Star.
London, England, 1812-04-17 00:00:00

EAST INDIA. MONOPOLT.

It is of great importance that right views should be
taken of the state of the East India trade, as it may
and ought to influence any new arrangements that
may be adopted between the Covet nment and the
India Company.
The total abolition of the Company's monopoly
may not be desirable, yet the ch.ange that has taken
• place in our circumstances within the last fifty years
imperiously: demands a change of system to enable'
the country to derive a due share of benefit from its
Eastern possessions. • The Act of 1793 introduced
the private trade, under the controul and direction of
the Company. Since that time, not only have the
relations of this country with Continental India been
greatly extended, but we have acquired a large insu-
lar Empire, and are (for the present, at least) the un-
disputed sovereigns of maritime commerce in that
part of the world.
As a nation, we ought to raise our minds to our
fortunes ; and in adopting new plans, both of trade ,
and policy, we should suit the boldness of our con-
ceptions, to the magnitude and variety of the objects.
Nor is this in the least inconsistent with that steady
and scrupulous investigation of facts, on which alone
a reason.lLle judgment of the chances of success can
be formed. Let us only examine them dispassio-
nately, disinterestedly, clearly, and fully. In the
commercial branch of the enquiry we should inves.
tigate the nature of the trade abstractedly ; and then
weigh the peculiar objections to the different modes'
of carrying. it on.
Indian commerce, like most others, may be divided
into the export, import, and carrying trades. The
Directors, in an exceedingly well-written fetter (No.
VIII.) to which we shall have frequent occasion to
allude, say, that o no material enlargement, if any
enlargemeot at all, is to be expected in the export of
our manufactures to that quarter." As far as this
opinion relates to an immediate change in the state
of the trade, we are willing to accede to it ; but we
can by no means think, that the independence of In-
dia or European supply is a principle so deeply rooted
in the nature of things, as not to admit of -gradual
alteration. Certainly the reasons alledged by the
Directors are far from conclusive. When it is said,
that the commerce with India, ever since the time
of the Romans, hi's chiefly ccnsisted in exporting sil-
ver to purchase India goods, we apprehend, that there
is some little perversion ef history in this statement.
The earliest minute account of exports to India is
contained in the work attributed to ARRIAN, which
enumerates a great variety of articles, besides the
precious metals. Nor are the Directors much more
accurate in their description of the present American
trade, We have before us a list of fifteen vessels en-
gaged in it, between 1806 and 1809, of which only
three carried out any silver from America, and those
bins in part of their adventures. The cargoes were,
in tact, very various: one ship taking out British ma-
nufactures from London to the Isle of France • ano-
ther, French products from Marseilles, with the same
destination; but most of them being engaged in specula-
tive projects of barter, at different ports, according to
circumstances. The great demand for silver in China
has ceased ; insomuch, that the East India Company
has of late sent acne at all to Canton. To India they
only remitted, in the course of the three years ending
in 1809, A'250,000, nor would even that sum have
been in the least necessary, but for military purposes.
The internal commerce of India, from its peculiar
nature, requires less circulating medium than that of
al,y •ther country of equivalent production. The ac-
cumulation of the precious metals formerly was owing
to those oppressions which were the genuine offspring
of the native despotisms. This source of a demand
for silver I,as at least been diminished; and the Com-
pany's Indian debt, if it has done no other good, has
set free twenty millions of specie in that country.—
' Then, let it be considered cif what nature are our pre-
sent exports, and by whom they are consumed. The
articles of European luxui y must of course be most
congenial to the European inhabitants, who, it is
said, constitute a small part of the population ; but
, that body of men has been considerably enlarged by
thecapture of the French and Dutch settlements ;
and when we reflect that the individuals composing
it are spread so widely over the hither peninsula, and
among the islands, associating with, and controling
the Princes and great men of those countries, we
shall be led to believe, that in process of time, the' in-
fluence of their example will go far toward extending
a taste for European luxuries among the wealthier
part .f the natives. It is admitted, that the lower
elasses.consume some of our woollens and metals.—
Those articles have of late been sold near the sources
of the Ganges, at regular fairs, to which the Hill-
people, four a vast distance, periodically resort ; and
we may, therefore, fairly indulge a hope, that ifcare-1
fully adapted to • the habits of the purchasers, they
Fray torm a considerablebranch of commerce through.
out the interior of India. The same consequence may
time follow, from a more enlarged intercourse with
Persia, Arabia, and even with China ; in which lat-
ter country there has for several years been a growing
demand for British commodities, as well as for the
products of thellotish settlements in India.
If the argument from ancient history be inapplica-
ble to the trade of export to India, it is still less appli-
cable to the import trade. Anciently the only arti-
fles brought onm that country were drugs, spices,
jewels, and a few manufactured sags and cottons.—
Tea, which forms three-fifths of our imports, was then
unknown to the western world: saltpetre was useless;
and raw silk and cotton had very little value. The
present commercial concerns of the East India Com-
pany may be arranged under the tie o heads of China
trade, and India trade. 'lie former is incomparably
the girates, though including of late (on tl2 Corn.
pant's account) only two articles, viz, tea, and tato.
inik, and on account of private individuals, some nail-
kins, drugs, and other tofling articles.
Tea constitutes about one-half of our astern im-
ports, producing at the Company's sales, nearly
414,000,000 sterling per annum. It is one of those
luxur ics, for which the people of this country volun-
tarily tax themselves very heavily, both to i foreign
nation and to their own Government. How far it
implied wisdom, in our statesmen, to encourage such
a traffic, especially when the mode of payment was far
less favourable to our own industry than at present,
we shall not now enquire. • Our object is to deter.
mine, *what further extension can be given to tem.
Dienes consistently with the public welfare ; andi

