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GENTLEMEN,

To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE.

WHoever refle&s attentively upon

the nature of commerce will be convinced that it is coeval with human fociety, to whofe wants and imbecillities it owes its being. In proportion as focieties increased, and ftates were formed, traffic, which in the first ages fupplied the neceflities of life, was employed to feed that luxury which the common profperity had begotten. Private gain was the first motive to the mercantile life. But experience, the parent of wifdom, having fhewn that wealth and treaíure contributed, in a furprifing manner, to the glory and power of nations, ftates, and princes, warmed by the love of their people, or fired by their private ambition, turned to the public advantage that endless thirft of gold which agitates the heart of man. Thus they, by wife inftitutions, promoting industry and arts, acquired infinite wealth; and the fovereignty of the ocean gave them to protect their allies, and to reftrain the boundless ambition of their enemies.

Never was there a more abundant fource of wealth than the traffic of the Indies; for nature has not only bestowed the neceffaries of life on thofe happy regions in the moft plentiful manner, but has also overflowed this tract with fuch a profufion of delights, unknown to other climes, as fills us with wonder and aftonishment; as if by the alluring delicacies of Afia, she had intended to tame and mollify the rugged fons of the North; and that the East, by her blandishments, should have wherewith to avenge herfelf of thofe March, 1764.

nations, whofe force and feel the was not able to withstand.

Its wealth drew the firft fons of fame into thofe countries which lie beneath the rifing fun. Bacchus, or Dionyfius, the first of conquerors, and of legiflators, has the glory of having penetrated before all others into India, and to have fubdued and given laws to this empire. It was the fame of their riches, and the charms of gold, ever a powerful motive to a female heart, which allured that celebrated woman who fwayed the Affyrian feepter, to attempt the conqueft of the Indies. Hercules, the model of heroilm, exercifed his valour on this theatre: and Sefoftris, whofe fame has almoft made all the other kings of the Egyptians forgotten, vifited thofe countries, as far as that fea which washes the hores of Japan. Arabia, a country barren of even the neceffaries of life, is faid to have acquired fuch immenfe wealth in this traffic as gained her the title of the Happy; and the Ethiopians, barbarous as they were, perceived the advantage of difcovering the Indies; for an expedition is mentioned which that people made into the Eaftern world, the particulars whereof time has confumed. There are no monuments of an established maritime trade of greater antiquity, than that which the Egyptians and Phenicians carried on to thofe parts, chiefly thefe latter, the most ancient body of traders that exift in the annals of human affairs. Thefe illuftrious merchants, together with the Egyptians, poffeffed at once the trade of Europe, of Afia, and of Africa, that S

is

over
who founded the imperial power at
Rome, had refolved upon the con-
queft of the Arabian peninfula; part-
ly, because it would infallibly open
to him all the, oriental commerce ;
and alfo fupprefs the pirates, who,
from the Afiatic fide of the Red-fea,
infefted the Roman navigation. His
attempt failed, as did feveral other
weak efforts, in a ftate very little
favourable to trade or discoveries;
that of the Roman republic chang-
ed into a military and defpotic go-
vernment. Titus and Vefpafian had
no better fuccefs. Their last effort
was that of Trojan, whofe fule mo-
tive was to poffefs himself of the
riches of the Indies with which Ara-
bia then abounded.

