§ An Address and Petition of the master, wardens, and assistants of the incorporation of weavers, fullers, and shearmen of the city and county of Exeter, in common hall assembled, was presented and read; setting forth,
§ "That a few years ago there existed in the city of Exeter a very Flourishing foreign trade, which is now nearly annihilated; that the demand for woollens alone from the continent of Europe amounted to about one million sterling annually, the loss of which trade has very much impoverished and distressed the merchants, manufacturers, and others concerned therein, or in anywise connected therewith; and that this deprivation is the more grievously felt and lamented, in as much as the petitioners are excluded by the charter of the East India Company from resorting to markets which might, and most probably would in a great measure, compensate for the loss of the ancient trade of that city; and that the petitioners are convinced the monopoly now possessed by a joint stock Company of the trade to India and China, is highly injurious to the naval and commercial interests of the British empire; and the petitioners are of opinion that the continuation of this monopoly would be no less inconsistent with the sound principles of commercial policy, than with those of impartiality and justice to the inhabitants of every part of the United 1126 Kingdom; and that, if the trade now monopolized were laid open, it would afford considerable relief to the kingdom at large, and to the inhabitants of the city of Exeter and neighbourhood in particular, as they are enabled by local circumstances to prepare and finish many articles exported to China, fully as well as it is done in London, and upon much lower terms than are allowed to the connections and dependents of the East India Company residing in the metropolis, of which the managers of the concerns of that Company have been apprized for many years past, but have refused to avail themselves of it; and that, consequently, the petitioners would feelingly lament to see any longer vested in the East India Company the exclusive right to carry on trade to China in particular, as it would be highly injurious to the interests of that city and neighbourhood, already much distressed by the loss of their accustomed trade and manufactures; and praying the House to adopt such measures as to its wisdom and justice may seem meet for the total abolition of the commercial monopoly of the East India Company, and for laying open the trade to India, China, and all other place" and territories situated between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan,"
§ A Petition of the fillet manufacturer" and painters of London, was also presented and read; setting forth,
§ "That the petitioners, during forty years, have been established in the manufacture and painting of fillets for the East India Company; and that this article is made from Scotch linen, which is dyed, stiffened, and glazed, and the arms of the Company emblazoned thereon, from the weaving of which to the finishing nearly three hundred workmen are employed: these fillets are used as a covering for each piece of woollen, and not only secure the same from injury, but also bearing the arms of the said Company, with a gilt seal attached, cause the goods to be received by the respective merchants in India without examination of the packages; and that, to prove to the House the necessity of conforming to this practice, and the dangers which would arise from any innovation, the petitioners, in the year 1801, added a device, emblamatical of the Union of Great Britain and Ireland, on a part of the fillets for China; yet such was the prejudice of the Chinese to old forms, that the merchants and 1127 traders would not purchase the woollens without a considerable abatement in the price, although these were of the uniform quality and description usually exported by the East India Company, and heretofore so confidently received in that market without inspection, the Hong merchants alleging that the goods were inferior merely from this alteration in the exterior form of the package; and that the petitioners therefore conceive themselves warranted in the apprehension, that should the trade to China be opened to the public, not only their interests would be injured materially, but that also the profitable intercourse with the Chinese empire would be endangered, if not annihilated; and that the petitioners have expended a large capital in the erection of buildings and machinery for the manufacturing and painting of the said fillets, employing therein a great number of workmen, who have large families; and that, should the charter of the East India Company not be renewed, the petitioners must suffer nearly a total loss in the sale of their premises, the same not being convertible to any other purpose, and the numerous poor families dependant thereon for their support, will be reduced to poverty and distress; and the petitioners, relying on the wisdom of the House, humbly submit the above statement to their consideration, and express an earnest hope, that the final determination of the House will be, to continue the trade to India and China through the East India Company, by whom it has been conducted in a manner so highly creditable to themselves, and so advantageous to the general interests of the country."
§ A Petition of the provost, magistrates, and town council of the royal burgh of Montrose, in council assembled, was also presented and read; setting forth,
§ "That the petitioners are informed, that the Company of merchants of England trading to the East Indies, have applied to parliament for a renewal of their charter; and that the petitioners beg leave respectfully to convey to the House their sentiments on a subject of such importance to the empire; and that the experience of past times has proved, beyond all dispute, the baneful effects of monopolies; and the petitioners think they are sufficiently warranted in asserting, that, while the monopoly hitherto enjoyed by the East India Company has precluded the 1128 private merchant from participating in the trade, it has been far from operating to the advantage of the Company; and that the petitioners do not mean to suggest any thing to the House with regard to the government of the Company's possessions in India, but they would humbly propose that the exclusive privileges of the Company should not be renewed, and that the trade to the extensive countries between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan should be laid open to the commercial enterprize of all the subjects of the empire; and that it appears extremely unreasonable, if not unjust, that the inhabitants of the United States of America, and the subjects of other governments in amity with Britain, should be admitted to commercial intercourse with the British possessions in India, while the subjects of Britain are excluded; and that the petitioners are humbly of opinion that the admission of a free trade with the countries comprehended under the exclusive grant of the East India Company will afford an extensive field for the employment of mercantile talents and capital, and be productive of the greatest benefit to the manufacturing interest of the country; and praying the House to adopt such measures as may render it lawful for any of his Majesty's subjects, from and after the expiry of the East India Company's present charter, to carry on, from any of the ports of the United Kingdom, a free and unlimited trade with the British possessions in India, and with other countries situated to the East of the Cape of Good Hope, and to the West of Cape Horn."
§ A Petition of several magistrates, council, and merchants of the royal burgh of Linlithgow, with the merchants and traders of the port and harbour of Borrowstonness, was also presented and read; setting forth,
§ "That the petitioners have seen, with alarm, attempts making by the East India Company for a renewal of their monopoly of the trade to the Eastward of the Cape of Good Hope at a period when all exclusive grants are considered, by the universal consent of mankind, as hostile to the true principles of enlightened policy; and that the petitioners, in common with the rest of their fellow countrymen, looked forward, with satisfaction, to the moment when the Charter of the Company should expire, and when a new field was about to be laid open to the spirit and enterprize 1129 of every port in the United Kingdom, which they humbly conceive might lead, in no small degree, to relieve our commerce in its present calamitous circumstances; and praying, that no exclusive grant may henceforth be given of the trade to any of the countries to the Eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, but that the House will adopt such measures as that the commerce with those countries may be extended to every port in the United Kingdom willing to enjoy it."
§ Ordered to lie upon the table.