we own, that we do not think.this article one that is
capable of any beneficial augmentation. We con•
sume nearly all that we at present import, and fully
as much as we can reasonably desire to consume.—
Very little tea, comparatively, was ever used on the •
Continent ; and unless the present restrictions on the
sale of coffee there, should proiuce a very great
change in national tastes, it is not likely that we shall
ever be able to re:export much of what we purchase.
The importation of Naniin: has greatly decreased ;
principally, we apprehend, from the difficulty of re-
exportation. They are an article of which the con-
sumption in England is never likely to become very
great ; although in warmer climates they find consi.
derabl vent, being carried in small adventures, by
many American ships, to the West Indian, Mediter-
ranean, and other markets.
Raw Siti and Drug: belong to the Indian as well
as to the Chinese branch of trade. The former is an
article of considerable importance to the manufac-
tures of this country ; and, therefore, a constant sup-
ply (to the amount, at least,of halt amillion annually )
ought to be secured by proper regulations. Whether
this supply should be increased, must depend on the
demand for our reanufactured silks ; for it would not
be very desirable, even it it were possible, that we
should supply our competitors in that manufacture
on the Continent, with the raw article. It is scarcely
necessary to dwell much on the import trade in drugs,
which, whether for consumption or for re-exporta-
tion, can never be very considerable.
Cotton Manufacturer are the great staple of India.—
The import of these has so greatly decreased, that it
is not-now a sixth of what it was twelve years ago ;
but this circumstance is so far from being unfavour-
able to British trade in general, that it has been pro-
duced solely by the superiority of the British cotton
manufactures, both in the home and foreign markets.
It is therefore obvious, that an increased import wculd
promise no great advantage either to the Company
or to the private trader, unless at the expence of a
branch of the national commerce, far more important
and interesting.
The Raw Cotton of Bengal is not a promising ar-
ticle of import. Its inferiority for the purposes of
our manufactures had occasioned a gradual decrease
in the Company's investments of it to Europe, until
1801, when they were entirely discontinued until after
the period of the American Embargo.
Indigo, which has been for some years imported to
the extent of a million annually, fully answers the de-
mand.

Of Spices and Pepper the demand for home con-
sumption is comparatively small. Under the pre-
sent circumstances of the world, a certain quantity
may be required for- re•ex,portation ; but that quail-
' city must be much diminished by the, existing ob-
stacles to all trade on the Continent ; and, indeed, in
the most favourable state of things, it can hardly b e
expected, that articles of this nature will ever form a
very important branch of our imports.
Coffee and Sugar enter too largely into competition
with the Western products, which have already over-
stocked every market, to afford any prospect of
speedy advantage by importing them from the East.
Saltpetre, the only remaining article of East Indian
produce, must necessarily be placed under a political
restriction, for the double purpose of securing a sup-
ply of gunpowder to our own Government, and of
excluding the enemy, as far as possitle, from obtain.
ing the same advantage.
Thus have we gone through all the material items
in the catalogue of Eastern products ; and shewn,
that, whether for our own use, or for the supply of
other nations, they afford but little profit in the im- '
portation to this country. Of that profit, whatever
it be, the private trader already participates largely.
He can etpcct little, if any, benefit from an extension
of his concern in this branch of the trade. Another
branch, on which we have not yet touched, namely,
the .carrying-tride, remains to be considered—but of
that hereafter.

