The Sun.
London, England, 1813-01-06 00:00:00

the.anxious Wish of the Coto to' tj€ mutt Will be tiv'ci.loolteA either' by. the Legisla,
ntiainted with the wholesplan which his Alajesty's , tare or the Ministers of the Crown.
G'avernment may !rave it In contemplation to re., If the Government of India cannot-be carried on.
commend to .Parliament for a IteneWal 'off the With safety to the Constitution, except through
East Muria Cotnpany'.. Chatter : *biding such , the interv'ention oldie Company, the 'propositions
amendmentsin the system of the Company's ter- Of the Ci'wt of'Direetors, whateVer they mily be,
ritorial government and admiiiistration, asi past inuAt unconditionally be admitted. • .•
experience may have indicated the
.regulations It vi,ll he for Parliament to determine whether
deemed necessary for promoting . the discipline' the nation is in this respect without an. alterna-
agd.etficieney of the :Irmy ;. the amount of tive, or %vhether, if a change of 'system Aiolibl be
force which his Majesty, may be ,empowcred to rendered necesary by the decisions of the East-
maintain in India at the expellee of the Company; Cornp:my, measures might not be taken for
and the provisions which iniq be thought requisite ',,ppeningthe trade, and at the s:une time providing
for settling,the relative power of the Board of Coat- such an Administratioo of the Government of In-
missioners and the Cours of Directors. Thongh dia, as might be fottriel compatible with the in=
these topics were, specifically mentioned in the terests and security of the British Constitution.
letters from Lord Melville to the Chairs, of the I have the honour to .be, Gentlemen,
30th September, 1808, and the, 21st March lb 12, Your obedient and faithful humble Servant,
ll
the Court arc in great measure, uninformed u
the
cKiNGIIAMSHIRE.
of the arrangements, in regard to them, which his The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of
East India Company.
11Iajesty's Government may have in view to pro-
pose. And we intreat, also, that your Lordship
will enable us to lay b clove the Court of Directors,
and ultimately the Proprietors. in :my shape that
you may judge -fit, the information, additional to
that of the merchants already solicited, on which
the determination of his Majesty's Ministers rests,
as to the extension of the. trade to the outports,
and their intentions upon the other parts of the ar-
rangement to which we have now adverted.
'l'be requests we now make appear to us the
more reasonable,• from the weighty intimation
conveyed in the concluding part of your Lord-
ship's letter. It
,brings into view '(to repeat an
expression used in our letter of the 15th April),
" questions qfthe last importance to the stfiety of the
British Empire tit India, and of the Britiwh Consti-
tation at home," This is a solemn subject for the
country as well as the Company. lf, indeed, it
should ever come under actual discussion,' we
have that confidence in the equity and wis-
dom of the nation, that, notwithstanding all
present chunours, they will wish to do the
Company. justice, and to guard all the other
great interests which must come into ques-
tion. But prepared as we shall be, if forced
into this situation ,to maintain the rights and claims
of our:constituents, we must yet express; our hope,
that the Company will not be reduced, to the bard
alternative of thus having to contend for all that
is dear to them, or to accept a Charter on terms
which will not- enable theta to execute the:part bi-
therto assigned to them in the Indian system.—We
have the honour to be, irni-Lord', •
Your Lordship's most obedient
Humble servants,
ROBERT TIIORNTON
The Right Hon. the Earl of litickinghomshire, &C.

