The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-03-26 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN:

Attack Scluannoa.-,We hive been fivtoured
with the following letter from the 'Colossus, off
' Belleisle, dated March 10, 1812, to a friend in
Plymouth
The French squadron has at lest escaped from L'Orielt, and
of we go-after them, but in what directioe we cannot tell, only
• Goo send we come up with them in time.
" Of Brest, March 15.
" Not having an opportunity to send till now, I have opened
this t• say, we have daily information of the enemy ; and with
the ships that have joload As since we commenced the pursuit,
Washall swallow them up all alive, alive 0 if we are 60 form-
Sale as to catch them. I should not wonder if we see the West
Indies, America, or the Mediterranean, before we do Plymouth,
GOD ALIIIOIITT send as success. lam writing this ors my knee.
as oar bulk beads, chesty, and every thing have been below these
four days, so that we are all clear and willing to give them a
warm reception. The enemy's squadron consists of L' 4148,1
iliarengs, nevem, sad Nautpolt, with two frigates or corvettes,
commanded by the famous Admiral Atzamanos ; oartare the
I Bulwark, Tennant, Ponspee, Northumberland, Colossus. .Pei. -
tiers, and 7b•statuulosts, of the hoe, Diana and Armidoftfgates,
under Sir Rtestitst, Kura, so that I think he will make Monsieur
ALLIMANIM &mess a hornpipe. The last time they were seen.
they were in lat. 40.40. N. long. 46. 6. W."
A letter froes.an Officer of the Northampton East
Indiaman has been received iu town, which-states.;
't at its the "latitude awl longitude, and ea the day
(14th instant) the Nodes; frigate saw the li'Orient
squadron and three luiliamen, they also saw a
French frigatelitlng guns
.and making signals; it is
therefore micecteleed, that `the Indiamen the French
sqnadron were left in sight of, were not the outward.
.bound, under the Antelope or La Pique, bat the
three h.meward-bound ships, which have all arrived
safe at Portsmouth ; the Northampton being one of
them, and the other two the Monarch and Za-
phratus.
We. find that the subject agitated in the Dissenter,,
as to the propriety of Dissenters joining with the
Catholics, in favour of a repeal of the disgraceful
Penal Statutes affecting the freedom of religion, has
stirred up a controversy on the sobject, which can-
not fail in the end to benefit the cause of liberty.—
The complexion of the controversy seems to counte-
nance a broader measure than the one designated the
Catholic Question ; and the friends to freedom of
conscience, must have heard the declaration of Earl
GREY with sincere delight, that " his views were
not confined to the Catholics, but extended to that
of every religious persuasion."

