If the trade were confined to Bengal, and the Company were to trade on those terms upon a capital borrowed at eight per cent Indian interest, their revenues in that province would be soon so overpowered with debt, that those revenues, instead of supporting the trade, would be totally destroyed by it. If, on the other hand, the Company traded upon bills with every advantage, far from being in a condition to divide the smallest percentage, their bankruptcy here would be inevitable. Your Committee then turned to the trade of the other factories and Presidencies, and they constantly found, that, as the power and dominion of the Company was less, their profit on the goods was greater. The investments of Madras, Bombay, and Bencoolen have, in the foregoing four years, upon a capital of 1,151,176_l._, had a gain upon the whole of 329,622_l._ The greatest of all is that of Bencoolen, which, on a capital of 76,571_l._, produced a profit of 107,760_l._ This, however, is but a small branch of the Company's trade. The trade to China, on a capital of 1,717,463_l._, produced an excess of gain amounting to 874,096_l._, which is about fifty per cent. But such was the evil influence of the Bengal investment, that not only the profits of the Chinese trade, but of all the lucrative branches taken together, were so sunk and ingulfed in it, that the whole profit on a capital of 7,045,164_l._ reached to no more than 684,489_l._, that is, to 189,607_l._ less than the profit on the Chinese trade alone,--less than the total profits on the gainful trades taken together, 520,727_l._ It is very remarkable, that in the year 1778, when the Bengal investment stood at the highest, that is, so high as 1,223,316_l._, though the Chinese trade produced an excess of gain in that year of 209,243_l._, and that no loss of moment could be added to that of Bengal, (except about 45,000_l._ on the Bombay trade,) the whole profit of a capital of 2,040,787_l._ amounted only to the sum of 9,480_l._ The detail of the articles in which loss was incurred or gain made will be found in the Appendix, No. 24. The circumstances of the time have rendered it necessary to call up a vigorous attention to this state of the trade of the Company between Europe and India. INTERNAL TRADE OF BENGAL. The internal trade of Bengal has next attracted the inquiries of your Committee.