The Sun.
London, England, 1831-12-14 00:00:00

AFFAIRS OF INDIA.

Lord ELLENBOROUGH, in rising to make the
motion of which he had given notice, for copies of the
correspondence between the factory of Canton and the
East India Company, relative to existing differences be-
iw4en them; observed that he was perfectly aware
at the present moment that their Lordships, like the
rest of the country, were very much indisposed to attend
to any thing but the all-absorbing subject of Reform,
but nevertheless, in the present state of the affairs
of India, he felt that he should fail in his duty if he did
not bring so important a subject under the consideration of
their Lordships. He could not, however, but admit that
the state of things in India had somewhat altered since he
had given notice of the motion. At that time he
entertained great apprehensions, from the notice be had
seen published by the Select Committee at Canton, that
the commercial interests of the country would be greatly
injured. Happy, however, was he to be enabled to
say that he had seen another notice, in which the previous
one had been withdrawn, but still he was very much
afraid that the difficulties attending our commerce with
China were not in any way, or in any shape, dimi-
nished. The Noble Lord here read the two notices
he had referred to, and observed that it was impos-
sible for any person to look at those two papers with-
out feeling satisfied that there never was a moment at
which the interests of this country, connected with China,
were in greater peril than that be had referred to. The
Select Committee had called upon the Indian authorities
to support their demand by armed interference, and he
(Lord Ellenborough) trusted that before Ministers acqui
esced in such a step, or moved one soldier, they would
calmly take into consideration all the transactions
that had occurred. He did not think that aggression
would be just tinder the circumstances of the case. Is
November 29, and May 30, the Chinese Government re-
laxed to a considerable extent the duties taken on
the importation of British goods. They bad relaxed it to
an extent equal to one-third of the whole duty. They
had likewise considerably reduced the duty on cotton, and
they had extended to all British merchants unconnected
with the Company that privilege which they greatly prized,
namely, addressing the Chinese authorities in the Chinese
language. After a few further observations, his
Lordship went on to say that all these restrictions
might appear very trifling in the eyes of the
people of this country, but in China great attention
was paid to them, and he considered that it was the duty
of merchants to pay attention and obey all the laws of a
country in which they were permitted to reside and
trade. The history of that singular country, even so far
back as 1769, showed that these restrictions had always
been the law of the land, and had been acted upon in
that country. The Noble Lord said, it appeared by a
paper which he held in his hand, that not satisfied with
acting in defiance of the laws of the country in which
they were situated, the Select Committee sent up a
force of 100 men to Canton for the protection of the
factory, and notwithstanding that provocation, (than
which the Noble Lord conceived none could be greater) it

did not appear that any steps were taken by the Chinese
authorities to punish that aggression. It also appears that a
proclamation was issued by the authorities at Canton; warn-
ing the Committee that such acts would not be tolerated,
yet in defiance of that the same system was pursued, and
not only that was carried on, hut a paper which was esta-
blished at Canton, first as a Price Current, but which after-
wards turned its attention to politics, lauded the conduct of
the Committee, and called upon them to continue the same
line of conduct, and apply to the Government at home.
This was a sort of publication which could be tolerated
by no Government. The Noble Lord then adverted to
the petition which was presented to the House of Com-
mons in June last year, from the merchants in Canton.
He did not find fault with their petitioning, but he consi-
dered that it was most injudicious in them to have published
the contents of that petition in China, when they signed
it. That petition spoke of the Chinese Government as
most arbitrary and cruel, of the authorities as venal,
and of the laws as absurd. It further stated that the
present moment was fitted for sending out an Ambassador
to China, to obtain further advantages, and the
reason assigned for that was, that our arms had been suc-
cessful against the Burmese, and therefore we would stand
higher in the opinion of the Chinese Government
through their fears. It also called upon the Government
to take possession of some of the Chinese Islands, in order
to stand in a better position. These were all published at
Canton before the petition was even sent off, and he would
ask Noble Lords, was this conduct that ought to have been
pursued on the part of the residents there, or allowed
by the Government of the country ? The Noble Lord then
read several extracts from the Canton Register, all re-
flecting on the conduct of the Chinese authorities, which
he contended were great provocations. He felt as much
as any one for the scenes which followed. The fortress
was taken possession of by the Chinese authorities, and
no doubt a great insult had been offered to his Ma-
jesty's picture ; but he would ask, had these authorities had
no provocations before these outrages had been committed?
He believed it was wholly unnecessary for him to press on
the attention of the House the importance of the trade,
which was periled by such conduct as he had described.
Should suck a state of things continue, and the trade
be thereby suspended, very serious inconvenience
would result to this country. In the first instance,
the reventie would lose about three and a half millions,
being the amount of the tax upon tea. Nut only
indeed that, but the East India Company would
be incapacitated from paying the interests :4 their
bonds, and the other enormous expences of their
establishment. There would also nixessarily be a
suspension of trade in the Chinese m:el-ket for British manu-
factured goodF, and also of the trade of the East India Islands.
The revenue from opium of more than a million a year
would be lost, there wankd be a depreciation in the value
of cotton, which would destroy the advantages of that
trade, and the revenues of the Indian Presidencies would
be greatly decreased. I❑ this country it would be
impossible for the Company to raise money on their
own property, which would be depreciated both here
and in India, while the cessation in the mean
time of the interest on the bonds of their annuities,
and of the pensions to officers, would cause serious inconve-
nience. It was the feeling such great distress would produce,
that induced hiist to press this matter on the consideration
of the Hous, and to desire an official statement of what had
taken place, as well as to know if any remedy was contem-
plated. What he would wish to see done was, that
so far from ordering as madmen to disobey the laws
of the country, orders should be given to obey them.
He was quite satisfied that the Directors of the East India
Company would visit with their severe displeasure the per-
son at the head of their factory there, whose disobedience of
the Chinese law was the occasion of what had taken place.
Further it was incumbent on the East India Company, not
only to command that their servants should not have the
Press under their influence, so as to bring down the hosti-
lity of the Chinese Government, but that they should pre-
vent the publication of such documents as could only tend
to provoke that hostility. On all these grounds he begged
to ask for the requisite information.
Earl GREY felt the deep importance of this subject,
<and the dangerous consequences which might result from
such a state of things as had been described by the Noble
Lord ; and when the time arrived there would be no
objection on the part of the East India Company,
certainly there would be none on the part of his Majesty's
Government, to put the House in full possession of all the
particulars of this important case. Under the present cir-
cumstances, while arrangements might possibly be making
and before the Case was completed, he hoped the Rouse