46 



INDIGO. 



Letter to 4. As, from motives of general policv, we ori- 

 28 Aug. 1800. ginally encourag-ed, at a great loss to the Com- 

 pany, the promotion of the indigo manufacture 

 and trade of our pro^'inces, so we never have 

 sought to withdraw our support from it, until that 

 support should be deemed no longer necessary ; 

 because we had in view the rational and pro- 

 mising object of securing, finally, for our posses- 

 sion and this country, a very large portion, if not 

 the whole, of the indigo trade of Europe. 



5. And therefore, when Lord Cornwallis, in the 

 year 1788, held out a new, though fostering aid of 

 the Company to the wants of the manufacturers, 

 at that period we highly approved of his just and 

 liberal policy, which was productive of the de- 

 sired effect, whilst it brought to the Company 

 full reimbursement at a good exchange, for 

 the sums they had in consequence of this plan 

 advanced. 



6. We think it probable, that the recent disas- 

 ters in this trade may have engaged your attention. 

 To afford a reasonable aid to the manufacturers 

 upon some such principle as that adopted by 

 Lord Cornwallis, seems to us the most likely way 

 to re-animate their hopes and their exertions. Of 

 course, in resorting to any expedient of this kind, 

 those who have already shewn themselves to be 

 skilful and industrious will be preferred to new 

 speculators, and the security of the Company, 

 which must require a reasonable prospect of ulti- 

 mate 



