The Sun. — London, England, 1858-02-09 00:00:00

Wear.) There was another noble lord who was well known to many of their lordships—he meant Lord El p instonel who with equal e ffi ciency, administered the presidency of Bombay. In all that had occurred, no Ina could have shown greater decision of character, greater readiness of resource, greater desire to relieve his ' noble friend in the presidency of Bengal, than had Lord Elphinstone in his government of Bombay. (Hear.) It was at Lord Elphinstone's suggestion that application was made to the Mauritius ; where, as in other places, Governor Higginson promptly sent off every soldier at his command. There was another civil officer to whom be thought it was their lordships' duty most warmly to express their thanks, that officer was Sir John Lawrence. (Hear.) It was hardly possible to mention the name of Lawrence without' raising in the breast of everyone who heard it a feeling of gratitude and admiration for the manner in which the office of chief commissioner had been filled by the individual for whom he (Lord Panmure) then bespoke their lordships' thanks. At the time of the outbreak SirJ. Lawrence sent down to the assistance of the army of Delhi all that he could spare of the Euro pean and native treops ; and not only did he do so, but be diligently set himself to work in order to get together fresh levies. So great was the assistance thus given, that it might be said withoutloffence to those who most gal lantly conducted the siege, that Delhi fell through the exertions of Sir J. Lawrence. There remained one more individual connected with the civil service of India to whom their lordships' attention must be invited, viz., Mr. Frere. Mr. Frere's name might not probably have been so much before the public as - the name of those to whom allusion had already been made, but there was in truth no man to whom India owed more. He had moulded the people of Scinde to British rule ; by his prudence he had greatly contributed to the success of the Europeans, for he had been able to send aid where aid was required, and he bad, by his wise government, preserved perfect tranquil. lity throughout the province with which he was charged. To those members of the civil service he (Lord Panmure) tad, in the first place, to move their lordships to grant their cordial thanks. (Hear.) Passing these, he next came to those officers who had distinguished themselves in arms throughout the course of this mutiny. He was aware that in moving votes of thanks to the army it was often an invidious task to select those officers to whom the individual thanks of that house were to be given. Oa the present occasion be should select the names of four gallant generals.—men who were supreme in coin ued at their several stations, and men who, when their names were mentioned, would at once command their lordships' applause. The first of these was the Com mander-in-Chief of India. Sir C. Campbell bad only to be mentioned to ensure a loyal reception at their lord ships' hands. (Hear,) It was needless, it would indeed be superfluous, to refer to the former career of Sir C. Campbell, it was in the minds of every person throughout the country. (Hear.) Upon this occasion Sir Colin Campbell accepted upon two days' notice the command of the army in India, and within one day after his ac ceptance he was on his road to India. (Hear.) He reached Calcutta in a space of time unprecedented in the case of any commander-in-chief who had preceded him. When Sir C. Campbell reached Calcutta be found the field inviting him in every direction. He did not rush at once to take the command of an army : he was aware that he should be followed by considerable reinforce ments, and he found that these reinforcements would have to be moved considerable distances. He patiently waited at Calcutta for those necessary troops, and in the meantime was in communication—and he (Lord Panmure) would say in most harmonious communication—with the Governor-General. But the story of the sufferings at Lucknow reached Sir C. Campbell. He collected his men, and his first great action in India was the relief of Lucknow. The manner in which Sir C. Campbell performed that duty, his successful military operations justified him (Lord Panmure) in saying that Sir Ca Campbell commanded the admiration of all. ellear, hear.) Sir C. Campbell, once in possession of the residency of Lucknow, found that it would not be expedient to remain there. Ie de termined to withdraw from Lucknow, and he accom plished that retirement—it could not be called a retreat —encumbered with his precious burden of women and children in a manner to command the hi g h es t admira tion. Sir C. Campbell next attacked and put to rout the Gwalior contingent. This contingent was perhaps the most formidable body with which the troops in India had to contend ; it was better disciplined, organised, and supplied with ammunition than any other portion of the rebel force. Thus in its defeat Sir C. Campbell added still more to the services which he had performed for his country. These were actions which entitled Sir C. Campbell to the thanks of their lordsbips'bouse. (Hear.) The next commander was Major : General Sir J. Outram. (Hear, hear.) When General Outram went to take command of the post to which he had bees appointed he found already a gallant general advancing to the relief of Lucknow. With a gallantry equalled only by his abilities and courage General Outram forebore to take • out of Sir H. Havelock's hands the command of the operation. Since then Gen ral Oatram had in a moat