The Press. — London, England, 1854-07-15 00:00:00

650 in the House of Lords by the Bureaucratic- Tractarians, by securing sectional election, in stead of general election by the Congregation, would, so far as two of the three elements of the governing body , o'f the UEversity are concerned—the heads of houses and the pro fessors—have introduced elements favourable to civil and religious liberty. .frhe versatile intrigue of the Bishop of OXFORD has mainly occasioned in the Upper House the rejection of this admirable amendment ; and it ie said that his Lordship hopes, by not disturbing the arrangement made in the House of Commons favourable to the Dissenters, that he will neu tralise their future resistance to the Tractarian constitution of the University. Like JAMES IL, the' Bishop of OXFORD and his confe4erates, civil and spiritual, are very willing to find allies in the Dissenters. The plots of this aehool are not for the moment : they look far ahead, and can embrace a Nonconformist for the nonce, if they have a High Commission Court in the perspective. TRIUMPH OF THE PAPAL CLIQUE. Tsx conduct of Ministers on the most important and pressing subject of the Irish lind question is a fitting termination to the session's catalogue of failures. They pro mised to settle it, and, when it is inquired what they did, it can be with truth answered that they have left it where it was ten years ago 1 No wise statesman could be insensible to the importance of the subject, the history of which deserves to be briefly put on record. More than ten years ago the Devon Com mission was appointed to obtain accurate information preparatory to legislation on this subject. The commission consisted, besides Lord DEVON, of Sir ROBERT FERGUSON, Mr. G. A. HAMILTON, Mr. REDINGTON, and Mr. WYNNE, gentlemen of different politics, and all ac quainted practically with Ireland and the peculiarities of Irish tenure. They devoted t'vo years to the inquiry, and presented a very able report, recommending among other mat ters the mode and principles on which this question might be settled. After various attempts by different Governments the settle ment of the question was brought to a point. In 1851 Mr. NAPIER, on the suggestion of Sir SOHN Yenisei, undertook to apply his great abilities and legal knowledge to the solution of the difficulties. When he became Attorney- General under Lord DERBY'S Government, instead of shrinking from or avoiding the difficulty, he applied himself to it promptly and energetically ; and his first act in the session of November, 1852, was to introduce his bills with the sanction of the Cabinet. Die fall of Lord DERBY'S Government did not make , him relax in his patriotic efforts. He offered his valuable services to the new Go vernthent, and worked for them in this matter as if he had been their Attorney-General. It was so late in the session of 1853, when the Government bills reached the Lords, that it became impossible to pass them. Lord ABER DEEN, however, promised that they should be reintroduced early this session, and submitted to a select committee of the Lords with a view to their becoming law. So far he fulfilled his promise. They were reintroduced, and submitted to a select com mittee, of which the Lord Privy Seal (the Duke of ARGYLL) was chairman ; and, after much and careful consideration, aided again by Mr. NAPiER, two bills comprising what was considered a liberal adjustment of the long disputed question were approved of by the committee, and they passed their third read - the Lords. lrted, as Government Ad ARGYLL. toad read , the Irish fixed Tues ,mmittee. !stion has capital to id obstruc tion would are still valuable in ; in the Lords, supported, as Um , . by the Dukes of NEWCASTLE and :e• In t h e House of Commons their secc ~ • was moved by Sir JOHN YOUNG, ... 4. , . ‘. :tor t', and Lord JOHN RUSSELL fin ' AN for their consideration in cot ~, tf :0- , w , =settled state of the que* 't... y r. - . '' 1 ' the Brigade and ''' • .'. A . ~,^ . 4Pt : 1 t of the quests 1. t' •• 4 • • • sts lir Ai. e ' There . A • • iI - • with .a. ,V 64 / 4 ' 41 :11 ril , 0 i x 4 0°V.i, p' .p. , - : _ • .. • -- .''... ~- v. a , .... i . 4, , .. . •'; • ~... THE PRESS services to offer to Government; and, latterly, our readers may have remarked there have been indications of a desire on the part of Lord JOHN RUSSiLL inerthe Ministry to make terms with those who ire really the represen tatives of the gavacy in the British House of tomuionll.‘ , On Tuesday last the consideration for the new.compact hid to be paid, and Sir Joffx Youso hid the disgusting task imposed upon him of diselaimingbills of which he had himself proposed the second reading, and which two Cabinet Ministers had declared to be Govern ment bills in the House of Lords. Inadver tently he disclosed the motive* of this tgno minious proceeding. " lie had been _waited " upon by certain members who honoured " the Government with their confidence." At the instance, then, of the Brigade and the obstructives, this question, on the point of settlement, a settlement so important to the interest of all well-disposed persons in Ireland; is abandoned in •ord.er that agitation may be continued, and other Keoghs and Sadleirs receive " the wages of their apostacy." Mr. NAPIER justly remonstrated against the man ner in which he had been treated. But we desire our readers to consider the illustration which this disgraceful affair affords of the power which a small clique may exercise upon the present Ministry, and of the pernicious effect which their influence may produce upon the best interests of the country. TRIUMPH OF THE " BRIGADE." IN the debate in the Commons on land tenures at Madras the Ministry only escaped defeat by the narrow majority of five. Mr. BLACK- Err's motion went too far; and that, probably, had more to do with their escape than any arguments employed on the Government side. If carried it would quoad hoc have superseded the functions of both the Madras and