The Press. — London, England, 1858-02-06 00:00:00

%M I M I THE PRESS, FEBRUARY 6, 1858. 126 Lord PANMITRE replied that it was intended that such regiments should, to a great extent, be officered by colonists. Lord GREY protested against the embodiment of the militia and the continuance of the China war. Lord CAMPBELL said that there was no question that a conspiracy by aliens in this country to assassi nate a foreign sovereign was a grave misdemeanour, liable to severe punishment. On the other hand, aliens, so long as they remained in this country and obeyed the law, were to be regarded as standing on the same footing as natural-Loru subjects of her Majesty, and could never be given up without a vio lation of the sacred right of asylum. Lord BROUGHAM thought the law ought to be amended if it were not efficient. Lord Hatowtocz deplored the lamentably ineffi cient state of the national defences, and the subject dropped. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS.--.THUMAY. The house reassembled this day, after the Christ• mss recess. The SPEAKER took the chair shortly before four o'clock, at which hour there was a numerous attend ance of members. 1 EW MEMBERS. The following new members took the oaths and their seats :—The Right Hon. T. M. Gibson, Ashton under-Lyne; lion. W. G. .Cavendish, Bucks ; Mr. Dent, Scarborough; Mr. Lyall, Whitehaven ; Sir A. Agnew, Wigtonshire; and Mr. Duff, Elgin district. [The right hon. member for Ashton-under-Lyne was received with partial cheering as he came to the table.) TRANSMISSION OF REINFORCEMENTS TO INDIA. Sir Dr. LACY EVANS, who had the following notice on the paper— To move fora select committee to inquire concerning the measures resorted to or which were available, snd as to the lines of adopted for reinforcing our in army during the pending revolt „ India, and to report thereon to this house, with a view to ascertain the anange ments which should be made towards meeting any future important emergencies involving the security of our Eastern dominions, said, that as the GoveromFnt had acceded to his motion he should not trespass at any length on the attention of the house. At the close of the last sit ting an hon. member opposite bad assserted that the right hon, member for Wells (Mr. Hayter) had mis led him into postponing this motion ; but he could assure the house that the right hon. getleman had bad no share in that postponement. It was entirely his own doing. The right hon. baronet the member for Droitwich had expressed an opinion that this motion was, in fact, a vote of censure on the Govern. ment, but with that he hod nothing whatever to do. The result of the committee might be a censure on the Government, or it might be a matter of praise and congratulation for them. That he did not regard. All he wished was an inquiry conducted in a judicial spirit, and not in any spirit of party. With regard to the suggestion of the noble lord the mem ber for London, that this was a question for a com mittee of the whole house, and not for a select com mittee, he had looked into the precedents, and he did not think that they were in favour of that course. The gallant general concluded by moving : That a select committee be appainted to Inquire into the measures recently adopted by her 3lsjesty's Govern- ment for the transmission of troops and stores to India, and to report on the same to the house. Sir C. NAPIER seconded the motion. Sir J. PAKINOTON said that the motion put from the chair was very different from that which stood on the paper. Did the gallant general mean the committee to inquire into all the matters mentioned in the notice on the paper ? Sir DE LACY Eust is said be should be the last man to wish to restrict the inquiry. It was his full intention to inquire into all the matters contained in the scope of his original notice—into the proposition for sending reinforcements from Canada for instance ; the measure taken by the local auth Jrities at the Cape ; and, in fact, into all the points connected with the subject which were discussed before the adjournment. Mr. DIBII.kELI thought that as there seemed to be grave doubts as to what the gallant general did mean, and as the motion which be had made differed greatly from that which stood on the paper, it would be agreeable to the house if he would state explicitly the motion which he intended to make. Sir DE LACY EVANS said that he bad altered the terms of the motion because he understood that some hon. gentlemen objected to it in its original form ; hut if the right hon. gentleman saw anything very attractive in the motion as it stood upon the paper he would willingly reintroduce it. Mr. DISRAELI appealed to the Speaker on the point of order, whether the hon. and gallant gentle man was not bound either to give a new and formal notice of the motion which he intended to bring forward, or to submit to the house at that time the motion which was on the paper? A long discussion on the point of order then ensued, and many appeals were made to the Speaker, who at length respon&d, and the original forma of the motion was reverted to, namely. for " a select committee