Star.
London, England, 1813-02-24 00:00:00

EAST INDIA TRADE.
WORCESTER, FEB. 10,1..0 '
AT a antnerons and highly-respectable Meeting of
the Merelsants, Tradesmen, and other Inhabitants of the
City of Worcester and its vieinity,•convened by the Mayor and'
Magistrates, In Coinmen-Hail assembled, for taking into con-
sideration the expediency of Petitioning the Legislature against
the renewal of the Itwapindli Company's Commercial monopoly.
The Right W ful the MAYOR, in the Chair;
Resolved II
That under the mum disetiOngements to industry, the stag-
nation of Conmseree, and the &cm's of our Manufactures, we
are imperiously called upOn to promotetbe general good, by im-
plodes the Lesillature to ray open those vast sources of cottuner-
rill and greatness, which have been hitherto closed to
blel and enterprim
, unless where it be granted for a limited
Pllded N !Ward of talents and industry, successfully exerted
ase puhßshenefit, is equally absurd and pernicious • and ex-
Catdemeastrates that the exclusive privilege possessed by
ate -India Company of trading to the immense Seas and
Coquetries between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, is in
bag unjust, worse then owlets to themselves, and highly loin?
obits to the interests of the British public.
0. That an lama* Address and Petition be presented, in the
Session, to both Houses of Parliament, earnestly Praying
take esiskaaserares for the abaci" of this monopoly as
M their wisdom may sewn most proper.
Tilittba.Addirees midTetition now read, be adopted, sad that
tilti Ware sign the time in the name, and on behalf of the
Seating.
That the Right Hon. the Lord Lieutenant of the County of
Worcester, be requested to present the Address and Petition to
libellous@ of Lords, and the Members for the City to the Hodge
K Commons ; and that the Right Hon. the Earl of Plymouth,
the Right Hon. the Lord Viscount Dudley and Ward, and the
Right Hon. the Lords Foley, Souuners, and Beauchamp, and also
the reveral Members in Parliament for the County, and the Bo-
ilfelibe within the same, be requested to give it their utmost
suppo
1 hatrt. the above Resolutions, together with a copy of the Ad-
dress and Petition, be talent.' in each of the Worcester News-
papers, in Aris's Birmingham Gazette, and in such of the London
Papers as the Chairman may think fit.
THOMAS BT. JOHN, Chairman.
The Mayor having left the Chair, and the same having been
taken by B. Johnsoo, Es q.
Resolved, That the thanks of this Meeting be given to the
Right Worshipful the Mayor for calling the same, and for his
seaduct in the Chair. • BENJAMIN JOHNSON.
the Comnions of the United

the Honourable . - Kingdom of
Groat Britain and Ireland, in Parliament usembied.•
"The Humble Address and Petition of the Mayor, Magistrates,
Merchants, Manufacturers, and other Inhabitants of the
City of Worcester, and its Vicinity, in Common Hall,
assembled,

