The Sun.
London, England, 1829-01-30 00:00:00

AILLODISTS' CLUB.

FREE TRADE WITH INDIA.

This Club having been completely re-organised, held its
first meeting for the season on Thursday last. His Royal
Highness the Duke of 511854 M-bas condescended to become
its Patron and President, and several Noblemen arc among
the Viec-Presidents. The attendance for the season was
t'etuarkably good on Thursday. Mr. JERPAN presided,
'''''lltorttxl by a host of musieal talent, several literary gen-
tiemen and many amateurs. Nine new members were
emitted, and several new candidates were announced. Mr.
1:: Cooke presided over the musical arrangements, and
411 r. Brahatn, Mr. Leet, Mr. Parry, Mr. Blewitt, and
tAer singers of eminence entertained the company. " The
iking, God bless him," was given in admirable style by
'ittham, and rapturously encored. Some very fine itistrn-
tnental music diversified the entertainments of the evening.
The CHAIRMAN addressed the company an a variety of
Pies with the happiest comic effect, and literally "kept
t',e table in a roar."
HORNOR, of the Colosseum (one of the new mein-
t'ers)s was present, and on his health being drunk, returned
thanks. On the subject of the Colosseum, he stated that
the undertaking, which fast approached completion, was
the work of many years' intense study. Long since it
struck him, that the view from the top of St. Paul's Ca-
thedral would be, if the whole could be enjoyed, the finest
in the world. Could he depict all the objects visible
thence, he felt that he should afford the public a treat
.chich they could not otherwise enjoy. He adverted
,to the rumours which had been circulated to his pre-
judice, with respect to his connection with Rowland
itephenson, and assured the Club that the very opposite of
truth had been stated. lie had never owed Mr. Stephen-
son more than 2,0001., and property to a much larger
RTII9LInt belonging to him had been constantly in the hands
of the firm, and by the failure of the Bank, and the flight
of Stephenson, he expected to lose no less a sum than
10,0001.
The evening closed in perfect harmony.
The Earl

de Earl of Dalhousie (late Governor-General
of the Canaries), Sir Sidney Beckwith, and Sir William
Herries, transacted business yesterday, at the Colonial
Office, Downing-street.
The Earl of Macclesfield, the Earl of Aber-
&Ai, Lord Ellenhorough, and Lord Downes, visited the
'mike of Wellington yesterday at the Treasury.
qovisieur Bermudez, the Spanish Minister,
and Count d'Aglie, the !Sardinian Minister, had interviews
,yesterday' with the Earl of Aberdeen, at the office of the
Secretaez of State for Foreign Affairs.
Our sagacious and experienced Premier, who
is abundantly wise in his generation," and quite eyed in in discovering the assailable points of peor chuman
nature as of an enemy's position, is indefatigable in turning
to advantage the opportunities that occur in the precious
moments that immediately precede the meeting of Parlia-
ment, and every inducement is held out, in every quarter
where recruits are supposed to he attainable, or trimmers
likely to be regularly enlisted. To the veteran politicians,
known in certain circles by the technical name of " Sece-
ders," and who, from long acquaintance with the substantial
advantages of of are supposed to retain an unappeasable
hankering after the " Flesh Pots of Egypt," significant
hints are thrown out that the barriers that oppose their re-
torts to power are not insurmountable. To others, who
have been marked as objects of displeasure in the highest
quarter, it is observed that, although the " wrath of Princes
!is a consuming fire," yet it may, like other fires, consume
t"lf 1 and that nothing is wanting but a little mitigation
io their opinions, to throw open the path to the highest
hrmours of their respective professions, or to restore them
the pride of place, which an over-ardent zeal had caused
Ithem to forfeit. While these efforts at a diversion are made ,
ion neutral or hostile grounds, the services of useful and
tclretsinere are not unrequited—the heir of one active
tad efficient Parliamentary agent'expects to be immediately
attkened
to a German Embassy, with a promise that his
fatere interests shall not be neglected—an Ensigney, without
reirchane, is given to a younger son of an Irish Representa-
};e,' who, although generally a Ministerial adherent, has
—t
proved proved refractory on one great question : and
rnaoe comfortable things are kept in petto, as lures for the
heard of
.edY or
, temptations for the ambitious. We have not yet
.any decided tergiversations. Indications of ale
Probingy. apostacy certainly are whispered—we trust un-
We shall kee a sharp look out for these political
Girouettes; and our best effort." shall not be wanting to
consign tngly horn to that notoriety which they would most
hyoid,_ notoriety
Chronicle.
