The Sun.
London, England, 1802-04-10 00:00:00

fed."—Thus, Sir; the eonstmiption of large tin-
ber may, if necessary, be diminished, without 4-
stroying the privileges of the East India Company.
I shall now, Sir, briefly notice the grand and
captivating idea held out to conciliate friends to the
Plan, and make the Public see with indifference the
East India Company despoiled_ of their Rights
The idea, Sir, of bringing the whole of the Trade
of India to the Thames, making London the grand
Emporium of Asiatic Commerce, and Occluding
Foreigners •from-the share they .now hold in it
said I should briefly notice this grand idea, for your
Committee have left very little to be said upOn it :
' they have shewn it to be a baseless fabric, and that.
it would end in complete delusion Sir, -'they have
not only shewn, that it would be impradicable, but.
that if pradicable,'it Would.be unwise to attempt to
reduce the proportion which Foreigners now hold in.
this Trade. .They have stated a remarkableCireum-
stance—they have shewn that the Governor-General
was calling on the Court of Directors to take effec-
tual measures to guard against the Portuguese, while
theTortuguese were assisting ,his Government, then
in distress for money, by the importation of s 74, 000l.'
in silver. On this head, I'shall only add one ob-
servation. In Bengal, on the. Coast of Malabar; on
the Coast of Coromandel, from Cape Comorin to
Orissa, Ports and FaCtories' are possessed by the
French, the Dutch, the Danes, and the Portuguese ;
they are all Maritinie Powers, possess commercial
capitals : their Merchants a 3 eager In pursuit of
gain, and almost as enterprising as. ours, and their
respedive Governments equally sensible of the ad-
vantages of a Trade with India :—can there then be,
rational ground of'hope that we can exclude them
from their share in this- Trade, or induce them to.
relinquish it, and consent to obtain the produd of
India only through the Port of London ? Besides,
Sir, in a political view, it would not be wise .to
-acquire for ourselves so invidious a preference ; for
we can but ill afford to lose any part of the reputa-
tion we possess .With Foreign Powers, for Modera-
tion or liberality in this resped.—But if, Sir, the
Private Traders really think that this brilliant.ob-
jed can be accomplished, are they content to receive
what they demand, on the condition of restoring it
in case of failure.? Will they consent that the Pri-
vate Trade shall return to its present footing, if
the hope shall prove delusive I-
. _ . _ _

I taieve, Sir, I have adverted to the several
speculative Opinions and arguments that have been
brought forward in support of the views of the
Private Traders: they do not,
,in my opinion,
prove that those views—can be acquiesced in with.
out infringing the Rights of the Company, or that
the adoption of them will be attendpd with benefit
to the Public. As to the momentous point of,
whether the Plan will tend to introduce a System of
Colonization, I shall refer them to the highest au-
thority they have qUoted in their own favour, to
chew. not merely that what they now deemed will
have that tendency, but that what they have already,
obtained has directly tended to it ; for, as I have
already observed, the late President of the Board of
Controul agrees with your Committee, " that the
" permitting the transfer of British Capital to In-
" dia would establish the first principle of a Colo.
" nial System, and direffly tend to introduce that
" Sy_stern into India ;" I ask then, if the Capital
now employed in the Private Trade, or a great
part of it, is not British, and therefore if the first
principle of a Colonial System, is not already esta.
Wished ?

The only arguments offered, to disprove the ex-
istence of danger of Colonization from therojeded
change (even after the first principle of it has been
established) are comprised in the Hon. Proprietor's
publication, and they rest upon the conclusion, that
the Governments and Commanders in India, present
and future, will always .do their duty, and enforce
the established regulations. The non-existence of
the danger is thus allowed td be conditional at least;
'the answer, in every part of it, implies doubt, and
tests upon an f; and should the Author unhappily
live to find himself mistaken (for I am sure it would
be a subjed of deep affliction to him), he will refer
to that if in his defence : but I think might safely
appeal to his candour, whether it would in reality
(as he states) be a very heinous libel on the Govern_
ments and Commanders abroad, to suppose it pos-
sible that, under the new System, they might be
remiss in the respeds alluded to and even whether.
the danger might not exist, and increase impercep-
tibly to them ?—For my own part, Sir, should
,the
change be adopted in all its desired extent, I am
fully persuaded that all attempts to limit the number
of Agents, and prevent the influx of Ediopeans
into Indi2, would be nugatory and ineffeCtual. Even
now, as you, Sir, must be aware, it is extremely
difficult to prevent persons from finding their way
to India, and settling at our Presidencies : the re-
gulations on that point are often evaded, and the
evasions connived ar.