London, Saturday, March 1...
The Times, 1824-03-13T00:00:00

Al, ssrs. lotiBjSON all HUSKISSON hlave favoured the countr-, aml perhaps enlightenedl it, with some useful speeches on the benIcfits of an unrestrictedl corn- merce, though their practice, indecd, lags wofully be- hindl the speed and vigour of their avowed princi- p'es. lVe shall say nothing at this moment of the corn laws-tlleir day will come by and by. There is another suoject not quile so unwieldy, but, fromn the present habits of the people ofthe Unitcld Kingloin, yiehling li:tlc to that ofcor itselfin the extensive interest wvhich it ought ere nolW to have er. ated. This is a queation of inonopoly-of mouopoly abused into a settled anld severe extortion-a mno- nopoly, norcovc.r, the advantages of which, unl ss certain swatements published on the subject be unfounded, have been actual;y fr eitctd bv the it onopolists, from their con- tinual and( systematic breach of the conditions on whieh it was originallv granted. el'e meali, of' cours, the rnonopoly of' thc tea trade, carried on by t! e East India C>orpiny. It is quite ncedless for us to proclaim our re- spect for the indiyi(iial gentlemen whom that powerful C:ompany has intruoted with the managemenit of its aff&irs. TI'hey act with great zeal, andl in manv particulars with con- sumnirate skill, for the promotion of thieinterests confided to them: but as betveen them and the nation there ought to be s-mie intermediate body to take care that no other intcrest, are sacrifi 'ed to those who e\joy the monopoly of the trade to China, there ought in all such cascs to be nuch vigilar ce exercised, and an active controlling or te- niclial power ; for otherwise there can exist no safeguar(d against the most pernicious abuscs. If, tberefore, an imn- provident mnonopoly was granted, it is not the Comnp any who are to blame; if the terms of the monopoly bave been forgotteni, and superseded by practiceR which grewtly ag- eyavate its original oppression, we do not blame the Company oir i:s s rvant: we reproacl those ser. vants of the C(rown and people of Elngland, wrho have permitted the conditions of that Cihina-bargain, monstrous as they wvere, to be trampled unider foot, anud, tinder the authority of acis of Parliament wvhich enjoined the -Company to furnish a u{fficient supply Dt tea for our conisuinption, and to maintaini the prices at or near those paid by countries which had the commerce with C niiafree,liavesufferedithe monopolists,soabusingtheirebar- ter, to levy Cll thepeopleof the British empire an ainuaAtaxo? hove twvo millions of money, being the excess which,s-. paid oy bis anaionor tca,over whtthe sme qttantito e u te -a of ropGlhi4a f -teda' . _~ ~ ~ ~~~urp t eontinentalpprices; -and this-tatementis altogether-ex- clusive of the heavy duties on the article to whiich the peo- ple of England'are subjected. Teas of the same quality as are sold at TNew York or Hambutrgh from ls. to Is. 4d. Per pound, bring at the Comnpany's salesf here, not lees than 4s. 4d. ; and others in the like proportion. We know that the setting-up price of the same tea by the Company is not perhaps more than 3s., and that it is bid up by the merchan:s. Upon tliis there are two remarks to be mAde. In the first- place,the setting up priew is too high- it is directly in the teeth of phe act ot Parliament, whiih (Iirects that the Company slhall iot peit up their teas at 4 aniy price wlich shall, upon the whole of the teas so put up to sale, exceed thi prime cost thereof, with the 7reig-ht and chargcs of importation, together with lawful interest " from the time of the arrival of sach teas in Great Britain, anid the comnmon preTnmim of insurance, &c." It is notorioius that every syllable of the aboveact (Commutation Act, 1784) is violated at every sale. The secood rema;k is, that the merchants are forced to bid up the article, from the insufficient supply brought to market by the " Ho- -tourable" Company. 'This is in the teeth of another act of Parliaoient, or at leapt it is a case pro- vided for in another act, which declares, that if the In- dia Company shall not keep the British market supplied with such a quantity of tea as shall bring the price of tea here "u ulpon an equ.lity with the price in thle neighbour- "ing continent of Europe, it shall be lazqful far the Lords "of the Treasvr/ to grant licencrs to individluals, ox to bo- (dies politic or corporate, t import teai into Great Britain from any part of Europe." If this be not clear, then there is nothing clear in legislation. WVe have described the grievance and the lawful remedy: whose fault is it, tben, if every familv, rich and poor, in the countrv, still continue to labour under this heavy and voluntary burden ? We trust the thing will be brought before Parliament, and at an early day. __ U)ATI)()N o. SAUlRDAY4 vF4PPZ7 ii ..