The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-04-03 00:00:00

•

PPM FlATBiTiiti,eN._

s ' .

Were paid. for general prosperity of the whole Empire; yet it was
t a t iey should also be just to themselves.
to their. own- t I
spleridid emolument. Great advan- the Government at home,—they
their
result
Remaly
Ogee, undoubtedly, resulted to the Company's pos: I out of the Company's purse,—and
sessions from the bullion which was thus sent out, Iliad raised the character and the resources of this A certain
. tyrant of antiquity had wished a whole
wis that all the Citizens of this
and the activity which was given to commerce ; j country in the estimation of Europe. If this coontryd nNautrownhetouishauvue but one head, that he might cut it off.
l 4
bat surely the' merchants of this country, who ! wits egiltled to reek among the first of nations,c-an•
might be regarded as those who found capital and t owititleileceirenie as t,w very fint,—thit Empire.had butane ear, and that this seer had been
b
credit for originally.. establishing the American" 1 suceeesses in India ha:d.very much tended .lent to tbeipeech of his lion. Friend (Mrs Jackson).
merchants, were perfectly competent to conduct t • !mit go t t distinction. However much public , lie wished that they had all read the correspondence
s. •
mixed on the Continent, yet -he be- S which *a* before that Court, as lie then thought that
this surplus trade.--(llesse, hear, hear !)—:—Theiti intinioweeedli s
treaty with America had expired, but the Act I lievetlAst such were Ihe, ideas which most of the ttlie sun-shine of truth would lulu dispelled all the
etas still in fierce which allowed foreigners to Continent...el WI;
sophers entertained in their closets. I mists of prejudice, and that they would see that the
engage •thatectiMeseree•—e--At one time the sir- if then, the trade was to be relaxed, fare WWI Company had
. acted most fairly and honourably.--
cunistance of 'other natiOns`'haiing settlements ,be taken that it be placed under such regulations as Ho then adverted to Lord Castlereagh's refusal of
India, might' justify this; e but now, by the Ads- :soot to endanger the safety of our Indian empire.— the proposition, to exempt the Company from the
situdes Of -war,' all these settlements ltd become-i He trusted the Directors would impress on the Go- Income Tax, "as not consistent with the enlarged
our own, with the exception of Goa, which was of iertiment the danger of allowing indiscriminate corn- and enlightened policy on which the Company had
-trilling importance; and the reason for the admiszion,, mercial intercourse with the ports of legit. Presents j hitherto acted." It appeared to him, that the Com-
et foreigners to a participation in this colonial cons--; end pagodas would again become the order of theipany,lethe expenses which they had gone to iu sup..
merce no loner evisted. It would be right, there-- day : by add by,those who went out es Captains of port of the general objects of the policy of the Em-
fore, for the.Direetore to subunit to Government the . ships would open communications with the native 'pure, had manifested enlarged views of policy, equal
propriety of repealing the stets to which he had ad- Princes,--Colonization would ensue,--European am- to any which had been displayed by his Lordship or
vested, so as to restore the operation of the Naviea- , bitionwould barons usual courser-44nd he that was in i any other Statesman. India had recently been a field,
tion .Act to India. In this way, the defalcations want of an apology for insurrection would turn pa- ! where as much honour had been gained for the Bri-
which the Company, would sustain might be reim- triot, and say that be resorted Co lt.for the benefit of ; tish nation, as in any other ; and where that great
bullied, and our fellow-citizens might be enabled to 'human nature itself. But if the- trade was to be laid ;
hero (Lord Wellington) was formed, who was now, •
export and import goods to a certain amount, to in- i,open, what gratification, he would ask, was the in a great measure, the bulwark of Europe. If the
ci ease the employment of their capital, and to add Company to receive in return for such a mighty boon? Company hati not, reaped an abundant harvest of
to the quantity of British shipping, and the numbers Was it usual to adMit men to. the benefits of Partner- ! profit for themselves, they had reapeda great harvest
of British seamen: but he very much feared, that ship in a long-establishedtmde, without somevaluable of glory for the country.
