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To the Hon. the Commons of Great Britain in Parliament affembled. The humble Petition of the LordMayor, Aldermen, and Commons of the city of London in Common-Council assembled, Sheweth,

THAT this Court having taken into their moft ferious confideration a bill now depending in parliament, entitled," A bill for establishing certain regulations for the management of the affairs of the EattIndia Company, as well in India as in Europe," are of opinion, that the faid bill is a direct and dangerous attack on the liberties of the people, and will, if paffed into a law, prove of the most fatal confequences to the fecurity of property in general, and particularly the franchifes of every corporate body in this kingdom; firft, by throwing fuch an acceffion of power into the hands of the Crown; and, fecondly, by deftroying, without any legal proceeding, or any juft caufe, the most facred rights of the fubject, purchafed for a valuable confideration, and fanctified by the molt folemn charters and acts of parliament.

That this Court is the more alarmed by thefe proceedings, as the privileges the city of London enjoy ftand on the fame fecurity as thofe of the Eaft-India Company, which are thus attempted to be violated; and as the bill has been brought into the Houfe of Commons with a degree of fecrecy incompatible with the principles of the conflitution in matters of fuch public concern.

Your petitioners therefore humbly pray this Honourable Houfe, that the faid bill may not pafs into a law.

To the Hon. the Commons of GreatBritain in Parliament affembled.

The humble Petition of the united Company of Merchants of England trading to the East-Indies.

(Prefented May 28.)

Sheweth,

HAT your petitioners ob

ferve with great concern, that a bill is now depending in this Honourable Houfe, entitled," A bill for establishing certain regulations, for the better management of the affairs of the Eat-India Company, as well in India as in Europe;" and that the faid bill, if paffed into a law, will deftroy every privilege which your petitioners hold under the most facred fecurities that subjects can depend upon in this country. That the appointing of officers by Parliament, or the Crown, to be vefted with the whole civil and military authority of the prefidency of Bengal, and alfo the ordering, management, and government, of all the territorial acquifitions and revenues of the Company, in the kingdoms of Bengal, Bahar, and Orifla, together with the other fuperintending powers over the fettlements of Bombay and Madrafs, independent of any choice in the Company, or any real power of controul in the Directors or General Courts of the faid Company, or power in the faid Company of removing the faid officers for mifbehaviour, or filling up of vacancies in cafe of death or avoidance, is a measure fo extraordinary, (while the poffeffions are alledged to remain in the company) that your petitioners beg leave to call the attention of parliament to this

most

molt alarming circumftance, before the Houfe fhall give a fanction to an Act, which, under the colour of regulation, will annihilate at once the powers of the Eat-India Company, and virtually transfer them to the Crown. That the faid bill is deftructive of the effential rights and interefts of your petitioners in many other refpects, and is further defective as to many of the purpofes for which it is declared to be framed; and that your petitioners look upon this bill as tending to deftroy the liberties of the fubject, from an immenfe addition of power it must give to the influence of the Crown. That your petitioners have never been made acquainted with any charge of delinquency having been made against them in parliament; and that, if any fuch charge has been made, they have never been called upon to be heard against it; and that they cannot therefore fuppofe, that any fuch delinquency on the part of the Company has been voted; which delinquency, however, is made the ground of this bill; and therefore pray that they may be heard, by themselves or counfel, against the faid bill, and that the fame may not pafs into a law.

To the Hon. the Commons of GreatBritain in Parliament affembled.

The humble Petition of feveral Proprietors of the Eat-India Company, poffeffed of five hun dred pounds or more, but lefs than one thousand pounds, of the capital flock of the faid Company.

(Prefented June 8, 1773)

Sheweth,

TH

HAT your petitioners, by the charter granted to th Eaft-India Company by his late Majefty King William, and fince that time repeatedly recognized and confirmed by feveral acts of parlia ment, in confideration of many large fums of money lent and advanced by the faid Company to the public, are legally poffeffed of a right of voting at any General Court of the faid Company for the election of Directors, the making of bye-laws, or in any other matter relating to the affairs or government of the faid Company.

