Star.
London, England, 1808-05-07 00:00:00

t.151' a bIA CONIFANV.

Mr. CREE\'FX mewed for a variety of Papers
winch had barn laid bcfOre the Committee appointed
to blame into the State of the Company's Affairs,
to slim that the statement contained in their Petition
was a manifest deception on the public. In that
statement, the Company declared their deficit to be
only 2,440,0001. when in tact the sum is really
:1,000,0001. It would he sce.q by the Papers, when
on the table, thatinstead of a surplus of 8,001,0001.
there could be actually a deficit, on the whole of
P,000,0001. it would therefore become the Company
to explain, why they made such false statements.—
With respact to the India Debt, that they stated to he
chargeable on the Indian Territories. How the credi-
tors to the amount of :it2,000,0001. would like such a
guarantee, he did not know. The Papers which he
should move for were—an Account of :411 Loans
in India, and the terms of the same ; and an Ac-
count of the Trade with India, called Quick Stock by
computation ; which trade, the Hon. Gentleman ob-
served, was regularly and rapidly declining. It 'night
he said, that he should have made these complaints
to the Committee of which he was a Member. To
this he should reply, that
_it would have been useless
to make any complaints to a body formed as that
Committee Vav—t.tvo Directors being upon it. He
did not mean to charge the Directors, individually
with mii-statements of the Company's Finances, but
as a body. The formation of the Committee was ra-
dically bad. Several of the Members were receiving
pensions from the India Fund, and consequently were
interested in favour of the Company. The Honour-
able Gentleman concluded with moving his first
Motion.

Mr. DUNDAS declared, that in forming the
Committee he had been actuated only by a desire to
hare persons, who, from their official situations, were
competent to give satisfactory information as to the
state of the Company's Affairs. If there was any
objection to the persons, why did not the Hon. Gen
tlematt make the objection before the Committee was
formed ? The India. Company was ready to give
every satisfaction to the House ; and as the papers
world in the course of a short time be laid on the ta-
ble, with other documents, he should object to the
motion of the Honourable Gentleman, and move the
previous question.
Dr. LAWRENCE contended, that his Honour-
able Friend was by no means bound to wait for the
production of this paper at any future stage; if it
were of importance, the sooner it was had the better.
The Committee might be well enough formed for
giving the information to the House on the affairs o;
India, yet not fitted to give an impartial opinion of
the solvency of the Company many years hence ;

DM was the general observation, of there being ofi
that Committee several members intimately Connected
with the affaitilaml interests of the Committee, to be
*rested into an imputation of petsoital disrespect to
any individual. •
Mr. DUNDAS explained.
Sir JOHN ANSTRU'I'HER said, that theingh a
Member of that Committee, and connected with the
Company, he did not stand in such g situation as
that the solvency or insolvency of the Company
should in the least affect him or his integrity. The
situation he held from the bounty of his Sovereign
he trusted would be justified by the opinion of those
who were acquainted with his conduct while in India.
He admitted every one had a right to criticise the
Petition as much as they had a mind. Yet why had
not the Honourable Member made his objections,
when the Petition Was presented and debated in that
House ? It was rather strange to propose to make
the Ilouse better acquainted with the matter now
under discussion of the Committee, by the produc-
tion of two or three papers, than the Report of the
Committee could, with all its investigation and re-
search, for the space of several weeks. No papers
had as yet been refused to the Committee, and all
those which the Honourable Member had moved for
had been obtained without any oppesition, except in
one instance, in which the request was finally gran-
ted by the assistance of his Honourable Friend (Mr.
I)undas). He considered this an indelicate mode of
casting a slur on the conduct of the Committee, which
flsrm its labour and research was entitled to the confi-
dence of the Country and the House.
Lord FOLKESTONE was happy the papers bad
been moved for by his Hon. Friend, as they would
probably throw some additional lighit yt on a matter
which was .
Mr. WI LIAM 8M ITH thought his Honourable
Friend had been used rather hardly by Members who
imputed to hint an intention to attack personally the
character of individuals on the Committee. He had
a right to argue generally, and he did now move
that all persons should be excluded from the trial of
a cause in which they themselves were interested ;
such was the principle on which a ballot took place in
that House from amongst forty-nine Members
at least, and on such a principle the right of chal-
lenging jurors was founded by the purity of the con-
stitution.

Mr. WALLACE considered the Motion unne-
cessary, but had no objection to the production of
the-papers.
Mr. GRANT defended the Members of the Com-
mittee from any partiality. He had no wish to sup-
press information, but was satisfied this informa-
tion would in proper time come before the House,
and he believed that this information would give the
Country rather a favourable idea of the state of the
Company's affairs.
Mr. PATTERSON maintained, that every dispo-
sition had been displayed by the East India Company,
to produce the information that had been demanded;
if that system were continued, he hoped it would prove
the state of the Company was by no means so deplo-
rable as had been represented.
Mr. CREEVEY said, he was sorry to find the
Honourable Director's prophecies of an immense sur-
plus of millions were not likely to be realized. Did
he mean to say, that these loans would not hereafter
be necessary for the relief of the Company. He
would not say, that he would not lend the Company
money, but he would contend that the trade was ra-
pidly declined. On their own trade they had tape-
rienced a loss of £260,000 last year. Whilst such
was the state of things in India,he thought it his duty
to produce to the House the documents he had moved
for, but which, as he found there existed a disposition
to negative them, he.should not press the House to a
division on that subject.
Mr. S. DUNDAS explained.
_ _ . _

Mr. GRANT said it \was not the intention of the-
East India Company to deceive the public with re-
spect to their affairs. No such intention ever existed,
and the papers produced to the Committee would
alone prove this assertion.
The motion and amendment were then severally
withdrawn.
Mr. CREEVEY then moved,

'1 hat there be famished to the House an account of all loans
and terms of loans made tor the East luslia Company in the East
Indies.

After some observations from Dr. LAWR ENCE, Mr.
TBKEAD, and Mr. Du:soils, this motion was also
withdrawn.

Mr. CREEVEY then moved for accounts of the
profits of the East India Company on investments
trcni India and China.

Mr. I)UNDAS observed, that this accotmt would
also be regularly before the Committee, and was
therefore unnecessary. It was accordingly with-
drawn.
Mr. BIDDT.TI,PH hoped the Hon. Baronet oppo-
site soul, put off his motion on the Carnatie question
until Tuesday sennight.
Sir T. TURTON agreed in the suggestion of the
Hon. Member, in hopes he would have the honour of
his assistance on that day.