A BRIEF ABSTRACT OF THE Great Oppressions and Injuries which the late MANAGERS of the East-India-Company Have Acted on the LIVES, LIBERTIES and ESTATES of their Fellow-Subjects. WITH A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THEIR Unjust Dealings with the Natives in sundry Parts of INDIA; which has so much expos'd the Honour and Interest of the Nation, and hazarded the Loss of that Advantageous Trade; Humbly Presented to the Consideration of the Honourable, the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses, in Parliament Assembled.
THEY have been great Promoters of Arbitrary Government, endeavouring by all Ways and Means to destroy the Rights and Liberties of the People, and enslave us both at home and abroad to the Absolute Will and Pleasure of the late King and Themselves; as appears by the following Intimations of their most Illegal Practices.
In the First and Second Years of the Reign of the late King, they did procure his said Majesty's Proclamations, prohibiting their Fellow-Subjects from Trading to India, and commanding all Persons from their Employments and Settlements in those Parts, to repair to the Company's Garrisons in India, or return home on Pain of Death, and Forfeiture of Estate.
They procur'd Judgment to be given in the King's Bench by the late Chief Justice Jefferies, whereby the King's Proclamation was declar'd to be Law, and Juries directed to find Damages accordingly. And thereupon, most vexatious [Page 2]and chargeable Suits were brought against sundry Persons, for such immense Sums as 150 and 200000 Pound-Actions, and diverse People were illegally Fin'd on Informations of pretended Misdemeanors, for Trading to India: Some Ships design'd on Voyages thither, have been Arbitrarily obstructed, and others, at their Return, forc'd to Ransom their Cargoes at the Cost of the Fifth Part of their Values; whereby great Sums of Money have been extorted from the Subject contrary to all Justice and the known-Laws of the Land; and for the carrying on these their unlawful and exorbitant Oppressions, they procur'd a Letter from the Late King to the Judge of the Admiralty, which was deliver'd by one of their Agents in open Court; whereby he was over-aw'd in the Execution of his Office, and the due course of Law and Justice obstructed: By which illegal Proceedings several of their Fellow-Subjects have been damnify'd to the amount of 40000 l.
They did procure a Ship of the Late King's to be sent to India, with Commission to seize, or destroy all the Ships and Goods of their Fellow-Subjects that were found in the Limits of their Charter; and accordingly, said Man of War did seize and occasion the destruction of Three Ships and Cargoes, to the value of about 60000 l.
They did also procure a Power from the Late King, to Erect Courts of Judicature, and exercise Marshal-Law within the Limits of their Charter; and to pass final Sentence in Cases Civil and Criminal without Appeal to England, which is humbly conceiv'd to be a most Arbitrary Invasion of the Fundamental Rights and Liberties of their Fellow-Subjects.
They did by their Influences at Court, procure the late King's Commission to the Commanders of their own freighted Ships, with leave to wear the Royal Ensigns; under which they have seiz'd several of their Fellow-Subjects Ships and Cargo's in India, carrying them to those Places where they have set up Ʋnlawful Courts, which they call Courts of Admiralty; and there made Prize of them, to the Ruine of their Proprietors, from whom they have in this manner taken the Value of above 50000 l.
As to their most unaccountable Actions at St. Hellena, in destroying, as well the Lives as Estates of their Fellow-Subiects at that Place, This Honourable House has been already Presented with a particular Account thereof by the Humble Petitions of some of the Persons agriev'd, shewing, that besides four Men which were kill'd, and fourteen wounded, they executed Two by a Court Illegally erected by the Governor there, and five more were put to Death by a Court-Marshal, set up in that Place by the Company's Procurement.
For the obtaining, and support of this Unlimited, Arbitrary Power over their Fellow-Subjects, Those that manag'd the Affair, have presum'd to Issue out Great Sums of the Company's Money under the Title of Secret Services; And they had brought themselves under the Annual Tribute of Ten Thousand Guinneas to the Crown as was several years paid to the Two Late Kings.
Nothing can be more notorious than the exorbitant Power they use to assume over those that are concern'd with them, as well Merchants and Mariners in their Service, as Owners of Ships they take to Freight: Whereof Numerous Instances might be given; But it may suffice for all to observe, That upon any Difference which happens between them and any of the foresaid Persons, They compel them to stand to such Determination, as shall be made by Arbitrators chosen out of their Own Committee, And so their Will is their Law; And they are both Parties and Judges in the Case, which is a most Arbitrary insulting over their fellow Subjects.
They did some time since take upon them to deny Payment of Moneys when due, and requir'd by their Creditors, and presum'd to affix a Writing over their Door, declaring that they would not discharge any of their said Debts till a certain time as they were therein pleas'd to appoint.
Some of the prevailing Members in the Committee, have of late presum'd to introduce a new way of vending the Company's Goods by Private Contract; which is directly contrary to their Establish'd Rules; and is very prejudicial to the Trading Merchants in general, as well as to the Company's Interest, being a Monopoly in it self, and design'd only for the private Advantage of some few Persons that are admitted to a Concern therein.
They have taken upon them to impose Illegal Oaths on their Fellow-Subjects both at home and abroad; As for one Instance, Their General Sir JOHN CHILD, forc'd this following Oath to be Subscrib'd and Sworn to by sundry Sea-men belonging to the Ship Adventure in the River of Surrat, before he would pay them their Wages, viz.