The Catholic Association met on 'Wednes-
day last at Dublin, when Mr. Lawler! who had just re.
the
turned from North, stated that lie had entered Derry
and_ some of the Northern towns most favourable to
(iringejam, and found that a feeling in favour of Einanci-
ation. was every where en the increase. Mr. O'Connell
then
lin allusion to his departure for London observed,—
beg leave to state here,
sththat I shall leave Dublin on
Lando
the of February, (Cheers.) That will bring me to
the • London 11,
will Bth, and I hope that the Noblemen and
will
Gentlemen he all in London by
the 12th which
he time enough for them to be there. (Hear, hear.)
Zrfdo not mean to go down to the House until lam
eetly acquainted with the minutest forms necessary
r sie to go through, in order that there may be no op-
Poftuit of turning round on me for a want of °beer-
van" in some particular point of detail. I shall
71:tiiit there a few 'days, to enable me to accomplish.
of • Lord Killeen has announced his intention
tc, llng.---(Hear and chters.)—l have every reason
al s"
`-(Hear
the Honourable Mr. Preston will go, so
fro '" Will Sir Thomas Esnioude, Mr. Bellew, gentlemen
ol
jLeitrim, Mr. Lalor, from Carrick-on-Buie, a large
Jr:utation from
Clare ; from Leitrim, Dungarvan, and
int/liter
.parts of the country, gentlemen have declared their
this of accompanying me. Ido not mean to throw
i';'; out as an entreaty lint as an advice to the gentry of
d::_akd---not to regard the individual but the question, and
, demo snot
on this occasion the interest they take in it.
An
man who can afford to go, and does not do so, is, in
1-nY o in'
(ii a P guilty of a great dereliction of his duty.—
Atiijor„a,,nd„ chects.)—A letter was read from Mr. Eneas
the stating the particulars of the late meeting of
avb-e rlti'h Catholic Association, and requesting to know
ctb'rr as agent to the Irish Catholics, he should cease
tak,"'Perate with it. The uestion was orered
into consideration at somqe future opportudnity. to be
b \VEA T E H.---We were visited last week
%%fena f5ll "NOW, which, though heavy, was not to that
t Which we have occasionally known it. At Hull
into afar
c of the roads afforded opportunity for bringing
-Totted
° no several convenient sledges, which have been
th
tiring the last fvw days. One was of a very neat
and
ha during
construction, manufactured, we understand,
revit It was remarkably light, and was drawn by
and 4fe"; it glided along with great apparent facility,
notfort to the riders. Attached to the pole wafs.tas
carrying several small hells, to give notice o
;114,,:aoefhi 1,"4., from-. the noiseless motion with which car-
ats wi toil deecription travel over the snow, passengers
ver, peer
unaware of their approach. The whole had a
er"t7 cfreet..-- Yorh Chronick.

I by.the Company's licence, must have a certificate
of behaviour from the Company's agents on return-
(Abridged from tie sseetie Edition of the Liverpool , ingto'England, without which they could not have
W s
Curvier of edaelay.) their licence lenewed.* From these enactments it
This day, at 12 o'clock, a respectable and nu- i would appear that the Company were drawing the
merously attended meeting of the merchants and cords tighter, and making their monopoly more ob.
other inhabitants of the town was held in the Bo- ' jectionable eve!' then before, The export of cotton
rough Sessions-room, for the purpose of considering , goods to Indite at present, was not equal to the
of the most effectual measures to be adopted for the! sitatitity consumed at home by 20,000,000 of people;
removal- of the disabilities under which the freetan&sonte estimate might be formed of the increased
trader to India at present labours, in consequence of i demand which a free trade would prodirce, if we re-
the restrictions imposed by the East India Company. i fleeted that our manufactures would be consumed
Shortly after 12 o'clock, N. ROBINSON, Esq. the rby not less than 300,000,000 of inhabitants, and
Mayor, attended by a number of gentlemen, took cotton is commonly worn by them. If cotton be
his seat on the bench, and, after stating the object an important article of our trade, the cultivation of
of the meeting, and his readiness to advance every cotton would also be important, and there it might
means which should be for the benefit of his fellow- very well be cultivated. And why was it not culti-
townsmen, called upon the town-clerk to read the vatted in India ? Because the Company restricted
requisition for calling the meeting. The requisition the settlement of British subjects in the country.
