112] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



House of Commons a petition from 

 themerchants, ship-owners, trades- 

 men, and other inhabitants of Li- 

 verpool, and another from the 

 mayor and corporation, claiming 

 as a connnon and inherent right of 

 the subjects of these realms, that 

 of carrying on a free trade to all 

 parts of the British empire, and 

 countries in amity with it ; and 

 protesting against the monopoly of 

 the East India company, as no 

 longer necessary, but, on the con- 

 trary, highly prejudicial to the ge- 

 neral interests of the nation. Ano- 

 ther petition was presented from 

 the trustees of the Liverpool docks, 

 stating that in the extensive works 

 undertaken by them for the accom- 

 modation of shipping, they had in 

 view the vast accession of trade 

 which would result from allowing 

 a free commerce with the East 

 Indies. 



From this time petitions con- 

 tinued to be sent to parliament, 

 during the whole session, from 

 every seaport and commercial and 

 manufacturing town of the least 

 consequence in England and Scot- 

 land, against the renewal of the 

 monopoly of the East India com- 

 pany, enforced by all the arguments, 

 general and local, that occurred to 

 the petitioners. They were met, 

 in the first place, by a petition from 

 the company itself. After refer- 

 ring to its different charters, and to 

 its present circumstances, it states, 

 *' That the petitioners believe that 

 it is undeniable that the exclusive 

 trade carried on by them has been 

 a great positive advantage to the 

 nation; and although they do not 

 presume to state, as an incontro- 

 vertible fact, that greater public 

 benefit would accrue from its being 

 continued in its present state, than 



from its being any further opened, 

 yet the petitioners do venture hum- 

 bly, but confidently, to assure the 

 house, that the trade with China 

 could not be opened in any degree 

 without extreme danger ; and that, 

 if it should not be seen fit to enlarge 

 the term nowheid by the petitioners 

 in the whole of the trade which 

 they now enjoy without qualifica- 

 tion, the petitioners are ready to 

 submit to such regulations as are 

 just,and as parliament in its wisdom 

 shall enact, for the conduct of the 

 commercial intercourse of his Ma- 

 jesty's subjects with those places 

 which are within the exclusive 

 limits granted to the petitioners." 

 They conclude with praying that 

 leave may be given to present a 

 petition for bringing in a bill for 

 continuing the possession and go- 

 vernment of the territorial acqui- 

 sitions in the East Indies in the 

 petitioners, and for various other 

 purposes therein recited. 



When this petition was delivered, 

 April 7, Lord A. Hamilton rose to 

 ask the Chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer some questions with respect 

 to certain points to which he was 

 said to have pledged himself in re- 

 lation to the conditions to be grant- 

 ed by government to the company. 

 The Chancellor declined a direct 

 reply, but admitted that he had 

 thought it proper to communicate 

 to the directors the bearmg of his 

 mind on certain propositions in- 

 volved in the question, which, 

 however, would not at all fetter 

 the proceedings of parliament on 

 the subject. 



The other petitions alluded to in 

 favour of the company came from 

 persons engaged in trades or em- 

 ployments depending upon the 

 present mode of conducting the 



East 