That notwithstanding thofe facred fecurities, under which they purchafed their respective thares in the ftock of the faid Company, your petitioners are aftonished to find, that by a claufe in the bill now depending in parliament, for establishing certain regulations for the better management of the EaftIndia Company, as well in India as in Europe, they are to be deprived of this right, and of every degree of influence in the management of fo confiderable a property, which is to be wholly transferred to fuch proprietors as are poffeffed of one thousand pounds capital ftock or more, under a prefumption that the pernicious practice of fplitting ftock by collufive transfers, may be more effectually prevented by fuch a regulation.

That notwithstanding the falfe and groundless afperfions which have been thrown out against fo great a number of your petitioners, which they truft this Honourable House will not make a ground of [P] 4

proceed

proceeding to affect their right while unfupported by evidence, your petitioners, who are bona fide proprietors in their own right, beg leave to reprefent.

That no perfons can be more interefted to prevent fuch illegal practices, whereby their endeavours for the good of the Company are liable to be defeated by the undue influence of a few wealthy proprie.

tors.

That with a view to this the Eaft-India Company petitioned parliament in the year 1767, that the feveral proprietors entitled to vote hould be obliged to hold this qualification, at leaft fix months before they should exercife that right, in confequence of which an act of parliament was made for that purpofe.

That the Company being ftil further defirous to effectuate the purpofes of that act, have, at a General-Court, held on the day of May laft, directed an application to be made to parliament, for extending the time prefcribed by the faid act of the feventh of his prefent Majefty, from fix to twelve months.

That your petitioners, willing that every remedy may be applied to this evil, are detrous that all the other provifions of the faid bill now depending in parliament for preventing collufive transfers, except the increate of the qualification of the voters, which cannot answer that purpose, fhould pafs into a law; which provifions, together with the extention of the time to twelve months, muft effectually put aftop to that practice, which has already been, in a great degree, prevented by the operation of the faid act made in 1767.

That the propofed increase of the qualification of the voters cannot in any degree contribute to the end defired, but will rather facilitate than difcourage fo pernicious a practice; fince the splitting of stock being confined to thofe proprietors who h Id large quantities, it will be both easier, and attended with lefs rifk by death, bankruptcy, or difcovery, to place their flock in the hands of half the number of perfons, while their influence will thereby be increafed in a very great proportion.

That from thence it is evident, that the real effect of this claufe will be throwing the power of the Company into the hands of a few opulent men, while the only effectual balance to fuch an oligar chy, by the exertion of independent proprietors of moderate fortunes, will be totally deftroyed.

That fuppofing it should ever be the intention of the Crown, or its minifters, to exert an undue influence in the management of the Company's affairs, it is evident that intention may be much more easily effected in a smaller than in a more numerous body.

That, upon the whole, your petitioners conceive, that the alteration now propofed cannot be fupported upon any principle of expediency, or any juft arguments refpecting the purpose for which it is profeffed to be intended.

Your Petitioners therefore hope this Honourable House will give them leave to be heard by themfelves in fupport of their own legal rights against the faid bill, which, without confent, compenfation made, or charge of delinquency proved, deprives fo great a

number

number of proprietors of the
franchifes which they have
purchafed under the faith of
parliament, and has not the
excufe of public neceffity, or
even utility, to palliate fo
violent an act.

And your petitioners will pray.

Authentic Letters, relative to the in-
tended Tax upon Irish Abjentees.

From the Duke of Devonshire, and
other Lords, to Lord North.
My Lord,

the penal operation of a partial

tax.

We have had, many of us, our birth, and our earliest habits in this kingdom; fome of us have an indifpenfable public duty, and all of us (where fuch duty does not require fuch reftriction) have the right of free fubjects of choofing our habitation in whatever part of his Majefty's dominions we shall efteem most convenient.