having been read, 'We were now in the practice of importing three-
Mr. GLADSTONE rose to move the first resolution. fourths, of the cotton we consume from America;
This was the third time he had the honour to ap- and the Americans, knowing our dependance upon
pear in the ranks of those opposed to the exclusive
them, seem as if they cared little about our custom,
privileges of the East India Company. In 1792,
the merchants and inhabitants of Liverpool took the and oppress the trade, by imposing their tariff. Let
field against this overgrown monopoly. At that us show them that we can cultivate cotton in our
dominions. (Loud cheers.) The same remarks
period they made some progress, it is true; but it
applied to other articles of commerce. From what
was of a very limited extent. They obtained per-
we had seen of the East India trade, eutiject to the
mission to export to India a limited quantity of ma-
nufactures, but confined to the ships of the Com- disadvantageous circumstances under which it la-
bours, it would be no difficult matter to estimate
pany, subjected to freights and charges imposed by
that body, and exported throughthe port of London what it would be if "we had to supply the one bun-
scired millions of population of India, with the one
alone. Limited and shackled as the intercourse was, the . 'hundred and fifty millions of the inhabitants of
outports availed themselves of the permission, and China. (Cheers.) But the East India Company
participated partially in the India trade. Such was say that as great a quantity of British goods is now
the force of prejudice, such the influence of the Com- taken to India as can be consumed there. There.
pany, that more could not, at that period, be wrung are many facts to prove that the quantity now im-
from the Legislature. It was urged, among other ported into the country will hardly bear a compari-
reasons, for renewing the Charter for twenty-one son with what might be, if proper facilities were
years, that the Company's debt might, in the inter- given to the trade, besides what could be con-
val, be reduced; but the debt had not been reduced sumed in China. The most profitable mode of car-
from that day to this, and it was now greater than it rying on trade is to receive some of the productions
had ever been. (Cheers.) Again, in the years 1812 of the country we trade with in return for the goods
and 1813, he had the-honour to be deputed, along which we export. We were, therefore, eiremm-
with his worthy friend, the then Mayor, Mr. Alder- stanced, with regard to China, most advantageously.
man Bonnie, and other gentlemen, to proceed to We consume about 30,000,0001 b. of tea in the
London, in order to oppose the renewal of the ex- year, when all the continent of Europe does not
elusive privileges which the Ease India Company had consume above 4,000,0001bs.; and this consumption,
too long enjoyed. There the deputation was met great as it appears, is small, compared with what it
by deputations from every considerable town in the would be, if we could have our tea at a fair price.
kingdom. He hoped that the same plan, the same Mr. HENRY BOOTII considered that Ireland also
system, would be adopted on the present occasion, would be considerably benefitted by a free trade be-
arid that the deputation which might be sent from ing opened to the Indies since the manufactures of
this town would see at their head the Chief Magic- the
rish would also be wanted in the vast territory
trate of the town. The presence of the Chief Ma-
of the east.
gistrate had given great weight and influence to the
deputation, arid had promoted the object of the mis-
Mr. EWART, in moving the third resolution, re.
sion in no inconsiderable degree. On that occasion ferred to the gratifying fact of increased demand for
British manufactures, caused by this very partial
certain further concessions were made to the out-
ports. Many of those concessions were made, too, opening of the trade, as contrasted with the gloomy
in the teeth of the hostile opposition of the Com- anticipations of the East India Directors, which must
pany and their friends. (Cheers.) The outports have been repeatedly urged when this question was
were then told that they had obtained a free trade to
last generally discussed. It was held 'as an axiom,•
that the simple habits of the natives were unchange-
and free intercourse with India. But, in his opi-
able;without referring to the tannts of. specu-
nion, it was no better than delusion to say that they
lative rashness and even ignorance with which the
had obtained a free trade to India. They were de-advocates of free trade were then not unfrcquently
nied all intercourse with the interibr of that vast
continent. They were hampered by licences, the taunted in the course of the discussions at the East
issuing of which depended on the will of the Court India House, in the early part of 1813, he ventured
of Directors, subject, it was true, to the revision of to recall to .the meeting that Mr. Grant, who; had
the Board of Controul. No person was permitted some right to make deductions as to the future frOm
-
to leave the presidencies for the interior without a the past, stated that "there could not be any
licence, in which the object of the journey was spe- greater increase of the export:, nor any increase of
cifically expressed. Their ships were limited the sale of imported goods. ' He (Mr. Grant)
in tonnage, and they were compelled to send called,. in aid of this position, 40 years' personal ob-
vessels of an inconvenient size. These yes- servation, and proceeded to say, "in spite of this-
eels were limited in the number of their seamen, array of facts and experience, the petitioners of dif-
and compelled to restore or to account for every one
ferent manufacturing towns of Great Britain wish to
of them, under heavy fines arid penalties, if there try the experiment of exporting their goads."—
happened to be the slightest deviation from these Such warnings were reiterated by many; the
oppressive, these coercive regulations. (Cheers.) views of the merchants of the out-ports and ma-
The outports were, too, denied a fair participation nufacturers were held to be delusions, upon
in the import trade from the east, certain articles of which disappointment and disaster must await.
