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"the ancient nobility of the King-1" let the Directors, those mana"dom, not one penny (since the "gers of the Company's affairs, "first year) has the Company" and those stanch advocates of "ever paid into the Exchequer the Minister that suffered the "of the stipulated half million a act to lie unenforced against year; and, what is still more" them; let Lord Wellesley, who "glaringly unjust, and more " has so long been the Governor "galling to the burdened peo-" General of India: why the act ple, two millions of our taxes" has not been inforced, why the "have already been granted to "law has been thus shamefully "this Company, wherewith to" set at nought, let these persons "pay the dividends upon their" tell." "stock; and, such has been the "management, and such is now Now, let it be observed, this "the state, of the Company's af- charter expired without one single "fairs, that we need not be at farthing of the ten millions of "all surprised if another million money, except the first half mil"be called for from us, during lion, ever having been paid into the present Session of Parlia- the Exchequer. The Act of Par"ment. For the causes of this liament passed on the 11th of "state of the Company's con- July 1793 ordered that half a mil"cerns; for the reasons why lion a-year should be paid into they have not been held to their the Exchequer to be disposed of as engagements; why the Act of Parliament should think proper; “Parliament has thus been treat- that is to say, to be applied to the "ed as if it had been passed service of the country. The Act merely as a job; why we have provided, that, in case of failure been called to pay to, instead to pay the half million into the “of to receive from, this Com- Exchequer, the money should be "pany of trading sovereigns; recovered in damages in any y court "let the eulogist of Mr. Pitt's of record in Westminster; that, memory, let Mr. Canning, Old in case the Directors found it in"Rose, and Colonel Pattypan; convenient to pay the sum into "let Lord Melville, with his the Exchequer, the Directors “2,000, a-year pension from should represent the matter to the "the Company, (who are so poor Treasury, and that the Treasury as to come to us for money); might agree to suspend the pay

ment by making an order to that out an order of the Treasury, and effect; but that (and pray mark without the laying copies of both this,) the Treasury should, in these before the two Houses of fourteen days after making such Parliament; a thing that was order, if Parliament' should then never done during the whole be sitting, or otherwise, within twenty years that the charter fourteen sitting days of the then lasted; that is to say, from the next sitting Parliament lay a copy year 1793 to the year 1812, both of the said order and of the re-inclusive. The Whigs came into presentation of the Court of Di-office in 1806, and they winked rectors, before both Houses of at all these breaches of the law, Parliament.

they said not a word about the seven millions already due from the East India Company, and winked at the two millions, which during the first thirteen years of the charter had been given to that Company out of the taxes raised upon the labour of the people of these kingdoms.

Now during the whole of the twenty years that this Act remained in force, the money was paid into the Exchequer only the -first year; and yet no copy of such order; no copy of such representation of the Directors was ever laid before either House of Parliament; and, of course the At this time the Company owes Act was violated in the most the country, principal and interest, flagrant manner; the Company very nearly thirty millions of still owed the money, and though money. The reader will bear in it might at any time have been mind, that the first half million sued for in the Courts at Westminster, it never has been paid to this day.

became due in 1794. He will bear in mind that that is half a million of money going on at compound interest for eighteen years, and that the interest was fifteen per cent. I have only had time for a hasty calculation; but any figure-man will satisfy himself in

If war arose so as to disable the Company, the money was not to be made good, so as to impede the accumulation of a fund to pay the stockholders; but this was not to warrant the suspending of any a moment, that the Debt now due payment into the Exchequer, by the Company on account of without a representation of the that charter is now upwards of Directors to the Treasury; with- thirty millions of money; and

that Debt ought to be paid, too, pany; and now it has to pay

dered upon this cormorant Com pany and its retainers, who have swallowed, within these thirty

or every stick and stone of these one million three hundred thoucommercial sovereigns ought to be sand pounds more and not á sold. What was the bargain made word do you say, Sir, in the way for; why was an Act of Parlia- of sifting into this matter. The ment passed? Was it for the two Lords of the Admiralty, the purpose of deluding and cheating second Post Master General, and the nation? And if it was not, the other little chippings that why has nobody ever proposed have led to such endless debates to put the law in force? and such piles of figures, have When that charter was granted had great importance attached to this set of merchants had great them, while not a word is said advantages given them at the ex-about the enormous sums squanpense of the nation. They were to have the exclusive trade to the East, and they had it. They were to have the territorial re- years, directly and indirectly, a venue of India. The nation was hundred millions of that money to be at the expense of fleets to which has already been wrung defend them in their trade and principally from the labouring possessions; and at the expense classes of England, or has yet to of boards and offices connected be wrung from them, in payment with India. The nation had to of the interest of the National pay dearer for articles had from Debt. the East, on account of this charter. The ship-owners of this country were prevented from employing their ships in that trade. These in the Navy, Army, Ordnance were monstrous advantages to the Company of Merchants; far exceeding in value half a million a-year; and yet of the twenty half millions the nation never got but one!

