REMARKS

ON

THE EVIDENCE

DELIVERED BEFORE

BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT,

ON

THE EAST-INDIA COMPANY'S AFFAIRS.

BY CHARLES MACLEAN, M. D.

REMARKS,

&c. &c.

THE case of the East-India Company, as originally illustrated by reasoning, is now made out, in every point, by the testimony, on oath, of the most competent witnesses.' It may be truly said that a body of evidence more consistent, uniform, enlightened, satisfactory, and convincing, than that which has recently been presented to the two houses of parliament, has never, on any subject, been laid before a public assembly. The witnesses are not only of the highest and most respectable character, civil, intellectual, and moral; but of great experience and information, concerning all the points at issue; many of them having filled the highest offices, and others having resided, in various active employments, twenty, thirty, and even forty, years in India.

That his Majesty's Ministers will incur the dreadful responsibility of persevering against the concurring testimony of such men, in their projects of innovation for India, it is scarcely possible to imagine.

The results of the evidence may be thus stated. The witnesses all concur in opinion:

I. That the effects of a considerably increased intercourse between the natives of India, and that description of Englishmen who might resort thither in private ships, would be to disturb the

The witnesses are sworn only before the Lords. But the evidence delivered before the Commons is so similar, that, in my references, I have chosen to limit myself almost entirely to the minutes of the former assembly.

peace of the country, to embarrass and perplex the local governments and public functionaries, and ultimately to raise a spirit of dissatisfaction and revolt, which might endanger the safety of the empire. This opinion is grounded on the following circum

stances:

1. The characters of the natives of India, and of the classes of Englishmen alluded to, are so opposite that they can never assimilate.'

2. It is impracticable to frame regulations, which shall be efficient to prevent Europeans, under the circumstance of an unrestrained intercourse of private ships with India, from penetrating into, and establishing themselves in the interior of the country. This is the decided opinion of Mr. Hastings, Major General Kyd, and others. Mr. Lushington, on this point, adds, that "the revenues of the country would be almost swallowed up to guard against the danger."2

3. Newly arrived Europeans, in their ignorance, despising the character of the natives, are apt to wound their religious prejudices, to insult their women, and to oppress or otherwise maltreat them. Sir John Malcolm relates that, when he was resident at Mysore, frequent quarrels took place between the natives and young officers (King's or Company's) who were detached, or travelling through the country; and that they arose almost invariably from the misconduct of the Europeans. Major General Kyd relates the following melancholy effects of an interference with, their religious prejudices, which happened very lately. "From the cantonments of Muttra, two young cavalry officers went to the temples of Binderbund, where there were a great number of monkies, which the natives about their temples hold in a certain measure sacred, These young gentlemen were inadvertently induced to shoot at the

3

' Vide Mr. Hastings' evidence before the Lords Committees, p. 3.

2 Minutes of Evidence, p. 145. It is also the opinion of W. Young, Esq. Ewan Law, Esq. and others, that to prevent ingress to the interior would be altogether impossible, if private ships were permitted to range along four thousand miles of coast.

3 Minutes of Evidence, p. 19.

monkies, in consequence of which the whole of the officiating priests, and a number of fakeers that were round, rose, and, with stones and clods of earth, obliged the young gentlemen, who were upon an elephant, to take to the river Jumna, which they endeavoured to cross, and perished in the attempt." Mr. Buller mentions that he was obliged to order two Europeans out of their district for oppression to the ryots; and that two others were summarily punished by those whom they had injured, one being murdered, and the other severely wounded."

4. It is impossible for the natives, at a distance from the presidencies, from inability to defray the expense of a journey, to take the necessary means, when injured by an European, of procuring redress; it being in the courts of judicature at the presidencies only that criminal actions may be brought against Englishmen. And it appears to be the opinion of Mr. Hastings, that the extension of the jurisdiction of those courts to the provinces would be productive of more evil than good.3

5. If adventurers are to be allowed an indiscriminate intercourse with India, along with their merchandize, it does not appear that they can, with any propriety, be prevented from accompanying their goods into the interior, if they prefer taking their chance of that market. And if despotic powers are to be given to the local authorities for removing them, in case of misconduct, nothing can tend more strongly to degrade the British character in the eyes of the native inhabitants.

6. Besides, as has been well observed by Lieutenant Colonel Munro, if it were even possible, in such cases, to grant adequate redress to the natives, it would not remove the causes of discontent.*

II. The character of the natives is described by the witnesses to be so nearly unalterable, as to have undergone very little change for twenty centuries, and to render it improbable that it should

' Vide Minutes of Evidence taken before the House of Commons, &c. P. 119.

2 Vide Minutes of Evidence taken before the Lords, &c. pp. 134, 135. 3 Ibid. p. 10.

• Ibid. p. 71.

undergo any considerable change for many centuries to come. Mr. Cowper, member of the supreme council of Bengal, declares their manners and habits to be almost unalterable. "Unaltered they have certainly remained for a very long period of years-for ages. I s." Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Malcolm states them to be tenacious of their principles, practices, and fashions ❝ to a degree that can hardly be conceived by an European, who has not been in India." Lord Teignmouth says: "I think them very tenacious of their peculiar habits, and that a violation of them would be strongly felt." Mr. Lushington thinks the Hindoo in Tinnevelly, and in the southern provinces, "is at this day what he was two thousand years ago. Sir Charles Warre Malet, describing their little liability to change, says: "I suppose their present custome must have been from the earliest stage of civilization; the figures upon their excavations have the same dress as at this day."5

III. It is also the opinion of the witnesses, that as, owing to this permanence of character, there has not been hitherto among the natives of India any progressively increasing demand for the commodities of Europe, so the taste or desire for these commodities cannot be created, by an additional influx of goods, in consequence of the intercourse of private ships. The bulk of the people, if they had the desire, have not the means; and those who have the means, have not the desire to purchase them. An inter

1 Vide Minutes of Evidence, &c. p. 14.

2 Ibid. p. 18.

3 Ibid. p. 32.

4 Ibid. p. 143.

5 Ibid. p. 187. In the face of this evidence, Mr. Canning, who has not been in India, and can only know the character of the natives by hearsay, disbelieves, from his knowledge of human nature in general, their little liability to change. Will this gentleman, then, assert, that other human ́ beings, if placed under similar religious and civil institutions, and in every respect under precisely similar circumstances, would not acquire a character of equal permanence, as that which is ascribed, by those who know them, to the Hindoos? I have too much respect for his philosophy to think that he can seriously entertain such a belief.

6 "A free trade," says Mr. Hastings, "may cause a greater influx of British goods into that country, but it cannot increase the wants of the people to possess them." Minutes of Evidence, &c. p. 8.