LON 
f e ft of leflening the high character of the Britiffi in India ; 
which, in his opinion, is the main pillar of our govern¬ 
ment there. 
On the 18th of May, Mr. Wilberforce, in prefenting a 
petition from the committee of the Baptifi Miffionary- 
Society, praying that no obltruftions might be interpofed 
to their endeavours to convert the Hindoos, took the op¬ 
portunity of correcting a miftake which had gone abroad, 
refpefting their intentions. It had been erroneoufly dated, 
that it was their objeft to propagate their own peculiar 
tenets, inftead of the general faith of Chriltianity. This 
■was a great mifapprehenfion of their defigns. No perfons 
had, under the tame difad vantages, rendered, fuch eflen- 
tial fervice to the work in which they were engaged. Dr. 
Carey had made fuch incredible progrefs in the know¬ 
ledge of the native languages of India, that he had been 
placed at the head of the college at Calcutta by lord Wel- 
ldley ; and lord Minto had borne ample teftimony to his 
merit, by faying, that his acquaintance with the tongues 
of Hindooftan exceeded that of fir W. Jones. He then 
palled an high eulogium on the members of the fociety, 
who had expended all their earnings on the great work 
which they had undertaken.—The petition was ordered 
to lie on the table. 
On the 31ft of May, the firft refolution, which pro- 
pofed the renewal of the company’s charter for twenty 
years, was difcufled. The principal fpeakers in its fa¬ 
vour were Melfrs. Grant, fen. and jun. (the very eloquent 
l'peech of the latter made a great impreflion), Bruce, P011- 
fonby, Robinfon, Gen. Gafcoyne, and fir J. Newport. 
Meffirs. Marryatt and Canning oppofed its being renewed 
for fo long a period. It was finally carried without a di- 
vifion. 
The fecond refolution, for continuing the monopoly of 
the China-trade to the company, was difcufled on the ifl of 
June. Mefirs. Marryatt, Protheroe, G. Phillips, and Pon- 
lonby, ftrongly oppofed it, as being founded on fuppofi- 
tions injurious to the charaffer of the Britifh traders, by 
imputing to them mifconduft, imbecility, and incapa¬ 
city. It was ltated, but controverted by Mefl’rs. Grant, 
that the China-trade being thrown open would caufe a 
laving of one million and a half fterling annually, by the 
reduction in the price of tea. This refolution was car¬ 
ried without a divifion. The 3d refolution being com¬ 
plex, and containing thirteen articles, they were fepa- 
rately difcufled, and afterwards agreed to. 
The refolution refpefting the extenfion of the India- 
trade to the outports was fupported by Mr. Rickards, 
who ftated that, fince the adoption of the zemindary-fyf- 
tem, the eftates had been transferred from the landed pro¬ 
prietors to government, in payment of the arrears of 
taxes ; and that the peafantry were opprefled by the im- 
pofitions of an army of tax-gatherers. He conceived the 
trade capable of being greatly extended. _ Mr. R’s fpeech 
was received by loud cheering. 
Mr. Tierney (poke with great warmth againfl: the pro- 
pofed extenfion, as pregnant with danger; and was fol¬ 
lowed by the Meflrs. Grant. The debate was then poft- 
poned till the 16th; when Mr. Baring propofed an amend¬ 
ment, that the fliipments from India lliould be confined 
to th$ port of London alone.—This occafioned a lively 
difcuifion. 
Mr. Canning contended, that, without a freedom of im¬ 
porting from India, the liberty of exporting would be of 
no advantage to the outports, and impofe an intolerable 
fetter upon trade: this the company was fully aware of, 
and their object was to make the merchants renounce it 
at the expiration of four years. He likewife recommend¬ 
ed that the refident-governors of India (hould not have 
the power of impofing arbitrary duties on the private 
merchants—they had recently impofed a duty of 8 per 
cent, upon all cotton exported by private merchants, 
while they themfelves paid no duty whatever.—Vifcount 
Caftlereagh faid, he would introduce a claufe to prevent 
this abufe.—Mr. Baring’s amendment was then negatived 
Vol. XIII. No. 910. 