You can see clearly enough, Sir, how the public money, expended in the way of patronage,

and Tax-offices, works to keep on the burdens of the people, and deprive them of their freedom. You can see how patronage in the church, and how money bestowed on countless swarms of

But, besides this, the nation greedy, greasy, paddy-faced and has had to pay five millions, I unprincipled lawyers works to think it is, already, to this Com- the destroying of the happiness

cor

be pure enough were it not for that Asiatic conductor through which the fruit of English labour

of the people; but you seem to the expense of it, and the emibe totally blind to the effects of grating Scotch swallowing all the enormous patronage of India. the profits. Talk of the You can see how public money ruptions in Scotch Burghs, inbestowed upon a taxgatherer deed, the Burghs would be of here induces him to support the little consequence were it not for system, but you cannot see that English taxes: the Burghs would the same effect is produced upon a father here by money bestowed on a son in India. You do not recollect that Lawyer SPANKIE, who is sucked down the throats of the was also Editor of the Morning Scotch. Thirteen hundred thouChronicle, might have been filled sand pounds are now, in addition with those qualms which he en- to all that is gone before, going tertained about Reform in Par-down into that insatiable maw; liament by the promises which and you say not one single word he had of that rich post which he about the matter! You have finally obtained in India. You sometimes talked of a Reform of cannot perceive, I'll warrant you, the Parliament. Do you think that the Morning Chronicle will that such a parliament would strike at no India abuses as long cause to be paid out of the taxes as a son of the late Mr. PERRY those immense sums every year, is swelling up into wealth under which are paid directly and inthe Company in India. You are directly to feed the hungry vulnot able to discover how it is that tures that sail for India? The almost the whole swarm of your Americans, if we consider the countrymen are held steady under cost of India to us, import every the banners of the system by the article from the East at about a taxes of England which they fourth part of what those articles suck down through the channel cost us. They bring them to of India. Mr. VANSITTART said, Europe and sell them cheaper that the Company was to be than they can be sold after negociated with, as if an inde- being brought even by the East pendent State. Our misfortune India Company. To what end, is, that it is not an independent then, are we taxed for the state; but a perfect monster in support of this colony? I ask politics; England supporting all to what end we are thus taxed for

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this purpose; and it is impossible those masters; but as to the mo for you to answer, except by ney that is got; as to the several acknowledging that it is for the millions a-year, that formerly used purposes of that very patronage to be brought home to build big and very influence against which white houses on the tops of hills, you have so often, and so justly and the probably one million inveighed, and to curtail which. a-year that is now brought home you have made so many laudable for that purpose, and for the buying up of estates in England, be you assured that it has come from English taxes, the payment of

exertions.

to be applied to pass through the same funnel and for the same purposes, and you, the great hero of retrenchment and economy leave the stupid English landlords to hug themselves with joy at the thought of paying little more than a quarter part of what the East India Company demanded!

During the last war, our pretty gentlemen published the intercepted correspondence of Napo- which, in part, at least, requires leon. It was not thought to be a the surrender of these estates. very honourable proceeding, es- An additional thirteen hundred pecially as some of his letters thousand pounds are now about related solely to his private affairs and private feelings. Some years afterwards, the French intercepted a parcel of private letters from India, in which that wary Scot, Mr. Stuart Hall, made a very conspicuous figure, and in which one of the Bentineks very fully explained the real uses, the real practical purposes of our Empire in the East. The whole elucidation was comprised in one short phrase: to get money! Foolish people in this country think that the money is got there; and so it is; but it is only as my men get beer at the lower end of my garden, by carrying it or having it sent down to them from the house. The poor wretches in India are, indeed, slaves. They work for their masters; and we squeeze

It is the most fallacious notion in the world, that, because the money is received abroad, we do not pay it. It may, with just as much sense, be said, that we do not pay that hopeful youth of the Grenvilles, young Wynn, because he touches the money in Switzerland. There is the Honourable Chas. W. Wyndham, who has, according to the Parliamentary Return of 1808, 4,000l. a-year as Secretary and Clerk of the En