if c
ucwzru,
" That your Petitioners deeply feel for, and sympathise in the
privations and distresses arising from doe want ot Foreign Com-
merce, under which by far the greater part of the United King-
dam now labours.
" That the Trade of your Petitioners is itself sensibly affected
by the want of demand for those al ticks in which they deal, -re-
suiting from the stagnation of Commerce in such considerable
places as Birmingham, and Bristol, and Manchester, and
Liverpool.
" 'flat your Petitioners are convinced that all Monopolies,
except these which are granted fur a limited time, as the reward
of talents and industry exerted in the discovery or improvement
of something manifestly beneficial to the Public., are unjust in
themselves and subversive of the public good.
" That the, exclusive privilege possessed by the East India
Company, of trading to the immense Seas and Countries be-
tween the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, appears to your
Petitioners to be a Monopoly odious in itself, disadvantageous to
those who possess it, and injurious to the interests of the British
Empire.
6' That the Company's own statements constrain your Peti-
tioners to believe, that a loss is sustained it them on their Ea-
ports;—although ;hose Exports, Including Military Stores, average
no more than One Million Six Hundred Thousand Pounds an-
nually !--a sum far inferior to the annual exportation of liritish
Merebandize by individuals to Jamaica alone.
That your Petitioners' are convinced, from documents
equally authentic, an immense loss would, be incurred by the East
India Company on their Imports, were it not fur the extravagant '
Monopoly prices obtained by them for thlse from the Public.
That, independent of other articles, it can be.proved that 'rea, if
the Trade were thrown open to ludividuals,would lie sold atleast
Eighty per cent: less than is now paid for it ;and your Petitioners
humbly beg leave to state, that they can see no reason, especially
when the heaviest burthens are necessarily imposed upon them,
that can palliate, much less justify, tke continuance of. a Mono-
poly which annually levies, in the SHAPE or mice, a Tax upon
the Country amounting to the ehormous sum of ne‘arly Two Mil-
lions sterling.
" That your Petitioners humbly conceive they are . Juni-
fied in asserting the Monopoly of the East India Company
to be disadvantageous to those who possess It, since not-
withstanding the large sums annually levied by them on the
United Kingdom in the shape of rams, and their having neglec-
ted to pay more than one instalment of the £500,000 which they
agreed to pay the Public yearly, they have been obliged, since the
lam renewal ot their Charier, to borrow several Minions sterling
io discharge their dividends and other' incidental demands.
66 That your Petitioners are of opinion that the injury to the
Public, not only in paying a monopoly price for all articles ins-
pitted from the East, but in the limitations and restraints impo-
sed by the East India Company's charter on the capital and eater-
prize of individual merchants, is too evident to need illustration.
" That the objections to the opening of the Trade, which the
East India Company have suggested and so vehemently urged, ap-
pear to your Petitioners unfounded and presumptuous; unboun-
ded, as they respect colonization, since no danger is to be appre-
lieuded from the residence, for commercial purposes, of British
individuals, in a country where the Government is despotic and
military; nor does the argument insisted upon from the conduct
of our North American Colonies deserve notice, since there is no
analosy whatever between the present Government of India and
that which, previous to its separation from the Parent State, ob-
tained in North America, where every measure, political, civil,
and military, was discussed in Provincial Assemblies; and pre-
sumptuous, since private Merchants are surely equal to the pru-
dent management of thei/own affairs; and the wisdom of Parlia-
ment is fully adequate, without the interference of the 'East
India Company, to provide, if necessary, additional safeguards
for the Constitution.
" That the Commercial intercourse established with the Chi-
nese, by individual American and Portuguese Merchants, leaves
your Petitioners no room to fear any danger or inconvenience
from the opening of the China Trade to those of Great Britain;
nor can it be supposed that the Chinese Goverant should ea-
tartain that jealousy of private, unconnected individuals, which
it must do of the Agents of a Company distinguished not se
mach for Commercial, as for Military greatness.
" That your Petitioners think too highly of the vigilance of his
Majesty's GovernmeM, to doubt that the Custom House reins'
lotions will be rendered effectual to secure the due Collection
of the Revenue at those Out-ports which the wisdom of Parlia-
ment may think lit to open to Eastetv Commerce.
" Your Petitioners do, therefore, humbly and earnestly pray,
tt at your Honourable House will permit no Renewal of the East
India Company's Commercial Monopoly ; but that your Honour-
able House will be planted to provide, that all British Subjoins.
shall be allowed freely to Trade to India, Chide, and all Wier.
Countries in the East, from such Ports of the United Kingdom as
shall seem expedient, and from any other Ports in the World which
they may choose to touch at. And your Petitioners beg have
further to state their full and entire confidence upon this and all
other subjects of Legislation, in the wisdom, justice, and iute-
grity of your Honourable House.
46 Signed in the name and on behalf of the Meeting,
" MOW ST, JOfrl, Mayor.".