GENERAL HISTORY. 



[61 



made a number of particular ob- 

 servations relative to the policy 

 proper to be adopted in Indian 

 affairs, which are incapable of 

 abridgment : but upon the whole 

 he decidedlyapproved of admitting 

 private merchants to a participa- 

 tion in the trade. 



Lord Wellesley's motion for the 

 production of papers was then put 

 to the question, and carried. 



On May 31st, Lord Castlereagh 

 moved the order of the day in the 

 House of Commons, for resolving 

 itself intoa committee of the whole 

 House, to consider further of the 

 affairs of the East-India Company. 

 After a debate concerning the or- 

 der in which the resolutions were 

 to be considered, his lordship 

 moved the first, which was, to 

 declare the expediency of the con- 

 tinuance of the East-India Com- 

 pany with its privileges, &c. for a 

 further period, with the exception 

 of certain limitations and modifi- 

 cations. This motion gave rise to 

 some long and eloquent speeches, 

 in which the friends and opposers 

 of the company's exclusive privi- 

 leges produced their copious store 

 of facts and arguments. The reso- 

 lution, however, was agreed to 

 without a division. 



On June 1st, Lord Castlereagh 

 moved the second resolution, de- 

 clarative of the expediency of leav- 



! ing the intercourse with China, 

 and the tea trade, in the hands of 

 the Company. A debate followed, 



1 in which the Company's monopoly 

 was opposed by some speakers, as 

 injurious and unnecessary, and de- 



I Tended by others. The resolution 

 was, however, carried without a 

 division. 



The debate on the third resolu- 

 tion, comprehending the important 



point of opening the trade to the 

 Company's possessions in India, oc- 

 cupied the committee on June 2nd 

 and 3rd, and was productive of a 

 great variety of statement relative 

 to the Company's principles of go- 

 vernment in that country, the con- 

 dition of the natives, their capabi- 

 lity of improvement, the effect of 

 intercourse with strangers, and tlie 

 probable consequences at home of 

 rendering the trade free, which was 

 chiefly a repetition of topics alrea- 

 dy frequently discussed in speech 

 and writing. The question was at 

 length put, and carried without a 

 division. 



A number of other resolutions 

 were agreed to, some only pro for- 

 ma; and Mr. Lushington reported 

 from the committee all the resolu- 

 tions, in number fourteen, which 

 were ordered for further consider- 

 ation. 



On June 16th, the resolutions 

 being brought before the House, 

 several were read and agreed to. 

 The 8th, relative to India-built 

 shipping, was negatived, lord Cas- 

 tlereagh having stated that he in.; 

 tended omitting this subject in his 

 bill. 



The discussion of the third be- 

 ing resumed, Mr. Baring moved 

 an amendment, to confine the re- 

 turn of vessels from India to the 

 port of London ; and he intimated 

 that if this amendment was agreed 

 to, he should propose to limit this 

 arrangement to the period of five 

 years. A debate ensued, in which 

 many of the former arguments re- 

 lative to opening the trade were 

 repeated. On a division the votes 

 were, for the amendment, 43 ; 

 against it, 131. Majority 88. 



Some, other proposed amend- 

 ments were negatived without a 



