Account of the Territorial Charges of the East India Company-continued. The territorial revenues at the disposal of the East India Company have, for a lengthened period, equalled those of the most powerful monarchies. At present they are greater than those of either Russia or Austria, being inferior only to those of Great Britain and France! Still, however, the Company's financial situation is the very reverse of prosperous. Vast as their revenue has been, their expenditure appears, in most instances, to have been still larger; and at this moment their debts exceed 60,000,000/! The Company have given the following statement of their affairs, which is applicable, as respects India, to the 1st of May, 1831; and as respects England, to the 1st of May, 1832 :— Of the credits placed to account of the Company, arrears of revenue, &c. form an important item; but of these it is most probable a considerable portion will never be realised. In a statement laid by the East India Company before parliament, and printed in a former edition of this work (p. 511.), intended to represent the situation of the Company's affairs on the 1st of January, 1831, their assets were said to exceed their debts and liabilities by about 3,000,000. The wide difference between that account and the one given above, is principally owing to the Company having struck out of the latter a sum of 10,870,000l. expended by them on account of fortifications, buildings, &c. erected in India, which they took credit for in the former. The statement now given renders it abundantly obvious, that the recent arrangements with the Company have been quite as beneficial to it as, we doubt not, they will prove to the public. All the territorial and other property made over to the Crown will certainly be far short of meeting the claims upon it. The following account shows the balance between the revenue and expenditure of our Indian dominions, from 1809-10 to 1830-31: An Account of the Total annual Revenues and Charges of the British Possessions in India under the East India Company, from 1809-10 to 1830-31; showing also the Nett Charge of Bencoolen, Prince of Wales Island, and St. Helena; the Interest paid on account of Debts in India; and the Amount of Territorial Charges paid in England.-(Abstracted from the Parl. Papers, No. 22. Sess. 1830, and No. 306. Sess. 1833.) £ 1809-10 1810-11 1811-12 1824-25 1825-26 1826-27 1827-28 1828-29 1829-30 £ £ 16,464,391 13,775,577 203,361 2,159,019 16,679,198 13,909,963 199,663 2,196,691 16,605,616 13,220,967 168,288 1,457,077 1812-13 16,459,774 13,659,429 201,349 1,491,870 1813-14 17,228,711 13,617,725 209,957 1,537,434 1814-15 17,231,191 14,182,454 204,250 1,502,217 1815-16 17,168,195 15,081,587 225,558 1,584,157 1816-17 18,010,135 15,129,839 205,372 1,719,470 1817-18 18,305,265 15,844,964 219,793 | 1,753,018| 1818-19 19,392,002 17,558,615 210,224 1,665,928 1819-20 19,172,506 17,040,848 142,049 1,940,327 1820-21 21,292,036 17,520,612 220,043 1,902,585 1821-22 21,753,271 17,555,668 207,816 1822-23 23,120,934 18,083,482 154,761 1823-24 21,238,623 18,902,511 257,276 20,705,152 20,410,929 279,277 1,460,433| 21,096,960 22,346,365 214,285 1,575,941 23,327,753 21,424,894 207,973 1,749,068) 1,111,792 1,318,102 2,429,894 £ £ £ 922,770 1,077,768 681,516 193,784 1,184,976 1,378,768 22,818,184 21,778,431 272,014 1,958,313 22,692,711 19,298,622 250,794 2,121,165 21,662,310 18,300,715 213,304 2,007,693 Estimate. 22,366,926 18,075,428 86,044 2,211,869 1830-31 138,430 1,335,135 1,473,565 520,020 However much this account of the financial concerns of our Eastern empire may be at variance with the exaggerated ideas entertained respecting it, as well by a large proportion of the people of England as by foreigners, it will excite no surprise in the mind of any one who has ever reflected on the subject. It is due, indeed, to the directors, to state, that though they have occasionally acted on erroneous principles, they have always exerted themselves to enforce economy in every branch of their expenditure, and to impose and collect their revenues in the best and cheapest manner. But though they have succeeded in repressing many abuses, it would be idle to suppose that they should ever entirely succeed in rooting them out. How can it be imagined, that strangers sent to India, conscious that they are armed with all the strength of government, placed under no real responsibility, exempted from the salutary influence of public opinion, fearing no exposure through the medium of the press, and anxious only to accumulate a fortune, should not occasionally abuse their authority? or that they should manage the complicated and difficult affairs of a vast empire, inhabited by a race of people of whose language, manners, and habits, they are almost wholly ignorant, with that prudence, economy, and vigilance, without which it were idle to expect that any great surplus revenue could ever be realised? (Abstract View of the Revenues and Charges of India for the Years 1831-32, 1832-33, 1833-34, and (by estimate) 1834-35. N. B. The Company realised in 1834-35 the sum of 10,679,2237. by the sale of commercial assets. The debts of the Company in India on the 30th of April, 1834, amounted to 35,463,4834., bearing an interest of 1,754,5451. a year.-(Parl. Paper, No. 380. Sess. 1836.)-Sup.) EBONY (Ger. Ebenholz; Du. Ebbenhout; Fr. Ebene; It. Ebano; Rus. Ebenowoe derewo; Lat. Ebenus), a species of wood brought principally from the East. It is exceed ingly hard and heavy, of great durability, susceptible of a very fine polish, and on that ac count used in mosaic and other inlaid work. There are many species of ebony. The best is that which is jet black, free from veins and rind, very compact, astringent, and of an acrid pungent taste. This species, (denominated by botanists Diospyrus Ebenus), is found principally in Madagascar, the Mauritius, and Ceylon. The centre only of the tree is said to be valuable. In 1826, 2,002,783 lbs. of ebony, of the estimated value of 9,017. 