import having to be sent to London for sale. In It is now proved with whom the delusion existed,
short, their hands were tied, their feet were shackled, and that the taste for the luxuries and comforts of
and every step which they took was taken with dif- life is limited only by the means of obtaining, is a
ficulty and expense. The wonder was how, re- doctrine becoming as applicable to the Hindoo as its
i B Briton.
stricted as the trade has been, the outports had con- is to the
trived to carry it on either with success or profit. Mr. W. Cunots..--It has been said by Mr. Glad-1
That they had carried it on both with success and stone, that it was very. mortifying that other nations
with profit, was a striking instance of the energy should come to Great Britain, load their vessels with
and the enterprise of British merchants; and the her manufactures, and proceed freely to a lucrative
extent to which the private trade to India was now market in China. Now, though well known to
carried, might serve to show the extent to which it merchants, it might not be generally so, that this
might still be carried, were the intercourse with very occurrence frequently took place in the port of
the east unrestricted and free. Having described to Liverpool. Messrs. W. and J. Brown and Co.,
the meeting what he conceived to be the difficulties of the principal houses here, frequently received.
of the present intercourse with India, their object American vessels, which loaded for China, as stated.
was to obtain their removal. There could not be This was in itself sufficiently vexations, but on how
any objection to the East India Company re- absurd a ground! that if English sailors were '4-
maining incorporated for the purposes of trade. lowed to put their noses into the Celestial empire,
When the company was first formed, it was abso- (all that any foreigners were allowed -to do), they
lutely necessary, for at that period capital was would be guilty of riot and disturbance, which would
limited, and individuals were incapable of carrying make the Hong merchants, shut up their stores.--
on trade to India themselves. The company, there- But did the American sailors behave ill? and can-
fore, in consideration of the risks which they ran,— not English sailors and supercargoea conduct them-
risks which were of less consequence to a body than selves equally well ? Besides, if any casual dis-
they would have been to an individual,—received turbance were ever to occur, self-interest would for-
certain exclusive privileges for a limited period, give it; and if the Chinese did meet with some un-
But the necessity for them having long since foreseen indignity, they would not allow that to
passed away, it was high time that those exclusive prevent their making a good sale of tea. Mr. Glad.
privileges should be abolished. Capital was now stone had well said, that the present enterprise is
abundant ; for did we not see, in every direction, the one of serious magnitude, not to be settled in months,
enterprise of private individuals and private mer- or perhaps years. Those who embarked in it must,
chants encompassing the globe, and forcing its way therefore, press firmly on, encouraged by the past,
into every channel and in every direction? (Cheers.) and with confidence for the future. On such an oc-
Now the difficulty was, not to find capital, but fields casion it was not for any man to shrink back. No
for enterprise and markets for the consumption of effort, however humble, will be useless; and that
the products of our industry. (Cheers.) What idea must be his (Mr. Currie's) apology for second-
reasons, then, had not British merchants to oppose ing the resolution. . . . ,
...
the renewal of the East India Company's exclusive Mr. ALSTON—The resolution he had the honour
privileges ? If the company can contend with us in of moving contained a practical illustration of.what
the fair field of trade, let them try the experiment may be done in India by European intercourse or.
honourably, fairly, and openly; but, until they so residence. As, most fortunately, the East 'lndia
meet the outports, let them not talk of the difficulties Company did not consider the article of indigo so
by which their trade is encompassed, and throw dust important as to prohibit Europeans -from carrying on
in the eyes of the country, by representing their its culture and manufacture, and which they have
trade as unprofitable ; let them not do this, and the now done by sufferance for upwards of 40 years, last
outports had no fear of the result of the competi- year's produce exceeded in value 2,000,0001. sterling,
tion. (Loud cheers.) Having said thus much with . and the quantity is such as to supply nearly the
respect to India, he would say a few words, not, he whole consumption of Europe, Africa, and America.