their fears for Auguftus,

is to fay, of all the known world, places, guarded by hideous dragons, exclufive of all others: exchanging and other moniters of terrifying the rich commodities of the Indies, forms. The love of gold triumphed to which they were the fole navigators, for those of the North and Welt. Solomon, the wifeft of all the fons of men, esteemed this traffic next to the favour of the God of Wisdom, the brightest gem in his diadem; and drew fuch immenfe treasures from the oriental commerce, as rendered his nation and government the admiration of the moft diftant kingdoms. Under the empire of the Perfians, the Phenicians conducted their trading fleets into the Eastern ocean: and when the defpotic government of that people had chaced commerce from Phenicia, Alexandria became then the mart and emporium of all the Indian merchandize. Alexander, the Conqueror of Afia, in founding this city, intended to establish this commerce; a project, after the conqueft of the world, ftill worthy of Alexander. The Ptolemies, his fucceffors in the Egyptian monarchy, reaped the fruits of a defign, which adds fo much to the glory of that heroic prince; and the wealth which this commerce poured into Egypt, and which by means of this city it continued for ages after, at once the caufe of its profperity and ruin, drew thither the Romans, ambitious to poffefs, which brought along with it so much treasure, and fo vaft a maritime power.

We may judge how dearly the ancients valued this traffic, from the labour they used to feize it, and to deter or hinder all other nations from attempting it. The Romans were told by the Arabians, that thefe precious commodities were no where to be found except in fruitful

After Conftantine had translated the feat of the empire to Byzantium, the Eaftern-trade ftill fubfifted. Alexandria continued to be the principal emporium. Seleucia of Syria was the route of the more inland commerce; and the barbarians that dwelt on the bleak borders of the Euxine, felt the charms of the wealth which the Eaft poured into the Greek empire through this fea.

At laft, this commerce shared the fate of the provinces through which it flowed. The military genius of the Arab princes, the fucceffors of Mahommed, extinguished for fome time the fpirit of traffic. Fury and barbarity feemed to be let loose, to lay waite and confound every thing upon the face of the earth. No fooner had the grandfon of that monarch, who tore Afric from the defcendants of Mahommed, founded Cairo, and protected merchants,

then

then did the rich flow of eaftern wealth return to its ancient channel; and the new built city become at once the chief mart of the western world, and the feat of a new empire.

The Venetians and Genoefe raised themfelves on the ruins of the Greek empire; and profiting by the general confufion, feized part of its difmembered dominions. They fuçceeded at the fame to the trade of the Indies, the commodities whereof they diftributed all over the North, an infinite fource of wealth and power to thofe ftates.

Whilft thefe poffeffed the wealth of this traffic in Europe, the Arabians were the fole merchants in the commodities of the Eaft. This was the fituation of the Eastern commerce, when the Poruguese nation discover ed a new route in the Indies through the ocean, which gave them the fole poffeffion of the riches of the Eaft for ages afterwards.

I was perfuaded thofe few remarks on the original of commerce in general, and that carried on in the eastern parts of the globe, could not be improperly placed at the head of an account of the changes and disturbances that have lately happened in the East Indies, and published by perfons nearly interested in thefe tranfactions, and confequently capable of relating the whole with accuracy and precifion.

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with a view, we believe, to fet col. Caillaud's fervices in India in a juít light; which fome circumftances rendered then neceffary. It affigns the reafons for depoíing lord Clive's Na. bob, as are given by Mr. Holwell, Mr. Caillaud commanded the company's troops that were employed by Mr. Vanfittart when that Nabob was removed; and a detail is here given of what paffed on that occafion.

The Supplement to the Narrative of what paffed in Bengal in 1760, dif. covers more of the late transactions than any piece that has yet appeared: nevertheless, it fuppofes the reader to be acquainted with things which he has had no opportunity of learning from the public papers. will eafily appear on which fide it is written.

It

"Let us now (fays the author) candidly reflect on the condition of the company's trade in India, the original of its eftablishment, and the limits of its warrantable exercise (for it never was unbounded) and the encroachments made by the company's fervants, which must ever be diftinguished from the rights of the company, that were acquired by purchase.

"The freedom of importing and exporting, clear of duties, was purchafed by the company from the Mogul: care was at the fame time taken to prevent the country-government from being injured by frauds and falfe pretences of the company's fervants; repeated instructions have been fent to the fervants of the company, to avoid every occafion of umbrage, to reftrain them'elves within the bounds of their phirmaund (or grant) and not to communicate their privileges, or afford

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