IN their Petition, they are pleased to set forth, That by the mani­fold Abuses, and unlawful Practices of the present East India Com­pany, both at home and abroad, having managed the same only to their present Gain, the said Trade is like to be utterly lost to this Kingdom, and to fall into the Hands of Forreigners; and that nothing but a better Regulation on a new Joynt Stock and Constitution, can prevent it, which, whether true, as is suggested, must appear in the Exa­mination of the Particulars as followeth:

I. Whether the present East India Company are guilty of such unlawful Practices as is here set forth?

II. Whether if they were so, that thereby the Trade is like to be utterly lost, or fall into the Hands of Forreigners?

III. Whether nothing but a Regulation founded on a New Joynt Stock, can prevent it?

For the first of these, the Abuses and unlawful Practices charged upon them, they are particularly enumerated in those Thirteen Articles contain­ed in a Paper so stiled, and delivered to the Members of the Honourable House of Commons, to every of which there is a particular Answer al­ready given in Print, which is therein humbly submitted to the Judgment of those Honourable Members of that House, and is such as is humbly conceived will give them, and with them, all Impartial Persons such Sa­tisfaction, as to clear the present Company, in their thoughts, from being guilty of such horrid Crimes as they would represent them to be in that Paper.

But then Secondly, were their Crimes so black as these Gentlemen would represent them, which is utterly denied, and that Answer clearly evinceth; it doth not therefore follow, as the Petition doth suggest, That the Trade would be utterly lost to the Nation, without the Remedy of a new Joynt Stock.

For First, Which of their Crimes there enumerated, if they were Crimes, which they are not, are such as must by necessary Consequence, [Page 2]bring along with it the loss of the Trade to the Nation: Is not that Trade now enjoy'd by England, notwithstanding all their supposed Crimes, in as ample a manner as by any of our Neighbour-Nations? Have not the Com­pany had, within this Eighteen Months, Thirteen Ships with considerable Loading come home, notwithstanding the War in India was not then made an end of? Are they not ready, and have prepar'd a very consider­able Fleet and Cargo for those Parts, to sail the very next Season? So that the Trade is not yet lost, nor, God be thanked, in danger so to be, unless occasioned by our Differences here at home, as to the management of it: Which leadeth to the Enquiry into the last part of the Objection, Whether no way be lest to preserve the Loss of this Trade to the Nation, but a New Joynt Stock? Or, in truth, whether the present Adventurers, or a New Joynt Stock, are like best to preserve it? And to make this good, they must make appear, That their New Regulations to be put in­to an Act, for the Erecting a New Company, are such which cannot be put into an Act for the Establishment of the Old; which it is believed the present Subscribers will never be able to do: And that being true, and the present Company having in their Petition to the Honourable House of Commons, humbly submitted themselves to such Regulations and Alte­rations as they should think meet. It is clear, That since both the Old and the New, are equally subject to a Regulation, the Old hath cer­tainly the Advantage, both as to the Continuance, and Preservation of the Trade to the Nation in many Respects.

1. In that they have their several Residencies in India, both as to the carrying on of the Trade, and the protecting of it so carried on, which, if a New Company be Erected, a considerable time must be elapsed, not­withstanding the greatest diligence they can make use of, before they can be so settled, as the present Company now are. And in the mean time, the Trade must necessarily suffer great Interruption, even to the hazard­ing of it to other Nations, which they pretend would be, by a Continu­ance upon the Old Foundation.

2. The present Company have their Factors and Councils already fixed at their several Residencies, so as to carry on the Trade without the least Interruption: Whereas in a New Stock, it must require a considerable time, though they should build upon the Foundation of the present East India Company (which how just and equitable that would be, is left to Impartial Consideration): And during this Interruption, while matters are adjusting betwixt the New Stock and the Old, the Trade must neces­sarily suffer greater Detriment, then when carried on upon the Foundati­on of the Old Stock, under such Regulations as the Honourable House of Commons shall think fit, which is by their Petition humbly submitted to them.

3. The Peace is now made betwixt the Great Mogul and the Present Company, with very advantagious Articles for the carrying on of the Trade, which how far He is obliged to make good to a New Company, is worthy Consideration, especially if we consider the Avaritious Temper of that Court, which may reasonably be suspected will expect a very con­siderable Sum of Money, call it what you will, a Present, or otherwise, before they will confirm them, to a New Society, which is so much Loss to the Nation, and will be saved by continuing the Old Foundation.