able and efficient manner carried out the duties which, under Sir C. Campbell, have fallen to him, and he was therefore one of those to whom the thanks of their lord ships' house ought justly to be awarded. (Hear, hear.) He (Lord Panmure) now came to another name, which helwas sure their lordships would acknowledge to be one which ought to be before them—it was the name of Majot-GeneraleSir Archdale Wilson. (Hear, hear.) In this officer the balance of honour between the Company's and the Queen's service was made even. General Wilson commenced his service some years ago in the Company's service ; he was an officer in the Artillery. The time of the outbreak found him second in com mand to Sir H. Barnard, and by the efficient manner in which he seconded that officer he grea'ly pre vented a prolongation of the siege of Delhi. After the unhappy death of Sires. Barnard the command devolved upon Gen. Wilson. Gen. Wilson, with coolness and judgment, delayed the assault upon Delhi until he felt himself with sufficient force. He knew perfectly well the effect which would result throughout the whole of Hindostan should a failure take place, and hence, until secure in his movement, he wisely withheld the attempt. Upon the success which crowned that attempt then made it was not necessary to dilate ; their lordships, in common with all other classes in the cummunity, already well knew the facts. He thought that they would sympathise with Gen. Wilson in his present state, for that gallant officer had been obliged to retire from military service through the state of his health. He (Lord Panmure) trusted that that health would soon be restored, and that the gallant general would soon be enabled to serve his country, but, in the meanwhile, he felt sure that ne better panacea could be offered to him than those thanks which that house would gratefully and unanimously give. (Hear, hear.) There was yet one other general o ffi cer which it was his duty to men tion—an officer whose name would at once command the approval of that house. It was the name of ajor- General Inglis. (Hear, hear.) In all the history of military defences there was scarcely one In which a longer pericd of privation occurred, or greater hardships were endured, than in the case of that memorable siege with which Gen. Inglis was indissolubly connected. (Hear, hear.) It was 87 days before Gen. Outrara was enabled to bring relief to Lucknow. During that time a vigilant foe had to be kept at bay, with supplies fail ing, and even ammunition running short. And although Gen. Inglis was especially thanked by the Crown, there was not one of his gallant comrades to whom the house did not feel under obligation. E•ipecially was that the caio with regard to those native troops which Ili ler severe temptation yet remained faithful to their standard and to their duty. (Hear, hear.) To those men who had so gallantly signalised themselves in defence of their country the Cormr ander-in-Chief had recommended and the Government had readily acquiesced in the recommendation, that they should be allowed to count one. year's service as a distinguishing mark of their valour. He (Lord Panmure) next came to a large list of officers to whom he asked their lordships to award the thanks of that house for their distinguished conduct and bravery. This list comprised the great body of the officers in the service of her Majesty, and of the officers, native as well as European, in the service of the East India Company. Amongs; these there were many, very many, whom he should like to name to the house, but it would be impossible to refer to all. Of the names of some he would venture to remind their lordships. They could not forget such names as those of Chamberlayne, and Greathed—(hear)—ana Colonel Baird, and Combe, and Vincent Eyre. (Hear.) He held in his hand a list of men whose names he would wish to mention, but he would not, so difficult was it to select where all was excellence, add to those names which he had already mentioned. They formed a body of which this country might be p rou d • a nucleus from which might in future be drawn generals to lead our troops to victory. To these officers of the army therefore be asked the thanks of the house. To the officers of the navy and the marines also he asked the thanks of the house. In connexion with this vote there was a name which he would mention to their lor dships. was already well known(rdeehrecTuagboulttthweascoounnetryw—hihche alluded to Captain Peel, the experience which service h a d-") Captain Peel brought given him and placed himself at the dispos a l of Lord e to Allahabad, but d es i r i ng to tarcnettneg.fieldH e w w a s as s p e e n r t . dr e n bn to the milted to go into act i on, and there n n o b lue did j a b e k e t e t t. : r . service than Captain P ee l an d his galla n t da h imself It now remained only for hi m t o a las the resolution before the hou , e, eof Cleerlm ta that portion of the resoluti ins calling upon the loGuse thanktoto those non-commissioned officers and men who fou g ht the battles of their country, certainly not with less gallantry than the highest officers to which the attention of their lordships had been drawn. In no quarter had there been anything like a want of general success, and he thought that the army of England, both of the Com pany's and the Queen's service , had added to the reputa tion and ch aracter o f the British soldier. lie k new that nothing was sought fir by the army before the thanks of Parliament. The army regarded it as its highest honour to bear read upon parade that