The Sun.
London, England, 1817-03-18 00:00:00

EAST INDIA TRADE

The House then resolved itself into a Commit-
tee of the whole House no the East India Trade
Act.

Mr. ROBINSON obierved, that the Hone hail
reserved to itstlf a power of extending the prir•L-

ieges of trading to the Fast WI declared fry
the act in que,tion. The object of the resolation
be bad to submit was, that the right should be
_ communicated to his Majesty's possessions in the
Mediterranean. He saw no -reason why•this ex-
tension shotild not take place : it was a power at-
ready enjoyed by the other settlements of the
Crown, anti was not calculated to prove injurious
to the interests of the Compauy. He should
move,therefore, a:resolution, the import of which
seas, that it should be lawful to tattle in British
built ships- holt: the island of Malta and the port
of Gibraltar to all places in the East Indies, ex-
veld the dominions of the Emperor of China.
-Mr.BrtouGnAM doubted whether this measure
would prove of in relieving the nierehauts
in the Mediterranean from the competition of the
Amcriean trader. One American vessel had re-
cently disposed of 3,000 pieces of nankeen, at the
rate of 3s. per piece at Gibraltar, whilst in 'Lon-
dem they produced only 3s. 10d.
Mr RoniNsox explained. Atter which, the re-
solution .was read a second time, and the report
oidered to be receive:l to-morrow.
The Marine Mutiny Bill was read a third time
and passed.
The Naval Stores Bill went through a Com
mittee.--Report to be received to-morrow,
In answer to a question put by Sir John New-
pot t, with regard to the appointment of home in.
dividual to the olliee of C inservalor of the Royal
burghs In Scotland, the Cban-ellor of the Et.che-
quer desired some time to procure information.
ORDNANCE ESTIMATES.
The House then resolved itself into a Com-
mittee of Supply, to Which the Ordnance Esti,
mates Were ordered to be referred. .
Mr. R. WARD said, it Witt his intention to move
a vote on account, as had been done with regard
to the Rimy and navy estimates.; amt that no fur-
ther supply should In, granted' at iii•esent for the:
service of the Ordni:nee Department, than for the
six months .ending on the 30th June, 1817. lie
trusted that the aceonnts were not likely to give
rise to much altercation ; and he deemed it right
to state to the House what bad been the extent
of the different reductions in th;s branch of the
public expenditure, The charge for the ordinary
service was this year 538,0001. which was less
than the former estimate by the sum of 135,0001.
The ex t raordinaries amounted to 2 11,000 t leaving
a reduction under this head of expellee of 104,000/.
- The aggregate charge was 749,0001. Credit had
been taken for 33,000/. horn the sale of horses
and old stores, llere the Wm. Gentlemaneti,
tercel upon a statement of die reductions in Ire,
land; but this part of his statement was utterly

undistinguishable in the gallery. The total anionut
of the whole expence for the year, fur Great "Uri-
rain and Ireland, would be,' in round numbers,
942,000/. In time of full war, the number of
men employed was 31,600. In 1815, this num-
ber was reduced to the extent of 3,300 men ; in
1816, to that of 1.5,000 more ; and the, pt esent
establishnient consisted only of 9,3001'. lie should
content himself at present with moving, Thar a
sum not exceeding 2-18,000/. be granted to his
Majesty, for the service of the ordnance depart-
ment, till the 30th of June, 1817.
Mr. BENNETT considered, the,- it would be
more advent Agl'ollb to postpone the general discus-
sion ilium this 'subject till the ,whole of the esti-
mates should be before the House. tle rose at
present chiefly for the purpose of expressing the
surprise with which he had read an advertisement
purporting to issue from the Ordnance Board, ad,'
dressed to the map-sellers, and forbidding them to
Make any use or !widish any copies of the Trigo-
nometrical Snrvey's of the Country,'-which had
been taken at the public expellee; under the int-
Mediate direction 'of the. Ordnance Board. This
appeared to him to be acting in the'spirit of a ped-
lering trader, rather than of a public department.
Many could not afford to purchase tlke original
chart, and by this prohibition the general object
of utility would be defeated. It was not upon
this principle that foreign Governments acted.—
In Parinany one might go to the map•board, and
see nor only thns,,t which were, but those which
were not publishiol, •
Mr. Wan said, he had Not been apprised or
the advertisement alluded to, het was nevertheless
prepared to defend it. The charge for those sur-
veys appeared neither in the ordinaries nor extra-
ordinaries. It was intended that the sale of them
should defray the expellee, and in this instance, at
least, he apprehended they were better stewards
for the public than the lion. Gentleman, with all-
his desire of public economy. The object of the
advertisement was the prevention of piracy ; and
if that was 'only worthy the character of petty
merchants he must submit to the taunt, but it
would effect a saving of 10,0001. annually
Mr. BENNETT observed, that he had been an
advocate tor abolishing articles, of useless, not of
useful, expence. The object of the survey wee
public, viz. the extending the knowledge-of the
country and its coasts, and it had been carried into
• effect by means of public money. "fhe Board of
Ordnance was in this respect acting on principles
much mortitigid than the map-sellers themselves,
whom be bad' always found willing to.make
nmunications of their copies.. . .
Sir M. W. Blown( Was glad, however late, to
see Millisters taking credit for economy : but he
observed diet the first article in these estimates
was the sum. of 43,7931. to the Master-General,
principal Officers, and others in this department.
This was an increase to the heads of the depart-
amountinitto.lo,oool. above the MU voted.,
when the estimates • were between three.and,four
millions, although they were now less titan one
It was to a reduction of such salaries
that thepabliclooked for effectual retrenchment,
and not to savings made by ihe sacrifice of works
of national importance and utility.
Mr. WARD observed, that the Hon. Baronet
was iniStaken,..if he supposed that the increase on
the leading article of the Civil Establishment was
owing to :any addition to the salaries of the heads
of the department. It was distributed entirely
among the subordinate clerks., whose number was
205, and who were employed in I I different de-
pal tomtits. Not one of time rnincipal officers had
received a shilling of increased salary since the

