A. D. 1 800. 



5^3 



culture and manufadlures, and, in general, to dired the attention of the 

 public to the ufeful arts. 



In May 1793, before the a6l for the renewal of the Eafl -India com- 

 pany's charter, with a limited participation of the trade by individuals, 

 was paffed in parUament, fome of the free merchants in Calcutta, ex- 

 peding a very great enlargement of the private trade to be authorized, 

 had built vefTels, which they tendered to the government of Bengal 

 for taking in freight for London, as they apprehended an infufficiency 

 of the company's fhipping for the private trade. Lord Cornwallis, the 

 governor-general, agreed provifionally, that one particular Ihip might 

 be employed on the terms propofed, iffiejhould be xvantcd. In Novem- 

 ber, Sir John Shore being then governor-general, all the owners, who 

 had made offers, were informed that their fhips were not wanted. The 

 merchants, thus difappointed of fending home their own fliips, there- 

 upon fold the greatefi part of the goods they had provided to foreign- 

 ers * ; and, inftead of finding 3,000 tuns of fhipping infufHcient for 

 their freight, as they apprehended, they adually fhipped only 2,424 

 tuns. In the feafon 1795-6, leven of the company's largeft regular 

 fhips being then in his Majefty's fervice, feveral India-built fhips were 

 employed inftead of them ; and in the fame feafon fome more vefTels 

 of the fame defcription were taken up for carrying home rice. (See 

 above, p. 362) By thefe means 27 veflels, of the burthen of 17,372 

 tuns, were employed. Two of them were entirely loaded for account 

 of their owners ; and all the others, along with the rice and goods for 

 the company, carried goods for the private merchants. In 1796 the 

 merchants reprefented to the governor-general, that, encouraged by 

 the employment of India fhipping, they had built a number of veffels, 

 and provided proper cargoes, which they requefled permiflion to dif- 

 patch. But, as no fuch temporary exigence warranted the employ- 

 ment of fuch fhips then as formerly, to the exclufion of the Britifli 

 (hipping lying in the port, he declined complying with their requefl. 

 In 1797 fimilar applications refpeding fhipping were made, and alfo 

 rejeded. Though the freight, charged by the company to the propri- 

 etors of private goods, was, on the average of the whole during fix years, 

 fcarcely above the half of what they themfelves paid to the owners of 

 the fhips, and the infurance on the regular fhips was alfo much lower 

 than on the private ones, the merchants made loud complaints of the 

 expenfe of freight and the hardfhips of delay, compared with the low 

 freight and expeditious conveyance of neutral veflels, which certainly 

 have many advantages over thofe of a nation engaged in war \. Hav- 



* The profeffed objeft of the participation of twenty, days after their arrival ; and that they 



the trade between India and London, granted by frequently make the paflage between Calcutta and 



the charter adt, was to abridge the trade of foreign- America in lefs than four months. But it mull 



ers, which was fufpedted to be in a great meafure be obferved that, befides their neutrality, wliich 



carried on by Britirti capital. exempts them from the delays infeparablc from 



f It has been remarked, as a proof of the dif- failing in fleets, they enjoy the further advantage, 



patch made by foreigners, that American veflels with refpecl to difpatch, of being generally very 



Rave difpofed of their imports, purchafed their fmall, for exara^-'e, 165 — 140— 107 tuns, 

 export cargoes, and failed, in twenty-five, fome in 



Vol. IV. 3T 



