Lords Sitting of 9 April 1812

ORDERS IN COUNCIL.
Earl Fitzwilliampresented a Petition from certain merchants and manufacturers engaged in the woollen trade in the West Riding of Yorkshire, against the Orders in Council; which
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having been read at the table, his lordship observed, that the statement of so respectable a body of men was highly deserving of attention. The Petition, he understood, was signed by 15,000 persons, whose complaints of the grievances under which they laboured, in consequence of the operation of the Orders in Council, he should feel it his duty to call the attention of the House to on Tuesday the 28th instant, for which day he moved that the Lords be summoned.—Ordered.

EAST INDIA COMPANY'S CHARTER.
Lord Hollandpresented a Petition from the mayor and burgesses of Nottingham, for opening the East India Trade, which was ordered to lie on the table. His lordship also stated that there was a Petition from the same place to the executive government, against the Orders in Council, which he had had the honour of presenting that morning.
The Earl of Lauderdale,pursuant to notice, moved for the correspondence between the government and the East India Directors on the subject of the renewal of the Charter. As the papers had already been printed for the use of the East India Committee, and had been before the public through another channel, he presumed there would be no objection to this motion. 2d. He moved for a copy of the military plan of marquis Cornwallis, referred to in the correspondence, for consolidating the forces of the Company with the king's troops. This might be a most important document, and it was proper it should be on the table before the subject came to be discussed. 3d. His lordship next adverted to a statement made by the deputy chairman of the court of directors, in a letter (forming part of the correspondence) to the person who was lately President of the Board of Control, (lord Melville,) that there were papers in the archives of the company, which would be of great use in enabling the government to appreciate the effects of the monopoly with respect to the navigation laws. Whether these papers would make for or against the arguments of the directors, it was fitting that they should be produced; and he, therefore, proposed to move accordingly. 4th. Though it appeared from the negociation that it was intended in a great measure to open the trade with India, there might be such rules and regulations established in India with regard to private traders, as to render the privi-

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lege nugatory. Of this description, he contended, were the regulations already existing in the company's settlements: but whether he was correct in this opinion or not, it was of great importance that their lordships should be acquainted with these regulations, lest they should only be conferring a privilege, which the company, by means of their local rules, might turn into a humbug on the public. He should therefore move, that they be laid on the table. As they were, or regularly ought to be, transmitted every year from the Indian presidencies to the court of directors, there could be no difficulty in producing them. His lordship, however, expressed his willingness to postpone the last two of these motions, if the noble lords opposite wished for time to consider them.
The Earls of Liverpool and Buckinghamshire expressed a wish that the last two should be postponed; and lord Lauderdale assented. The first two were agreed to.
The Earl of Warwickpresented a Petition from the manufacturers of Birmingham against the East India monopoly. It was signed, he understood, by about 16,000 persons.
The Duke of Norfolkstated, that as it might have been imagined that these manufacturers had been prompted by the merchants of Liverpool, and other places more immediately interested, perhaps, in putting an end to the monopoly, he had thought it his duty to make some enquiries, whether or not this was the case; and the result had been that he found this Petition to have arisen from the spontaneous feeling of the people of the town of Birmingham itself, who were convinced that if the trade to India were thrown open, they would be enabled to export much more of their manufactures than they did at present. The Petition was then read, and ordered to lie on the table.

BANK OF ENGLAND.
The Earl of Lauderdalesaid, if any objection were made to the motion of which he had yesterday given notice, he would abstain from submitting it to the House at present. But he thought it was fitting their lordships should know what was the direct benefit the public had given to the Bank by the restriction of cash payments; what were the causes which rendered it so difficult to procure money for the public service; and by what means the measures of parliament had thrown an immense sum
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of money into the pockets of the directors. To elucidate these points he would move, 1. For the average prices of Bank stock, half yearly, from the 5th July, 1797, to the 31st December, 1811.—2. For the rates of dividends, for a like period; with a statement of the amount of increase since 1797; and the time at which the increase took place; and, 3. For the amount of sums paid to the proprietors of Bank stock, over their dividends, since July, 1797; with the amount of each bonus and its date. He could see no objection to this motion. It might indeed be said, that all this information could be gained without bringing the matter-before their lordships. He had himself made some calculations, but he knew not whether they were accurate. If they were, then the accounts he would move for would show, that while the people in general were suffering, the Bank proprietors had put nearly 17 millions into their pockets. He thought it was important this should be known, before they discussed a Bill which would nearly go to make Bank-notes a legal tender. In his opinion, there was not a more proper mode of taxation, than to take away part of their wealth from those persons who had profited by the public distress.
On the suggestion of the earl of Liverpool, lord Lauderdale postponed his motion till Tuesday, observing, that when he brought it forward, he would move for similar accounts from the bank of Ireland.
Earl Greysaid, he understood no opposition would be given to producing an account of the total nominal amount of banknotes rejected as forgeries at the bank of England, from 1797 to the present time, but that an objection would be made to specifying the number and description of such notes; he should therefore, on Tuesday next, propose his motion in an amended state.