proportion as an indiscriminate trade wits allowed i.consideration ? Was it not reasonable that the Coat- Mr. Lownees saids that he should begin his speech
with India, the hopes of those engaged in it, ad well pany, which had established so ,many marts and fees- i to-day, where he tenor on the last occasion.—[A
as those cif dwerompany, would be rapidly
,disap. F tories should receive some compensation in return, Der I leuvek.]-s-He. weee ld. say, that after the prosecution)
pointed. Looking at the splendid acquisitions' their use ?In 1793, when the exclusive prinlitgb or-rather persecution, of Mr. Hastings and the Mar.
which the Company had made in India, sure he !,was opened in a certain degree to private trade, the quis Wellesley, he wondered much that they found
:
was, that there was no probability of long retain- eCompany was allowed to raise its dividends 2 par another Governor-General to act as well as the pre:
ing them for this country, without the enforcement i cent.: butnoW, when the trade was to be laid open
.sent one did. Those two men had been the Saviours
of such regulations as might prevent colonization.—lwithout bounds or limits, swag it fair that the Com- of India ; and when they returned to this country,
From the clay when you are obliged tq open the; patty should have no gratification, while private I crowned with laurels, what sort of a reception did
ports of India to the indiscriminate admission of I traders were to derive every advantage from the use they meet with? They had not been invited to dine
shies from every port in Britan, yon may date !of the Company's ports and establishments? lie at the Londonlavern as they ought to have beene--
the loss of your possessions in the East. On simi- I thought, at least, a proposition should he made that,i [A loud laugh.]—We even voted the thanks of the
Jar grounds he had been one of those who always 'as the private traders pay at present 3 per cent on Company, but were persecuted in every possible
opposed' the erection of Colleges in the East, for ' the capital they employ, this rate should be raised to I way. He should now proceed to the business of
the instruction of the British youths sent out as 5 per cent. in consideration of the superior advan- the- day. .He had been so highly delighted both
cadets and writers. However friendly to Oriental i tages granted ; and that its produce should go to the with the speech of the Honourable Gentleman (Mr:
literature, they were aware, that had they continued Proprietors. The Learned Gentleman then proceed- Jackson), and with the able letter marked No.
to educate them there, their affection for the mother ed to state, that it was at one time his intention to in the correspondence, that if be were .asked which'
country must have ceased—new feelings and attach- !move for the appointment of a Select Committee of he liked best, he would not know what to say. He ,
ments must have sprung up—and as men are natml Proprietors, to act in concert with the Court of Di- should feel like D;. Willis [A laugh], 'who, when
rally strongly attached to the place of their educe-'l rectors ; but when he saw from the papers now pub- asked by George the Second which he would choose,
lion, their never would have wished era return to this dished, the great ability and zeal with which the rte- the Bishoprick of Bath or Bristol, said" baith is
country again. That Government which had not gociation had been conducted on the part of the Di- best." Thatwashisfeeling on the suhject, and he wish.
made up its mind on the subject of Indian colonize, • rection, he thought such a Committee unnecessary. ed to have batik. He was much surprised, that when
lion, had not done its duty; and to prevent such an He concluded with moving a Resolution, which ex- the Company were giving the Treasury four millions
effect alone, it was incumbent on the Directors to , pressed, in substance, " how much the Proprietors a-year in customs and excise, there should be people
resist every application for unlimited freedom of trade were indebted to the zeal and fidelity of the Court who thought that they ought to give half a million
and to urge the continuance of such restraints as the of Directors ; that they approved of thb steps which more for the liberty of making this present. He
experience of more than a century had proved to be had been taken in the negociation with Government; remembered the origin of thb American war. After
safe and wholesome. It seemed to be one of the points but at the same time submitted that some gratifica. this country had gone to the expense of nursing and
conceded by Government to the Company, that an ' tion should be afforded the Company in considers- rearing the American people, it was naturally sup-
Indian imports should be made into the port of Lon. I tion of the trade being opened to the country at posed that we were entitled'to something, as an in-
don, and the sales conducted through the medium of large." demnity for the expenses of their education. [A
the India House. Great advantage would attend this,l Mr. Roca made a few observations, the purport of laugh.] The Government then laid on a little bit of
from the safe, innocent, and honourable manner ire!evhich we understood to be, that he should contend a tax upon tea, which the Americans rebelled against.
