The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-04 00:00:00

be
and

natives wished to he rid of it, and they wruli
eultivac It
but the tuilectors had orders to force meal to
Cultivate it, and in case a native received au ad-
a;:te"4m,
oifumeney from the company, and refused to culti-
ehe was punished. The cultivation of opium
Wu forbidden to every one, except those whom the Last
India Company employed; and after it had been raised,
it was purchased by the Company from the grower at
.one-fifth of its real legitimete price in the market. It
Zile then brought to the Company's del,Cas, where au en-
-aneed Price was put upon it; and finally, it was dis-
Patched to the coast of China, where smugglers were
employed for the purpose of running it ashore. And
What Iva§ the result? The monopoly was the cause of
reitYl scarcity promoted competition; and the Chi-
nese were beginning to grow opium for themselves, in
spite
piteineg
of their
heir laws which pronounced its cultivation to
et, So that what happened to the salt mono-
polyauout to ha-pen to the opium monopoly. Nor
should it be forgotten that both these monopolies cf salt
and opium were maintained at present in spite of an ex-
press
a engagement that they should be abolished. When
was proposed to introduce into the East India Corn-
ythse euy'ffea
eSt filolof 1833 two clauses, which would have had
putting an end to these monopolies, Mr.
Charles Grant stated to the Honourable Member who
moved the insertion of the clauses, that the Go-
lernment—both that at home and in India—had
salt e
e°ln to
the determination that the taxes on opium and
b
13th
08F0,1ild be removed. That was in 1833; and on the
Rican u,„.11, °IY, 1840, Lord Sandon put a question to the Con Whichohl
Membee was answered by the Hon. Baronet the
f Honiton (Sir J. W. Hogg), as a director of
the directors
India Company. The question was, whether
iurectors of that company had taken any steps to
rarate themselves from the manufacture of opium tn
atelciiii? The answer returned was, that there had been
- Yet no instructions sent out to India of the nature al-
tided
aaa; -02 but that the whole question was under the
t-rells consideration of the Court of Directors. Why,
i„ very reason for extending the term of the Cora-
ettlra charter to twenty years was for the express pur-
'as° of enabling the Company to remove the monopolies;
111:111d yet the salt monopoly, the opium monopoly, the to-
extsceisto monopoly—in short, every monopoly continued to
I)}7snlr.t abolishedoheat hr.e present moment, except those which had
by the inevitable laws of freedom.—
The tobacco monopoly was so completely
14 the hands of the East India Company, that they were
able to specify what districts should grow tocacco in a
Year , and they
compelled the unfortunate natives to
11,„lise tobacco at a price named by themselves. And
bil"esr the price had been fixed and enhanced, the to-
o produced was so bad that, unless steeped in
•
quid ammonia, nobody would purchase it, except
the natives, who had no choice, and the soldiers, who
bail
-ne money. With regard to the minor monopolies,
it l'ats customary to put them up to sale, and the pur-
ehs.ser, having paid the stipulated price, was entitled to
eolllect the police of the district in which the monopoly
*lts held, and to perambulate it in quest of contraband
,_l46'es. He could even enter into private houses at the
heed of his force, and make
_
a search for bees-wax,
hn
'eY, or any of the other articles included. in the class
of ,:minor monopolies for which he bad paid the purchase.
eln°lleY- Such were the sources of the revenue of Batish
4.nd .ia in the raising of which nine-tenths of the popula-
tics s were annually sold up, and which never exceeded in
afri omit 20,000,0001., notwithstanding the enormous in-
era ase of our territories from time to time. And yet
these territories, when smaller in extent, and not sub-
ject ed to monopolies and import duties, had yielded un-
der former dynasties a revenue never less than
30,000,0001. per annum. If these things were true,
ot eight they not to be corrected? and if they were not true
vr! kat possible objection could the court of directors have
to pan inquiry into the whole subject? It was not his in-
teis tion toenter at length into this question further than to
rlllltte this remark. In the changes which have taken place
4 the machinery for the collection of taxes since we
he came seised of the soil of India, we have the key to
the great decline of that country. For what had been
tow e secret of those changes ? Had they not all tended
ardss_ transferring the villages, the provinces, and the
e
uairtt from the natives and proprietors themselves to the
a n ds of foreigners—raw, inexperienced boys—brought
,4 England, for the most part at an exclusive college,
,
to re they were taught to consider themselves superior,
to to
nly to the natives whom they were to rule, but even
to 4 es servants of the company under whom they were
TL..4 ? Into their hands the whole power was given.
°tits; A:oiepelse.were as fit to manage their own affairs as any
Was any one of them who had ever visited
veld`l, Country not fit to compete with the Company's ser-
tisl' even in the highest offices? Yet it was only to
vibr Lowest offices that the Company ever appointed them.
inallt,..then, should we, without inquiry, without the ap-
it red of a Commission to visit India (for he be-
that no inquiry could ever avail to effect any ye-
fer local grievances without a Commission being
44,,teut to the spot and armed with full Parliamentary
tit) Zonty)--was it right, he asked, without investiga-
la t' the
re-consign the Government of India
e4i,
wit,,,Lerkieemhyands of the East India Company? But
hes ,rnul not confine the Commission to the subjects he
mentioned; because,lif there was one griev-
11l ea ILeh more than another had claims upon Eoglish-
tic~ redress, it was a corrupt administration ot jus-
,.diiN ss-ss4se years ago a Commission was appointed to
frldi ;"„`e Conflicting elements of what was called law in
d ata.:'° a code. The result of that Commission (which
10,010 assistance of an eminent lawyer, with a salary of
et.fled: Year) was the preparation of certain documents
jest se„-Jenal code; but that collection of papers her Ma-
,aevernment has laid upon the shelf. A further
ilti7aesi°ll had also been appointed, for the purpose of
eolott,,s the law equal for men of all religions and of every
le lc The result of that appointment appeared only
last be ahaPe of those remarkable Acts of Council passed
this 'ear, but which he was aware had been disallowed
Acta' Par by the Board of Control, called the " Black
Notre But the Indian Government had found the
rassitre
ortvenient mode of establishing the equality of
the. ilureti colour before the law, not by elevating
de lan to the os the Eng but b
rite:4,l9
g, the Eoglipsmann toof the levellish of theman, Indian.y
bat itic'iceu that the "Black Acts" had been disallowed;
dome to as a remarkable fact that nothing had been
aftE, Supply. the place of those enactments ; and
the fs!)yenteen years of reform administration in India,
Crsztlisgbtfol abuses so ably denounced in Sir James
The masterly speech remained still unredressed.