to inquire concerning the measures resorted to or which were available, and as to the lines of communication adopted for reinforcing our army daring the pending revolt in India, and to report thereon to this house, with a view to ascer taining the arrangements which should be made towards meeting any future important emergencies involving the security of our Eastern dominions." Mr. DISRAELI protested against the adoption of the motion, in what lie termed a " stealthy " manner, without a full discussion of the subject in the house. There had been no preliminary debate, and, so far as he was able to form an opinion, it was a subject which might be discussed completely and profitably in that house : It was quite open to the gallant general to have brought forward the reasons why in his opinion the forces in India might have been more quickly and efficiently reinforced by means of the overland route than by the mode to which the Government had recourse, and the house might have listened to the statements of the Government in their vin dication and have come to a decision upon the subject. As the case stood, however, they had had no opportunity of arriving at any decision, and he would ask the house whe ther it was wise or expedient in them to relinquish and abdicate those functions which belonged to it as a delibe rative assembly bound to watch over the interests of the public? Would they consent without any discussion to appoint a select committee to inquire into a subject which ought to be inquired into in that house, and which, in his opinion, could only be satisfactorily investigated by means of public discussion? The course proposed was perhaps a very convenient course, when the conduct of Government was called in question by a gentleman who was one of their habitual supporters, but it was not an honourable posi tion for the house to be placed in. On the first night of the session the hon. and gallant gentleman had given notice of his motion ; and, of course, by the courtesy of the house, any other gentleman was prevented giving notice of a similar motion; and, in point of fact, one gentleman had by that notice been deterred from announcing his intention of bringing the subject before the house. Let the house consider the position in which they were placed. The session commenced unexpectedly in December, s hen there existed through the country a feeling that the position of the army and the military prospects in India might be im proved by the adoption of the overland route, and great dis content prevailed in the public mind as to the mode in which that army was reinforced and the military power of England in the East sustained. There was a general feel ing that reinforcements might have been sent much more expeditiously by the overland route ; and it was expected by the public that when Parliament assembled the subject would meet with full and ample discussion. Well, then, when Parliament did meet what occurred? Why, a gentle man who was one of the habitual supporters of the Govern ment got up imindliately and gave notice of his intention to ask for an inquiry, and thus made himself master of the position, and prevented any other gentleman from bring ing the subject before the house. Lord PALMERSTON consiiered that in a question like this, involving so many details, a committee was th e best instrument of inquiry. Ultimately, after a debate of a somewhat desul tory character, the house divided upon an amend• ment moved by Lord J. RUSSELL to omit all the words after the word " house," which was negatived by 147 to 78. The motion was then agreed to. CITY CORPORATION. Sir G. GREY moved for leave to bring in a bill to reform the City of London Corporation. The principal changes which the measure was destined to effect were, that the City should be divided into sixteen, instead of twenty-six wards ; that each ward should return an alderman and six common councilmen, the voting qualification being tenancy of a 101. house ; and that the common councilmen should be elected annually ; and that for cause shown aldermen should be removable by a vote of the common council. Lord JOHN RUSSELL expressed his approval of the measure as outlined by the Home Secretary. The motion was agreed to, and leave given to bring in the bill. Mr. DUNLOP obtained leave to bring in a bill to abol►sh the privileges of heirs in Scotland in regard to the Annus Deliberandi ; and a bill to do away the exemption from valuation, under the Valuation of Lands (Scotland) Act (1854), of certain descrip tions of lands and heritages. The house adjourned at twenty minutes after seven o'clock. NOTICES OF MOTION. Lord Patamtarow—that on Monday next he should propose to tree house a vote of thanks to the Army and Navy for their services in India. Also, on the same day, move to bring in a bill for the purpose of amending the laws in relation to con spiracies to commit murder. Mr. HOEDUCK—that on that day fortnight he would move " that : in the opinion of this house, the office of Loid•Lieutenant • of Ireland ought to be abolished." Mr. H. llsILLIE—on Tuesday, the 16th instant, " To call the attention