which all our sales were conducted, by public auc- for a guarantee of the Company's possessions in The Government, however, could not say the same.
tiou, and by inch of candle._ Should any other me.llndia. thing to the India Company. They had educated.
dium be resorted to, all would be speculation, novelty Mr. G. Joneseose spoke at considerable leegtk. themselves, and grown powerful entirely at their owe'
of adventure, and, probably, mischief. But thoughine thought that there was not the least ground for exposit*, and therefore were entitled to very differ-
it was proposed to bring all the imports to London,' the Proprietors to hope for any pecuniary gratifice- ent treatment. He should uow tell them a story :
yet it seemed to be the scheme of Ministers, that tion. It struck him as quite impossible that such a he hadbeard once, that there had been a bargain be.
all our ports should he open for exports : and he did• claim could be admitted either by Ministers or by [twee') the Devil and a Farmer, about the crop of the
not see why this, in consistency, should be confined Parliament. When the Charter was last renewed, farm. The Devil gavethe Farmer his choice, whether
to the ports of this country—and why Halifax and , the public had been taught to expect a large sum an- he would have that which was above ground or that
teuebec, for instance, should not have the advantage nuttily, in consideration for that renewal ; but the which was below. The Farmer chose that which was
of it while we allowed Philadelphia and New York course of events had prevented this expectation from below ground, and the Devil was choused. They
to engage in the trade to its utmost latitude. The • being realised. The public naturally complained of made the same bargain the next year, and the Farmer
questinu was, whether this open trade would be pro- this, and to press for any gratification would only de- still outwitted him; upon which the Devil slid, thathe
ductive of much benefit to the country at large: He tract from that favourable consideration which they could notdeal with farmers.--[This story, which was
knew, that whim a new charter was granted to the! were inclined to afford the Company at present. It told by the Worthy Proprietor at great length, and in
Company, in 1730, applications similar to thosenow should also be recollected, that the Company'edebt the most eccentric manners produced universal laugh-
made, were presented to Parliament from Liverpool, had been increased '26 millions since the last renewal ter,altho'wr were not elect° perceive in itsapplication,
Glasgow, and other ports, praying that the 'trade of the Charter, and it would be necessary to applyl which parte, was meant for the devil, and which for the
might be thrown open. Answers were
'returned by to the public for their assistance in raising six mil. ;farmer-]—This was just the case between the Com-
the Company very mnch the same as those now lions by way of loan ; and on all these grounds,- he pany aod the country. As for himself, he was proud.
urged ; are it was elnwed to be a consideratiop of i thought the Proprietors would do more harm.than•l to be a member of that Court ; and yet he had never
great weight. that through the Company, 300,0001. f good by urging such a claim. He expressed him. I gained above five per cent. for his money, nor did he
was then paid into the Exchequer while 07 • l em- self strongly on the necessity of adopting men- wish to gain more. •He had great pleasurede being
ployed a tonnage of 5 or 6000 tons in 17 ships.—• sures for preventing the colanizatiow of our Indian I a member of that body, which gave him the truest
These considerations had weight with the Legisla- territory, when the trade was thrown open • and ; idea of a commonwealth. The Company were now.