After this letter bad been once read, on the mo-
on of the Charman, it Was read a second time.
The Cit.IIIIMAN then said, that the Directors of

the Co►npany Were always anxious to hear the sen-
timents of the Proprietors, but from the import-
ance of the case then under consideration, they
were doubly anxious to have their opinion on an
occasion of such. importance. But though they
were desirous of. having the matter discussed then,
they did not wish that any :measure should be
determined upon hastily ; because Many Pi oprie-
tors were absent, whose attendance could not be
expected on that day, on account of the lateness
ot the hour at which the letter of the Marquis of
Buckinghamshire had been received, The Court
of Directors would Oder no opinion on that day;
but he need scarcely say, that their sentiments on
the subject of the ienewal of their Charter were

not altered.
Mr. RlGay expressed his sense of the ability
and earnestness with which 'the Directors had cr n-
ducted the negotiation. He was sure that the ,
Propriators participated in the regret expressed
by the
,Chairman at the present state Of the ne-
gociation, which was curtail-11y most uniavour-
able, He .couldnot re'rain from expressing his
indigntaion at the letter which had been last
read. It was cettainly very strange that Ministersshould ,
retu,e to give information on a matter of stieb
importance. The proceedings of his Majesty's
Alin isters were -ery, extraordinary, and by the mea-
sure which they meant to propose to Parliament,
nathely, the opening of the trade of India to the
tintports•of the kingdom, th ey acted against the opi-
nion of Lord ThurlOw., Aralitt, and Lord Cam-
den. These statesmen had always been of opinion
that the Charter of the Company shOtild he renew-
ed. Ile conceived that it was by no means im-
rilitie to give vent to feelings. of indignation,
in such a case us the present. Ile would-ask what'
the East India Company had stone to provoke the
Country to such treatment ? What bad they done
to draw down upon their heads a Measure so ruin-
ons to theue,elve: and to the, country 1 Ile 'con -
eluded by saying that no measure ought to be adopt.,
cd on the present occasion without the most Ma-
ture consideration.
Mr. ItonueT Tit ORNTON said, that his opinion
on the matter under discussion was recorded and
knoWn. He was anxious to deserve well Of
his constitneuts: 'The tipening of the India trade
so the wit-ports of the kingdom would he at-
tended with ruinous consequences to the Com-
' pany ; but those who- petitioned for it• would
he themselves the greatest, sufferers. .He would
glad to know what the-. panacea was
which could produce such benehinat effects to
the country trout this extension of cominerae ;
yet the Company acre attacked and required to give
tip that which is of vital consequence to the youn=,
Irv, and an object of envy to our enemies. It was
known that our enemies euvied our ships, colouieS,
and commerce. Rut if the trade of India was.
thrown open to the out-ports of the kingdom', in-
stead of ships, there would be only revenue cutters
' and smugglers. There would, 'indeed, he coloniza‘
tion, but there would be alsO the risk of eltimately,
losing all our I ndian territories, and the cud of this
commerce would be the ruin Of those who petitioned
lor it: -He hoped that the Deputies from several
out-ports; who had come up last year, would not
persuade the House of Commons to sacrifice the
Company to a mercantile experiment. Ile would
ask what the period was when they were called
upon to make this sacrifice ? A star had beamed
forth in the North which might lead to peace.
What then would be the consequence it', on the
first dawning of peace, the downfall of the East
' India Company shOuld he announced ? If the re-
sult of the neimehition should be as unfavourable
us it was feared, he would advise the. Proprietors
rtt once to Wind up.the, whole affairs of the Com-
pany, and to shut the great shop, of . the' India
House, and to attend to their private business.
This would certainly be better that to have their
affairs go to ruin, and not to be able to pay their
dividends.

(Signed)

le Chairman then informed the Courtothet the
Only. other doCuthent to he read was the Letter of
the
last
night.sicleof the Board of Controul, received
late
letter was then read—
India Board, Jan. 4, 1813.

