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London, England, 1821-01-26 00:00:00

this might be effected without interfering with their
charter. If we were to depend solely on their own
accounts, they might be found erroneous. as they
once were before a Committee of the House of
Commons, of which he had the honour of being ■
Member. But besides all }hinge, who could foresee
the price of labour, the vitae of money, and 'eve.
ral other things for twenty-one years to come, which
should be well considered before the charter should
be renewed. They might as well pretend to say
what would be the price of bread and meat for
twenty-one years to come. All these ntininrsixesonid
sofurth, had been now exploded in theory. and
should also in practice. A fair and equal compe-
Idiot' is the only true principle on which trade
could be carried on. It is infallible and unerring
in its operations.—(Cheers.)—He next alluded to
the annual receipts of the Dock Company. It had
been said, that not one single 'trusty of the
accumulated fund was given to Ministers. lie
thought, that if this were the case, the charter
would not so easily be renewed; for he recol-
lected having heard the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer say that he raw no reason why the
people ►hould nut participate in the profits of the
West India Dock Company. He had beard of
aggregate as well as individual monopolies, He
would suppose* caw, where any one of these Gen-
denten by whom lie was surrounded" 'lstria in a ed.
loge, in which there were three butelwrs: one sold
beef, another lamb, anal the third veal, and that •
monopoly of each existed between them, lie would
be glad to know what sum each would be likely try
charge. But they would find that if they had the
privilege of going from shop to shop, tout they
would soon reduce their priers, and then the pub-
lic could purchase their provisions at a fair and res.
son•ble rate. If Ministers would consider the sub-
ject as a subject of interest, they never would renew
the Charter.. When trade is depressed the reve-
nue must sink, and trice versa. We all know
that one-tenth of every income find• its
way into, the Exchequer, in the shape of taxes; so
that if trade was douriehing, and capital increased,
then the revenue mid taxes would increase in the
same proportion. If the Minister incepted a con-
sideration for such renewals, it would be nii:st 11111•
just as well us foolish, like Ergo selling his
birthright for a mesa of porridge. lie would not
detain them with explaining the odious nature of
monopolies; they have beets deprecated by our
ancestors and all writers on government. Adam
Smith denominates them nuisances ; and in the last
Act of Parliament in which they are mentioned,
they are emphatically styled " lit11111111CeS." In the
reign of Queen P.lizsbeth many exclusive (orivi-
leges had bees' granted ; its conseryseepice of which
the House of Commons presentrd an Address,
to which. her Majesty most graciously answered,
that she thanked her faithful Commune for ex-
posing these harpies ■nd horseleeches (this was
tine term she applied to the monopolisers) ; and
she assured her faithful Commotis that she erred
from ignorance, not from and that she
thanked them for exposing an act that would have
eternally redounded to her dishonour. He could
not believe that Ministers would persevere in a sys-
tem which always had. and always would create
discontent ; but if they did sob lie trusted they
would be checked, as their predecessors hod been,
by the Representatives of the people.—(Much ap-
plause.)—He had only to add. that some Resolu-
tions would be proposed fur their adoption, and a
Petition had been drawn up, founded net these Re
siilutions, to be presented to Parliament, which
would lie on the table for gentlemen to ►ign, to
prevent the necessity of. troubling them to return
for that purpose. Mr. Nlarryatt, on concluding,
received the warmest approbation. The audience
bore tesnmony to the poweiful impression which so
able a speech was calculated to make upou their
minds.

T. WiLsots, Esq. M.P. rose for the purpose of
proposing the first Resolution. The whole ground
had been gone over so ably by their respected Chair-
man, that it would render ally ob.ervations from I•
quite superfluous. He would then simply content
himself by submitting the Resolution, %Inch was so
sound that he hid no doubt it would meet their
unanimous approbation.
J. W. BUCILI.S. Esq. rose to second the Resolu-
tion. He congratulated the meeting on having. the
subject ►o ably end so fully handled. He held in
his baud an extract from the accounts of the Com-
pany, from which it appeared. that previous
to the reduction of 25 per cent. there were
in their hands a sum of 400,000!. and now
not lees than 300,000. He sincerely hops& the
comniercial interests would never rest satisfied with
a reduction of rates, nor with any fixed rates. All
the commercial interests required was protection for
their property at the lowest possible charges. He
Lad the honour of seconding the Resolution, winch
was carried nem. eon.

Mr. SMITH addressed the meeting oitthe dis-
tresses resulting to the country from the system of
monopolies ; they tended to drive away many
foreign traders from the ports of London.
FORBES Mitt:HELL, Esq. proposed- the second
Resolution. He was of opinion that if they did
riot resist the Company, they would be saddled for
twenty-one years with all the inconveniericies to
which they had been so long subject. He wished
to call their attention to ri singular circumstance,
!hat would illustrate pretty strongly the eilormous
expense of there. Docks. Some years ago a large
vessel urine here from Calcutta (the Ilatiings); it
was• too large to enter the Docks, sod was obliged
to unload in the stream. The ronsequetwe was,
that it was then calculated that the expense of un-
losdn►g in the docks would have been 4904,
whereas in the stream it only cost lin/.—(Hear.)
Mr. RUOCAS seconded the Resolution, which was
carried morniinnusly.
Mr. RICARDS rose to propose the third Resolu-
tion ; and he would beg leave to preface it with one
observation. The meeting hwl beeti already so ably
addressed as to reorder it quite unnecessary for loin
or any one else to addre►s them : but eve►. if it
were, lie would be quite unequal to it. The
worthy Chairrusn lied alluded to a deputation that
waited on lliliniaters relative to this subject, lle
had the honour of being one of that deputation, and
he certainly never heard a inure able or perspicuous
statement than was made to them by Mr. Marryatt,
it was such as must have brought home conviction
to every hearer. But notwithstanding all his abi-
lity mid eloquence, they were quite unable to ob-
tain. a satisfactory onewer; and. he mu* confer.