78. 64d. were exported from the Mauritius. Besides the black, there are red, green, and yellow ebonies; but the latter are not so much esteemed as the former. Cabinet-makers are in the habit of substituting pear-tree and other woods dyed black, in the place of genuine ebony; these, however, want its polish and lustre, though they hold glue better. The price of ebony varies, in the London market, from 51. to 201. a ton. The quantities imported are but inconsiderable. EEL (Anguilla muræna of Linnæus), a fish, the appearance of which is too well known to require any description. It is a native of almost all the waters of Europe, frequenting not only rivers but stagnant pools. Eels are, in many places, extremely abundant, particularly in Holland and Jutland. Several ponds are appropriated in England to the raising of eels; and considerable numbers are taken in the Thames and other rivers. But by far the largest portion of the eels used in England are furnished by Holland. Indeed, very few except Dutch eels are ever seen in London; and even Hampton and Richmond are principally supplied by them. The trade is carried on by two Dutch companies, who employ in it several small vessels, by means of which the market is regularly and amply provided for. A cargo of eels is supposed to average from 15,000 to 20,000 lbs. weight, and is charged with a duty on importation of 137. 18. 3d. In 1832, this duty produced 9401. 10s., showing that 72 cargoes had been imported that year.-(Report on Channel Fisheries, p. 93. &c.) EGGS (Fr. Œufs; Lat. Ova), are too well known to require to be described. They differ in size, colour, taste, &c. according to the different species of birds that lay them. The eggs of hens are those most commonly used as food; and form an article of very considerable importance in a commercial point of view. Vast quantities are brought from the country to London and other great towns. Since the peace they have also been very largely imported from the Continent. At this moment, indeed, the trade in eggs forms a considerable branch of our commerce with France, and affords constant employment for a number of small vessels! Account of the Number of Eggs imported since 1826, specifying the Countries whence they were brought, and the Revenue accruing thereon. Amount of duty received ⚫ L. s. d. L . d L s. d. L. s. d. L.. d. L. s. d L 21,726 10 2 23,071 4 122,920 8 3 22,189 2 10 18,505 14 8 20,372 15 9 21,537 20 10d. per 120 during the whole period. It appears from this official statement, that the eggs imported from France amount to about 55,000,000 a year; and supposing them to cost, at an average, 4d. a dozen, it follows that the people of the metropolis and Brighton (for it is into them that they are almost all imported) pay the French about 76,388. a year for eggs; and supposing that the freight, importers' and retailers' profit, duty, &c. raise their price to the consumer to 10d, a dozen, their total cost will be 190,9721. EJOO. See GOMUTI. ELEMI, a resin obtained from the Amyris elemifera, a tree growing in different parts of America, Turkey, &c. It is obtained by wounding the bark in dry weather, the juice being left to thicken in the sun. It is of a pale yellow colour, semi-transparent; at first softish, but it hardens by keeping. Its taste is slightly bitter and warm. Its smell, which is, at first, strong and fragrant, gradually diminishes. It used to be imported in long roundish cakes, wrapped in flag leaves, but it is now usually imported in mats and chests.-(Thomson's Chemistry.) ELEPHANTS' TEETH. See IVORY. ELM (Ulmus), a forest tree common in Great Britain, of which there are several varieties. It attains to a great size, and lives to a great age: its trunk is often rugged and crooked, and it is of slow growth. The colour of the heart-wood of elm is generally darker than that of oak, and of a redder brown. The sapwood is of a yellowish or brownish white, with pores inclined to red. It is in general porous, and cross-grained, sometimes coarsegrained, and has no large septa. It has a peculiar odour. It twists and warps much in drying, and shrinks very much both in length and breadth. It is difficult to work, but is not liable to split, and bears the driving of bolts and nails better than any other timber. In Scotland, chairs and other articles of household furniture are frequently made of elm wood; but in England, where the wood is inferior, it is chiefly used in the manufacture of coffins, casks, pumps, pipes, &c. It is appropriated to these purposes because of its great durability in water, which also occasions its extensive use as piles and planking for wet foundations. The naves of wheels are frequently made of elm; those of the heavy wagons and drays of London are made of oak, which supports a heavier weight, but does not hold the spokes so firmly. Elm is said to bear transplanting better than any other large tree.