The Press. — London, England, 1853-07-16 00:00:00

JULY 16, 1853. co►►sideret wl►ethe► then! Uri' nut po isit ions whi c h might he weeded to both by the Mission mid Tinlish tioventments which would laird the• means of obtaining pm•itie termination of these unfo►t.unate disputes. Whether or no these hopes will be justified we cannot know imine• diately. It must take some time before we lear►t what is the ►iew token by the Court of tit. Pete►sburg of the mash, in which England, France, ..r Austria may have enter's' upon these subjects. And while such is the state of the net.totiattion I think it is nut desi►uble to hove it a mutter of discussion in this house." INDIA BIM. The committal of this bill was commenced on Monday, when a strenuous opposition to the new element of Crown nomineeship was inaugurated by Mr. VERNON SMITH, who moved an RUlClOhlielit to the aril clause, substituting election by the Court of Directors, subject to the sanction of her Majesty, for the direct nomination of the Crown, in the choice of the proposed section of the Leadenhalt-st►eet board. Arguing that the very title of "nominees" stunk in the nostrils of the people of Indio►, ho advanced that and other reasons for effacing every trace of that ingredient from the measure they were about to pass : • " lie believed that these nominees would very much embarimss the lousiness of India. The consequences o f choosing the court in the way proposed could lie nothing lint confusion and collision. There would he nothing lint in the council of direction if the system of a mixed eourt was adopted. Nothing could be more calm leteil to throw impediments in the way of the Itoitol of t 'wand than the existence of Crown nominees in the Court of I tirectors." Sir C. WOOD argued that, as the " double system " was to be maintained, the inference that the Court of Directors should also have a duplicate organisa tion had become inevitable. Among the various suggestions for effecting this purpose, and selecting a certain proportion of its members through some other process than that of election by the general body of proprietors, he contended that none seemed so feasible, or promised to work so well, as that of nomination by the Crown : " The object of the clause was to place in the Court of DireetoN, in the readiest and easiest manner, t soil eitation on their part, men who were likely to prove the best servants for India. Ile should conceive it a most shameful abuse of the power proposed to be given to the Crown if any person was appointed merely because he had bona his way from India into the House of Conn 11111 l s. The salary had been fixed at a low amount in order that the office should not be an object of moni tion, except to men of independent fortune and high cha r:l44er. lie did not think that persons elected by the court could be independent. He did not think a majority of threv-fourths of the court should have the power of in. trodneing the other fourth, because such a power would, to a great degree, destroy the independence of the court. The portions nominated by the Crown would he indepen dent of the majority, and would in all respects be on the 55111 e footing us the other directors. Regard for the interests of India—frequent intercourse with each other —would, he hoped, prevent any of that difference of feel ing between the nominated directors and the rest of the omit which his right lion. friend had anticipated. He believed that, upon the whole, the course which the Government had determined to take, with reference to the appointment of six persons who were to be the nominees of the Crown, was that which would be most likely to secure the services of men of experience and ability." A very protracted debate followed upon the subject of nomineeship. Mr. HERMES, who had himself intended to move an amendment to a very similar effect, believed that it would be utterly impossible to secure the independence of men who owed their selection for lucrative and important functions to the minister of the day. Mr. LowE saw no hope of accomplishing the great desideratum—the appointment, namely, of men of eminence and talent as India directors—by any other means than that of giving the Crown a direct power of choice, instead of the proposed nega ive power of vetoing the members whom the board might choose. He enlarged also upon the mortifying incidents attending the present system of canvas sing among the proprietors, and declared that all the best men were thus kept out of the field be cause they would not stoop to the degrading means by which only success could be secured. Mr. Et.iir, on the other hand, apprehended that the Crown could not tempt the best-qualified persons to become its nominees, having nothing more to offer theta than a paltry salary of 500 i. per annum, with no patronage. His prolonged experience in India justified him in asserting that the Ministry had utterly failed to conquer the difficulties of the subject. Lord STANT.EY could not agree to an amendment which would practically make the Court of Directors, in a considerable