Net eftimated revenue of the three presidencies 803,638 Deduct, fupplies to Bencoolen, &c. in rupees 11,71,600 117,160 Remainder 686,478 Dedu&t further. No. 16. Intereft on the debts 758,135 Deficiency of territorial revenues 71,657 Deduct from No. 15. Estimated amount of fales of imports and certificates is the amount eftimated to be applicable in 1798-9 to the purchase of investments, payments of commercial charges, &c. 630,675 The remainder 559,118 Confifting of cash, goods, ftores, &c. laft year 10,53,11,453 No. 11. Ditto by the present statements 10,531,145 9,92,29,034 9,992,903 Decrease of affets 60,82,419 608,242 Add decrease of affets to the above increase of debts, the state of the company's affairs 2,34,63,477 2,346,348 in India is worse by D2. HOME HOME ACCOUNTS. £. 10,315,256 £.4,261,855 No. 25. Aggregate amount of fales The excels on the company's goods 3,618,224 alone Balance at the end of the year 1798-9, expected to be against 1,318,937 the company No. 23. Actual balance was in favour Better than eftimated 805,938 2,124,875 Occafioned by increafed receipts on fales, fmaller payments on fundry accounts; fupplies to India nevertheless extenfive, and 500,000l. of bond debt paid off. Calculating upon a fupply to India and China to a large amount, and on the payment of 800,000l. to the bank, balance against the company on the 1st of March 1799 Adding the increase of affets to the above decrease of debts, 4,089,190 the state of affairs at home appears better by } CHINA AND ST. HELENA. Balance at China last year, against No. 24. Ditto this year, against 718,945 1,073,607 354,662 No books received from St. Helena fince last year's balance was ftated. The increase of affets, or the improvement of the company's affairs in general, is in this view proved to amount in the present year to 2,945,354 1,388,180 Deduct, cargoes included in home affets arrived in India, 279,653 fo as to form a part of the stock there Net improvement Mr. Dundas, having gone through the whole of the figures, faid he had no doubt on his mind but that the committee would be convinced, as he was, from the refults of the whole, that the affairs of the EaftIndia company were in a moft flourishing and profperous fituation. Whatever deficiencies might appear in the affets in India, or in the increase of the debt there, it was evident that the revenues and fales at 1,108,527 home fo far exceeded what they had done in any former period, that the happiest and most beneficial confequences might be expected to refult from them. It was not his intention to trefpafs long on the time of the committee at prefent. The charges of the war, he obferved, were not yet afcertained: it was highly probable thofe expences might have increased the debt in India. There was one point, however, to which he wished to call the attention of the committee. It might, perhaps, be afked, how far the Eaft-India company were warranted in keeping up fo great an investment ? He confeffed that, confidering the great expences attending the company's investments in time of war, they might be juftified in importing no more than was abfolutely neceffary. But fhould this be the cafe, it would be productive of a moft grievous, if not irreparable injury, to a great number of manufacturers of Indian fabrics, fubjects of this country, whofe profperity, and whofe habits of daily induftry, depended almoft totally on the encouragement and fupport given to their labours and their ingenuity by the East-India company. Should their capitals be injured, and their induftry destroyed, for want of fupport in time of war, the India company would find the difadvantage of it when they wished to extend their investment on the return of peace. The woollen manufactures alone, exported by the company, amounted to the fum of 600,000l. He allowed, that, on the export of woollens taken in the China market, the company loft about 12,000l.; but would they, he asked, be juftified, in confequence of such a loss, in neglecting the encouragement of our manufactures at home to the amount of 600,0 ol, and of our subjects who are manufacturers in India to a very large amount alfo ?. They had bet ter, he thought, contract their debt than their investment, Mr. Dundas then fhowed, that in proportion to the difficulty of raifing money in India, merchants, gentlemen, officers, and others who had made fortunes in India, were induced to remit fuch fortunes home, either in articles of trade or in bills of exchange, which depended on the intereft of money being very high or very low. Of these circumftances the Eaft-India company could take advantage, and by that means from time to time confiderably diminish their debt. By an account in the years 1797 and 1798, the company had extended their affairs abroad. In the articles of exports for goods and ftores, bullion. bills of exchange accepted, and transfer of Indian debt, they remitted no lefs a fum than 2,769,7761. In the years 1798 and 1799, when there was a probability of their being engaged in a war with Tippoo, the directors and the board of controul were unanimously of opinion that a million sterling fhould be fent out to India. This million sterling had paid the army, and placed every department on the moft firm and permanent footing; and yet in thofe years the company had fent in bullion, goods, and ftores, bills of exchange accepted, and transfer of India debt, to the amount of 3,566,4837. In the years 1799 and 1800, goods and stores, bullion, bills of exchange accepted, and transfer of India debt, the fum of 4,324,418/. making in the whole 10,660,6771. Mr. Dundas said there yet remained the article of fales, which lately amounted to four millions above the estimate, and was a more ftriking and fignal proof of the profperity of the country. At the fame time, he faid, it was two or three millions more than in former years on the article of tea. He faid that, notwithstanding all that had been faid by phyficians of its noxious and deleterious qualities, we had the moft convincing proof that it was now become almost an actual neceffary of life. The fales of tea laft year amounted to 25 millions of pounds weight. In point of revenue, in 1785, it was only 324,000l.; last year the revenue amounted to 1,410,117, and the duties on it to upwards |