COM 



COM 



period have not carried on any branch of 

 commerce whatever, their whole business 

 being confined to transferring and paving 

 the dividends on the public funds, known 

 by the title of South Sea Stock, Old and 

 New South Sea Annuities, and South Sea 

 Annuities of 175J. 



The company is under the management 

 of three governors and twenty-one direc- 

 tors. The whole expense of managing the 

 concern in the year ending the 5th of Ja- 

 nuary, 1807, was 10,727/. of which 3,6921. 

 was paid to the sub and deputy governors 

 and directors, and 4,735/. to 36 officers 

 and clerks employed by them. The sum 

 annually paid by the public to the South 

 Sea Company is 14,713/. 10s. 6d. and about 

 70/. for fees and allowances to the cashier. 



COMPANY, Hudson's Bay, was established 

 in 1670, by charter, granted by Charles II. 

 to his cousin Prince Rupert, and seven- 

 teen other persons of distinction,who were 

 incorporated for carrying on an exclusive 

 trade to all parts of Hudson's Bay, and in- 

 vested with great powers and privileges. 

 The establishment excited the jealousy of 

 the French, who in 1686 seized on all their 

 forts or factories, except that at Port Nel- 

 son, they were, however, retaken in 1693; 

 but ciiey have been annoyed by the same 

 power at several subsequent periods : and 

 in 1782 a French squadron, under La Pe- 

 rouse, destroyed the settlements, forts, 

 merchandise, Jkc of the company, to the 

 supposed value of about 500,OUO/. sterling, 

 but without retaining possession of the 

 place. 



The Company's charter not being con- 

 firmed by parliament, they have no right 

 in law to an exclusive trade ; but the nature 

 of the trade is such, that private adventu- 

 rers cannot engage in it in competition 

 with them. The Company is under the 

 direction of a governor, deputy governor, 

 and a committee of seven members: their 

 capital stock is said not to exceed 110,000/. 

 which is in the hands of a very small num- 

 ber of proprietors. 



COMPANY, Sierra Leone, was instituted 

 in the year 1791, with a capital of about 

 230,000/. The general object of the sub- 

 scribers was the introduction of civilization 

 into Africa, for effecting which end they 

 proposed to establish a secure factory at 

 Sierra Leone, with the view to a new trade 

 in produce, chiefly with the interior of the 

 country ; but the reception into the settle- 

 ment of near 1200 blacks from Nova Sco- 

 tia, in March, 1792, produced much em- 

 barrassment, which was increased in 1793 

 in- the war, which interrupted Iheir trade, 



' VOL. Ill 



and subjected them to depredations. In 

 1794 the colony was attacked and taken 

 by the French, who destroyed every de- 

 scription of property belonging to the 

 Company, by which they sustained a loss 

 of about 52,0007. In 1798, however, the 

 colony had so far recovered as to contain 

 about 1200 inhabitants : the heads of fami- 

 lies were about 300 ; of whom about one 

 half were supported by their farms, many 

 were mechanics, about 15 were retail 

 shopkeepers, 20 or 25 followed the busi- 

 nes of fishing, 10 or 15 traded in small 

 vessels of their own, 4 were employed as 

 schoolmasters, 12 or 15 as seamen, and 

 about 20 as labourers under the Company: 

 from 3 to 400 native labourers worked in 

 the settlement for hire, chiefly on the 

 farms, which were increasing rapidly. 



Further difficulties and losses have been 

 experienced, from an insurrection of the 

 Nova Scotians in 1800, and an attack of 

 some of the neighbouring tribes in 1801, 

 but the colony is now possessed of more 

 effectual means of defence, and a great 

 impediment to its progress has been 

 done away by the abolition of the slave 

 trade. 



COMPANY, Dutch East India. This once 

 celebrated establishment was formed by 

 the union of a number of separate compa- 

 nies in 1602 : it carried on for many years 

 a very flourishing trade, which has since 

 declined very rapidly, particularly from 

 about the year 1770, and in 1799 it was 

 entirely suspended. The Dutch have like- 

 wise had West India Companies, a Levant 

 Company, Companies for the Baltic sea, 

 the whale fishery, &c. 



COMPANY, French East India, was esta- 

 blished in!664, but never became of much 

 importance In 1769 the trade was laid 

 open. A new Company was established 

 in 1785, but was abolished in 1790. The 

 other commercial Companies of France 

 were, principally, a West India Company, 

 a St. Domingo Company, the Senegal 

 Company, the Mississippi Company, the 

 Company of the West, and the Bastion 

 Company. 



COMPANY, Danith East India, and also 

 the Swedish East Company, still possess 

 a share in the commerce of the East, al- 

 though, it is not very considerable. 



COMPANY, in military affairs, a small 

 body of foot commanded by a captain, 

 who has under him a lieutenant and en- 

 sign. 



The number of centinels, or private 

 soldiers, in a company, may be from 50 

 to 80 ; and a battalion conssists of tbir- 



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