they had deserved the banks of that and the other house of Parliament. (Hear, hear.) He had now discharged the duty which he had felt incumbent upon him with reference to those who had been spared to receive the thanks of that house. But he thought he should ill perform the task which had been committed to him, were he to close hi s observations without referring to those who had been gathered to their rest, whose ears were now dull to praise, and to whom no thanks could be communicated. There was, he needed not to say, a long list of officers now no more. Among them were these who bad gained for themselves imperishable renown ; they had shown what a British officer should be; how a British officer should die, and how he could die a Christian and a soldier. The first 'bf those to whom he would refer was Sir H. Havelock. (Hear, hear.) He could not refer to ono who had seen more work, or who had discharged more perfectly the duties of his profession. A soldier almost from his cradle, at the least a soldier from the time when he left the 'school at which he (Lord Panmure) had been his com rade, he had performed his duty as a soldier should, There was no need at that time for him to go into Sir H. Havelock's earlier career. He would only mention that after the gallant general bad risen to considerable rank he was selected to command a brigade in the expedition against Persia. He (Lord Panmure) had heard that appointment very much commented upon as an act of feebleness on the part of the government, which it was said had appointed a man who was worn out, incapable, and past work. This was a striking instance of the manner in which the public sometimes undertook to prejudge a man, and how that judgment would occasionally turn out to be wrong. (Hear, hear.) Sir H. Havelock ably discharged in Persia the duties confided to him. He re turned to India, and when the outbreak occurred he re sumed active duties. With a body consisting of two weak regiments, with one European and one native regiment, he fought those pine actions which have signalised his name and established his character. He even, through the courtesy of Gen. Outram, advanced to the relief of his friend Sir H. Lawrence at Lucknow. But before he knew what the gratitude of his country and his Queen had awarded him, sickness had overcome him, and he was resting by the side of one whose loss to India was equally great— one who was his greatest and dearest friend—Sir H. Lawrence. (Hear.) There was no one who did not feel what a loss had fallen upon India in the death of Sir H. Lawrence. Lawrence was not only a great soldier, but also a great statesman ; he not only ' was a great statesman, but he was also a truly Christian man. So surrounded was he with the rare quality of kindness of manner, that he never was engaged in a quarrel—never made any man his enemy. He never used force so long as other means would prevail, but he never hesitated to use force when ho felt that recourse to it was necessary. It was to Sir H. Lawrence's bene volent philanthropy, to his love of his profession, and especially of those members of it who wore under his command, that they were indebted for the establishment in India of those noble institutions for the reception of the children of European non-commissioned officers and privates which woeld go down to posterity as a legacy from that great man, and which would prove of the ' utmost advantage to the European soldier who was des ' tined to serve in India, by protecting his children from ' the contamination of the barrack-yard and from those diseases which were so incident to the soldiers' children in India, that he did not believe one in fifty of those unhappy creatures ever came to maturity. Ho ought also to mention on that occasion the names of Neill and Wheeler, of Salkeld and of Home ; and to these he must add the names of Nicholson and Willoughby. Of Neill he would say, that he was as distinguished and gallant a soldier as he was ever acquainted with. He had the honour of knowing him from the time when, being on leave of absence in this country, he volunteered for service in the Turkish Contingent. Neill joined that force, and be was convinced that had it gone into the field he would have exhibited before the enemy at that period the same courage, the same perseverance, and the same ability that he displayed in India in conjunction with the gallant Havelock. Wheeler was reported to have been a soldier of great distinction throughout a long career in India. Having entered the military service there in 1803, he distinguished himself,under Lord Lake against Delhi in the olden time ; he distinguished him self afterwards on various occasions, latterly under Lord Hardinge, under his noble and gallant friend opposite (Lord Gough), and under Sir Harry Smith, and he established the character of a great and gallant soldier. They must all regret the circumstances under which General Wheeler fell, cooped up as he was within the walls of Cawnpore, and unable to demonstrate before an enemy the powers for military command which he pos sessed. (Hear, hear.) With respect to Gen. Nicholson, he might observe that during the operations in which he took part before Delhi no one commanded more entirely than he did the approbation of ;those under whom he served. It was his fate to be slain in the hour of victory, just as Delhi was captured, and it was our misfortune to lose the services of that excellent soldier at a time when they were greatly needed. These were the most prominent persons whose names occurred to him ; but there were others