The Sun.
London, England, 1833-06-14 00:00:00

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country, ascend the heights. Truly to judge
of the value of historical events, requires in the
same way that we should view them at some
distance of time from the period of their occur-
rence. Thisis a trite remark ;but how forcibly illus-
trated by the public feeling with respect to passing
events, it requires but little abstraction from the
present to feel. Among many important ques-
tions which now occupy public attention, two
stand prominently forward. We mean the ques-
tion of the renewal of the East India Charter,
and the emancipation of the slaves in the West
Indies. Of the two, it is impossible to deny
that the latter not only is of the most absorbing
interest, but is considered of the deepest im-
portance. Not only do a million and a half of
petitioners press upon the Legislature the aboli-
tion of negro slavery, as if to each of them it
were matter of life or death, but statesmen (none
certainly whom we have been accustomed to
reverence for greatness of mind) come forward
to declare that the question of negro emancipa-
tion is the most momentous ever discussed ; that
they approach it with fear and trembling ; that the
future welfare and prosperity of the British em-
pire depend upon the mode of its settlement, &c.
Let us test these opinions by removing the ques•
tion to a distant period of time. Let us suppose
that in a flourishing period of the Roman Empire
the question of emancipating 800,000 slaves in
the Morea and the Cyclades, and leaving them
to earn their living by working for wages, had
been agitated, and carried in the affirmative ; can
we suppose, whatever might be the views of
contemporary writers, that the historian would
have done more than rejoice in the acknowledg-
ment of the great principle of freedom, and dis
miss the subject in a dozen lines? Would he have
raised the question of even sinking the whole of the
Archipelago into the sea into an equality of im-
portance, as regarded the fate of the empire,
with the measures taken to preserve Spain,
Gaul, and Britain ? We have, perhaps,
somewhat wandered from our object, which
was to impress upon our readers the
magnitude and importance of the steps we are
now taking with respect to the East Indies. We
know that East India questions have been
hitherto regarded with feelings almost of loathing ;
that the bare idea of an Indian discussion has
been sufficient to empty either House of Parlia-
ment ; but we believe that the time has
passed when the House of Commons can
shirk a great question, because it does not happen
also to be a party one, and we doubt not that
the representatives of the people will, in the
new arrangements, take care not only that im-
mediate commercial advantages are secured to the
public, but that every needful precaution is taken
to secure their continuance. The Government has
agreed to extend the guarantee fund to 2,000,0001.,
to make the dividends as well as the capital pay-
able out of it, to maintain the East India Com-
pany in their administration of the country for
twenty years, and to give up the claim of a veto
on the recall of military commanders by the
Court of Directors. We have already men-
tioned that the leading character of the Com-
pany is to remain in abeyance; but although
the privilege of trading as a corporation, at the
expiration of their Charter, is reserved to them,
there is little chance of their ever exercising it ;
for, without exclusive privileges, which they
will never again have, it will be impossible for
them with their expensive machinery to compete
with private speculators. The only points on
which the Company and the Government have
not perfectly agreed on are these :—The Com-
pany want the Guarantee Fund to be increased
to three millions, and, in case of any dispute be-
tween the Board of Control and the Court of
Directors, to have the power of appeal to Par-
liament and the public.
These are of no great moment ; but we must
confess, that so far as we have been able to
judge, we think the Government ought to yield
on both points, and perhaps on discussion in
the House it will do so.

The above article has been in type for some
days, but the pressure of temporary matter
has prevented its insertion in the Paper.
Since it was written, the President of the
Board of Control has opened his plan to
the House, and we have received an offi-
cial copy of the dissent of the Court of
Directors, which has been comfirmed by the
Court of Proprietors, from the resolution of his
Majesty's Government with respect to the
amount of the Guarantee Fund and Publicity.
A copy of the resolution confirming the view
taken of those two questions by the Court of
Proprietors has been transmitted to Mr.
CHARLES GRANT ; but it does not appear, by
the Right Hon. Gentleman's statement list
night, that it has had any effect upon his pre-
vious determination. Indeed, he had to deal
with matters of too high importance to enter into
points of such mere detail. His speech will be
found one of the most important and interesting
that has, for a long period, been delivered
within the walls of Parliament. Mr. BUCK-
INGHAM'S, also, opposing certain parts of the
plan, was of great interest ; but from the lateness
of the hour at which it was delivered, has been
necessarily much shortened. He made one state-
ment which places the importanbe of good govern-
ment in India in so striking a point of view, that
we cannot forbear begging our readers to impress
it upon their minds. India, with a population of
100 millions of inhabitants, yields a revenue of
22,000,0001. only. The United Kingdom, with
a population of 25 millions of inhabitants, yields
a revenue of 50,000,0001. This is at the rate
of 21. for every man, woman, and child in the
country. Is it unreasonable to suppose that when
India has for a series of years been well go-
verned, when industry has been developed by the
long protection of life and property, that it will
yield a revenue of 100,000,0001.? That would
be only at the rate of 11. per head with the pre-
sent population of that country;. but when we look
at the wonderful extent of fertile land which
the desolating wars of a century have left uncul-
tivated, at the spread of population that may be
expected, and the actual increase of the revenue,
we cannot see why it should not much exceed
100,000,000/., without oppression to the natives
The revenue of India has been greater than ii

now is, and, as was stated by BUCKINGHAM,
a space might be cut out of Europe not larger
than India—naturally so much richer—which
actually yields a revenue of 300,000,000/.
Who can say, then, we may not some day or
other gradually pay off the national debt with
our surplus Indian revenue ?

A meeting of the Agency Anti-Slavery Com-
mittee took place yesterday, at which some
strong resolutions were carried against the grant
of 20,000,0001. to the West Indians, and deny-
ing Mr. BUXTON'S authority to assent to the prin-
ciple of compensation at all. It is too late for the
Anti-Slavery Society to attempt to resist the prin-
ciple of compensation. It has been carried by the
House of Commons, and if not cordially ap-