ured an order
from the Privy Council to have the vessel stopt, and stopt she accordingly
was from the 21st October until the following 9th November, each day's
delay in sailing inflicting heavy expense on the owners. Such high-handed
proceedings of the Company might create little excitement if carried out
on the high seas and at a distance from home, but in the port of London
they were not to be tolerated. The owners of the "Redbridge" laid their
grievance before the Commons (30 Dec.).(1782) They pointed out that the
conduct of the East India Company was "greatly prejudicial to all foreign
trade and navigation in general, and more particularly to the petitioners,
who by the present laws of the kingdom can have no reparation." They
prayed, therefore, that the like inconveniences might be prevented for the
future. Their petition was referred to a committee of the whole House,
together with other petitions against the company, as well as the
company's charters. In due course the committee, with Papillon in the
chair, reported that the stopping of the "Redbridge" was "a grievance, a
discouragement to trade and contrary to the known laws of the
kingdom,"(1783) and further that, in the opinion of the Common Hall, "all
the subjects of England have equal right to trade to the East Indies
unless prohibited by Act of Parliament." This resolution was accepted by
the House without a division,(1784) and for some years at least there
nominally existed free trade with India.(1785)

(M901)

Between March, 1689, and February, 1691, little appears to have been done
towards solving the difficulty of the claims of the City orphans. Another
committee was appointed at the expiration of that time to consider the
matter, and in November, 1691, the committee reported to the Common
Council. They recommended that certain rents of the value of L8,000 per
annum should be set aside towards the payment of four per cent. per annum
for the immediate relief of the orphans, and that parliament should be
asked to authorise the raising of a sum of L24,000 to be vested in the
Corporation for the satisfaction of debts to existing orphans, and for
security of the money of orphans that should be paid into the Chamber in
future. The recommendation of the committee was accepted by the court (20
Nov.), and three days later a draft petition to parliament was read and
approved.(1786) The petition set forth that in the troublous times during
and after the reign of