with respect to whom be ' could not ;help saying one word as a tribute of respect ' and esteem. They could not forget that almost the first victim that fell after the mutiny broke out was the 1 Commander-in Chief (General Anson). He thought that ' was a fitting occasion for him to do justice to the memory ' of his hon. and gallant friend. (Hear, hear.) He was quite certain that had it pleased Providence to spare ' him he woull have proved equal to the emergency ; and it was satisfactory to know that the course of military operations which he had determined to pursue—that of waiting for a siege train before he assaulted Delhi, and in the meantime gathering round him a suffi cient force to undertake the assault—was that which eventually proved successful under the command of General Wilson. (Hear, hear.) He was convinced that his friend General Anson had in him all that was required to make a good soldier. He believed that he had those talents for organisation, and that habit of communication with those who were associated with + him, which would have ensured the successful perform. ance of his duties, and he grieved that he was not spared to establish his military character, A few words with regard to his successor, who, after a victory which was most important in reference to the future capture of Delhi, succumbed to disease. Sir H. Barnard proved himself a gallant soldier in the Crimea ; he was descended from a race of soldiers ; he died with victory on his breast ; and there was no man whose death was more lamented by those who knew hint and who were associated with him in his labours. He might refer to the services of Willoughby, of Salkeld, and of Home ; of Willoughby in destroying resources which might other ' wise have fallen into the hands of the enemy—of Salkeld and of Home in blowing up the gate of Ihdhi ; but be ' would not do more than mention their names, and with ' their names he woeld associate that of Sergeant Car ' michael Smith and the bugler of one of the regiments. There was one resolution which, as it was not on the notice paper, he would read before he satldown. Be had felt it was a vast, and in some respects a diffieult, under taking to bring before their lordahips this wide field of service. He trusted that he should not, by any omis sion which he had made, create any unnecessary pain. He did not wish to give pain to the mind of any gallant soldier, but he proposed to thank the whole army for the services which had been performed in India ; he proposed to thank every non-commissioned officer and every private, as well as every officer ; and although he had mentioned some persons by name, generals who were supreme in command and others whose names were in the months of the public, he entreated their lordships to give to all the weed of their thanks by adopting the resolutions which he had now the honour to submit to them. The noble lord concluded by moving the resolutions—(for which see Commons debate)—with an additional one to the effect that the house highly and cordially approved of the courage, self devotion, and exemplary conduct of those persons who, not holding military rank, had nevertheless per formed valuable military services in India in defence of : various stations throughout the disturbed districts ; and that the Governor-General be requested to thank those persons for their spirited and patriotic exe r tion s . ' The Earl of DERBY said it had been his lot on more ' than one occasion to support a proposition similar to that which was now before their lordships, and on all such I occasions he had addressed himself to the ta.k with mi t mingled satisfaction. In reference to all motions of that ' description it was very important that there should be unanimity; and tbere'ore he regretted that on that occa sion he could not receive what was ;proposed with un mixed satisfaction. The noble baron had observed that the thanks of Parliament was the highest honour that . e u.,1 ue 1)::-.t:) , ,v(..,_: el: At.l ;•:r,03 ; a:A, concurring in that view, he regretted that the motion was not more restricted in its term'. The value of Parliamentary thanks depended not only on their being conferred rarely and upon signal occasions, but also on their being con ferred with proper discrimination as regarded the indivi duals on whom the honour was bestowed by name, on their being conferred only on those who, according to the unanimous opinion of the country, were justly en titled to them. He believed it was an unusual course of proceeding to grant the thanks of Parliament to a person filling the high situation of Governor-General of India until the whole series of events for which those thanks were to be given had been brought to a close. Had this war been brought to a successful termination, nothing would have been more gratifying to him than to have joined in a vote of thanks to the head of the Indian Ad ministration; but, under the circumstances be felt himself placed in a very painful position, especially as he could not express approval of the conduct of the Governor- General, with their present means of information. Ile thought it would have been expedient to have waited until the noble lord had had an opportunity of refuting charges which had not unsparingly been brought agatast him. (Hear.) They were asked to join in thanking Lord Canning for " the ability and energy" with which he bad applied the resources at his disposal for the suppression of the mutiny. Was such language justified by the bets which were before them 4 He gave Lord Canning the utmost credit for the moral and