The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-16 00:00:00

THE "Tom AN.

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tlon of the nature of the Office of tho Co
trllpe
bil
Court of Chancery:
Mr. FITZGERALD then moved the omission of
the clause regarding the Irish Pension List.
Mr. HUSKISSON observed, that Irelantl had not
it pressed one shilling of• disposeable revenue. It
appeared to him that the amount of thelrisi, Pee-
sion List was out of all proportion greater, com-
pared with the revenue, than that of the other parts
of the empire. It ought to be remembered, that
this was a charge of which the people of this part of
the United Kingdom Imust pay 15-17ths. .
Sir JOHN NEWPORT said the Irish RavenWe
was not only not adequate to the charges, but there
was even a deficit of 534,0001. for this very year.
Mr. FITZGERALD explained,
When the House divided.
For the Amendment -
Against it

59
. 6)

Majority again-A it • 1
After some further discussion, the further conside-
ration of the Bill was postponed to Wednesday
next.

COLONEL M'M AIION.
Lord CASTLERFAGH had to communicate to
the house, that his Royal Highness the Prince Re.
gent had been pleased that the salary of Ms Private
Secretary (Colonel M'Mahon) should be paid out of
the Privy Purse. He could have wished to see an
Honourable and Learned Member in his place who
had given notice of a motion on this subject (Mr.
Horner, we believe), as perhaps he would not, un-
der such circumstances, now think it necessary to
bring it forwastip• r t
Mr. PONSONST;said, he believed his lionoura•
ble and Learned riimict would consent to withdra*
•
his notice. •

1

LordTARMOUTH was sure there could be no
[possible difference between himself and his Bight
Honourable Friend as to what really passed. Me
would not, however, say any more on the subject at
present.
Mr. HUSKISSON moved for an Account of the
Duties on British and Foreign Spirits, except Rum ;
on Timber, Pot and Pearl Ashes, &c.'for the year
ending sth April, 1812.—Ordered.

COMMITTEE 101 SUPPLY.—ARMY EXTRAORDI-
NA it I ES.—IiAsT•IN DIA LOAN.
The House having gone into a Committee of
Supply,
Mr. WALLACE rose to move the sum of
2> 500 0001. by way of loan to the Fast India Corn-
piny. • He said he should not enter into minute
financial statements ; but, as it was intended to in.
dude the vote to the East India Company in the loan
for the year, he thought it necessary to assure the
House of the security' which existt'd for the repay.
ment of the sum prayed for by the petition. He was
aware that various applications had been made by
the Company during the last two years ; bat it
should be remembered, that the loans which had I
been granted, were the means, not only of the ex. I
tension, but of the security of the territory in India. I
The debt under which they now laboured had arisen
from no mismanagement on the part of the Company.
He must also observe, that if the papers in possession i
of the House were looked into, it would appear that
there was a material difference between the deficit
and the sure now ukel. The deficit was f 3,500,000,
while the sum prayed for by the petition was only
,e 2.500,000; but he should be doing great injustice
to tbktrest repollid ItttlM,•aud great injustice to the.
East India Company, if he did not state that in
reality the Loan actually adianced by the public had
been three fotwths anticipated by payments made in
India for the public service. The Hon. Member then
read, from the printed documents, various items of
sump so advanced, among which were the follow-
ing:—
Navy £OO,OOO
Supplies, Stores, &c. to Ceylon :. 580,000
Military Service . 134,000
Expeuces or the Expedition to Java 5;4,u01.)

The gross amount he stated to be upwards of four
millions, which left a balance in favour of the East
India Company amounting altogether to kt,sp,ooo;
so that the whole sum truly borrowed Tram The pub-
lic, in the Loan, was only t 900,000 ; and he trusted,
that in whatever state the 'affairs of the East India
Company might be, their security was at least good
for that sum. The Loan, he contended, was not to
burden the country, but merely to enable the Corn.
pang to carry on their affairs till a complete invest':
gation of them should take place, which must soon
be done in that Mouse. He then concluded by
moving' the sum of 132,500,000 to be.voted in the.
Committee.
Mr. CREEVEY said, he objectedaltogether to ths.
sum being voted, and that he should- oppose it is I
every stage. The history of the Petition, he said,
was curious. It was presented on Tuesday last at a
very late hour, by a Member of the East India Com-
pany; it was ordered to be referred to a Committee
above stairs. The lion. Gentleman carried it there,
and was himself a Member of the said Committee;
they assembled about seven in number, and after
having profoundly deliberated for five minutes upere
the innumerable questions coanected with the -Cona•
pany's affairs, they reported upon the Petition, and'
said that nothing could be so proper or so safe, as to
lend the sum required,—[..4 laugh.]-1149 hoped-x.
however, the House would not come to a vote in the
absence of all information. The Company's debt2l
he contended, arose as much from commercial blun-
ders. as from wars, though the Hon. Gentleman,
wished to insinuate diet the latter were the all-suffi-
cient source of that debt. The nonsensical fooleries
of Petitions to Parliament had been going on since
1806, and during that time, eight millions of money
had been advanced to them ; that was, four millions
by way of loan, and four more they stould be able
to raise by bonds, He believed, however, it was
doing much more injury to the East India Company,
than to the Sttfte, lending such sums. The experi-
ment had been tried for thirty years, and what was
the result? Why, that they were by their own
statement, fifteen millions worse than nothing at the
present moment ; and that, notwithstanding they
put the best value upon all their forts, &c. making
them all assets cif course.—[A laugh.]—lt was, tor
sure, an excellent thing for the East India om-
pany to have such a comfortable ally in the Govern.'
ment, that they could come down year after
year for loans, and sure never to be refused.—
[4 laugh.]—lt was a comfortable thing too, to
be an East India Director. [A laugh.] Ile did not
Care how things went; he had his 1.0001. East India
Stock, his patronage, hi the way of writerships,
dits, &c. and all was very well. Then the Proprie-
tors, also, the Ladies and Gentlemen composing the
Prilted Company trading_, to the East Indies-71A,
.40101—.eesieiveci theirthridendt, arid- all went os
%try well—UaughterF-and the said Ladies and
Gentlemen assembled once a yea,. to decide which
six among them were' most fit to regulate the desti-
nies of fifty millions of people. Thus their affairs
wont on, and thus they would have gone on, if
rthere had not been such a thing in this country as
commercial interest, which commercial interest feel-
ing itself a little pinched, perhaps by the Orders la
Council—la laugh)-began to thiltk some little re-
liief might be found if they cook) send a ship or two
to India. In behalf of that commercial interest
alone, 'he thought it would be imprudent to let the
money go without a. further investigation of the af-
fairs of the Company. He concluded by observing,
that he should feel it his duty to resist granting one
farthing of money till something more should be
known than what could be learned from the sheet of
paper which the Honourable Gentleman had used as
his document.
Mr. it. THORNTON observed, that the Hon.
Gentleman most have been 'unintentionally misin-
formed respecting the Company being fifteen millions
worse than nothing at the present moment. At the
wine time, he could not but compliment him upon
the good humour he had displayed ; a good humour
not veri usual with him, when speaking of the East
'lndia Lempany's affairs. Year after year he had
hpen using a warning voice on the subject. He wawa
sort of memento stnori [a laugh] ; but though he
(Mr. Thornton) had. no doubt that the East India
Company, like every thing mortal, would have its