THE ASIATIC JOURNAL AND MONTHLY REGISTER FOR British India and its Dependencies : CONTAINING Original Communications. Debates at the East-India House. bury, Fort William, and Fort St. Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. Proceedings of the Royal Asiatic So- Commercial, Shipping Intelligence, &c. pany's Ships for the Season. Prices Current of East-India Produce. Daily Prices of Stocks, &c. &c. &c. VOL. XXIV. JULY TO DECEMBER, 1827. LONDON: PRINTED FOR PARBURY, ALLEN, & CO. LEADENHALL STREET. 1827. THE ASIATIC JOURNAL FOR JULY, 1827. Original Communications, &c. &c. &c. EAST-INDIA AND WEST-INDIA TRADE. In our last number we adverted to the discussion which had taken place in Parliament on the subject of British commerce with India, and took the opportunity of laying before our readers some statements of the amount of the import and export trade between this country and the East-Indies, which had not at that time been printed. In the first copy of the statement of the official value of imports into the United Kingdom from the East-Indies and China, a clerical error was com mitted by the copyist (the accounts being in manuscript) in one of the totals, making it a million less than the two constituent sums showed that it ought to be, which led to an observation of the writer, that "the average amount of the aggregate imports for the thirteen years is £6,148,366, which, instead of shewing an increase (as stated by Mr. Whitmore), is less than the amount of imports in 1814 by just £250,000;"-a misprint for £150,000. This clerical error was discovered and corrected; but owing to the hurry in which the article went through the press * (at the very end of the month), whereby the editor was prevented from subjecting the calculations to examination, the erroneous inference was nevertheless suffered to stand. The real average amount is £7,148,366, shewing an increase of £849,980 in comparison with the amount of imports in 1814. The mistake must be obvious enough, and does not affect the argument of the writer, which tended to demonstrate that no marvellous augmentation appeared even in the import trade, notwithstanding the exorbitant speculations which had taken place in East-India commodities, and to which much of the apparent increase must be attributed. The exports to India formed the principal ground of Mr. Whitmore's statement respecting the prodigious augmentation of our trade with India. since the opening of that trade to private merchants, and it is on this part of the From the same cause, the imports of tea (p. 767) are represented as value instead of quantity, which must be evident from the figures. |