]82I. 



Political Affairs in May. 



\: 



Second Report of the Select Committee ap- 

 pointed to consider of the meansof main- 

 taining and improving the ForeiguTrade 

 of the Counirg. 



" From the period of their submitting- to 

 the house their last report, the attention of 

 your Committee has been directed to the 

 commerce of the United Kingdom with 

 India and China, and the trade between 

 those countries and other parts of the 

 world. The advanced state of the public 

 business, ajid the additional evidence yet 

 to be received, before they can consider 

 themselves as Laving completed their in- 

 vestigation into that branch of their inquiry, 

 afibrds them no expectation of being able 

 to produce a report, embracing a general 

 view of the subject, in sufficient time to 

 admit of any measure being founded upon 

 it, and receiving the approbation of parlia- 

 ment previously to the close of the session. 

 " It has, however, occurred to your 

 committee, in the course of their inquiry, 

 that there are some bi-anches of the trade, 

 iu reference to which further facilities may 

 be aiforded, with great advantage to the 

 interests of British commerce and naviga- 

 tion ; and that such facilities cannot be de- 

 layed to a future year, without the risk of 

 losing much of the beneficial results which 

 at the present time may be expected from 

 them. This impression is founded rather 

 upon general principles and circumstances 

 of general notoriety than upon any parti- 

 cular evidence adduced before your com- 

 mittee, however the tendency of thafevi- 

 dence may have been further to establish 

 the expediency of the measures about to be 

 proposed. 



" In adverting to the peculiar system of 

 laws by which the trade of the East Indies 

 is regulated, the House cannot but observe, 

 that subjects of foreign nations, whether 

 European or American, are in possession of 

 privileges far more extensive than those 

 which are enjoyed by his Majesty's sub- 

 jects generally, and greater, as to many 

 branches of circuitous and foreign trade, 

 than have been accorded to the East India 

 Company itself. To relieve the commerce 

 and shipping of this country from a situa- 

 tion of such comparative disadvantage (for 

 the continuance of which your committee 

 can discover no sufficient reason,) they feel 

 the expediency of some measure, the prin- 

 ciple of which may be, to allow British 

 subjects, as welV private traders as the 

 East India Co'.npany, to carry on every 

 sort of traffic between India and foreign 

 countries (with the exception of the trade 

 in tea, and that with the United Kingdom 

 and British colonies, with which they do 

 not proposc'any interference) which foreign- 

 ers are now capable of carrying on ; and 

 have, therefore, come to the following re- 

 solution, which they submit to the House : 

 " Bfsolvcd— That it is expedient to per- 

 MoNTiiLY Mag. No. 354. 



mit his Majesty's subjects to carry on trade 

 and traffic, directly and circuitously, be- 

 tween any ports within the limits of the 

 East India Company's Charter (except the 

 dominions of the Emperor of Cnina), and 

 any port or ports beyond the limits of the 

 said charter, belonging to any state or 

 country iu amity with his Majesty." 



AVe Cdlkct IVoui AVillich's An- 

 nual Litliograpliic Sheet on (he Na- 

 tional Debt ami Funds made up to 

 January 5, as under. 



Funded Debt of United 



Kingdom - - - 801,565,301 



Interest and Charges - 46,746,595 



Sinking Fund (total) - 16,596,675 



Unfunded Debt - - 33,490,500 



Redeemed by Land Tax - 25,726,200 



Ditto by Life Annuities - 5,834,382 



Dividends lately claimed on 249,772 



Ditto formerly, now in stock 422,000 



The three chief stocks are 3 per cent. 



consols, £369,775,826 ; — the reduced, 



£136,422,812; and the 5 per cents. 



£141,710,529. 



The English debt is 772 millions, the 

 Irish 24J millions, and that of Austria, se- 

 cured by G. B. 5 millions. 



How the interest of this enormous 

 load of debt, ineiined during the late 

 most unhappy wars, is to continue to be 

 paid, with the other 20 millions for the 

 current expences of the state, over and 

 above poor's rates and other assess- 

 ments, is inconceivable ; but we hope 

 for the best. 



The public may be congratulated on 

 the progress of success which attends 

 the exertions of that enlightened sena- 

 tor Sir James Mackintosh in his 

 endeavours to ameliorate our sanguin- 

 ary criminal code. In these unwearied 

 and discouraging labours he has been 

 most ably seconded by Mr. T. FowELL 

 Buxton, who, on the second reading of 

 the bill, made one of the most luminous 

 speeches ever delivered in parliament. 

 The passing of this bill is a tribute to 

 the increasing intelligence of the age, 

 in which we sincerely congratulate the 

 conceding spirit of Parliament. 



SPAIN. 



' The priests and the aristocracy appear 

 determined to disturb the constitutional 

 liappiness of Spain, and conspiracies 

 have been hatched in every jiioviuce, 

 whidi in some cases have ended in tu- 

 mult and bloodshed. The liberal party 

 have, however, acted with becoming 

 energy, and have put under arrest, and 

 to save blood, have removed these des- 

 peradoes to iiic Balearic Islands. 



In <me case the people of Madrid, 



goaded by reports of lliis.sian and Aus- 



a O trian 