personal courage, the firmness, the calmness, and the temper which he bad exhibited on all occasions. He thought that his conduct in those respects was deserving of all praise, and he was farther of opinion in a paper which bad just been published in the newspaper., his lordship had to a great extent vindicated himself from the charges of undue leniency and improper inteoference with the military authorities. When, however, the noble baron (Lord Panmure) said that no person could have foreseen the storm which had buret upon India, he must take leave to differ from him. Unless many things which he had read were nothing but romances, there were not a few peso:,, in India who did foresee it, and who, before it burst forth, gave warning after warning, which the government of India disregarded. The eyes of the Go vernor-General appear to have been blinded by persons around him, who convinced him that the danger was not in r • eality so imminent as it. proved to be. When, in eaelyaPp:rticoad i d n a d n e tl e e d r , , h h i e s eyes i were opened to the full extent of the t he o b energy a I himself energetically to meet it, but of the mutiny hie conduct was marked, all the allegatioia,( there was a petition to vaAlatien. uf tl th of Derby) war.. f o- from endorsing He l a resolution, but by imbecility and proportion of the inhab'e b Ca'cutte petition ; but when e considered in which a large he meet t ants of Calcutta asked fur Lord Canning's recall, lordship in the vote of ttanlys the l proposal t; include his o ld okod like an attempt on the part of Government to eh' eirtdtopolneeyeodr twwhouotcclaulikoends o o E n t h w e h p i e c t h i t h o thel e r ta e . 0 v ll e e r nor would .G e n a tell shield that on him against the attacks l w ik h e iu c h ii jlpuaubglEe evhaecdilulautriuofin.ereTdhtueaufidreisuoccaesion was ith his Ghoorkas The offer 7ards to the assistance of the English at Lu e c e k was first declined, and the refusal was soon ° w ait re called. Was that a display of energy and abili e t r the 84th Regt. was summoned hastily from Rangoon Again ' was then ordered back, in the disbelief that the g m oo u n tin it had really broken out ; and then the order for sending it back was countermanded. Then, again, when the g European inhabitants of Calcutta volunteered to arm themselves, aqd thereby to set at liberty a considerable portion of her Majesty's trcops, the offer was in the first instance rejected, if not scornfully, at all events as if it we the result of a groundless panic. A very short time eufficed to show that the panic was not groundless, and the Government were then glad to avail themselves of the assistance which they had refused. Now, he was exceedingly loth to have the appearance even of being the accuser of Lord Canning, but he must say that, with the imperfect information which they possessed, and having regard to the present feelings of the country, this vote would not,so far as the head of the civil department was concerned, carry with it that weight which it was desirable should attach to . all votes of that description. (Hear, hear.) The second person who was thanked by name for his display of energy and ability was Lord Harris, and he must say that the circumstance of his lordship's province being in a state of tranquillity, and of his having despatched all the troops he could spare to the scene of operations, did not appear to him to con stitute a sufficient reason for associating his name with those of others to whom he should hereafter refer. (Hear.) As regarded the diversion of the troops in tended for China to India, the noble baron (L or d Pan mure) seemed to claim credit for Lord Canning in that matter ; whereas it really belonged to Lord Elgin. He had not one word to say against Lord Elphinstone's being included in the vote of thanks. The noble lord appeared to have been aware of the magnitude and importance of the crisis from the first, and he believed that the success which had attended our arms in India was owing in a great degree to the foresight and assist ance of Lord Elpbinstone. No one could object to the mention of Sir J. Lawrence. Indeed the services of the two Lawrences could not be too highly estimated. It was to their activity and energy, to their wise policy and conciliatory manners, that the country was mainly indebted for the freedom from disturbance of those newly-conquered provinces which had been submitted to their care ; and it was owing to these senses that Sir John Lawrence had been enabled not only to maintain his own authority there, but also to afford valuable assistance in the efforts made to restore British authority elsewhere. (Hear.) He took it for granted, from the statement of the noble lord, that a similar debt of gratitude was due to Mr. Frere. What he complained of was that there should have been any names introduced with regard to which there could be the shadow of a doubt as to whether such persons ought to have been included in what the noble lord had justly stated to be the highest honour Parliament could confer. That Lord Canning did not stand in that position he was bound to express his conviction ; further than that be did not go ; and he trusted that neither Lord Canning himself nor any of his friends would believe that be wished to censure or cast a slur upon him, because in the present state of affairs he said he doubted the pru dence and expediency of the introduction of his name, together with those of the other governors of India, in a vote which applied especially to military services. He did not think any one