EAST INDIA HOylrS.E.
- Yesterday a General Quarterly Court of Proptie-
ton was held at the India House, madnspecial for
the purpose of taking into consideration the commu-
•nieallons which have taken place between his Majes-
ty's Government and the Court of Directors, respect-
ing the renewal of the Company's Charter.
After the titles of the usual quarterly accounts
vele read, a unanimous Resolution of the Court of
Directors, " That• the Commander, Officers, and
Owners of the ship Ceylon are fully acquitted of all
imputation of neglect or misconduct with respect to
the capture of the said ship," was, by the Chair-
man, J. Hosanquet, Esq. reported to the Court,
for their approbation, and was by them unanimously
agreed to.
Mr. SMITH asked, was it the intention of the Court
of Directors to make any remuneration to the Cap-
tain, Officers, and crew of this. ship ?
The CHAIRMAN said, he could not answer this
question.
Mr.Anere said, his reason for putting the (pies-
tion was, that he understood a remuneration had
been made to the officers and crew of another vessel
similarly situated.
Mr. PETER MOORE said, if his Hon. Friend would
slate a case for the consideration of the Court, it
would, no doubt, be attended to; but at present this
qtreetioa was not before them.
Stsmn said, as managing owner of the ship in
,question, be thought himself called on to state what
he had done, The Captain and crew had behaved
with the greatest bravery, of which an idea might
be fbrmed from this single circumstance, that the sur-
aeon had cut off nitteteen legs and arms during the en-
gagernent.
The Cnetamett spoke to order. He should be.
,happy to hear the lion. Gentlemen when the tares;
flop was properly before the Court ; but the pre-
sent was a point not necessarily connected with the
determination of the question put by the Honour-
[able Proprietor. He had no' doubt of the gallan-
try of the Officers and crew of the ship in ques-
tion ; bub.the present Court had been made special
fore& particular purpose of great importance to the
Compan.
- Mr. Su said, he only wished to put the Court
in mind that such a thing as that to which he had al-
' ,ed, Ives necessary in a case like the present.
EAST INDIA CDMPANY'S CHARTER.
The CHAIRMAN stated, that the Court was now
come to the consideration of the point, the nature of
which, he trusted, had been sufficiently made known
to them by the Advertisements in the public Paws,
namely, That this Meeting had been made special
for the purpose of laying before the Proprietors the
communications which had taken place between his
Majesty's Government and the Court of Directors,
respecting the renewal of the Company's Charter.—
The Papers necessary to be read for the information
of the Proprietors, so as to enable them to judge on
this importont subject, were long. With a view to
save the time of the Court, the Deputy Chairman
and himself had looked over these Papers, in order
to See what part of thew might be omitted, without
abridging the information which the Proprietors had
a right to possess on this subject, so important to
their interests. Keeping this in view, they had so
arranged the Papers that every thing that was neces-
sary to a complete understanding of the subject
should be read, so that they sl.ould at least have the
substance of all that had passed on the subject.—
They had also ordered, what they could easily anti-
cipate prove most acceptable to the Court of
Proprietors, namely, that the necessary Papers
should be printed —[Hear ! hear !)—and he was
happy to inform them, so far as he could learn, that
they would be ready to be put into the hands of the
Proprietors to-morrow morning. He should, there-
fore, row propose that the Papers, in their order,
should be read.
The Papers were accordingly read.
The first was a Letter, dated 30th September,
1808, from Mr. R. Daudas to the Chairman and
Deputy Chairman of the Court of Directors, inform-
ing them that it would be desirable now to ascertain
whether the Company were desirous that the ques-
tion, as to the renewal of their Charter, should then
be agitated.
The next Paper was a Minute of the Secret Com-
mittee of Correspondent*, dated 12th October, 1808,
and a Letter of same date, by the Chairman and De-
puty-Chairman to Mr. Dundas, in which they state
it to be their fixed opinion that the Charter should be
early renewed, and, of course, that the question as to
its renewal should be immediately agitated. The
Chairman and Deputy-Chairman had not thought it
necessary to resort to the opinion of the whole Court
of Directors on this subject, but had grren this as the
opinion of the Secret Committee of Correspond-
ence.
The next Paper was a Letter of the Chairman and
Deputy-Chairman, by order of the Court of Direc-
tors, to Mr. Dandas, dated 7th December, 1808 i
stating it to be the opinion of the Court that the ex-;
elusive privilege should be continued, and the Char'=
ter speedily renewed. The Court also expressed
their hope that no change would be introduced to al-
ter or weaken the present system, as necessary to
the safety of India; declaring that, in expressing
this hope, they - not actuated by - • partial
•- Own

