The National Register.
London, England, 1812-04-05 00:00:00

TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER.

209

great pro.eminenee in tommerce, and by military exploits had annexed
a vast tract of country to their dominions, 'Until the envy of the world
was raised against them; but they were forced into conquest by the
conduct of their enemies, who would have, without any compunction,
established themselves in their place, had Britain appeared reluctant to
wield the sword in defence of her commerce. When he had exam-
ined the whole extent of concessions which had been made to the
Government,lhe could not refrain from expressing his concern that more
inclination had not been shown en their part. to inform the Proprietors
what particular benefits were to be bestowed in revirn. General offers
were indeed held out, but no information nor even satisfaction could
accrue from such vague assurances; there had been no satisfactory ex-
planation, either, of 'the reasons which induced Government to open
the commerce, and he regarded the opinions thrown forth by the mer-
chants of Liverpool, as the desires anxiously expressed of a body of men
who appeared extremely fond of transferring the trade of India to
themselves ; their opimons therefore, could only be regarded as those
of a rival in commerce, whose interest made their assertions suspicious.
He was extremely sorry that Government should haSse all at once deter-
mined to open the trade to India, without first having adopted some
progressive mode, which would have come gradually on withoyt alarm-
ing the Company by the immediate deterioration of their trade. Even
the late I.ord Melville himself, a man sufficiently sanguine in his expecta-
tions of splendid results from the India trade, had expressed a desire in
the House of Commons, in the Session of 1801, to have the original free
and Occlusive grant to the Company softened down by degrees, for he
could not consent that an ancient system should be overturned by a mo-
mentary impulse of even the wisest Administration. Bert the present
Government kid determined to open the trade freely, without divulg-
ing any distinct arrangements to supply the place of the original sys-
tem, and he was anxious that some definite concessions on the part
of Government should be made before the ratification took place,'lest
they should, by the hasty admission of restrictions not fully developed,
disarrange and distract the whole order of their commerce. He heartily
agreed with that part of the Resolution which permitted no vessels to be
employed in the India trade under four hundred tt.ns burden, because,
by committing their,property to vessels of lighter burden, they might
he exposed to immense loss of property in those extensive tracks of Sir.lS
through which the shipping required to pass. As to the expectations de-
scribed to have been indulged in by the Public when the Charter was re-
newed, in 1;93, he could only say that such expectations were the ema-
nations of warm political minds, who did not pause to calculate on the
mischievous effects of a war on which they were at that period entering.
Since the commencement of the war the Company had wholly lost nine
millions of money by freight alone, and had contracted besides a debt to
a censidet able anteunt, all occasioned by a conflict for superiority which
had committed more dreadful devastations on cottons:see than any king-
dom or era had ever witnessed. He deemed it improper to urge an in-
crease of the dividends, and thought, under the existing uhfavourable
situation of the country, that all such determination should be dropped
as a desire utterly hopeless. He concluded by moving, as an Amend-
theitt to the orizi pal Motion, that the following clause should be added
That the Court could not contemplate without aFprehension the
free admission of att unrestricted trade, lest it should operate (isad van-
tageou,ly to their territorial possessions, and hinder them from engaging
all t h..se itmeneities which the Government lied promised they shuted
continue or be conceded to thee trade. They further expressed adi sire
that sonic me r definite art angement should be made respecting the
rights to be eeje).ed by individual traders, and for securing the possession
of individual property."
Mr. Bose ts feJET (the Chairman) said, when he took his seat in the
Court at the a}; pointed hour, he did it v ith a strong feeling that he should
have little oct-won to trespass upon the patience of the Meeting by any
remarks of his owl: ee hatever ; but the speech of the Hon. Gentleman
who.had just sat down rendered it necessary for him to cast that deter-
ruination aide, and in justice to himself and those amongst whom he
was placed, to rise and repel some. of the assertions so resolutely made.
Ile shared, ss ith the Hon. Gentleman, a strong sense of the honour of
the l'roprietors. and of the honest polity with which they desired their
conceres should be conducted. But the Hon. Gentleman seemed to be-
lieve that a streng party around participated with him in the hostility
which he had contessed he entertaine-d towards the measures pursued
by the body of Directors.—(NN, no, nu ! all around the benches,.—With
the Hon. Gentleman, he felt fully conscious too of the importance of tit*
present measures, which would, in truth, effect a radical change in those
advantages which they possessed by the old Charter. But the Hon.
Gentleman had expressed himself ratherstrongly when he said, that 2.11,
had been conceded on one side, and nothing on the other. Was he pre-
pared to say, 'het the advantages attendant on the establishment of the
army was welling ?—(lfccrr, herr! )—Besides, the NLinister had pledged
his assteraeCe of pecuniary assistance; yet the Hen. Gentleman ex-
claimed, idl that was nothing.—( Hew.. hear, hear!)—Was the exclu-
sive traffic with China nothing ?—(lit'ar, hear, hear, !)—'rhe Ministc r,
it was true, had not siguenandsealed any engage meat whatever, but r.e
had done what every other amicable Ministerihad done throughout the
history t f the Company's affairs, he bad pledged himself, so far as private
honour and public interest permitted, to ',Lye the negotiation ratified in
all its extent.
- - - -

The motion of Mr. Tackr.on, with the amendment proposed by Mr.
Grnit, %N ern then read and agreed to with much approbaticn.
The C unite at )1 mentioned to the meeting, %bat the Vesicles ptopo4e4

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