I The Subscriber, will be Obedient to His Majesty, and observant of His Authority establish'd here abroad, and hereby declare, I will, in Obedience to His Proclamation, Royal and Righteous Command, withdraw my self from, and wholly relinquish with Abhorrence, all Rebels and Interlopers. Witness my Hand.
They have of late years sent out Ships to India at most unseasonable times, and detain'd them there much longer than usual, or than any real Interest of the Company's in a Regular Management of the Trade would require; and since, by their great Neglects, the Dutch took the Advantage to make themselves Masters of Bantam, whereby they were expuls'd from their most Commodious Settlement there. They have employ'd Ships for the procurement of Pepper to such Places, which for the known Unhealthiness of the Air, were formerly excepted in Charter-Parties; by all whieh most imprudent and irregular Actions, they have occasion'd the Loss of several Thousands of our best Sea-men, and destroyed several considerable Ships, to the great Damage of the Nation in general, as well as to the particular Owners; And out of this Ruine to others, the Company hope to reap the Benefit of employing said Ships some Years, without paying any thing at last for Freight or Demorage due to them.
Besides these evil Practices on their Fellow-Subjects, whose Lives and Estates they have thus dispos'd of at their Pleasure, their late Dealings also with the Natives of India, have been most unjust and unaccountable: For, first their General Sir John Child, did by their Order borrow of the Merchants of Surrat for their Accounts, about 400000 l. Sterling; And then withdrew from the Place without rendring any satisfaction for that vast Debt; And at his Arrival at their Island of Bombay, he employ'd the English Ships under his Command to make further spoil on the Mogull's Subjects, by seizing all their Ships and Goods they could meet with; which violence they committed under the Royal Ensigns of our Nation. And by the last advice from those Parts they had taken about fifteen Sail, computed to amount in the whole to a much bigger Sum than their aforesaid Debt which they left unpaid at Surrat: And these their strange Proceedings are in all respects most unjustifiable; for they have not, in reality receiv'd any Injuries that require such Reparations. Nor did they make due Applications to the Great Mogull, for Redress of their pretended Grievances before they acted the foresaid Depredations upon his Subjects.
In several Ports in the Bay of Bengall, which are also in the Dominions of the Great Mogull, they have not only us'd the like force in taki [...] their Ships, but also made Assaults on the Land; destroying the Houses, G [...] and Ships in Harbour by Fire; and killing many of the Inhabitant [...] [Page 4]all these cruel Outrages have been committed without any provocations that may help to extenuate, much less justifie them: Nor has the success of their Attempts been better than the Merits of their Cause; for by the preposterous Actings of those to whom they committed the management of these Martial Exploits, there seems to have been a fatal Infatuation amongst them; and all they have hitherto done in near Three Years, is only to deprive themselves of that most Beneficial Trade, and dig Graves for many hundreds of our Country-Men that were employ'd in that unhappy and unjustifiable Expedition.
They seem to design to set up this new Trade of Warfare, and make it their main Business in all Places; for upon most unjust, groundless and frivolous pretences they have likewise made War on the King of Siam, wherein their Ingratitude doth highly aggravate their Crime; for that Prince has not only always treated them in a very friendly manner, but been even lavish of his Favours to those of Our Nation, who have Traded to, or resided in his Kingdom; And he had taken into his Service several of our Country-Men, amongst whom, some were preferr'd to places of great Command, which was for the Honour, and might have been (as in some Instances it prov'd) for the considerable Interest and Advantage of the Nation and Company. But in June 87. Two Vessels of War belonging to the Company, besieg'd and assaulted the Port of Mergen, where the English had the Government, which prov'd a fatal Occasion of the Massacre of about sixty of Our Country-men, One of the Company's Vessels being taken, and the other forc'd to secure himself by flight; Upon which, the King of Siam has proclaim'd War against the Company, But with a kind Invitation of all English-Men unconcern'd with them; to whom he promises the same Friendship as formerly.
These are brief Intimations of the late Illegal and Arbitrary Proceedings, which though they pass under the Name of the Company, yet are really and justly chargeable on a few ruling Members in the Committee, and particularly on Sir JOSIA CHILD, by whom they have been chiefly, if not solely, projected and perpetrated, He having for some years past usurp'd such a Despotic Power, and Sovereign Authority over all their Affairs here, as he has taught his Emissaries to assume and practice abroad: The Means whereby he has arriv'd to this arbitrary Dominion, being by that pernicious Custom they have amongst them of making every 500 l. a Vote, and so his 50000 l. Stock, with some other considerable Sums that are under his management, has subjected the whole to his Dispose: And tho' there is still the Formality of a Committee, according to the number the Charter directs; Yet they are all, in effect, made choice of by himself, and Deposable at his Pleasure, as appears by the strange Alterations have been lately made in turning out so many Gentlemen of known Integrity and long Experience in those Affairs, because they would not comply with his Unjust and Unwarrantable Proceedings; and supplying their Rooms with those who have made up what they wanted in other Qualifications, by their entire Submission to him in all things.
In Consideration of the Premises, 'tis Humbly Pray'd
That the Present Charter be Call'd in, and that because the Trade may be best manag'd to a National Advantage by a Company:
That a New Company be legally confirm'd with a Joynt-Stock, under such a Constitution, as upon due Consideration shall be most Adviseable, And that some speedy and Effectual Course be taken for the retrieving our lost Credit, and re-establishing our Commerce on such a Bottom, as by a Prudent and regular Management afterwards, may conduce as well to the Publick Honour and Advantage, as the particular Interest of the Adventurers.