degree, self-elective. lie suggested, however, some modifications in the clause, with the view of removing the members nominated by the Crown from the immediate influence of the Ministry of the day. Their tenure of the functions of di rectors should be prolonged to a period of ten years ; thus giving them a noire permanent interest in the good administration of Indian affairs, and at the THE PRESS. sane time, by declaring them non-eligible for re nomination, they would be left with less personal interest in the future favours of the thwernment. The house objected so strongly to the nominee system that he supported the a►uendment as being this less evil, but wished to have this existing o►gani sation left untouched until Is 4. Sir .1. W. Ilotiu ridiculed the prtultst.y which had been sl nOn the subject of •• eatoassing." Meu► hers of Parliament were not ashamed to eanvass for their seats. Why, then, should me►ula'rs of the Court of Directors? If, however, the principle of selection were admitted, he found less to object against in the plan propose►l by the mover of the amendment, since the Court of I►irectors were more likely to know a n d ehtw►sr the best men, than the C►own or this President of the Board of Control. lie chietly wished, however, to see the edict' of director male important and valnable, for wl►ieh the only means were to inerease this salary attaelted, or in other ways confer dignity and influence upon the office, so as to make it an objeet of I m►rable amble Lion. Mr. C. 111111411 altogether disapproved of the change from open election to close nomination. It. was a point of extreme importance t► maintain or even in crease the efficiency of the Court of Directors ; hut the nominee system, whoever were the n o minators, would seriously weaken that court, impairing its vigour a`► a council to aid or cheek the I'mesi dent of tl►e Board of Contr►l, with the certain prospect of causing it. gradually to merge into the House of Commons, a body which would never of fectually perform the duties of intermediary council between Italia and the home tiovernment. Mr. P 1111.1.1 MORE approved of the t itovernment clause. Mr. MAu.►onlnANKH disliked both that and the amendment. Mr. liAmso reiterated the objections to the sys tem of eanvass forced upon those who had served long and with distinction in India. lie strongly opposed the plan which proposed that nominee di rectors should hold their places at the will of the minister. Sir JAMES ORAIIAM said that Government had sought no increase of power, and that the bill gave it no power to remove direetor+, except under the same circumatances under which the Court of Pro. prietors could do so; and, if the Crown were t o nominate, it was neeessary that it should have a eo ordinate power of removal with that of the court. This measure was experimental; MI, if successful, would pmbably last for a considerable time ; but, if unsuccessful, the next material change would be to a single government under the Crown. In twenty years, and perhaps sooner, the government of India must come exclusively into the hands of the Crown, and the wisest policy was to render that change as little convulsive as foresight could make it; and upon this principle the Government measure was based. He thought, the system of self-election was more to be dreaded than appointment by a respou Bible President of the Board of Control. Mr. Mama denonneed the amendment became it gave to twelve members, themselves badly elected, the power of electing the other six. Where in that ease could they look for responsibility ? The bill was a mass of incongruities and absurdities, but the amendment made matters worse. Mr. NEWIDEOATE, disliking the principle of nomi neeship, regretted that the Crown should become an accomplice in that system. Mr. MANGLES vindicated the respectability, talent, and integrity of the present Court of I )irectors. Mr. lIIT.DYAEP, of the two proposed nominators, believed that. the Court of Directors would be more amenable to public opinion than the Government, and therefore supported the amendment. On a division there appeared : For the amendment I I Against it Majority _B2 A second amendment was then moved to the clause by Mr. IlAeINm, who prop►sed words entitling that the nominated members should have quitted active service in India more titan five years. Ilis ject was to prevent the nominees from being men who in Parliament had been useful or obnoxious to a (ifiverimpbut. Sir C. Woon explained that them might he cases in which such a restriction would work undesirably. Mr. Mutsu withdrew his amendment. Mr.WilIT moved the omission of the words re. (miring in a nominee the qualifications necessary for other directors. It :night, he said, exclude valuable servants, and was an unnecessary and pedantic ad herence to the existing form. Sir C. WII(11, Unid it had been desired to av , :imilate the directors as much as possible. These nominees would be in every respect directors, and therefore it WWI desirous that they should have an interest in the company. • Lord 