could have justly complained had the government selected only four names for special mention. The noble lord had, in his official capacity, entered at length into the individual services of the gallant officers to whom he referred. He would not attempt to follow the noble lord in what he had advanced especially as there was hardly one of the officers named to whom he had not on a recent occasion contributed his meed of praise. Without wishing, however, to dis parage any of the services rendered, ho must say that even the successful siege of Delhi and the gallant relief of Lucknow did not exceed in interest and heroism the defence of the garrison of Lucknow. (Cheers.) With the most feeble means against over whelming odds, and under circumstances which might well have led to absolute despair, that garrison had withstood a siege almost unparalleled in military history. (Hear, hear.) From the general who held that important command, down to the humblest soldier who shared in the defence, is eluding those native troops of whose gallant services the noble lord had spoken so for cibly, there was not one person in that heroic garrison who did not deserve, and who he hoped would not receive individually some signal mark of her. Majesty's favour. The Victoria Cross would not be thrown away if it were bestowed en masse on those who had performed sech services and who had so nobly succeeded in their defence. He saw an illustrious duke on the cross benches. He was sure that noble duke was aware that it was contrary to his principles to advocate parliamentary interference either with regard to the character of rewards in the army or with regard to the individuals to be selected for re wards ; but he could not help calling the noble duke's attention to some circumstances which came to his knowledge only that morning. In that - 32 d regiment, which suffered so severely and behaved so heroically, although a certain proportion of the officers obtained promotion by death, there were six lieutenants who had derived no advantage from their services, and who had, in fact, nothing to point to except the labours they had undergone and the wounds they had received. Of these six officers three had returned to this country ; one with a broken leg, another with a ball still unextracted from the back of his head, and another in estate of confirmed paralysis, arising from fever and cholera. He would not express any opinion as to the rewards which these officers should receive—he felt bound to state he knew nothing of them personally, and had only repeated what he had heard with regard to those gallant men. Ho would not follow the noble baron through the details into which he had entered, but would only express his hearty and cordial concurrence in the thanks proposed to be voted to the officers and non-commissioned officers of the army and , navy, nor would he repeat again the expressions he bad before used in honour of the illustrious dead who had not survived to receive their thanks. He would tuna to another subj -ct, which he was rejoiced to find hart been at length introduced, though somewhat as an afterthought, by her Majesty's Government—be meant the proposed expres sion of the gratitude of the house and the country to those civilians who had so nobly come forward. He recol lected that in the speech from the throne were the words "Many civilians who were placed in circumstances of extreme difficulty and danger, displayed the highest qualities, many of thorn such as would have done honour to veteran soldiers." When commenting on the speech it happened that he inadvertently omitted to mention those services ; the omission did not escspe the watchful eyes of his noble friend the President of the C .)uncil, who in his reply spoke of the gallant services of those civilians, which he, unlikethe noble earl opposite, could not omit. He (Earl Derby's) surprise was therefore so much the greater, when he read the vote of thanks, to find no acknowledgment of those services. He had de termined to supply the deficiency, and had prepared an amendment, which he had intended to submit to the house, until he found that the nobl e b aron h a d antici pated him ; he intended to propose to add at the end of the third paragraph words borrowed from the Queen's Speech, extending the thanks to those who had dis played qualities that would have done honour to veteran soldiers; he would, however, not!object to the words proposed by the noble baron ; he did not know whether that noble lord considered it would have been injudicious to select any man from amongst the civilians ; he had gone through the names of the military officers, but when he time to the civilian he passed on abruptly, and although there were many of them whose names were fairly entitled to be mentioned with approval, he was sure any one who had studied the events would not think it too great an honour for such men as Venables the indigo planter, who, when the author ittes had de serted the station at Azirugur, almost alone, with only the aseietance of his own ryots, maintained himself for six weeks. Again, there was the name of Gnbbins, an undietingui=hed name, but borne by a distinguished man, who by his influence and character kept down the mutiny in his dis'rict. There was Boyle, the civil engi neer, who headed the little garrison of Arrah, and there imitated or set the example to the defenders of Dick eu w—fer a hat he did on a ,teallecats W. 45 not unwertey to rank with the defence of Lucknow. Again, there was Mr. Money, who, by a splendid act of in,ubordi tion, disobeyed an