On the Maritime Commerce of Bengal, 331 



been regretted, it was a fortuniUc circumstnncc, that, during 

 the whole of that war. from a succession of favourable crops, 

 the great exports of grain erealed no enhancenicuc of price; 

 or, at least, not greater than is experienced in the ordinary 

 fluctuations of the market. 



We shall pass over the years 1791 and 1792 without 

 further observation, than to remark, that from 1783 to 

 1791, the general trade of Bengal had increased from 

 113,733 tons, the total of arrivals and departures in the 

 former year, to 244,035 tons of shipping, which imported 

 and cleared out in the latter; and that the Euulish countiy 

 shipping, whicti cleared in and out, had risen from 128 

 sail, carrying 44,6f)5 tons, to 575 sail, burthen 175,407 

 tons; by which it appears liiat the country trade, in the 

 course of only eiglit years, had nuiltiplied near four-fold. 

 The effect of this astonishing increase of maritime trade on 

 the general prosperity of the country^ will be readily per- 

 ceived and admitted. 



I come now to the year 1 793, when the present war ori- 

 ginated, which soon after the commencement here became 

 ruinous in the extreme to the trade of this country. Intel- 

 ligence of hostilities reached us in June, when the only 

 I^nglish ship of force in India was the Whicrva frigate: 

 she left the Indian seas in the month of February ! 791, 

 and, until the arrival of commodore Ncueombc off the 

 Mauritius in iVJay following, the whule of the British com- 

 merce and possessions in this quarter of the clobe was 

 without the protection of a single ship beloniz;mg to the 

 British navy. 'J'hirteen sail of frigates and privateers, 

 which sailed from the Mauritius, captured, besides two 

 Indiamen, numbers of the most valuable ships in the 

 country trade; and would speedily have anniliilated our 

 commerce, and shut up every port in India belonging to 

 us and our allies, had they not been checked by the vigour 

 of the sujirtme go\ernment. Our present gnvernor-gcnc- 

 ral, with a promptitude and decision which does honour to 

 his administration, equipped and dispatched a squadron from 

 Bengal, consisting of three armed Indiarnen and a country 

 ship, strengthened by a detachment of artilleiy and troops 

 from the garrison, which. cajHured two of the enemy's pri- 

 vateers, and repulsed an attack made by theii* grand arma- 

 ment imder M. Benaud ; obliging him soon after to return 

 to the Mauritius, without efl'ectmg any furtlier mischief 

 than the capiure of the Pigot Indianian. Some notice of 

 these circunistanees seen-.ed necessary to explain tlje sudden 

 decline of trade in 1791: tlial any commerce was conti- 

 nued. 