tun;
and a renewal of the charter was granted ' • trusted that the means of prevention would be ma- triumphant. iumphant. They rose
like a cock on its own dung-
which with an additional period of fourteen years tureleediscussed by the Directors on the one hand, ; bill, clapping its wings. They rendered the most
• brought it down t 0.1780. Viltat benefits, then, had ' and Ministers on the other. He thought it would- I important' eervices to the gauntry. They poured
the nation at large derived from the Company since be right, in this view, to confine the trade to the four millions of fresh blood into the kind corpse of
new far had the wisdom of the Legislature been jue.i port of London ; but when he considered the great' their mother country. There were three classes of
'
titled in supporting us ? The best- answer to this e weight of -the mercantile interests in - thedifferent ;men against whom he wished the Company to be
was the progressive increase of the Company's trade.; ports of theliugdora, and also tlmt the whole body lon their guard. They were all Metlindists. [Long
In 1783 our exports chartered shipping to the of representatives from Ireland would probably be continued laughte. r,..] There Were firft the religious
amount of 10,000 tons, which was an increase of . thrown into the same scale, he very much doubted j methodists, who, in the cloak of hypocrisy, denied
'6OOO since the previous' reneitte In wee aux .whether Government, would be able to carry 'this ithat any body.could get to
,Heaven, except in their
tonnage had get eip to 33.,000; and during "the last 'point, even if they were fuelled to grant At elm way. There was next a class of political methddistee,
few years, elite eniennit of our. tonnage had berm -i-sanse• time, he shwa submit' propesiti gal
• I who also, its a. desk of hypocrisy, denied spat any.
nearly the same. The Company's ships, from their if adopted by the .Proprietary, would strengtbeatkp .Gorernment was right wick they did not prescribe'
size and outfit, Item in fact ships of war, and the hands of the Directors on this subject.- lie .could' the form ft; and, la s fly, there were commercial me.'
trade bred up a prodigious number of brave 'and ' not avoid thinking that many of the most Medal thodists,- eequally intolerant'
as to their. particular
' able seamen for the service of the country. Then, ' !sends which had beer' urged by the
.Director'sl .11m41 system. concluded by many observations on the!
bolt was it esti,' the duties paid into the Treasury ?• been either evaded or refused by y the Minister. •elfelnecessity of guaranteeing proper provisions to the
In 1734, this' Completes paid duties to the amoent•l was rather at a loss to know,* from the speech of his ! widows and orphans of those who died itt the service
rof '300,0001. •in 1703? about 1,0600001. ;in 1803, Honourable Friend (Mr. Jackson), whether be con- lof the Compauy, and by suggesting that there ought
they had increased to 2,500,0001.; and for the lase! seated that the trade should be opened, or, Whether to be a special fund created, which ought to be called
five years they had averaged the amazing sum of four :he did not mean to contend for its being left in its 46 The Fend of Gratitude." •
millions. All this revenue was collected without dif- ' present state. lie perfectly concurred with him in • Mr. GRANT began by stating, tludstanding as he
ficulty with perfect security • and surely this alone thinking that the trade ought to he confined to Bri- did, in the situation of a person soliciting a seat in
was no small benefit conferred on the finance of the fish capital; British ships, and British seamen; bet 1 theelirectien, he should not have spoken on the pre-
country, and not to be slightly hazarded by an in- ihe thought that the time had come, when there must sent question,if he had not considered it one of the
discriminate
admission to the trade of India.— jbe some modified extension of the trade. Lie could' utmost importance to the Company. The great ob.'