order, and maintained himself at Gyot, and eventually carried away with him a very large amount of treasure which had been abandoned. There might, perhaps, be more question about the next name, that of /dr. Taylor, the commissioner at Patna ; but he at all events bad a just perception of the magnitude of the danger, and displayed more energy and ability than the Government. With regard to the military officers selected, no language he could use was too strong, no encomium was beyond the merits of those who had justly earned their thanks, whether of those who still survived, or of those who had gone beyond the reach of human praise or censure. He could not join so unhesi tatingly in the first part of the vote. He regretted it bad been introduced, but he could not take on himself the responsibility of dividing or suggesting to the house not to pass it, at the same time be felt bound to enter his protest against it. If a vote of thanks was the higt.. eat honour Parliament could bestow it ought only to be bestowed on those whose merits were recognised by the uniform acceptance and voice of the country. He should be sorry to see the time when either the House of Lords or House of Commons should pass a vote of thanks as a mere personal matter in consequence of the position of the parties ; the honour ought to be restricted closely, nay severely, to those names and those services which the unanimous voice of the country had recognised. The Duke of ARGYLL thought it would be a subject for general regret that matters of difference had been introduced into a discussion of such a nature. However, he would venture to submit that the responsibility of raising those differences dil not rest with the Govern ment. It would have been absolutely impossible to have thanked come of the civilians who had aided in the suppression of the mutiny, and to have omitted all men tion of the heads of the presidencies, without indirectly Casting a censure upon those functionaries. However, it was not upon any snob negative ground that be meant to justify the thanks to Lord Canning. He had taken the greatest pains to ()tensile° into the charges brought against the noble lord, and he would venture to affirm that every one of them— urged, be it remembered, chiefly through the instru mentality of the Indian press—had broken down. In the first plate e it was stated that in the early period of the mutiny Lord Canning had done nothing to pacify the sepoys on the greased cartridge question. Now the blue-book placed it beyond all doubt that within f( rty eight hours after the discontent bail manifested Lorri Canning ha I an orderii , ued that tLesepoys should be allowed to gr.,a , ,e the cartridges with their own material. A second statement was, that no order had been issued to stop the use of the greased cartridges. Why, here again, upon the same authority, it was made manifest that within forty-eight hours after the discontent was shown, L rd Canning ferwardecl a ttlegrnphic communi cation to every station in India, directing that the car tridges should no longer be used. True, capital punish aodl. Lawrence that.„t the e i it was .at ment was not inflicted upon the mutineers at B &Apure, N for capital punishment could not be inflicted upon two whole regiments, however the next highest penalty that doubt thuaet tutalureee csoltd be inflicted upon them they received. Then it was t o i T e l y 3 4 upon th th Regiment been o f disbanded. n e d n e r d y had been received b o o r o t h l f c oeur before (ia ys beforethem tshheo recommendation beyond Canning hiitoanaieweeeprt was, servicest_at of the inh a bit an t s o f Cal order for di ß h an di ng t h e reg i ment had b een i ssued. A 3 ler th e a ll ege d refusal of Lord cotta, hthe statement was not Uwe and the parliamentary papers bad shown it. Lord Canning's policy was to repress panic, and though, in answer to the address of the French residents, he might have spoken cf a " Lroundless panic," yet in other parts of the papers before them it was made manifest that at that very date he was issuing telegraphic messages to all the governors throughout India, urging them to pre pare against the common danger. Undoubtedly, in the first instance Lord Canning did refuse the offer of the Sovereign of Nepaul to send a force of three thousand men into the province of Behar and Lower Bengal. But it was the opinion of the wisest men in India that Lord Canning was amply justified in refusing the offer Of a foreign power made under such conditions. Subsequently, when the same Sovereign offered to send troops into the province of Ouda, the offer was ac cepted, and he thought the thanks of the country were due to Jung Bahadoor for the services which he had rendered us in a moment of need. As to not disarming the Dinapoor garrison, the truth was Lord Canning was unable to spare a man for the purpose, and it would have been in the highest degree incautious to have directed troops from the relief of Lucknow for the purpose. Lord Canning's conduct had been disparagingly contrasted with that of Sir John Lawrence in the Punjaub. Now, the fact was, in the province of Lower Bengal there were no less than 29,000 native troop, and to meet these Lord Canning had only 2,360 Europeans, whilst in the Punjaub there:were 12,424 Europeans to face 42,000 native troops. He had no desire to disparage the ser vices of Sir John Lawrence, but he felt bound to make that statement in order to show that it was impossible for Lord Canning to have made the same energetic dis play in Lower Bengal as had been made iu the Punjaub. He