of the house to the causes which have led to the re. hellion in her Majesty's dominions in the East, and to move that there be laid upon the table of the house a copy of a secret despatch signed by the Prosident of the board of Control in the year 1831, addressed to Lord Wm. Bentinck, and ordering hire to annex or otherwise assume the administrati on of the kii tom of Outie ; secondly, a copy of the desp atc h o f Lord 41: Bentinck, explaining his reasons fur not carrying those order* Into effect; thirdly, a copy of the correspondence which to o k place in the years 1833, 1831, and 1835, through the secret de. pertinent of the India-house, between the President of the Board of Control and the Goyernor.Oeneral of India, in reference to the annexation of Oude; fourthly, copy of a note or minute signed by Sir Henry Ellis, when a member of the Board of Control, et. plaining his reasons for dissenting from the projected annexe. tion of Cade.' Mr. SLANEY—that on an early day he should move for leave to introduce a bill to enable parishes to assess themselves for general improvement. Mr. MACKINNON—that on the 16th instant he should call the attention of the house to the report of the select committee of laS6 on equitable councils of conciliation, in which an amend ment in the laws relating to employers and workmen waste. commended. _ EARL 6'm—that on Thursday next he wolild present t petition from the East India Company against any measure that might be introduced for the abolition of that company. INDIA. THE BOMBAY MAIL, INDIA-HOUSE TELEGRAM. The following despatch was received at the India: house cn the 29th ult.:— To J. C. MELVILT, EASTTNDT• HOUSE. Sir J. Outram defeated the rebels near the Altunbagh on December the 22nd, and took four guns. His own lugs was trifling. Sir C. Campbell, on December the 12th, advanced towards Furruckabal, and intended to proceed thenc'e to Agra. Colonel Seaton's column reoccupied Mynpoorie on the 27th of December, after defeating the rebels and taking six guns. . . . Brigadier-General Chamberlain proceeds with a column into Rohilcund, and ofterwarls joins Sir C. Campbell at Agra. The Dacca mutineers have enpred the Assam country Her Majesty's 54th Foot are in pursuit. did The conduct of the 31st Regiment of Native Infantry has excited suspicion. Sir Hugh Rose proceeds immediately with a force to the relief of the garriSon. The population of I ndore have been disarmed, and tranquillity has been restored. Punjaub and Scinde all quiet, but strong suspicions are entertained of the Kholapoor Rajah's movements. All quiet now. New depredations by the Khandeith Bheels bare been reported, and the Hassick and Peinh rebels have been severely handled. A grand entertainment has been given by the native gentlemen of Bombay to all the European troops in the garrison. ILL. ANDERSON, Secretary to the Government. Bombay Castle, Jan. 9. The most important intelligence conveyed by tbis mail is the acknowledgment of difficulties in the Punjaub. Several mails since, affairs up there were reported to present certain symptoms which induced Sir John Lawrence to send an earnest request to Bombay for British troops. From that period to the present, intelligence from the Punjaub has been confined to a simple assurance of tranquillit;,. The postscript to the Bombay letter of the Daily News by the present mail conveys to us the following unsatisfactory intelligence : Bombay, Jan. 9. The news from the Punjaub is unfavourable. Sir John Lawrence had other reasons when he asked for reinf.ree. ments than that of a campaign in liohilcund. The Sikhs are not safe, and besides this the Affghans threaten on the northern frontier. With such an old man at the bead of Affghanistan as Dost Mahomed, no reliance can be placed on the maintenance of order there. It may he necessary in consequence to reinforce the garrison of Peshawar. This is sufficiently alarming, as a rising in the Pun jaub will paralyse all other operations, and, com bined with the tardy despatch of recruits from this country, place Sir Cohn Campbell in a perilous position. We sincerely trust that the next intelli gence we receive will dissipate all fears for the se• curity of the Punjaub, and confirm our reliance upon the fidelity of the Sikhs and the good faith of the Affghans. With respect to the rest of India, all intelligence points to the one great fact, that our government is only acknowledged under British bayonets, and that we are everywhere compelled to assert our rights by force. Even at the court of Holkar (writes a cor respondent), while Indore is overawed by the neigh bourhood of a division, " no justice is to b$ had with out the presence of British soldiers " : The Durbar was obsequious only so long as the troops were present. The brigade with Sir Hugh Rose returned to Mhow after disarming the mutineers of the contingent ; but it soon became evident that disaffec tion lay deep at Indore, and it became necessary to send this brigade back. Indore was regularly invested on the 31st of December, and a host of rebel fugitives were seized and brought into the English camp for trial. It is yet 1 1 l 1 I