The National Register.
London, England, 1813-01-10 00:00:00

PP. s.

GL,“LEM[N,

.'

A General Special Court of Proprietors of East I iulir St•lek was
field .on Tuesday, within their Court ttoifm, at 't In-tit House,
Leadenhall•strert, on special affairs connected •
Charter.
bir HUGH I NGIA s, the Chairman, inf irmed the Meetriw, enat this
Court had lat•enspecially summoned fur the purpose of submitting to
their consideration certam papers which had passed between Ministers
and the Court of Directors, on that most important subject—the re-
newal of the Comitany's Charter ; and he was sorry to have to inform
them, that the pre;orit appe'aranee of nce;ociation presented a must
W1E:vow:Ole aspcct.
't he papers wcre read, and conc;sted chit:fly of minntes of the
Secret Committee of Coriesi:oneknee of the Court of Directors, com-
municating to the Whole court ;he liticrent st;:ps in the prowess of
their collar:fume:it ions wit'a :he President of the Board of Contront.
A ertiat number of letters were read. Thew on the 'Fut of mi-
nisters, stated, govennnent to be disposed lo extend the trade to
the out ports, and repeated that the principit uniformly iwntionett
as the basis of any amingement 14 the renewal of the Charter, viz.
that intrclt.ffits of this country have as substantial claims to as
suricl4 lib rty of trade as they can enjoy, without injury to other int.
Por'f4 nt national establishments could not be departed from. On the
oarr of the Company, it was contended, that to open the trade would
truinowi to tin in, and injurious to the count ry,atid they alsocalled for
me re infor!.iation than had been given on the subject of the argu.
:runts used by those interested in the extension of the trade to the
(at-po 's. In answer to this, the following letter had been received
from Load Budonghatusture.

India Board, Jan. 4, 1813.

rllaJ the honour to receive your letter of the 30th ultimo, and pro-
ceed to c.invey to you Ilbv seuttmeuts ut his llajesty's Government, a►s
f':►r as it would seeoi ads isa.ble, wider I►resent circumstances, to (~,/ainue
the discussion.

With respect to your observation. that the representations which in-
duced his Majesty's Government to form their opinions upon the sub-
joct oldie extension ot the Import Trade have been withheld from the
V;f4ll • of Directors, and that your objections to that t xteosion have
not been " adequatelV answeied ;" you must allow me to avail myself
of this ocecsion to apprize you, that although his Majesty's Government
has shewu r .strong disposition to eater into the most flank and mire-
sei red explauations midi the Court of Directots, they have not felt that
it was within: the range of their duty to en:we in a controversy upon
the point at 'issue :—That duty lii been sufficiently discharged, in slit-
ting forth_ information of the Court of Proprietors, the eoliditio” op II
svhich tliey WE-se prepared to submit a ploposition to Parliament for tbi•
renewal oldie Charter, accompanied by such reasons Rs are conveyed
in the communications they have authorized isle to make.
I can, howe'ver, have no ditlieirhy in acquainting you, that the claims
or the Merchants connected with the out ports have not been brought
behire Governuient by written document., that they have bees urged
and diseusaed at personal conferences with individuals interested in
their success, and tf at you h-Ive already been informed ratite grounds
upon which they were supported ; but that it does not appear to his
Majesty's Government, that you can he warr7oned in expecting that
they should give la more particular account of the arguments adduced at
these confere aces.
I may odd. however, that as the Merchants and Manufaiurers con-
nected with the oat ports, comidering themselves entitled sit the
evp;. talon of the Charter of the vast India Company, to carry on that
trade from which they had been excluded for limited time, had enter
ed into a statement of their case by Petitions presented to Parliament
in cour e of the last St.s,ron, you may obtain from those records that
further inforainti,oi which you appear desirous to possess:
With regard to those pintos to which you have alluded RR requiring
.particular regulation, the Ministers of his Royal Highness the Prince
Regent having sitontied to you, that consistently with their sense Of
pUblie tiwy, they can submit no arrategenient to Padiament tint does
Lot .:ncliele an extenSion ut the 'upon f rade, and tin' Court of Directors

triving, x‘itb t!ie ((no...lt:lige of their opinbnas upon that point, 19y their
Resolution el the ti:th lilt declined to reectuniend to the Court of Pro-
prietors to I:4ret: to suet; an extele,ion, ii would seem prematurt toet.ter
info det:liis t'utt' tpicseion sh:11; have been finally determined.
Yok, ct (ii..o)o%•tion pt hi INfaiebt‘'s Government to
. . •

nirieic te, t'ic...przlsvitt system a .I'lluinistration in In lia, ant I am ni,t
th.it 1 cir,!amttancies shoold ad ritit of its continuance, it would
be ucecss.ry to nroiit”,:: env material alteration.in the existing pruvitiors
for carrying it Into osecution, extfept such as !nay ause (TOM the open-
ing of 11i...! it%
The you cxpresg in the wisdom and justice ref Porliament,
will, l ant rrsami, d, not tie disa iyolitteti ; nor is alt.) be iit4ipos. d, Out
in Ow consi,ler•itio,i of this gr e:it question, (to use own worth, )
[lva sat..qj t'te and the British Coilstituttt.ixt

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