Union.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY and Mr: WARD severally
upla tied.
Mr. CALCRAFT said, it was much the best way

that the ncumnts slioul3 be. tvottz;l up. AV:tt
respect t( redactions in getter,i, if thit
lionottrah:e Gvntivolan rci,t•reti to a state of
‘v;kr, the Vrt•sictit V..,Giblishotetitt, were great
but t'he 'loose twitt wiw look to peace Esta-
blishMeots.-4 Mitlisters thought themselves
co.keep up the 'Ordnance, be 111119 C say,
Ilia, their Estimates were extremely large.
111r...IVAnD explained.

Air. CAz,cuAtr, i!1 reply, admitted that very
► nnsider,ahie efforts at reductifm had been made,
hut they mightbeentried still farther the Ariviy
and Ordnance. He should by no means press for
any farther reductions in the Vaq he did 'hot
know, indeed, whether the. Navy Was not too
much reduced alreaily.
IVlr'NVAttn said, if it shoad befound•ttfat any
further reductions could he made, they certainly
should be effected.-7(Hear !)
.•
Mr. BROUGHAM desired to ekpeesi his approba•
Hon of the great reductions in the Oilnance,
hoped it would be the.model and scale on which
other reductions would,be made. Something, Ito
hoped, would be proposed by 'the CoMmittee above
stairs ; but he anticipated, with O'cat satiSfaction,
that after Easter the House would be able to re 7
same.some of those functions which appealed now
to be too much in abeyance.
Mr. WARD and Mr. BnouonAa
%mutually ex-
planted.
The following Resolutions were successively
voted :---
55,0001. fur the Ordnance Service of 1515, not provided for
l.y Parliament.
25,0811. fur the service of 1310, not provided for by Parlia-
ment.

41,000/. for defraying the expence of reducing the Ord.
nance of the Land Service
the year !RIG.
105,000/. for defraying the charge of Superannuated and
Retired Officers of the Ordnance of the Landliervice forOreat
Britain, from the Ist.January, 1817, to the'°4th of June. .
15,000/.for Betraying the charge of Superannuated and Re-
tired Officers of the :Jrdnance in respect of their holdiug si-
tuations in the Civil Department. •
35,031/. for defraying the charge of Half-pay Officers of the
Ordnance of Great Britain. • • _ _

..... ......
72,0001. for defraying the ordinary charges of the Ordnance
Land Service. for Ireland, from the Ist of January to the 24th
of June, 1917.
7,0001. for defraying the charge of the Superannuated and
Retired Officers of the Royal Irish Artillery.
1,7401. for allowances and compencations to the Superan-
nuated and Retired Olticere of. the Ordnance of Irelanil, in
respect of any situations they way have held in the Civil Dc.
part went.
The noose was then resumed, 'and the Report
was ordgred to be-brought op to-ntorrow.