The Sun.
London, England, 1823-03-18 00:00:00

lay open the trade to vessels of every site, and allow British
subjects to compete in these places with the Americans.
The trade to China must be kept separate. It is a close
monopoly, not meant to be disturbed, and at any rate has no-
thing to do with India. From undeniable evidence, therefore,
we have shown that the Revenue obtained from West India
produce, is ten times as much as from East India pro-
, duce—the tonnage employed in the former- five times greater
than in the latter—the exports in British manufactures three
times as much, and the imports more than donble.
The reduction of the duties on Sugar from India is not the
way to benefit either Britain or India. The sugar produced in
India should and might all be advantageously sold eastward of
the Cape of Good Hope. From that point east to the centre of
the Pacific Ocean, the limits of the East India Company's
charter extend. An immense field for trade lies open there if
permitted: The East India Company do not carry on this
trade—they do not want to carry it on—they allow the Ameri-
cans to do so, but prevent British subjects, except in vessels of
MO tons, from Great Britain direct to and from three or four
ports in Hindostan. The absurdity of these restrictions the
Legislature and the country have long seen and felt, as well as
our intelligent merchants. The former have now taken up the
business seriously, and insist that, with the exception of the
Tea trade between Canton and Britain, all that space shall be
laid open to British subjects in vessels f any size, and from or
to any place they, please. This is the trade to look after—to be
allowed to go from place to place in the east—to the east coast
of Africa, the Red Sea, Arabia, the Persian Gulph, the
Eastern Archipelago, Malacca, Cochin China, &c.—bartering
and trading as the merchant sees meet, who will ultimately
bring that which is most profitable and valuable to the Mother
Country. This is the trade which is to benefit our Merchants.
This is what will benefit the people of India and Great Britain,
and injure no other part of our dominions. But this main
point is always kept in the back ground, indeed altogether out
of view.
To permit this, however, the East India Company make two
extraordinary demands, namely, that the East India Sugar
should be admitted into the British market at the same duttes
as. the West India Sugar, nay, at an ad valorem duty, and that all
vessels built In India, or belonging to people there, shall be en-
tided to British Registers and have the same privileges as Bri-
tish ships, because, say they, both the people of India and
Great Britain are, as British subjects, entitled to this. This
is specious reasoning, but equally dangerous and unjust.
,Upon the maintenance of our navigation laws depends our
navalsupremacy, political power, influence and strength. Were
East. India Shipping placed upon the same footing as British,
then,we should see a large portion of our trade wrested from our
native ship-owners, and vessels manned with Lascars and feeble
Ilindoos, instead of British seamen entering our harbours. The
former are ill calculated, in case of emergency, to man British
fleets, or bear her naval thunder over the world. Policy and
justic and safety alike command us to set our aces against such
a concession.

That the East Indies can be placed upon the same footing
in the market of the Mother Country as the Weit Indies, can
never be allowed till the principles of the Britisfi Constitution
are changed, or introduced in toto into India. The West In-
dia-Colonies never had a monopoly of the home market. The
Mother Country established that monopoly_ for her advantage
and against the interests of Colonies. They were forced to
send all their produce to her, and take all their supplies from
her. The East Indies were never so situated. The
market of the world was always open to them. The Act
Charles H. cap. 10, restricting the West India trade, says
expressly, that " it might be for the sole benefit of our
own Navigation and People," and because, says Act Ch.
11., cap. 15th, " those Plantations beyond the seas are
inhabited and peopled by the subjects of Great Britain ;" they
are, therefore, as clearly, and as strongly as;Acts of Parliament
can make them, entitled to protection over every other conntry
not established upon similar principles, as the British agricul.
turista are over foreigners. Mr. Cropper, indeed, ridicules
Acts of Parliament as confirming vitae rights and privileges
to this portion of our Empire, hut still Acts of Parliament are
the only security that is held by any of us for any property
whatever.
The distinction between a West Indian and an .East Indian
is immense, and all in favour of the former. When the first
British settlers went to the West Indies, they carried with
them, and had confirmed 'to them, the unalienable rights of
British subjects, that their laws and taxes could only be made,
and raised by their own consent, through their representatives.
The conquered colonies, such as Jamaica, Grenada, St. 'Yin-
cent's, and Tobago, where there were many, persons not Bri-
tish
born subjects at their conquest, had, when these places
were confirmed to the British Crown, the same privileges eon-
firmed to them by special charter. A West Indian Colonist
retains and holds all the proud privileges and distinctions of
Britons. Not so in the East Indies. The moment any Bri-
tish subject places his foot in India he loses—he surrenders
up every privilege for which his country and his countrymen'
are so' eminently distinguished, and he, becomes to an intents
and purposes, a subject to despotism, to laws and. regulations
which he has no voice in framing, but which he must neverthe-
less implicitly obey.- Ills privileges and the privileges of the
people, of the country, he goes to, never can be the same, there-
fore, in the eye of British justice and policy—and till the East
Indians can rail the Great Seal of Britain, from the Charter
of the Weerindia ',Colonies, they must remain without the
claims of these colonies, to the support, protection and favour
of the Mother Country.
