Tuesday, June 9, 1812.

The Sheriffs of London attended at the bar, and presented to the House a Petition from the lord mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common council assembled, setting forth,

"That, the petitioners view, with the deepest concern, the intimation of his Majesty's ministers, that, in submitting to parliament a proposition respecting the renewal of the East India Company's Charter, it is their intention not to confine the East India trade to the port of London, from whence it has been carried on for two centuries; and that London has hitherto been not only the seat of government but also the principal depository of merchandize, and consequently the general resort of foreigners who have frequented it for the purpose of supplying themselves with goods suitable to their particular markets and demands; and that the metropolis has thus been enabled to give to nearly one tenth of the population of the kingdom occupation and support, afforded to the government at once, easy, secure, and expeditious means of collecting the import revenues, which bear a most important proportion to the annual burthens, and upheld the credit, honour, and character of the mercantile part of these realms; and that, in the attainment of these great national objects, the limitation of the East India trade to the port of London has been found essentially useful, by the establishment of spacious docks, considerable manufactories, warehouses, storehouses, and other necessary and commodious buildings, by the constant employment, even during a long continuance of war, of many thousands of workmen, artificers, artizans and labourers in these establishments, both in the city of London and on the banks of the river Thames, upon whose occupation depends the subsistence of a vast and increasing population, and, by the building and equipment of ships and vessels, communicating full and immediate relief to very numerous classes of persons engaged in different capacities and pursuits; and that the petitioners, solemnly disclaiming all selfish considerations and narrow jealousies, in consequence of the intimated extension of the trade to and from India to the out-ports, do not oppose such extension on the ground of withholding what, in other respects, would be truly desirable, the fair means of honourable enterprize and open competition, but from the certain conviction, that were the post of London deprived of the privileges which it at present enjoys with respect to the East India trade, the consequences would be both disadvantageous to themselves, and injurious to the interests of the country at large; and that, while the port of London has enjoyed certain privileges which have produced the most essential benefits to the commerce, strength, and revenue of the empire, full and sufficient liberty has not been withheld from other cities and towns in the kingdom to employ their capitals and direct their trading pursuits to points capable of affording ample returns and remuneration; and that, with regard to these cities and towns, until the late unfortunate state of affairs in the mercantile world, their exertions have been crowned with success, with the exception of the communication opened with the Spanish and Portuguese settlements in America, a circumstance which, whilst it involved many of the adventurers in severe distress, or complete ruin, cannot but hold out convincing reasons for great reserve and caution in embracing new sources for speculation; and that, although the quantity of tonnage appropriated by the East India Company to the private traders of the United Kingdom, independently of the usual allowance to their own officers, has, during the last six years, amounted to upwards of 63,000 tons, it is ascertained that of that quantity 16,230 tons only have been employed, of which 7,000 tons have consisted of wine and beer, leaving a surplus of little more than 9,000 tons, or 1,500 tons annually, for all kinds of stores and British manufactures; and that the expectation entertained by several branches of the manufacturing interest throughout the country of the great benefits likely to result to them from an encreased exportation to India, appears erroneous and delusive, inasmuch as it is incontrovertibly established, by the experience of the last six years, that the market of India is altogether incapable of extending the consumption of British manufactures beyond the present demand; and that it appearing impracticable, in any material degree, to increase the import of profitable commodities from, or to augment the export of British manufactures to, India (little more than one tenth of the allowed quantity of tonnage for the private trader in these manufactures having been employed), it necessarily follows that, in neither instance, can any beneficial extension of commerce be realized; and that all new adventurers who may engage in them, must, if even successful, merely enjoy a share or portion of that which is already carried on; a result which, without communicating any additional advantages to the country, without invigorating national industry, and rewarding the spirit of commercial enterprize, must split that into parts and fractions which is now conducted and concentrated as a whole, and termi- nate in its transfer from one set of hands to another, with incalculable disadvantages, and perhaps with total ruin; and that the wisdom, if not the necessity, of limiting to one point for exportation the various articles drawn from very distinct and distant parts of the interior, which compose the comparatively small quantity of British manufactures sent to India, appears undeniable; and that the removal from the port of London, of the trade to and from India, would tend to the injury of that excellent nursery of our seamen, the coasting trade, affect the inland navigation of the kingdom, and lead to the deterioration of the quality of the different articles now imported from India and China, and disposed of at open and regular sales; and that, as a subject of finance to which the port of London has so very largely contributed, the revenue deriving, in the single article of tea, the yearly averaged amount of nearly four millions in the five last years, the petitioners cannot view the proposed extension to the out ports of the East India trade without the most alarming apprehensions, as, from the very extensive scale of ports throughout the United Kingdom, smuggling would be more easily carried on, and the revenue defrauded, to the injury of the public interests, and the detriment of the fair trader; and that the increased facility thus afforded to smuggling, would, by the introduction of prohibited goods, depreciate our own manufactures, and defeat the very ends which the recent resolution and applications of the manufacturers for the extension of the East India trade to the out ports, under the fallacious hope of augmented consumption, profess to have in view; and praying the House to take into their most serious consideration, the connection already existing between the East India trade and the port of London, and to adopt such measures as to their wisdom shall seem meet, to prevent the extension of the said trade to the out ports, or other cities and towns of the United Kingdom."

Ordered to lie upon the table.

Mr. Wallace presented a Petition from the united company of merchants of England trading to the East Indies; setting forth,

"That since the passing of the Act of the 33d year of the reign of his present Majesty, by which the trade to the East Indies and China, and the government and possession of the British territories in India were vested in the petitioners for a certain term, which is not yet expired, large sums of money have been raised in the East Indies, in the name and on the credit of the petitioners, and debts have been contracted by the petitioners in that country for the purpose of the defence and protection of such British possessions, and for purposes of wars in which the British nation has been engaged with European powers; and such debts bear interest, and some of them are payable in the East Indies, and others of them have been discharged by the petitioners, by means of money raised on their credit in this country, under the authority of parliament; and that by virtue of the terms of the obligations for other part of such Indian debt, further sums to a large amount will be shortly payable in this country, and the ordinary funds of the petitioners at home will not be sufficient to enable them to discharge such sums of money so payable in respect of such debts; and that owing to circumstances which have arisen, the petitioners apprehend that it will not be practicable for parliament to make provision in the present session for the settlement of the trade and the government and possession of the British territories in India to take effect on the determination of the term now held by the petitioners therein; and that bills of exchange drawn in discharge of Indian debt, so contracted as herein before mentioned, will become due and payable previous to the 1st day of January next, so as to require a sum of 2,500,000l. beyond the funds arising in the ordinary course of the petitioners' concerns, which will be applicable to such payment within that period, and the petitioners will not be able to raise the extraordinary funds wanted, nor to make provision for re-transfer of part of the Indian debt back to the East Indies without the aid and authority of parliament; and that various accounts and matters which required consideration and arrangement previous to the petitioners making this application were not arrived from India till the time fixed by the House for receiving Petitions for private bills had expired; and praying, that leave may be given to present a Petition, praying the House to take their case into consideration, and to grant them such relief as it may require."

Ordered to be referred to a committee, with power to send for persons, papers, and records.