conduce to that end, and as to your fuperior judgments fhall feem beit.

And your memorialifts as in duty bound

shall ever pray, &c. &c. &c. This addrefs figned by about 475 natural-born subjects, was prefented in November, 1767-Upwards of 150 more, in different parts of the country, were ready to fign it, but the preifing neceffity of presenting it, made a delay improper. How, many of thofe, who did fign it, were treated, by the next affembly, is but too well known.

For the Editor of the POLITICAL REGISTER. A Differtation on the commercial and political State of the Eaft India Company's Affairs; and on the Views of Administration with respect to the Commiffion appointing SUPERVISORS to go to INDIA.

SIR,

TH

HE prefent critical fituation of the Eaft India Company's affairs both at home and abroad, is at length become an object of the greatest importance to the welfare and profperity of the three kingdoms. The direction of their extenfive concerns, the nomination of their officers civil and military, and the collection of their revenues will perhaps finally fall into the hands of government; if union among themselves, integrity and difinterestedness in their fervants, and wisdom and fortitude in their councils, do not inftantly take place, of the animofities and divifions of party, of the rapacity and cruelty of avarice, and of the debility, and irrefolution which accompanies pride and revenge. It is no difficult matter to forefee, that any mifmanagement of the concerns of this great body at this crifis, may on the one hand tear up the liberties of Great Britain by the roots, and render us all abject flaves to defpotic power, or on the other, involve us in an expenfive and bloody war.

To avoid either of these evils, requires the exertion of great abilities, and an uncommon portion of integrity and candour, but to fteer clear of both, at this prefent period, will demand the moft confummate political wifdom, and the most genuine fentiments of patriotism that can poffibly infpire a fet of men affembled together in council, for the prefervation and improvement of the immenfe property of the greatest trading company in Europe; and, for the more valuable purposes of defending the liberties of that country which has given them protection and affiftance, and has fo largely contributed to their amazing fuccefs-against all attempts that

may

may be made by artful and defigning ftatefmen, to wreft from them the conduct of their affairs in India, with the fole view of increasing the power of the c-n at the expence of the freedom of the fubject. A more fatal event could not poffibly happen to these kingdoms, than the ceding to government the administration of the company's eftablishments in India, for though we have nothing to fear from the reigning prince, yet life at beft is but precarious, and the throwing such an additional weight into the fcale of royal authority, might be called the political exit of the freedom and independence of the renowned British empire.

If we only turn our thoughts to the power and wealth which individuals, invefted with a delegated command, have acquired in Afia, partly by the force of arms, but still more by their negociations and political connections with the regal tyrants of the country, we must tremble at the apprehenfion, that if the fceptre of Great Britain should, in any future time, fall into the hands of a weak, or wicked prince, whofe minifters are determined to render him the most defpotic monarch on earth; a treafury for the purposes of corrupting the indigent, and the unprincipled, will be conftantly open in India. Conceffions may be made by fuch a fovereign and fuch minifters highly prejudicial to the intereft of a trading company, if the coffers of Afiatic princes afford a ready refource in time of popular commotions, and when the people are contending with their prince and his fervants, for their inherent rights and privileges. What a deplorable fituation pofterity must be in, if ever the crown gets poffeffion of the civil government of the Eaft India company's fettlements in Afia! Will not the army of placemen and penfioners, against whose influence the prefent friends of liberty find it difficult to ftand their ground, be fo confiderably encreased, as to render all oppofition ineffectual, and the will of the and his fervants may then be made the fole standard of administration? for every measure will be carried in their favour by an incredible majority. It is therefore no argument, because we have the best of princes upon the throne, that we fhould open a new source of wealth and power in his time, that may be productive of fuch fatal confequences to posterity; for the K- cannot tell who fhall come after him, or what manner of man fhall reign over us-much less, what kind of creatures may be his minifters. If then there be any regard left amongft us for those established laws and customs, for those rights and immunities which were handed down to us from our ancestors; and which we are bound in honour and equity to tranfmit, as entire as we received them,

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to the next generation. It behoves the community to be particularly attentive to all the motions of the directors of the Eaft India company at this time.

The agreement made with the company by the prefent adminiftration to accept of the fum of 400000l. per annum in confideration of the territorial acquifitions in India, was deemed highly impolitic at the time, by all the friends of defpotifm, as the faireft opportunity was thereby loft of extending the power of the c by taking poffeffion of those territories, and appointing civil and military officers to take charge of them. But the real friends of the conftitution faw this agreement in another light, and perhaps it is the only measure the miniftry has taken, to which a patriotic oppofition could give a tacit affent. Of two evils, it was the leaft, for though it might be deemed a ftretch of ministerial authority to take fo large a fum annually from the profits of a trading fociety, which had already paid for the exclufive privileges they enjoyed, privileges indeed, which ought never to have been granted in a free flate, yet as the public in general was to be benefited by this annual deduction from the profits of a company already acknowledged to be immensely rich, little was faid againft it, especially as it was imagined, that the company would remain for this confideration, in the unmolefted enjoyment of thofe territories, and have the sole appointment of all civil and military officers, whom they fhould think proper to fend thither for the government of

them.