When all other weapons fail, and when any act of injustice
is meditated against the West India Colonies, the usual weapon
had recourse to, is to raise a prejudice against them, by a cla-
moor about their produce being raised by slaves, while that of
India is raised by ,freemen. To such a length has this been
carried of late, that numbers in Britain have renounced the
use-of West India Sugar for that imported from India. For
the African Institution, who have nothing to lose by thepro..
ceeding, to raise a hue and cry-against the West Indians,
on account. of their cultivating their produce by slaves,
as the laws of England,' no secret, command and permit
theme occasions -in us no surpise, but: for the champions of
the Last India Sugar trade and India to do so, really excites
our wonder, our astonishment, and our indignation in no or-
dinary degree. It is with pain we are compelled to notice this
part ofthe subject, but when these advocates audaciously de-
mand an extinction of the rights of British subjects upon the
'grounds already pointed out justice requires that the falsehood
of these statements, and their system pf tyranny and sisvery,
should be publicly exposed.
It is notorious that a great Mass of the population of India
are Slaves—Slaves to Slaves, and that this is more particularly
the case in those parts of India where the Sugar is produced.
These Slaves, says Dr. Buchanan (officially employed by the
Marquis-WellesleY) " are severely treated." Their diminutive
stature and squalid appearance, *hew' evidently a want of
nourishment. There can be no comparison between their
condition and that of the Slaves in the West Indies. They
are the absolute property of their masters, and not attached
to the soil. They are often compelled todwell in places appro.
priated for. Cattle, at a distance from the abode of free.
men, for these'poor creatures are considered too impure to be
permitted to appear in the house of their Devaru or Lord--the
allowance in rice, clothes and Money for a male slave annually
is equal to 21. fla. lid. and for women fis.ld,--old people re-
ceive two-thirds of the above allowance accordiog to the duty
they can perform. A male slave about 90 years old costs
2/. 14s. 70, with a wife he fetches double--children are sold at
from Ha: 2ide le 21s. and in other places male slaves bring only
front 9s• Gid. to 211 a. fld. and women half-price," from which
it appears slaves are accounted one hundred times more valu-
able in the West Indies than in.the Dist. •
Even what are called their free labourers are, according to
Mills, a most wretched race. Their pay is only 2d. per day
They are the slaves of Zemindars, Rajahs, and Nebel; and
can hold no property.' Their masters 'can seize it when they
please, and also to call upon them to labour at their 'pleasure.
"fheir degradation is inhuman—the most groveling sub-
mission is imposed as a religious duty,'and he who attemptato
instruct a servile man in the mode of expiating sin, is doomed
to' one of their deepest hells I !"
Such is the glorious system of liberty and freedom which
reign and produce Sugar in India, and which is brought fat.
ward as a contrast to blacken the character of the 'West
Indies; and, as.ti 'reason, the chief reason,- why this country
should commit an act of frio de 6, and 'violate all her engage-
ments. Of all men on earth those connected with India Would be
silent, and never let the words, 'elavery, tyranny and despotism,
or oppression, escape theit line. They will, if they act tither..
wise; provoke inquiry thiit cannot be adviintageous to diem or
the* caose4 "We hold our Empire inlndia" said Warren
Ilaatings, "by a thread ivhich the breath ofpublie opinion May
break in a ,mement ;1' and remembering this, we must protect
with a more generous hand, those pans of our Empire nearer
allied to us, held by, a more durable band,. which may remain
longer ours, and which are, to say-the least of it, from their in-
ternal establishments, even more deserving our protection.
It is a mistake or a deception to say, that the additional duty
of ss. per cwt. laid upon East India Sugars, and now required
to be taken off; was imposed as a• protecting duty to the West
gtaAdotodo _
cloyed, or
Indies. It indeed acts as such, but the fact is, this additional
colter thvaetnuwelliasch, has gone tits
ehnarm7
dutyof raw
w s imposed
$a
a process of a similar nature, was, is, and may be imported
into this country from India.
Our limits do, not permit us to extend our remarks further
upon tine important subject, or to 'expose the sophistry
ployeal by East Indian, advocates. The West India Planters
form 3 part of the agricultural interests of Great Britain:
the latter the question is of deep importance ; for, if the We*
Indian Agriculturist isnot:to receive protection apins' the inr
o*liietien of Produce which may justly he callid-Pareli‘n,,lmw
ean'the British Agriculturist look for 'preteeticartiver Ike grow.
era otlereign grain., Such demands as those we bare irteg-