-(Tredgold's Principles of Carpentry, pp. 201–203. &c.) ELSINEUR, OR HELSINGOR, a town in Zealand about 22 miles north of Copenhagen, in lat. 56° 2′ 17′′ N., lon. 12° 38′ 2′′ E. Population about 7,000. Adjacent to Elsineur is the castle of Cronborg, which commands the entrance to the Baltic by the Sound. All merchant ships passing to and from the Baltic are obliged, under the reservations mentioned below, to salute Cronborg Castle by lowering their sails when abreast of the same; and no ship, unless she belong to Sweden, is allowed to pass the Sound without clearing out at Elsineur, and paying toll, according to the provisions in the treaties to that effect negotiated with Denmark by the different European powers. The first treaty with England having reference to this subject is dated in 1450. The Sound duties had their origin in an agreement between the King of Denmark on the one part, and the Hanse Towns on the other, by which the former undertook to construct light-houses, landmarks, &c. along the Cattegat, and the latter to pay duty for the same. The duties have since been varied at different periods. Ships of war are exempted from the payment of duties. Most maritime nations have consuls resident at Elsineur. The following plan of the Sound is taken from the Admiralty Chart, compiled from Danish authorities.-(See following page.) Ordinance respecting lowering in the Sound.-This ceremony being attended with much inconvenience in unfavourable weather, his Danish Majesty issued, in 1829, the following ordinance : 1. All ships sailing through the Sound, whether they come from the north or south, must salute Cronborg Castle, by lowering their sails so soon as the northernmost church in Elsineur begins to be concealed behind the castle. The lowering must not commence before the church goes in behind the castle, and must continue till the church opens itself without the castle again, or for the full space of 5 minutes. Every person neglecting this duty must expect to be compelled, by cannon-shot, to the same, and to be fined for contumacy. N. B.-When a ship lowers her sails on her first entrance into the marks, and keeps them lowered 5 minutes, though not come out of the marks, it is considered sufficient. 2. The sails to be lowered are as follow:-Ships carrying top-gallant sails, standing or flying, must lower the top-gallant sails entirely down on the cap: ships having only one top-gallant sail, and at the same time, the fore-top-sail, they must be lowered half-mast down: ships having no top-gallant sails must lower both the top-sails on half-mast: all other ships, be they galliots, smacks, ketches, brigantines, or of what denomination soever, carrying only flying top-sails, must lower the top-sails entirely down; but those having no standing or flying top-sails, or which have all their reefs in their top-sails, are exempt from lowering. 3. When ships cruize through the Sound with a contrary wind, or when (with a scant wind or small breeze) the current is so strong against them that it would set them astern, if they lowered their sails, then it shall be made known to them, by hoisting the colours at the castle, that no salute is required, and that they may make the best of their way without striking their sails. 4. When any vessel has been fired at, then the master or mate, with two of the ship's crew, must go on shore, and make declaration, on oath, before the Court of Inquest, why they have not lowered in the time or in the manner prescribed. If it be deposed that lowering was performed in due time and manner, then the master will be free from paying for the shot fired at him; on the contrary, he must then pay for each shot fired at him from the castle, 5 rix dollars 20 stivers current; and 1 ducat for each shot from the guard-ship's boat when in pursuit of the ship. If the master of a vessel should sail away without acquitting himself, when it is proved who the master or ship was, the fine will be demanded of the person who clears him at the Custom-house. In stormy weather, when a ship cannot come to anchor in Elsineur roads without danger, or if she be leaky, or going to repair or deliver; in such cases, going to Copenhagen is not considered a fraud. But it is in all cases indispensable that the ship's papers should be sent to Elsineur as soon as possible, that she may be cleared. Pilotage, &c. When ships come into Elsineur roads, or lie wind-bound near the Lappen, watermen come on board to inquire if the master will be carried ashore to clear; and in rough weather it is always best to make use of their services, their boats being generally very safe. The Danish authorities have published a Table of rates, being the highest charge that can be made by the boatmen upon such occasions; but captains may bargain with them for as much less as they please. Most ships passing the Sound take on board pilots, the signal for one being a flag at the fore-topmast-head. Those bound for the Baltic take a pilot at Elsineur, who either carries the ship to Copenhagen, or Dragoe, a small town on the south-east extremity of the island of Amack, where she is clear of the grounds. Those leaving the Baltic take a pilot from Dragoe, who carries the ship to Elsineur. Sometimes, when the wind is fresh from the E. and S. E., it is impossible for a ship bound for Copenhagen or the Baltic to double the point of Cronborg; and in that case an Elsineur pilot is sometimes employed to moor the ship in the channel towards Kull Point on the Swedish shore, in lat. 56° 18' 3 N., lon. 12° 26′ E. This contingency is, however, less likely to happen in future, as we understand the Danish government have recently hired a steam tug for the special purpose of bringing ships, in adverse weather, round Cronborg Point. The pilots are regularly licensed, so that, by employing them, the captain's responsibility is at an end. Their charges are fixed by authority, and depend on the ship's draught of water. We subjoin a copy of the tariff applicable to pilots taken on board at Elsineur to carry ships to Dragoe, Copenhagen, or Kull Point, with the sums both in silver and in Rig bank paper dollars. |