The Sun.
London, England, 1813-06-03 00:00:00

.necessity a which he would' deinisustrate more
fully hereafter, in a view of the accounts of the
Compimy ; in the mean time he he',.;geti pardon
for trespassing: so long upon the and for
intruding any considerations personal to himself
upon their notice. . •
Mr. C. GRA.NT was unwilling again to tress
upon the time of the Committee, but he felt him-
self called upon to make some remarks on the
speech of the lion. Gentleman who had preceded
him. If all that had been said by the lion. Gen-
tleman Nvas true, it- would be necessary to allow,
that all those great men who had been supposed
to have benefited the country by their services in
India, had acted upon mistaken principles, and',
their mistakes the Hon. tientleman had taken
upon himself to correct. Ile would, hywever,
-venture to say, that the lion.'Oentleman
iias
singular in his opinions, and that no person who
h,ad ever been in the service of the Company
would support such doctrines as he had On that
night iicivanced. The scope of his arguments had
been to prove, that unless the biliabitantsof In-
die, who were known to he an agricultural people,
were transformed into a commercial nation, they
could never be made happy. Proceeding upon
this principle, the Hon. Gontleman had said, that
all the reformations made by Lord Cornwallis,
instead of tending to make the natives hi:ppy, had
in reality made them more miserable than ever.
In reply to this,. lie had only to 'say, that he be-
lieved he knew all that had passed in India for the
last twenty years, and from this knowledge was
enabled to•stateit as his firm belief that the Hon.
Gentleman, when he made this affirmation, was
completely mistaken. To flud ysliether the con-
dition of the native Indians bad been improved by
the Company, -it was only netessary to compare
the present state of the inhabitants of India. with
-that in which they were before any measures weiss
undertaken -by the Company for their improve-
'merit. The Hon. Gentleman hastcontended that
the Zemindar tenure had been made the sciurce of
misery to the possessors of its owing to tlisi sue s.
sures pursued by the Company in exacting rent for
landed settlement. In opposition to this he coif.
tended, the the system of land payment porsned
by the Company was not only the Most ancient,
but the most politic and the tu4st expedient, be-
sides being that which was most conducive to the
happiness of the Zeminclars. He wished this mat--
ter should be referred to the consideration of a
Committee above stairs, to establish the truth of
this opinion. If the expectations so generally
entertained and encouraged by, the commercial •
people of England, could be realized, it would
•afford him much• pleasure ; but the more he in-
quired into the subject, he .was convinced that the'
fulfilment of such expectations was impossible.
lie did not exactly say that it was impossible that
the consumption of goods of British manufacture,
by the natives of India, could not be increased;
but from the inverate attachment of the natives
to their ancient usages, their habits were so deep-
lyrootcd,. that any considerable change hi them
could only be effected after a long course of years.
Besides this, if in the process of time it should
happen that the native Indians acquired a taste
for European articles, such was the ingenuity of
the Natives, that these articles would speedily be
, manufactured by their own artizans, and of course
this would of necessity put an end to the impor-
tation of British manufactured goods.
Iklr. Ricissans, in .explanations said, that he
was not singular in the opinions which he had
stated. For a confirmation of the opinions which
he had expressed on the subject of the Zemindary
settlement, be.would lineal to no less authorities
than 'Lord Teignmouth, Lord W. Peutiock, Mr.
Colebrooke, Col. Willis, Col. Macaulay, and Col.
Monroe.
Sir EYII-17. COOTE said—". I tun aware, it is pre-
situiption in me to rise upon a question of so
much importance, and which involves the interest.
of our Empire in the East ; but being prompted
by more than common feelings, I trust I shall be
allowed the indulgence of the Committee to tres-.
pass on their patience fur a few moments.---
To 'man can read the history of -that great
Empire, without admiring the talents, valour,
and industry: y which it has been acquired to this
country ; and -we must all lament to see a chance
of the fruit of that labour awl that industry being
impaired Or„ endangered. We learn from a great
Statesman, that " to innovate, is not always to
reform." - Innovation is. not reformatiOn : of this
truth a neighbouring nation h.as taught us a me-
lancholy example, Impressed with this idea, 1
for one must, in common With many Gentlemen
around: Me, pause upon- the subject now before
the House. I have, given this great; question
every consideration my limited understanding will
admit, :and the more 11. reflect, the -more I 'find
myself involved in intricacy and difficulty. This,
strengthened by a. conviction that British India
has'greatly flourished under the superintendance
of time- Company, would persuade me to hesitate
and withhold my assent to measure of political
experiment, which, in pursuit Of a doubtful ad.;
I vantage, might destroy, but certainly endanger
the benefiti
,arising from the &Orions and iminor-
tal achievements- of the heroes of Plassey, Wan-
diwash,. Pondicherry, Seringapatam, Ass-ay, and
Lisswani:?!."
Mr. Ttaio4.s7„ after a suitable exordium, la-
, -limited the course which had been pursued by
the advocates for free trade, who had not brought
forward any evidence in favour of their system,
before the Committee, where such evidence
would have been minutely sifted and examined;
but. they came forward with their faCti in the de-
bate, where there was not any opportunity af-
forded for having them examined with that accu-
racy and minuteness which in sucb a case was so
necessary. This system had been followed by the
'Honourable Gentleman who had on that evening
opened the debate. No evidence came from that
quarter front which in justice -it ought to have
come ; for it behoved those who were inimical to
the renewal of.. the Charter, to prove why it ought
`not to be renewed., But when the Company came
out, supported on every side With evidence, all
that wins to be set at. nought by assertions boldly
made in the debates—they were to be met with the
lissertions that the. acts of- the Company, in their
c•lpacity Of Sovereigns, are prejudicial to trade;

•
THOMAS WOOD, of No. 11e, Strand; and Publish(
No. 112, Strand, wbere Advirtiminents Orders fi