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effect of .imparing its efficiency: Secondly, they
Submit that there can, be no occasion to call in (Inv,
Lion the right of the Company to the territorial po a
cessions which they hold, and Which they have ac-
quired at a great expence.—Thirdijr., They submit
that the situation of' the Co,ufbanyis very-different
from what it was in the year 1793; that wars had
greatly diminished their finances and increased their
debt, end that without attaining, or even having in
View, any object of utility to the-`Company, and
['arising from causes which they could not controul.
They hoped, therefores that no measures would be
taken to reduce the value of the capital stock of the
Company, while the country was so greatly benefited
by the influx of wealth from India.—Fourthly, As
i'to the magnitude of the Indian Debt, that, they
I submitted, might be easily reimbursed from the ter-
ritory of the Company in India.—Fifthly, They
1 submitted the propriety of apportioning the ex,
perces• of any war in India, between the country
and the Company, in the proportions belonging Ulf
each. In the event of a war being undertaken by
France, at that moment, it must be considenlea mere,
ly as a European war, for Epropean objeeb--as a
war with France on Indian sail !—And due consi-
de a.ion, they trt red, would, in such an event, be'
paid to such an occurrence.—Siithly, As to the pe-
rit d of the renewal of the ChartuL—this was a point
which would (mid much to improilb the credit• of the
Company, and, therefore, it was essential that the
Charter should be renewed for an eaulislikikther
for a greater period than that which had beiiiiiranted
at the time of the former renewal.
1 The next Paper read was a letter froth Mr.It.
Dun- '
das, dated 28th December, 1808, in answer to the
suggestions of the Chairman and Deputy Chairmau,
1 containing observations preliminary to the agitation
of the question of the renewal of the Charter, but
' not so matured as to enable him to say that they con,
veyed the decided opinion of Government on the
! points alluded to. In this letter the Right Hon.
Gent. states, that it will depend on the /*so-ratio:Led
the Company as to their agreeing to throw open tint
trade to India to the inhabitants of this country in
general, under certain limitations, whether the con+
currence of Government could be given to the re.
newel of their Charter. As to the system at present
in force in India, at the same time, there was no
' idea of changing it, Government not having heard
any arguments against that system, which seemed to
them to counterbalance the good effects produced by
it. It might, the Right Hon. Gent. suggested, be
necessary to extend the controul at home to the finan•
' cial department of the Company, the more especially
' if the 4th Article of the suggestions by the Com.
ipany were, agreed to. As to the army in India, it
I was also proposed to transfer the command of the
Company's forces there to the Commander to Chief
1 of the thing's forces, it not being in contemplation,
however, to deprive the East India Company of the
right of nominating the Cadets, &c.
The next Papers, and the material Papers, read,
were a Minute of the Secret Committee of Corre,
spondence, dated 7th of January, 1809, and Let-
ter by the Chairman and Deputy Chairman to
Me. Daudet,- of the same date, in letttch they
state that the Letter of Mr. Dundas had received
their most serious consideration, and that in ea. .
swering 'it they abstained from noticing any of the '
minor points alluded to, confining themselves to .
the two propositions of importance, namely, the
enlargement of the Trade to the Individuals of
this Country, so as to place them on a footing
with the Company ; and the Transfer of the Indian
troops under the controul of the Commander in Chief
of his Majesty's forces in India. It would be with
great concern that they heard the declaration of such
intentions on the part of the Government of this
country, did they not perceive that they were accom-
panied by assurances that the alterations proposed,
would be attended with no change which should not
be consistent with the happiness of India. If the
propositions now pointed out by Mr. Dutelas, were
to be adopted to their full extent, they would com-
pletely destroy the rights of the Company, as con•
ferred by former Charters. . .
First, as to the laying open the trade to the ink-. , :41,
tarok
tants of this couutry in general ; this, it was conte
ed, would not be such a boon as was supposed to - ,
country, but might prove more destructive, eve! Omni t...4.-'
it was beneficial, while, to the Company it would besiail •
highly injurious. The India trade bad ceased to b.
an object of gain : the change which bad taken plum .
in the situation of Europe, and the wars which bad:
for many years prevailed, bad reduced it to nothiefk, • ~
All attempts which had been made for two centtuiey . tfAltrt, „,
to increase the consumption of European manatee- ... , ?
tures among the Indian nations had failed. Theasee
tires lived on rice—were content with a coveriatet , .
light cotton cloth—and had need of none of our sae .
perduities, except a quantity of woollens on a small
scale, for the more inclement seasons and metals
also, in a small proportion ; they had no wish nor
any need of our assistance; and our exportations te
! India, were confined merely to the European settlers.
IThe more remote and less known regions of the East
too, would be found`to furnish an equally unprofit-
able market for our manufactures. These were al-
ready explored, with the greatest assiduity and at..
Itendon, by persons employed in the coasting trade;
and, on the whole, the laying open of the trade to
India would not, in the smallest degree,extend tile .

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were . _ _ any , _
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slows as to what ht be supposed to be their consumption of British manufactures in India, or >
interests. . loyen a trade elsewhere. Neither 'would the preduc-
The next Papers reed were a mionte of the Secret i Lions of India afford any new scope for the industry - , ,
Committee of Correspondence, of date 16th Dir. ' or exertions of the inhabitants of this country ; but
JOB, and Letter of thp Chairman and Deputy ; would open, as far as they could be productive of .
,s4e.
'Chairman to Mr. Dundas, of the same date, in any advantage, to every other country as well as to ..
which they approve of the answer of the ltth ' this.—While this measure, however, could do no '
October to Mr. Duudas's letter of the 30th of the good to the general trade of this country, it would
preceding month. They do not think it necessary : prove, destructive both to the' political and tom..
to anticipate the question, but throw out,, for the movie.] interests of the Company; and would pro-
consideration of Mr. Manilas and his collea- duce a ruinous competition, which w.i.uld 'speedily
goes, a few • suggestions :—First, they suggest, lead to the destruction of thoseintermediatsly con-
ed, that the system now adopted 'in India has corned in theiraffic, and filially to the (instruct/ea of
been found to be the most' expedient that could be , the country. In this way the benefit of piblic.sales
devised,- both with a view to foreign and domestic , would-be destroyed, and every thing would "become
prosperity-, The happiness of the natives had been , a ricene of fraud, an the civiVservants ./fif the
Increased by It; and by the regulations.Ngil bad been Company mist be tbropli out of employnitnt— .., %.
adopted, a provision had been made far -alll4.uccession The,evil, hoWever, would pot stop here. The Won°. ' "--
sf able and useful, native Millers; The 'Olin sal- '-- of Cl" which it was proposed should be col,
.. . _ . - - •safe. Ga a

hot
poly _ ;hinny . _
.4* these present management, were a use- tinned to the'Co%npany, would not be _
4 of men, whose fidelity and a'rAischment , would lead many who could -At be easily followee,
be yelled on, and the Directors hoped-Abet no nor brought to punishment in Falkland, to commit •
would be introduced which would bare the depredations on the weak inhabitants of that coot.
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