DON. £5$ 
by 131 to 43 ; and the original refolution for throwing 
open the trade to and from India to the outports was car¬ 
ried. 
The other refolutions were fucceflively carried, and 
fent up to the houfe of lords; where the earl of Bucking- 
hamfliire, on the sift of June, explained the nature of 
them. No pofiible injury, he obferved, could ar.ife to the 
Eaft-India company from the propofed extenfion of the 
trade, as it appeared that the trade of the Americans with 
India amounted, in 1806-7, t0 not lefs than 2,502,000!, 
which exceeded by 500,000k the private trade by the mer¬ 
chants. By the propofed extenfion, our own merchants 
would be enabled to occupy the greater portion of this 
traffic. It was propofed to renew the company’s charter 
for twenty years ; but this did not preclude fuch altera¬ 
tions, during that period, as experience might fuggcft. 
It was not propofed to deprive the company of the exclu- 
five trade to China, becaufe it was not fuppofed that they 
would be able to meet the demands upon them unlefs 
they enjoyed the tea-trade. There were other reafons : 
it was not fuppofed the country would be fo regularly 
fupplied, or at fo cheap a rate, as by the company. It 
was not intended to interfere with the government of 
India. To prevent the evils which might arife from an 
indifcriminate intercourfe with the company’s pofleffions 
in India, licenfes and certificates were directed, without 
which individuals could not go there. A fuperintending 
church-eftabliffiment would be highly neceflary, as there 
were 14.3,000 perfons in India belonging to the church of 
England. If the company rejected the propofition made 
to them, he was confident that the appointments might 
be placed under that fpecies of management as not to in¬ 
jure the principles of the conftitution by increafing the 
influence of the crown.' 
The marquis of Lanfdown faid, that the refolutions 
were fo complex, and involved fuch conflicting interefts, 
as to require the utmolt deliberation. After remarking 
on the leading refolutions, he declared that his radical 
objection to the plan was, that it apppeared to be a fyftens 
of compromiie, which, while it retained the monopoly of 
the Eait-India company where it was molt valuable, af- 
fefted to hold out to the country the advantages of free 
trade. He feared that this promife was a fallacious one; 
and that, in a country governed by an arbitrary fovereign, 
and that arbitrary fovereign itfelf a trader, monopoly mult 
either overturn the free trade, or that, in the ltruggle be¬ 
tween both, the whole fyliem might be endangered. Feel¬ 
ing that the future ltate of India would conftitule either 
the ffiame or glory of the government and the legiflature 
—the imperilhable monument of their wifdom, or the me¬ 
lancholy memorial of their folly and precipitation—he 
ffiould move, as an amendment, that the report be re¬ 
ceived this day three months. 
Lord Grenville blamed the indecent hurry in which it 
was propofed to pafs thefe refolutions. He did not at¬ 
tend the committee, becaufe it was impoffible to recoiled 
the oral evidence; and lufficient time had not been af¬ 
forded to look over the printed examinations; in (hort, 
there did not appear to be a Angle noble lord in that houfe 
who was at prefent fufficiently informed to difcufs that 
momentous lubject. He had underftoed that the ter¬ 
ritorial revenue of the company was raifed by a molt ini¬ 
quitous and oppreffive land-tax; he had, however, been 
able to obtain no information from the oppofite bench on 
this and other topics ; he (hould, if the motion for delay 
was negatived, withdraw himfelf from a decifion to which 
he was not competent.—After a few words from the earls 
of Rofslyn, Clancarty, and Liverpool, the amendment was 
negatived by 49 to 14. 
The bill, as formed upon thefe refolutions, finally palled 
in the houfe of lords on the 20th of July; and received 
the royal aflent, by commiffion, on the 21ft. 
On the 22d, foon after two o’clock, the prince-regent 
came in ftate to the houfe, for the purpofe of proroguing 
the parliament with a fpeech from the throne. The ar- 
4 Q ' rival 
