1826.} surveying the Indidn Archipelago. 181 



tion sent out by the government of Athens or of Rome, at the 

 commonwealth's expense, in the view and on the responsibility 

 of the public, how much higher would our gratification be, and 

 how much more satisfactory our information. Extending this 

 principle a little further, may I not be pardoned for suggesting 

 that it might be an object not unworthy ofa liberal and fostering 

 government, to institute a series of accredited expeditions into 

 every country (even of Europe) of which our knowledge is defec- 

 tive, and not leave the investigation to casual explorers whose 

 statements, under every advantage, are liable to error. A body 

 of general and statistical knowledge would thus be obtained, 

 available for every useful purpose. This is a view of the subject 

 that I am desirous of urging strongly, being convinced of its 

 beneficial influence in promoting principles and habits which 

 tend to exalt us as a people. Indeed Government has in some 

 sort created the desideratum, which, I trust, will not be wanting 

 in all practical endeavours to supply. 



But to return. — It does not seem very difiicult to explain, or, 

 at all events, to state some of the facts and circumstances which 

 may have conspired to make us acquainted with the islands ot 

 the Southern, Pacific, and Atlantic, and to conceal from our 

 more immediate view those of the Indian Archipelago. The 

 latter were known to exist. Curiosity as to original discovery 

 was, therefore, laid asleep. The India Company had, as it were, 

 begirt the coasts of the East with a belt of iron that no private 

 enterprize dared to penetrate. The influence of monopoly has 

 since continued to shut out the British people from all participa- 

 tion in the advantages of trade. Though the Archipelagan 

 range did not lie within the more immediate jurisdiction 

 of the Company, yet what amounted to a prohibition of in- 

 tercourse was imposed by the regulations of this chartered 

 body. So much of the productions of the East as sufiiced for 

 preventing the different articles from faUing too low in the 

 market, have been doled out to the country, that India Bonds 

 might maintain their price, and India Directors their place. 

 While every European power that can send a ship out may pro- 

 cure the (now) prune necessary of life tea for a trivial consider- 

 ation, the people of Great Britain must pay an exorbitant price 

 for the sake of supporting in affluence a copartnery to which 

 they owe not one obligation. 



AH these circumstances threw insurmountable obstacles in the 

 way of private mercantile adventure or speculation, and to this 

 hour have closed, almost hermetically, all the avenues by which 

 the Indian Seas, and the innumerable resources pent up within 

 them, might even be approached. Nor can I help presuming 

 that Government itself must often have been deterred, or at 

 least discouraged, from pushing forward any liberal system of 

 intercourse or colouizatiou by the exclusory regime of our British 