In these, and many other particulars which might be here enumerated, were it not the design of this Paper to be short, it is apparent, That the Trade of India may be carried on with less interruption and prejudice to the Nation by the present established Company under such Regulation and Alterations as the Honourable House of Commons shall think fit, which is by them humbly submitted to, than by any Establishment upon the Foun­dation of a New Joynt-Stock, which can admit of no other Regulation or Alteration than the Establishment upon the Old Foundation may, which being so clear as not well to be denied, then it followeth, That it is not because the said Trade may be better carried on to a more National Ad­vantage upon a New Foundation than the Old, that is the true cause why these Gentlemen are so importunate to have the Old Company destroyed, and one wholly New erected; but, that the Trade may be taken out of the hands of the present Company, and given to them; which how agree­able it is to Justice and Equity, will appear by the few following Consi­derations.

I. The Improvement that hath been made in this Trade to the Advan­tage of England, which is by all acknowledged to be very great, hath been made upon the Foundation of the present Stock, and at its Charge, which is known to all to have been vastly great: Therefore why it should be now taken from that Stock, and vested in a new one, since as before no Regulations can be put upon a new Stock which may not be subjoyned to the old, is the Question: For it must be acknowledged that the pre­sent Adventurers are in every respect as capable of managing it to as great National Advantage, as any new pretenders can be.

II. The Pepper Trade, which is of so great Advantage to this Nation, had been wholly lost as to England after the taking of Bantam by the Dutch, had not the then Managers of the present Stock with great Cou­rage and Conduct, and at a vast Charge, regain'd it, by erecting a Set­tlement on the other side of the Island of Sumatra at Bencoolen, other­wise called York Fort; which Settlement alone hath already stood the pre­sent Company in above 200000 l. charge, and they have not as yet en­joyed it so long, as that the benefit to them doth amount to a quarter-part of the Interest of their Monies: And that the present Stock having at so vast a Charge retrieved a Trade as good as wholly lost to England, which may in time by modest computation bring an Income to the Crown of 50000 l. per Annum, besides other Advantages to the Nation, as to Exportation of the said Commodity to Foreign Parts, should be now outed of it, and the Inheritance given to another, is no ways, as is humbly conceived, agreeable to Justice and Equity.

III. The War in India (notwithstanding all the Suggestions of their Adversaries) was entred into by the present Company upon most just grounds, and under a Lawful Authority; was carried on at the vast charge of the present Stock, who neither had, nor could have any other Design in it, than to vindicate the English Nation from the Insults and Injuries of the Indians; and now the Peace is just made at their further charge, how far it is agreeable to Reason and Justice, that the present Stock should be outed, and the Trade given to others, before the said Stock hath re­ceived [Page 4]any Advantage by it, is humbly submitted to the Judgment of Per­sons unconcerned.

But it is Objected by the Adversaries of the present Company, That they have enjoyed the Trade now upwards of 30 Years, and therefore it is fit a new Company should be erected.

The Answer to this common Objection shall conclude this Paper; in order to which, distinction must be made between the present Stock and the pre­sent Adventurers. As to the present Stock, it is true, it hath continued upwards of 30 Years: But therefore it doth not follow, that the present Adventurers, in whose hands they would now destroy it, have enjoyed it so long; many if not most of them having come into it within this last half score Years, have not made such great Advantages of it, as is generally surmised, by reason of the late Wars both there and here. There between the Mogul and King of Golconda, and the Mogul and Com­pany; Here with the French, whereby their Trade hath been much ob­structed; and also the great Mortality of the Indians by a late Conta­gion amongst them. But that which is more considerable in Answer to this Objection is this, That many of the New Subscribers, who would now have the Trade taken out of the hands of the present Adventurers, and put into their own, upon pretence that the present Adventurers have enjoyed it long enough, are such, who having been formerly of the Com­pany, and enjoyed the benefit of this Stock when the Trade was of greatest Advantage for many Years. Having now after so many Years enjoying the benefit of it, Sold themselves out at very high Rates, and thereby put it into the hands of the present Adventurers; and would now notwith­standing they have received their Money for it, dam it in the hands of those Persons to whom they Sold it, which is equally just, as if one ha­ving Sold his House to another for a Valuable Consideration, after having received the same, should by himself, or by the means of others, cause it to be fired: So that this Objection carrieth no weight of Reason in it, especially coming out of the mouths of those who have been of the pre­sent Company, and enjoyed the Trade themselves, before they Sold them­selves out of it.

The Conclusion of the whole is, That the present Adventurers having in their Petition to the Honourable House of Commons, Humbly submitted themselves to such Regulations and Alterations, as they in their great Wis­dom shall think meet; and there being no Alteration or Regulation but may be made as well by an Establishment upon the Old Foundation as any New one. They do Humbly hope from the Justice and Equity of that Au­gust Assembly, that the present Stock shall not be destroyed in the hands of the present Adventurers, whereby many Poor, both Widows and Or­phans will be undone, and other Persons, viz. many of the present Ad­venturers, much damnified in their Estates, who have no ways merited the same, meerly to put the Trade into the hands of other Persons, who are no ways capable of making a better Advantage to the Nation of it, than the present Adventurers are.