We cannot hear, without, aftonifhment, of a fcheme by which we are to be ftigmatized by, what is in effect, a fine for our abode in this country, the principal member of our British empire, and the refidence

I project has been communicated of our common Sovereign.

to the King's minifters, for propofing in the parliament of Ireland a tax of regulation, which is particularly and exclufively to affect the property of thofe of his Majefty's fubjects who poffefs lands in that kingdom, but whofe ordinary refidence is in this.

It is in the fame manner publicly understood, that this extraordinary defign has been encouraged by an affurance from Adminiftration, that if the heads of a bill propofing fuch a tax, fhould be tranfmitted from Ireland, they would be returned with the fanction of his Majesty's Privy-Council here, under the Great-Seal of England.

My Lord, we find ourfelves comprehended under the defcription of thofe who are to be the object of this unprecedented impofition.

We poffefs confiderable landed property in both kingdoms: our ordinary refidence is in England. We have not hitherto confidered fuch refidence as an act of delinquency to be punished; or, as a political evil, to be corrected by

We have ever fewn the utmost readiness in contributing with the reft of our fellow-fubjects, in any legal and equal method, to the exigencies of the public fervice, and to the fupport of his Majesty's government.

We have ever borne a cordial, though not an exclufive, regard to the true interefts of Ireland, and to all its rights and liberties: to none of which we think our refidence in Great-Britain, to be in the leaft prejudicial, but rather the means, in very many cafes, of affording them a timely and effQual fupport.

We cannot avoid confidering this fcheme as in the highest degree injurious to the welfare of that kingdom, as well as of this; its manifelt tendency is to leffen the value of all landed property there, to put restrictions upon it unknown in any part of the British doninions; and, as far as we can find, without parallel in any civilized country, It leads directly to a feparation of thefe kingdoms in inte

reft

rest and affection; contrary to the ftanding policy of our ancestors, which has been, at every period, and particularly at the glorious revolution, infeparably to connect them by every tie both of affection and intereft.

We apply to your Lordship in particular: This is intended as a mode of public fupply; and as we conceive the treatury of Ireland, as well as that of England, is in a great meafure within your Lordfhip's department, we flatter ourfelves we thall not be refused authentic information concerning a matter in which we are fo nearly

fervants, I cannot with propriety return my anfwer, before I have communicated the contents of it to them, which I will take the first opportunity of doing. I am perfuaded that your Grace and the other Lords will excufe this unavoidable delay, and have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, My Lord,

Your Grace's

Moft faithful humble fervant,

Devonshire.

NORTH.

concerned ; that if the fcheme From Lord North to the Duke of which we state to your Lordship doth exit, we may be enabled to purfue every legal method of oppofition to a project, in every light unjuft and impolitic.

We have the honour to be Your Lordship's most obedient,

and most humble fervants,

London, 08. 16, 1773.

DEVONSHIRE,
ROCKINGHAM,'
BESBOROUGH,
MILTON,
UPPER OSSORY.

From Lord North to the Duke of

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Devonshire.

Downing-Street, OA. 21, 1773.

My Lord,

YOUR Grace, and the Lords,

Rockingham, Belborough, Milton, and Upper Offory, having in your letter of the 16th, defired authentic information concerning a project of propofing to the parliament of Ireland, a tax upon the landed property of fuch perfons whofe ordinary refidence is out of that kingdom, I will endeavour to ftate, in a few words, what has paffed upon the subject.

In the course of the fummer, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland fent over feveral propofitions for reBusby-Park, O. 18, 1773. ftoring the credit, providing for

My Lord,

Had yesterday the honour of receiving a letter figned by your Grace, and the Lords Rockingham, Belborough, Milton, and Upper Offory. As it does not relate particularly to me, but concerns equally others of his Majesty's

the debts, and putting upon a proper footing, the finances of that kingdom; at the fame time he informed his Majefty's fervants here, that he had reafon to believe, that among other modes of fupply, there would probably be a tax of the nature mentioned in your Grace's letter.

The

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