s, administration of justice was still a mockery; trial
t'ererY had no existence; and the publicity of the pro-
s:timings of the courts of justice was denied. One se-
ttle able instance of how justice was administered, was
heel:" of a native contractor for the Government who
the pr°l3ght an action for an enormous amount against
or-a3t India Company, but the Company brought, not
,0„ °la-action, but a criminal prosecution against their
Grp and
in one of their own courts, where no trial by
o 110 publicity were allowed, for the alleged for-
a, e
ust documents. On this charge the man was now
psody, and before his own action against the Corn-
Ra-Y could be brought on, there was little doubt he
onald be convicted and condemned. He (Mr. Anstey)
.
o to have an inquiry instituted as to what the na-
eta,
a„ thoueht of such a system, and whether it was
feu) ular in India; for he believed that neither the plan-
I:8 nor the natives of India could be more incompetent
ndthe administration of government than the East
tii!Es Company had shown themselves. Another head
his proposed inquiry into the system of the Indian
I;:rerninent should be its foreign department.
e Rouse had a right to know what the nativi's
?eght of the policy of the Government in this perti-
ll,l'ar"--Whftt they thought of such dispatches as that of
st?,lllDalhousie refusing to be bound by the Company's
siatiee with the native states, or to recognise their laws
h their institutions regulating the right of suecession
the adoption of an heir where a prince had no regu-
o4,ll:,°°al descendant. This native custom had been
"vd in the celebrated Sattara case, and other fla-
grant ifrom the
aove instances; and he wished to ascertain
th, reigns of the native states of India what they
iik_tlitht of their own rights in this matter. He should
the to know from the natives under our rule whether
faith still continued so much impressed with our good
as thatid our scrupulous observance of treaty obligations
eati,eY were in the days of Lord Amherst. The last
etdy e who had visited our shores had told us that the
of thafterity for attachment to our power in the hearts
least Millions of India, was their confidence that we at
tiookres,Pected justice and the claims of solemn oblige-
rse,t? zut what was the course of the Indian Govern-
9tiito Any of aggression, however flagrant or ini-
If it -ea insured impunity from the Court of Directors
reeeen'y met this one condition—that it increased the
thstii•ute of the company, and 'added to its territory—
Rata? elPed to keep up the dividend of 10i per cent.
teedsktiotla to the proprietors of East India Stock.
foNi 'ler branch of the inquiry under the head of the
stro-hgn department related to those wars, those mon-
-114 r, Secret, and aggressive wars, which England, for
Themrlit time in her history, had engaged in since 1833.
the warin Affghanistan was one of these instances; and
cre• et of 1833 had an express clause conveying extra-.
4114 'Y Powers to she Board of Control on matters of
iota attre. The secret committee of the Court of Di-
to _thad lent themselves as an instrument for promot-
hese schemes of aggressive conquest. He rejoiced
v 9114 ;t however, that the price of their subservience to
tech, ,the Court of Directors had looked had never been
poli-e;;1_
•by them. The expenses ot the war had fallen
noes Iluetr finances; they amounted to forty-four mil-
etatt:ll 1848, and since that date there had been no ac-
the eOf them. Now he (Mr. Anstey) wished to know
theyeeling,
of India on these transactions, and whether
t° ours"eregarded by the native population as redounding
The national character for honour and probity or not.
thci rants of the Company themselves had disapprovd
the oti Propeedings. Sir George Wade appeared, from
oarb °Lai papers, to have been in favour of the Affghan
%len? tit he (Mr. Anstey) could show that he was all
%RC tta !Igainst it, and would pledge himself to prove his
tied al The considerations to which he (Mr. Anstey)
hams adverted were chiefly those of justice and
Iv; ere „Intl- He knew that there were minds which
t app7o`.ca,pable of being moved by such considerations
stte4tv seeing political subjects. To such he begged
Itieettfl (although he was almost ashamed to reduce the
kr, ti'ote to such miserable dimensions) to the analysis by
(I)aftg°mery Martin, ot the customs, and other ac-
c'elell a public nature, laid before Parliament, from
la 48" wsB demonstrat, din a most masterly manner
trea,ot, and had never been contradicted, that under the
144 (433'stem of administration in India, under the
vtt'llt t revenue alone, 20,423,901/. sterling was antinally
iftiVaca on the price of only eight commodities,
lee to India only had justice done her, would be sup
°pits Null: from her territories. These eight articles
piai,• ehe cotton, silk, rum, coffee, tobacco, linseed, and
ti "i sanhad s
Dag else read to the court of proprietors,
4:4 of Contradiction, a statement showing that the na-
th'Bl4erla, if they were enabled by the Company's
1441tite .11 t° consume only one-tenth per head of the
of °I British manfactures consumed by each mem-
-11141„f neve population in the West Indies, that
acte
""' 41111%1 export trade a 72 willione alert-