the Supreme Government in India; and this, whatever might be the opinion of the House regarding the evils that Mr. BLACKETT de picted, was farther than the House could be expected to go. The debate, however, has been of considerable service in showing the extent to which abuses in India are carried, and the boldness with which men like Sir JAMES WEIR HOGG defend them. The use of torture in judicial investigations was admitted ; the employment of it to enforce payment of rent was denied; but the balance of testimony seemed to us to incline the other way. Other facts, moreover, were established of such a nature as to compel Sir CHARLES WOOD to promise an inquiry. In short, he was content to seek safety in one of those compromises for which the present Cabinet has become famous. As regards the chief points at issue between the supporters of the motion in the House and Sir CHARLES WOOD, there can be no doubt whatever that the former were right and the latter wrong. Not only is the position of the ryot in Madras disgraceful, but the only true remedy lies in the enfranchisement of the land. We do not mean the surrender without equivalent of the land tax, as it is called, or the rent of the land, which it really is ; for, of course, no Government can be carried on without revenues, and the chief revenue of the Government of India is derived from land. But it would be very easy, and very safe, and very politic, to allow this rent to be commuted, and thus enable the renter to convert his tenant-at-will holding into a freehold if he chose, by the payment into the treasury of the number of years' purchase of the rental. What the Company lost in annual revenue by this plan it would save in annual interest on , its debt, and the amount of the present ex penses of collection would be all clear gain. Capital would then find its way to land, and India's resources would be rapidly developed ; employment would arise which would make agricultural labour remunerative ; and, above all, a race of landowners would spring up on every side, the strongest supporters of our rule,—their interests being entirely bound up with that of the nation from whom they had ,purehased their estates. SATURDAY, Sir JAMES HOOO, to be sure, tells us that the natives are unfitted, by their ignorance and barbarism, to be landlords—a statement which, if true, would be most damuatory to the Com pany's ,rule; for the native codes for the de velopment of agriculture, which every one acquainte4 with ' Mahomedan and Hindoo literature must have read—their magnificent monuments; which every one who has ever been in India must have seen—their stu• p'endous works for irrigation, which under our Government have nearly all been allowed to fall to ruin—show that if the natives of India are now so sunk the Indian Government is charge able with their degradation. But the fact is, we - need not alarm ourselves with having anything so frightful to answer for. When it suits the purpose of the India house the natives are described as models of intelligence ;—they only cease to be so when they show spirit to com plain of the intolerable grievances to which they are subjected, and claim the privilege of interesting themselves in the administration of an empire which their fathers ruled. CANADIAN AFFAIRS. CANADA is again in one of its periodical ex citements, which appear to become chronic. The contrast between the frigidity of its climate and the fervid temperature of its politics is very remarkable. One would not have anticipated to find the epidemic and sudden fury of the populations of Southern Europe in a cold region, not densely popu lated, where the occupiers are attached te industrial pursuits. But, owing to a variety of causes,—race, religion, proximity to the States, and the recollection of old quarrels, — the Canadian public is one of the most pecu liarly inflammable in the globe. The causes of the present discontents are , less political than personal. The Hincks Ministry had combined against it every variety of opinion. Its chief, Mr. HINCHB, is a man of considerable abilities, without conci liatory manners. He is one of those public characters who are apt to sow the seeds of rivalry, even while performing public services. Enterprising in his designs, and energetic in their execution, he possesses many qualities for a colonial Minister. But his self esteem is either too active, or not sufficiently con cealed, for one with the difficult post of ruling amidst the wrangling natures of a Canadian Legislature. With many good qualities, Mr. Hthexs was deficient in some of those pleasing, though small, acts which disarm ad versaries and attach friends. For want of possessing them he has fallen under the com bined assault of the old Tories, the ultra- Liberals, and the French Canadians—a com bination that a Canadian Walpole could not withstand. Hitherto Lord ELGIN'S course has been aim paratively easy. But he will now have to exercise considerable firmness and discrimi nation. His abilities will be drawn upon to an extent not previously required. He will have to study both " men and measures," for we may doubt whether a change of Ministers would satisfy the variously-raised clamours before which the Hineks Ministry has fallen. RAILROADS IN INDIA. Ix would seem that the Government of India is at last exerting itself in the matter of rail roads. A despatch, dated in August of last year, and addressed by the Court of Directors to the Governor-General in Council, not only accepts the conclusions of the latter function ary as to the expediency of commencing operations with vigour, but even' urges the necessity of prompt action and predicts finan cial success. The Directors advise " that a " general system of railways, connecting the " various Presidencies, be sanctioned and exe " cuted without delay." Coming to details, they explain that this system includes, (1) the com pletion of the line from Calcutta to Delhi, and its L extension westward to the Punjab ; (2) a branch