But contrary to expectation on the appointment, by the company, of three fupervifors, and an application made to the miniftry to furnish a naval armament for the protection of their commerce in India, a fresh interruption in the management of their affairs arifes; and his m----y's fervants appear defirous, notwithstanding the pecuniary agreement with the company, to obtrude fome of their agents upon them, and to divide with the company, the authority they have thought proper to veft in their fupervisors, if not to fuperfede it. It is this alarming requifition that ought to engage not only the attention of every proprietor of India Stock; but of every member of the community, who has difcernment to perceive, and patriotifm to feel the blow aimed at the expiring freedom of his country, through the channel of the East India company. The firft attempt to involve the company's affairs, in the political views of the ct, feems to have been couched in the letter figned by nine proprietors, the fubftance of which was as follows: "That confidering the "prefent critical fituation of our affairs in India, it may be " requested

requested of government to grant for the fervice of the company, two fhips of the line, and two battallions." We are informed, that after this letter had been twice read at the general meeting of the proprietors on the 26th of July; Sir George Colebrook acquainted the court," that they had

already applied to government for two fhips of the line, "and two frigates; but that as for the battallions, it was the "( general opinion of the laft court of directors, that there was. not the leaft neceffity for fuch a requifition, as recruiting the "company's forces on the fpot, would be the more effectual "and oeconomic method." The opinion of the directors we find was first founded, and then the fentiments of the proprietors, who happily concurred with the directors, and thus the fcheme of introducing the government's troops into the company's territories in India fell to the ground. The following question was then proposed and unanimously passed. "That the proprietors in general do request of their di"rectors, that they will apply to government for the better fecurity of their poffeffions in India, and for fuch a naval "force confifting of fhips of the line and frigates, as fhall "be thought neceffary." The confequence of this application has been a correspondence between the directors and that great fecretary of ftate lord Weymouth, whofe letters are the standard of accuracy, perfpicuity and politenefs. The object of them is, a revifal of the commiffion, and the expediency of fending out a naval officer of theirs to act in conjunction with the fupervisors. In the mean time the fending out the commiffion is fufpended, though every moment's delay may be of fatal confequence to the company's affairs in India. It is impoffible to divine what will be the event of this fresh negociation between the directors and the adminiftration, but it feems to forebode a great deal of confufion, and a ruinous unneceffary protraction. If however, contrary to the expectation of many fenfible people, this affair fhould be compromised before the next publication of the Political Regifter, I hope due regard will be paid to the date of this differtation, that my fentiments and animadverfions on this interefting fubject, may be found to be compatible with the ftate of the negociation at the time of my writing.

Lord Weymouth mentions the neceffity of appointing an officer of theirs, that is of the government, on account of the eleventh article of the definitive treaty of peace with France, whereby ftipulations were made with fome Indian princes, and that this article was made at the request of the company. Affuredly then, it is as much for the honour and intereft of the company, that the naval officer acting under their di Vol. V. rection,

S

rection, fhould adhere to the article of the treaty, as it is for government; befides, no officer of the crown, though acting by permiffion under the orders of the company's fervants abroad, I mean the governor and council of Bengal, or the supervisors, can be fuppofed in obedience to them, to violate the conditions of his commiffion from his fovereign, in which must neceffarily be included an obfervance of the treaties fubfifting between his royal mafter, and the powers with whom he is in peace and amity; of these no naval officer, of the rank to command, can be ignorant, if he was, government might take care to inform him. But no neceffity arifes from this, that the naval officer who commands the armament destined for the company's fervice, fhould be vested by the my with any powers but thofe to be given him by the company. Depend on it if once the my by throwing difficulties in the way of the prefent commiffion can bring the proprietors to consent that a fervant of theirs fhould be joined in it, in order to give it the fanction of their concurrence, all is loft, the end of the commiffion will be defeated, and on the arrival of this medley of authority, parties will be formed in India; thofe who are disgusted at the company and are difpofed to ridicule the office of the fupervisors, or are apprehenfive of a difagreeable enquiry into their conduct, will attach themselves to the officer of the government who commands the armament, and will attempt to render his authority fuperior to that of the fupervisors. And thus the whole will run into confufion. The Indian princes will difcover a diftinction between the authority of the company and of the crown, which muft certainly end in the ruin of the former, from the high opinion they entertain of regal power. They will no doubt be induced to form alliances and enter into negociations with the of Great Britain, if a proper officer is on the spot, charged with plenipotentiary powers, but it will always be with a view to deprefs the company and leffen their weight and influence, for which a very good reafon may be affigned; that their fervants in India have exercised such acts of tyranny and oppreffion in order to amafs great fortunes in the space of a few years, as have been a difgrace to humanity. One noble commander in chief, it is faid, ftands foremost in the journal of barbarity, having embrued his hands in the beft blood of the country, and fupported the meaneft wretch of a Nabob, deftitute of honour and humanity, a fpurious defcendant of the greatest traitor in India, to the exclufion of the undoubted heir to the empire of Indoftan. On a treaty with this man, the prosperity of the government

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