412 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



weaken the hope which I am foud 

 of sharing with him. — But if it can- 

 not be soon realized, I shall renew 

 to your majesty the demand of re- 

 pairing to you, if after the reply 

 from England, my remaining here 

 should appear useless. 



«* I had the satisfaction to an- 

 nounce to M. de RomanzofF, the 

 arrival of your majesty at St. Mar- 

 tin, near Madrid, referring him for 

 the details to the Bulletin which 

 will appear to-morrow, of the con- 

 tents of whichlam not yet informed. 



" I am with respect, sire, 

 Your majesty's most faithful, 

 And devoted servant and subject, 

 Champagny." 



At a General Court of Proprie- 

 tors of the West India Dock Com- 

 pany, held at their House in Bil- 

 liter-Square, on Friday the 6th 

 of June, 1809, Thomas Hughan 

 Esq. in the chair ; the Chairman 

 read to the Meeting a Report from 

 a Committee of Directors, on the 

 General Conduct of the Company's 

 Concerns, to the end of the year 

 1808; which was ordered to be 

 printed for the use of the proprie- 

 tors, 



JReport — The Committee of Re- 

 view, in compliance with the Re- 

 solution of the Court of DireC' 

 tors of the 20th December last, 

 directing that they should " Re- 

 port to the Court the present 

 state of business at the Docks, 

 and such circumstances respect- 

 ing the Company's Concerns dur- 

 ing the last Season, as may ap- 

 pear to them to require observa- 

 tion" present the following Re- 

 port. 



The season just elapsed having 

 been one of peculiar difficulty in 

 the conduct of the company's con- 



cerns, and in which the efHcacy 

 and resources of the Establishment 

 have been called into action, and 

 put to the test, it is matter of sin- 

 gular gratification to your commit- 

 tee to be enabled to state, that the 

 exertions of vour officers and ser- 

 vants have been successful in the 

 discharge of their duty; and that 

 the business of the year, in all its 

 various departments, although im- 

 peded by circumstances embarras- 

 sing and unprecedented, has been 

 completed at a period unusually 

 early. To the details which are 

 necessarily connected with this (the 

 more immediate) object of your 

 committee, they premise a i'eyv re- 

 marks, founded upon those facts 

 and incontrovertible principles to 

 which your establishment owes 

 both its origin and its utility. 



However unwilling some persons 

 may be to awaken the recollection, 

 yet it cannot be generally forgot- 

 ten, what were the excessive delaj's, 

 increasing difficulties, and glaring 

 abuses, which not many years ago 

 obstructed, in an especial manner, 

 the West-India trade at this port, 

 and called aloud for a remedy. The 

 records exist which prove the enor- 

 mity of the evil, progressively af- 

 fecting the credit of the port, the 

 safe collection of the revenue, and 

 the property of individujils connect- 

 ed with the trade, in times other- 

 wise prosperous, and seriously con- 

 tributing to degrade, and corrupt 

 the morals of the people. To these 

 causes your establishment owes its 

 origin; an effectual reform could 

 only be sought in a great and cost- 

 ly effort. Theindividualswho form- 

 ed and who composed the com- 

 pany, undertook, at very considera- 

 ble risk, to make the effort requi- 

 site for a purpose so desirable. 



The obstacles thut must occur in 

 combating 