3toiN RrssEl.t. intimated hi. willingness to have the woe& in queation %truck out, itilmitting the free of Mr. Bright . ); arguments. Mr. DISKAIMI approved of this eonme, remarking that nothing eouhl ht won than the establishing ti c titiona pr►he•rty qualitleations. The words were removed, and the clause, as amended, was agreed to. The committee, before aabolirning, succeeded in p le asing only live clauses of the hill. The committal of the bill being resumed On Thursday, several 'lenses were passed without oppo sition. On clause it, which enacts that the six directors appointed by the Crown s i hi be who had served tell year, , a in India, Mr. Bloom . proposed at► amendment which would make mercantile and professional men eligible to the directorship. Mr. HENLEY concurred in the propriety of this alteration, considering that 'melt persons wo►tld I►ave the opportunity of atequiring lunch information which servants oldie Crown and the Company eo►dd not obtain. Sir C. Wool) watt willing to adopt the suggestion as regarded the direetors to be eleeted by the Company, but he was not dispostsi at the moment to give iui answer as to the case of the appointments by the Crown. Ile would consider this part of the subject. lord STANLEY rejoiced that the alteration had been assented to. Sir 11.11. 1 N►a.lx ti ght it desirable to be caution. that. the English element shoultinot be Leo much ex - eluded front the hearth. Sir Iluniteur MAttlale reminded the committee that the class it was proposed to introduce knew less of the natives of India and their requirements than did either the civil or military servants. The proposed alteration having been made, the clause W WS agreed to. Progress was then reported. TRANSPORTATION 1111. b. This bill, which reduces to a very small number the Avows of ollistees which are to be henceforth visited by 4)l * transportation, Cattle tat fur second reading in the Lords on Monday. The 11.1)1116 A NVELIA tit moved that. it be read the second time, atter eonfessing his extreme regret at the necessity for restricting a biteeiem of punishment of which, upon theory, he had a high admiretion. Sentences of transportation were, indeed. exceedingly useful. They could be so easily adapted in severity to various shades of criminality, were so terrible to the culprit, anti yet were so essentially mild and often beneficial in their actual application, that they occupied the very highest point in the scale of judi, cial award, combining the maximum of apprehension with the miniuttun of endurance. A system, however, so convenient to England herself was now surrendered in great measure, if not entirely, to the convenienee or the pn;intlices of her colonial dependencies; and, while regretting the necessity, he felt oblig e d to yield to it, and consequently imposed the second reading of the present measure. Earl linev, lord Mealtime, and other peers, eon. eurred both in the expression of regret et having to dispense with tho transportation system, and in the confession that the stop was necessary. The Duke of N EWCANTI.E, however, threw out seine consoling hints that "out of evil would come god." liaving to find some substitute for transportation, he said, they had been compelled to review the whole question of cline, and punishment, to contrive improvements iu the system of prison diseiplitte, and, above all, to make strenuous efforts to diminish the black aggregate of crime by extending the means of education, anti en deaveuring to arrest, as far as possible, the n164414,1' which, through the various intluenees of ignorance, want, evil example, anti idleness, had hitherbs fur nishod such a constant snecession of !verities to our eriminal courts and gee's. lie stated, also, that " thPro• was ample prom Won for any her of la Waives at all likely to require ecealtat toll, between the present perje4l tip the close of the ensuing year, when it would he neeesaary to submit to Parliament estimates its to future prison 114341111111011111 . With regard to the Huloeult otottl the nature of midi 111410 eslat i ullsteels eddy ilietesssell e‘ll4.ll4litim. µlOlllll be110.14.4,41ry but I'an • liunie nt would have an opportunity of primo 1111 l ine upon that question after an intervening period, in which would have been minima as to the practical eperation of the present measure." The bill passed the second reading. I'I,AI i Pltf NOT It )NS. The Earl of I I A Etta IC 1111 Monday, called the at teillloll of the Peers to the crroneons system under which the rank cif admiral was attained by officers in the navy, m u sh to the immeshes and grievances that followed its its train. Six years' seniee afloat in a rated ship, and in time of peace, were required as qualificatien for a nag promotion on the active list, and this requirement the noble earl traced into its eonmequi•nees, showing that influence or lnek ob tained an unfair advantage over talent and Kett. eiency ; that seventy-two months' service in a smell frigate gave one num a standing on the list of active admirals, while seventy-Qno mouths, though spent in