was sorry to say, with respect to our present, but he Before Europeans undertook its manufacture, East
hoped our future relations with China. He remem- India indigo was quite unsaleable in any foreign
bered, when in London, in 1813, just before the re- country; and, surely he was not required to enlarge,
newel of the last charter of the East India Corn- in a meeting in this country, upon the importance'
pany, the deputation had an interview with a very and value of this article to our manufactures. The
distinguished statesman. In the course of the con- introduction of the culture and manufacture of in-
versation, this statesman, speaking of the China trade, digo is universally allowed to be the precursor of
observed, " he supposed that the Legislature, at good order, wealth, and comfort in Hindostan. The
the time when exclusive privileges were granted to advocates of restriction cannot deny this beneficial
the Company to trade to India, forgot, or did not result; and even the Directors of the Company ac-,
know, that China lay to the eastward of Hindostan." knowledge that the cultivation of indigo has doubled
(A laugh.) Mr. Gladstone then proceeded to ens- the value of the soil in one or two instances, while
merate and reply to the reasons which the advocates at the same time they seem to dread, and to throw
of the East India Company assign for the trade to every obstacle in the way of internalintercourse and
China being restricted to the Company. He showed colonization generally. But he was sorry to- say,
how futile were all the pretences which the Com- that in an article of still greater moment to our ma-
pany held up for the exclusion of the great body of nufactures, the blind policy of the Company, and the
British merchants, and maintained that the este- bigotted ignorance of the natives, have prevented
blishment of a British Consul-General at the port of the benefits arising from the possession of so great.
Canton, representing the King, and not an " ho- an extent of territory to which we are entitled, and
nourable Company," would answer much better than made us dependent upon, foreign countries for
the present factory. He next pointed out the great our supply. At this moment it is well known,
advantages which would attend an unrestricted in- that nearly three-feurths lof the consumption of
tercourse with China, both direct and indirect, and this kingdom, in cotton wool, is imported from
the employment which it would give to British Ca- the United States of America, while- more
pital, to British industry, and to British ships. He than one-third part of the quantity used
also pointed out the benefits which the whole couu- is brought from our own colonies in the East In-
try would experience from the opening of the trade dies. And what is the cause of ail this ? How
to China, in being enabled to drink their tea cheaper does it happen that,
,rio, a country competed at
than they can possibly drink it at present. The con- nearly 600,000 square miles in geographical extent,
sumption of this grateful beverage would also in- with every variety of soil and climate, we cannot
crease; and the Chancellor of the Exchequer would ' raise enough of good cotton to make us independent
then be enabled to repeal some of the taxes by of other and foreign countries ? The 'answer is
which the people were now oppressed. Mr. Glad- plain--the blighting and absurd principles and rep...!
stone concluded a long speech amidst the loud cheers lations of the Government there, which keep the .
of the meeting. ! natives from any, „intercourse with those who
Mr. RATIIBONE seconded the resolution proposed ship to Europe, and induce them to be con-
by Mr. Gladstone. tented with the practices and systems pursued by
Mr. JAMES CROPPER enlarged upon the restric- their ancestors, for
.400, or perhaps 2,000 years back,
tions under which business laboured in India, and and the cultivation of an article so requisite for us, so
read arecent proclamation by theComPanY,Prubibiting easily grown, and affording extensive employment to
traffic
in the interior, and quoted another, which British shipping, by getting better seed, making it a
Was to the effect that persona having lived in India perennial plant, paying more attention to cleaning it,

the quality could be improved, and the quantity
almost extended in any degree. He could not look
upon this subject but in a very serious light.
Ilemonvi had great satisfaction in re-
flecting on the cause which had brought the meeting
tog-ether, since he considered that the opening of the
trade would be attended with great and incalculable
advantages both to this country and to our East
India possessions.
Mr. DAVID HODGSON—One further illuFtration
of the evils of that system, as more immediately con-
nected with China (consequently not out of place
here), I will venture to bring forward, because, Sir,
it appears to me strikingly to demonstrate the stipe-
riolity cf free trade over monopoly. This illustra-
tion is afforded by a comparison of the growth and
grogress of the American intercourse with China, as
contrasted with that of the East India Company;
and is so briefly and so clearly set forth in the space
of one or two pages in an able report, printed last
year by a body of our townsmen, the East India As-
sociation, that, with your permission, I will read a
short extract :—" On the average of the first years
of the American commerce, down to 1800, their an-
nual exportations of tea did not exceed 2,735,0901 b.
