illy passibility, color-out the revenues of the
India Company; though they might regu-
flap.
muchand fraught
the fieftsmitettewehs
yathceomA:e,rwciearl
the greatest advantages to the trade. The pro-
.
jam their appropriation, whtim they were forth-
4fienting. \Vhen the surplus expelled by the framer
.Itllf the Aft did not accrue, a discretionary power
.3osigtad in the Government, to suspend the payment
rii4zoo,oool. arnuallv ; but, it could not he c in-
.
that the puisiie was entitled to receive that
f.
=
„, unless the fund. for it existed The in-
now proposed to be instituted, seemed princi-
_pane to be confined to the 6nasiees of the two last
:years; when, owing to the Mahratta War, and
.other ceases. the pressure upon them was the
-Stletest and most urgent. Dy the aftual account
.gthe finances of that country, in April; 1803, the
.‘ mese would perceive, that the situation of India
Rios so proaperoos and alßuent, as afforded -Awl-
:dim animas of applying the surplus, in the my nor
. "pied, were it ma for the intervention ‘. 1 the
4/1111reed eetraordinary pressure, which he brine
altodad to—and of the present resources of that
• casualty, it wools' be impossible for the House to
limb an accurate jodgment, until they should be in
'Possession of the accounts of the years 1803, 4, and
6, which had not yet been received.
Mr. FULLER said, that as the name of the late
Marquis Cornwallis had been adverted tn, he should
grad himself of the opportunity that was now pre-
awed. to state his opinion, that some mark of the
pal& esteem should lie given to his gallant brother,
Admiral Cornwallis, for the striet blockade which
be kept of the enemy's ports.
The SPEAKER here interrupted the Hon. Mem-
ber. conceiving that what he said had no apple-
Ultima to the robin& in defeats.
.14trel FOLKSTONE thought, that in taking a
_ _ .

•

ig ..
• . view of this subjs., the House might be coot f nted
to eassfine itself te the proceedings of the Company,
' -for the last two years. The nation made a com-
, pied' by which it gave up extensive privileges to
r that body, and if they broke that compact, it should
be at an end. The ild of Parliament regulated,
that its revenues should be applied, first, for its
military establishments ; next, to civil purposes ;
wad, lastly, to the purchase of investments for the
•. trade. These should have preceded the payment of
• their • ' ; and, if the investments were not
for, be thought that the dividends should
not haploid.
. Lord CASTLEREAGH explained, that he did
sot mean to confine the investigation to the last
ta o years, but to extend it as far as might be
• %bought proper.
Mr. FRANCIS said, that he scarcely e'er felt
a astessishment than at the assertions made by
le Lord (Castlereagh). lie would freely
it to any of the Diredors to say, upon their
homer, whether they were flee to semi orders
abroad. indepeedently of the Board of Controul ?
And V any man should state the affirmative, he was
prepared to give reasons why he must doubt the
truth of it. If they attempted to communicate upon
commercial subjeSs, they were immediately checked
• And "'unwed by the Beard of Controul. As to the
• Tewiteeial Government, and the politics of that
pier of the empire, he was wiling to acquit the Di-
teem Wall blame. So far were they from having
nay st_ , ist that way, that they did not possess
may j were in regard to their own shipp,i4.
Ntisorregolatios of their private trade. the
oble Loot slid oat deny that there was an er-
sl= bium this countyy of eight millions
aurally, wad even alleged, that it was
isdeMwtegewee to the assnoteroo of the country. He.
hetwaTeep as the cowerary, was ready to contend,
• mad to doutessoo‘ that the espestation of suck a
balsa is Mao; lostead of investments, must be
t adman to ilk Compsny's prosperity. If. then. the
nowoost "area not applied to their investments, the
atilk of. ishilloomat Was a fallacy, nor was any part
of 4 ' with, mein the payment of the di-
vi t
detywpied
:o do hapriK.ts. which was the last thing
tbs.- ter. In stating all this. he con-
• isisoldf us het tbo truest friend of these blind
"rho Imbed to nothing farther than the
laimmilhoo mamas of their dividends. He could
so. perhaps. justly complain of the East India Pro-
=. wbe were mot to be considered as tree agents;
was so elegise for the Diredors, who suf-
fered Wags to so oo in this meaner, when they
emit 1.444 come to the l'srhament, and make a
plea watentent of their grievances. When he saw
a Ask of seven millions rapidly increased to twenty,
)se could scarcely avoid recurring to the Mahratta
war, the mischiefs of which he had been so often
reps.:eating to a careless House of Commons, an
indill.irent Public. and a Co:npany insensible to its
inspeeding ruin. The amble Lind (Castlereagh)
had told them, that in the year i ettl, the state of
the Fast India Company was prosperous and afflu-
ent—AA assarti.se ie which he could net at.quiesce,
when he saw such sums of mosey charged against
iii than, sad that the debt, which, by the operation of
We law. it it hati brim obeyed, would have been
redece.l to two millions, as t.! is time was swelled to