himself. The first of these wrote that-01 He was
very sensible, that the relative situations of Landlord
and Tenant in Ireland, exposed the latter to be sued
for more rent by far than he had contracted to pay;
at the same time that the Landlord might be depriv-
ed of his farm-rent ;—a subject of great injustice to
that country."—Th consequence of the system of
these middlemen was, to drive honest families out of
their farms, without themselves satisfying the land-
lord for his rent ; and he would ask their Lordships
to figure to themselves a family of this description,
driven out to starvation, in a country where there
were no poor-rates to relieve them. Even in Eng-
land, where there are poor-rates,such a system would
be reprobated, because they would say—" This fa-
mily has been brought a burthen upon us by your
meanness."—Let the House Consider a family like
this in distress, passing from..cottage to cottages en-
joying all the hospitality of that excellent and warm-
hearted people. What a tale of distress they must
disclose ; and how must it be treasured up, both by
the tellers and hearers, for an opportunity of ven-
geance. On this ground the present subject became
an object of policy of the most important point. He
wished to state a real case to their Lordships under
the shape and appearance of an assumed one. Sup-
pose the landlord to be A, the first middleman 13,
the second C, the third D, and that there were '2O
occupying tenants, all of whom were E; A lets the
ground to B for /00 ; B lets it to C for no less an
advance than £720; C lets it to D for £750; and
I) lets it to the 20 occupying tenants E for £970.
Now it was true, though no one unacquainted with
the subject would believe it, that all of them sub-
lessees might be sued to the amount of 02538. In
the wish he bad to correct, such enormities, he de-
served no merit ; the whole was due to Mr. Conn-
isellor O'Deady, who had brought it to his notice.—
; His Bill proposed, in the first place, that no.one
I should be enabled to sue another for rent, unless the
limmediate lessor or middleman. These middlemen
(who were mere conduit pipes) took leases with one
hand, and suo-Jetted them with the other, so that
they could have no real interest in the land ; by
Iwhich means they were enabled to ride over an estate
and oppress both the interests of the true landlord
and the true tenants. The next clause of his Bill
went to secure to the landlord and tenant that the
immediate lessor of the occupying tenant should not
be enabled to distrain for his rent until he had first
satisfied the landlord. These were the simple and'
unexceptionable principles of this Bill ; and as the
advocate of the Irish peasantry, he would take leave
to say, that their good was his only motive for being
there. He then moved that the bill should be read
a first time.

Lord REDESDALE said, there was at least one.
third of the property of Ireland which was held in
such giants as those which this Bill intended to re-
medy. It therefore became a very serious subject tb
legislate upon. He admitted that the process by dis-
tress was infinitely more common in Ireland than in
England, there being in the latter country a feeling
which checked the proceeding by distress more than
in the former. He wished their Lordships to cast
their minds to this most important subject. At the
same time, there appeared to him so many ob-
stacles and difficulties against it. that he almost des-
paired of this becoming a remedy for the evil. He
I rat* thought that the best way of correcting it,
would be, by checking, if possible, the sub-demise
of lands in that country. He was disposed to eve
every credit to the excellent motives of the Noble
Mover ; but he did not think the remedy would prove
effectual. If he could think so, he would support
die Bill throughow ; at the same time. he would not
oppose the first reading.
The Earl of CLANCARTY thought, that this
could not be so great a grievance as the Noble Earl
had stated it to be, since all the sub-tenants must be
aware of the existence of such practices, before they
entered on their leases. He should not oppose the
measure, but he thought it altogether unnecessary.
'no Earl of SUFFOLK did not think that any
remedy for such an evil should be adopted, without
serious discussion. At the same time he had oo doubt
of this proving ,effectual. He instanced the case of one
of his Stewards, whom he had sent over to Ireland to
take a survey of one of his estates, and who was ob-
liged to do it with a sufficient guard. At last, when
he put out some of the middlemen, he became the fa-
vourite of the people.
Lord HOLLAND defended the Bill, and urged
the House to proceed to the first reading of it ; as it
had been admitted on all sides, that great distress in
this way prevailed in Ireland.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said, that the peo.
ple of Ireland, on making their leases, might, if they
chose, so manage their sub-demises, as to render such
a Bill unnecessary between sub lessors and sub-lessees.
He could not, or course, oppose the first reading of
the Bill ; and he hoped every Noble Lord would give
it serious attention..

After a short reply from Earl STANHOPE, the
Bill was read a firs. time, and ordered to be printed.
The Insolvent Debtors' Relief Bill was read a se-
covild time.—Adjourned.

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