On the average of the three first years of their re-
newed intercourse with China, after their last war
with Great Britain, they exported 8,607,1731 b.
yearly. On the average of the years 1824 and
1825, their exports had increased to 13,314,4491 b.
The exports of the Americans from China, it will
be seen by this, have increased in 25 years 387 per
cent.. Those of the East India Company, in the
same time, have increased only 23 per cent.; indeed,
for the greater part of the time they have been
stationary or retrograding. Excepting that to
Great Britain and Canada, the East India
Company have no trade from China to any other
country whatsoever. The Americans carry on a
trade from thence to the Continent of Europe, to
South America, to the Philippine and Sandwich
Islands, which, to the three last countries, is in-
creasing year after year ; so that the extent of it, at
its Chinese valuation, amounted in 1825 to 229,505/.
In the year 1805, the whole imports of the Ameri-
cans into China amounted to 740,795/. In 1825,
they rose to 1,620,062/., and their exports being
1,823,44'21., made their whole Chinese trade
3,443,5041. The export trade of the East India
Company, from Europe to China, has long been
stationary. On the average of the six years ending
with 1820, it amounted annually, at its Chinese
valuation, to 1,491,173/.; their average yearly ex-
ports, from their Indian territories to China, in
the same period, amounted, at the Chinese prices,
to 368,5211., making their total imports into
China 1,859,694/. Excluding, of course, remit-
tance of territorial revenue in merchandise, which is
not trade, their exports from China may be taken
at the same amount as the imports, which
which will make their whole Chinese commerce,
3,719,388/. With a population of 22,700,000,
and after an intercourse of 150 years' standing, our
trade is but eight per cent. greater than that of the
Americans—with less than half of our population—
with not one-half of our taste for the great staple
of Chinese export—and with so comparatively re-
cent a knowledge of the Chinese trade." In this
excellent report there is much information, well de-
serving your attention ; but, at present, I will
further only notice one fact, conclusive of the supe-
riority which the Americans must possess in extend-
ing their trade with China, and which is, that the
tea imported by them is sold, in the markets of
Europe and America, between 40 and 50 per cent,
cheaper than that supplied to England by the East
India Company. In short, it appears that, for a
series of years, whilst American imported tea sold
at an advance, on the first cost in China, of 48 per
cent., the company were obtaining, through their
monopoly, no less than 92 per cent.
Mr. ROBERT BENSON spoke at considerable length
on the monopoly which was unjustly enjoyed by the
East India Company in the trade for tea, and read a
document which had been forwarded to the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer by some merchants in this
town, requesting a licence to import tea from the
Continent of Europe, and the answer of the Secre-
tary of the Chancellor, who referred them to a clause
in the late act of Parliament, called the " Customs'
Consolidation Act," which he (Mr. Benson) had not
perceived before, and which enacted, that" tea could
not., be imported into this country except from the
place where grown, and then to be imported by the
East India Company, and to be brought into the
London Docks." He (Mr. Benson) thought they
had better have tea from Hamburgh, if it would be
permitted, than in the present way.
Mr. BROCKLEBANK perfectly agreed with Mr.
Benson in prefering tea to be imported into this
country' rather than by the Company, though he
would wish that they should have the privilege of
importation from China direct in their own hands,
Mr. SAMUEL HOPE rejoiced to find that the in-
habitants of this town bad roused themselves to a
consideration of their own rights.
Mr. A. HoncsoN said, that the restrictions im-
posed by the East India Company's monopoly were
partial and oppressive.
Mr. GLADSTONE called upon the meeting to come
forward to aid the cause which they had in view, by
subscriptions.
Mr. CROPPER did not consider that there was
any person in the kingdom, merchant, manufacturer,
or labourer, who would not be benefitted by the
opening of a free commerce with India.
Colonel. WILLIAMS proceeded to show the inte-
rests they had to contend with were extremely pow-
erful, as they embraced not only that of the East
India Company, but also that of the corrupt influ-
ence of the House of Commons, and which he con-
tended were indivisible.

A vote of thanks was then moved to the Mayor,
by Mr. William Myres, and seconded by Mr. Wil-
liam Rathbone, and his worship returned thanks
for the honour done him, and stated that he would
at all times be found at his post, and e►er ready to
do all in his power to the benefit of his fellow-
townsmen.