[Haul]—Such had been. the' regular and spiendide not see, however, why ships, built in India, and jection which he felt to the proposed arrangement,
progress of the Company's commerce, and such the ' bringing here the produce of that count should, was on Micagrounds. The change of system
benefits it had conferred on the finance aud trade of • not have the advantage of Britishel'
registers. These which wasproposed
the country. He now came to consider the effects were points which he hoped the Directors would d
P°
was radical one, and must be
_ press. o,llowe by the
of opening the trade on the political situation of In- upon the Government during the progress of 'the ar- i Company wouldle placed in a very new situation
dia. At presenclhe whole Coromandel coast was in ' rangemen.t.. Ile thought that there
ought to be some he thought that, it would be natural and proper for
our power, and we possessed sufficient internal au. clauses introduced to give to the Civil Government them to express strongly in• their resolution the feel-
thorny to keep down all the turbulent Crovernments-lin India an increased power over the military: They ings which they must have upon the subject. it ap-
of that immense territory. Ere's., Frenchman was should he allowed the usual means of operating upon peered to him, that they had given up all, and had se-
rooted out front • ledia,—every foreign settlement I the hopes and
.the fears of the military officers.. die cured nothing in retarn. When the Government used
done away,--the whole country was enjoying inter-1 did not approve of t strict rule of promotion by. the words " under proper revelations," he' wished
nal peace, and likely to remain so. Were not all 'se • •nionthat 'seniority, as left the officers nothing to hope and much that s had distinctly, stated, what those regu-
these things done, in a great measure, by the armies ! nothing to fear from the Government, After a few lations would be that might siiffieiently guard against
of the East IndiaCompany,—armies paid by_ the( observations on the danger of allowing the Wiwi-, the dangers whefnsbed been "pointed out as likely to
Coband supporte,l at the ice dthe -- • -

,mpo.ny, . event_
pahy ? Whatever spme thought of those
approved of their polioy ; and history
justice to the great man who was the
chtelly employed. Tint, whether right
they• were in fact pamed antler

they had
Ca do
mattainedear
ecommercial
as
itp
dl e nhdaodu ralsoto wa
chc
t;
ith:ei
for the country, an immense, populous, and ilolur-i'ntl
ea
in; empire. From the time of the discovery of tlle.
,Passage to India, the European nations' from their
maritime superior facilities of landing, had gained
PM tfteponderance in India ; and if it had not heel
for the great exertions of the Company, there could.
cfTh ewo
trade
ohhunevinucedthrra(yy arrangement
oi.l
foundation
tuti
any
i endohydrihseatuthphbeinaotnb,towgewbeeurnit
sufficientthat
wei
weigh
h would
d o
down
n havethis
gained a preponderansheyee.satkennmde,lav
)bp
ytoowteht power
eoi in
wholethati ac
othoqeupulwedanto
rrrtateildhedreee.
wtohpeyosedwe,rweovanmabsltedriketoatgtahlae
' from their being hitherto allowed the exclusive trade.
He could not conceive, that under the new arrange.'
rant, Halifax, Quebec, or any place that was not
strictly' included under the Colonial System, could
,be prevented from trading to India. Although this
I of
uf
iplageneratloly
Bcraitlilsedh,
merchants,ttirowing op:en
nothing more in it than the transferring the
li trade' from one class of British subjects to
I another. He then quoted a long extract of at letter
from the late Lord Melville, stating the dangers
' which he apprehended from throwing open the trade
generally. The Company were not now contend.
ing with the Government about their own individual
interests merely; but about matters which they con.
ceived essential to the preservation of the mighty Em-
.pire which they had acquired for the country. After
dtieleing for some time on the detriment which be
conceived that the '
interests of the Company would
suffer from this arrangement, he Medicated them
from the charge which had been made against them
-by many persons, of holding out great expectations
to the country, which had always been disap.
I pointed. These hopes had never been held out by
I the Court of Directors themselves, bet by a States.
Iman (Lord Melville) of-an ardent mind, who had a
very .high idea of the Maumee of India. He
thought that Noble Lord hid been correct in hil
opinien; and that if India lad remained in peace,
the prosperity of the Company's affairs would have
"equalled his sanguine ,calculations. Since Olt
time the increased price of freight alooe, in 'con.
! sequence of, the war„ had brought an additional
expence on the Company of not less than bine
millions. He -really thought that the proprietors
of Stock were worse than any other descriptima
i of persons connected with India; and that it was,
I therefori, an ill-considered and ungradous thing for
Government to refuse to' exempt them from the be
come Tax. As to allowingah increase of dividend,
i he had no hopes that Government would be induced
to grant it and therefore he thqught it better not to
I contend fot that which was absolutely hopeless. Me
I thought that the Company ought rather to make their
stand on the strong political considerations arising
, out of the question, than on their mere commercial,
profits, or the increase of their dividends. He
I thought that this sentiment ought to be strongly e 2.