letter
had theeliOnour to receive your
of the 30th alt. and proceed to convey. to
PM the sentiments of his Majesty's Government,
HS far as It would. !WWII vii:Allf.3 Wider present
circumstances, to continue the discussion.
With respect to your obsereation, that the re-
Presentations which hulked his Majesty's Go-
vernment to form their opinions Upon the subject
of the extension of the import mule have been
withheld,froM the Court of Directors, and that
your objections to that extension have not been
adequately answered; you must allow me to avail
' m yself of this occasion to apprize you, t hat although
his Majesty's Government has shorn tt strong dis-
position to enter into the most frattic.and unreserv-
' tat explanations with the Court of Directors, they
have not felt that it was within the range of their
duty to engage in a controversy upon the points
at issue :----That duty has) been suilieiently dis-
charged, in stating, for the information of the
Court of Proprietors, the condition upon which
they were prepared to submit a proposition to:Par-
liament for the renewal of the Charter, accompa-
nied, by such reasons as are conveyed in the:com-
munications they have authorized me to utake.
I can, however, have no •dilctilty in aciputint-,
ing you, that the'claims of the Merchants con-
fleeted with the ont:ports have not been brought
before Government by written docments, that
they have been urged and tliscas.ied at personal
conferences with iodividuals' interested in their
success, and that you have already been informed
of the grounds upon which they were supported;
but that it does not appear to his Maiesty's Go-
, vernmeot, that you can be warranted in expecting
that they should give a more partienlar account
of the arguments adduced at these conferences.
1 may add, however, that as theMendiants and
Manufactttrers connected with the out-porti, con-
sidering themselves entitled at the enirotion,ol
the (Antoci. of the Vatit .indite Company, to cat or
on that trade from which they had been excluded
for a limited time, had entered into tEStatenient of
their case by Petitions presented to Parliament in
the: coarse of the last Session, you 'thay'obtain
from those records that further Information which
you appear.deSirous to possess.
With regard to those points to which you hail:
alluded as requiring particular :regulation, the 31i •
nisters of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent
having signified to yoit, thationsiStenfly with their
sense of public duty, they Can 'submit no arrange-
ment to Parliament that does not include an ex-
tension of the Import Trade, and the Court of Di -
rectors having, with the knowledge of their Opi-
nions upon that point, by their Resolution Of the
the 18th tilt. declined to reconitnend to the Court
of. Proprietors to agree to such an extension, it
would seem premature to enter into details until
that question shell have been finally determined.
Yon are apprized of the disposition of his Ma-
jesty's Government to adhere to the present sys-
tem of Administration in India, and 1 ant not
aWarc, that if 'circumstances should admit of it:4'
COntitllllnee, it would be necessary to propose way:
iciarirsreyitlil.ogiritteiiteitoopeexneheigutti
.17
material alteration in• the existing provisions for
the 'trade. ,
-
, except such us may
justice of Parliament,
Thtt onfitlehee yon express in the wisdom an"
he disappointed , cwt
will, I ant persuaded;
the eonsideratit our it to be supposeti,,tioatusiii!,
your own wortl)s3,!:` thlemSagfreetlyttoftlittiLstlritiAli' ri"d'''--
Pire in India, and this British Constitution at

Mr.•Setjeant IgNING entered into a calcula-
tion of the number of persons employed -by the
Companv. There were not :less than 3000 la 7
bourers and 300 clerks employed in the district in
which the India House was .sitnated. The &Ml.'
lies of these, computed at. •1 to each labourer,
made a population of 14,006 or 15,000, and in-
cluding the families of elerks at the same rate,
►►►atte about 20,000 persons in that district who
i;.ti►ied a livelihood in the service of tie CoMpany.
,Government should consider what would be the
con Sequence of depriving such a number of per 7
sons of their means of subsistence. 'l'l►e eotise7
quence therefore of opening the trade of India
to the •cllit-ports would _he to 'impoverish that
quarter of the,Metropnlis, and to ruin the great
establishment of the Company. lie hoped that
Ministers would take this into consideration,

Mr..K. thought that the thanks of the
Proprietors were due to tin. Directorti, for their
coaduptonithe present " ticeaSiOn, and during the
whole negoeiation. lie could not forbear from
remarking ott the letter whit+ had been laq'read;
First, it was to be considered whether' it could be
anAwered at all with propriety ; secondly,
ther the Company could agree to the prociNtlingi
of Ministers. On looking back, he found that
had always been intended that the Charter of the
Company silo* be perpetual ; and only to be
taken.away ott certain grounds. Before Minis-
ters took any Measures tourarck proliferating the