I pressed in the resolution of the Court of Proprietors,
4, end in stronger language than had yet been proposed,
he thought that they ought to express the great reluct
%ace and apprehensions which they felt .in yielding
Ito so important a change, in the system. lie can.
elided by reading a long rerolution, which he had
„Arleen up in that spirit, before he heard of the Re.
,aolution which had been that day. submitted to the
. Court by an Hon. Gent. (Mr. Jackson).
The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Bosanquet) said, that he bad
expected that it would not have been necessary for
him to trespass on the 'time of the Court, but he
[ could not pass over in silence some observiont which
had been made by his Hon. Friend who last addressed
' them.. He would claim on his own part, and on the
part of his brother Directors, an equality with his
Hon. Friend as to public principles and teal for the
good of the Company. The speech which be had just
heard appeared to him to be throughout an equivocal
cEsapprobation of the conduct of the Court of Direc•
tors. [No, no ! from many Gentlemen. He agreed
with him, that this was a subject of the utmost im-
portance, and that it was likely to introduce a radi.
I cal change in the whole system upon which the pros-
perity of the Company had hitherto rested: but
while he agreed with him in his epinioa, he must
also say, that it was .an opinion which the Court
of Directors had eipressed as strongly as it was ne-
comfy er proper in the negotiation with the Minis.
.ter. The Honourable Gentleman had said, " that
1 we hid conceded every thing, and obtained nothing In
return." Was ft nothing that within two years of
the expiration of when the public would
I have a right to claim the whole,
.the blipister should
have been induced-to support the Company in so
great apart of its former rights? Was it nothing that
the. moat profitable branch Or the tradee-that to
Mea—ihouldlingiven 'eleldeltely te the Company ?
Was it nothing that the Indian army was tt be con.
Itinned under their direction, instead of bang given
up to Government ? Was ,It nothing that the whole
i trade 'from India was to be brought into the port of
London ? Was it to he expected, or could any body
1 ask the Minister, to sign and seal his promise to ge-
-1 von certain regulations for their oast* in restrict'
ing the influx of Europeans into India; or were not
the letters of the Minister pledges as sufficient as
could be expected in that stage of the negotiation ?
If the Charter is to be renewed, it must be dons
1 within the next two years, or the public would be-
I come entitled to the whole instead of u part of
the trade. It most be recollected, also that it
would be absolutely necessary for the Compen,
soon to go to the House of Commons, to request as-
sistance to relieve them from their pecuniary ern.
barrassments. They could not shut their eyes to the
fact, that there was now a great public clamour against
the commercial monopoly of the East India Cony
pony, sad that this public clamour had derived addle
tional strength from being in some degree cpnate.
.Alanced by the,opiniou of the Minister. Under such
circumstances, what other course could the Directors
have taken?' As to the mere calculation of profit
and loss, *he did not know, that, as a commercial
Company, they would sustain any loss from the coma
petition which was now spoken of; and if they felt
peat reluctance at opening the trade, the opposition
critical grouncl4. As to the
ons which might afford the
the dangers which were ac-
the Directors wears to be
were-specifically sabmitted

• e' .
ce of the Coin. -minate introduction of ate manner.:of, adventurers hs result from the unrestrained' admission of European great reluctance at opening
lose wars, he India, he concluded by reading's Resolution, Vitali adventurers in India. He conceived that no body of, rested
principally on politio
sry word do belted drawn up, not differing very materially Jai men had ever _uttered,: mare unjustly from public .details of those regulations
the itistientent sahstance from..that. groposedhy )4r. ,fackfen. :4„9pinion *4l ilkit But 114 CeMpanT had done.—.- proper security against the
ght Of mewl& ' i Mr. Hrorrvr said,' that although he truant tilliCall Wst had wri,0101,40•60,. of the (4"3114•Y'l ID ended, the
•ideas of th
the orders 'Of felt most strongly for British interests, and for tbe about two centuries-, front :very small begins'
. . . .. .. ........
. . .