thought that much of the feeling against Lerd Can ning was ascribable to a notion prevailing in this coun try that the outbreak had been long intended, and that it ought to have been foreseen. As for the credit of having directed the China expedition t) India, he thought the credit of that might be shared between Lord Canning and Lord Elgin—the one had suggested it, and the other had acted upon the suggestion. In conclusion, he would only say that it was his sincere belief that amongst those to whom they owed the salvation of India, Lord Can ning would deservedly hold that place which was allotted to him in the vote of that evening. (Hear.) The Duke of CANIBRIDGE said that on such an occasion it was highly desirable that the house should be perfectly unanimous, and he felt it to be incumbent on him to express his concurrence in the sense of the distinguished gallantry and great merits of our army. (Hear, hear.) He was enabled to assure them that the utmost cordiality existed between the Governor- General and the distinguished Commander-in-Chief in India, a cordiality of which every depatoh from the Commander-in-Chief repeated the strongest assurance. (Hear, hear.) He thought it but justice to testify to the extraordinary zeal of that' distinguished com mander, who did not take two days but only a few hours to decide upon accepting the command, and in less than 24 hours was ready to take his departure. In reference to the withdrawal from Lucknow, he said it was almost unprecedented that such a force, encumbered with sick, wounded, and every sort of encumbrance, should retire osuinrgtrleoompsan'the enemy actually had occupied, as if they tiwr i i t n la g o u o t n tthhee position a were still there. But the merits of Sir Colin Campbell were not new to us, they had been exhibited during a long career of distinction. In reference to Sir J. Out ram, he spoke in the highest terms of the manner in which that gallant officer bad conducted the operations under his command ; and, though senior officer of his grade, gave the credit to a junior officer, whom be con sidered entitled to that distinction. He lamented that the name of Sir H. Havel, ck could not be joined to the list of those to whom their thanks were to be awarded, as he was now beyond their praises. (Hear.) It was but the other day that they had awarded to that distin guished officer their separate thanks, and little did they think that his life would so soon he sacrificed. (Hear.) It was impossible to appreciate too highly the gallantry and endurance of those bravo officers, any false move on whose part would have ruined our empire in the East. Great responsibility had also rested on some officers who, till then but little tried, had been placed in importaut posts ; and we had the satisfaction of seeing that they had conducted the operations committed to them to a.. satisfactory issue. He next referred to Sir H. Inglis, who had so distinguished himself in that 87 days' defence in which every officer and soldier, native as well as Eu ropean, had actually been on duty every day, actually shouldering muskets under a brisk and severe fire, and the officers had taken sentries' duty to enable the men to rest. (Hear.) Such circumstances were who'ly unprece dented. Such was the proximity of the native troops to the enemy that they were able to converse, and every inducement was offered to persuade them to desert ; but they had resisted all such inducements, and would now share the honour to be awarded to the Bri tish troops. He MU glad to see in the British army many junior names springing up, amongst which he would mention the names of Beattie, of Hope, of Wel pole, and many younger names. (Applause). lie also referred to the non-commissioned officers and soldiers, 1 1 who had in weather in which it was thougbt impossible for Europeans to do anything, marched for 20 hours, and then gone into action. More could not be expected from them in the mildtst climate of Europe. There were others that were not included, as they were beyond their thanks ; amongst these the gallant Neill and others. If he left out any names it was not wilfully, but because they were scattered over so large a space it was im possible to go through them all. Never had so many individuals had an opportunity of distinguishing them. selves. Her Majesty's Government proposed to allow a year's service for officers on retirement and men on pension in garrison at Lucknow. That was an unu sual honour, but was not without precedent. Lord FALKLAND referred to the observations of Lord Panmure as to the services of Mr. Frere. Teat gentleman, on arriving in Scinde, almost immediately heard of the mutiny having broken out at Meerut ; and, on his own responsibility, sent two regiments to that place, which not only punished the mutineers, but prevented their taking the ammunition. Shortly after wards, when the great Mahommedan festival arrived, he found it necessary to remove from Scinde nearly the whole, retaining only a skeleton of his forces. He also opened a new festival communication between Cal cutta and Bombay, but for which the Punjaub would have been cut off from the rest of India. He could not help feeling that a man who had rendered such service, that to withhold the thanks from him would have been both ungenerous and unjust. Tne LORD CHANCELLOR then put the motion, which was agreed to. TUE BISHOPS' TRUSTS SUBSTITUTION BILL, The BISHOP of LONDON introduced a bill to meet certain cases in which trusts had been left to the bishop of a diocese, and the property had passed into another diocese. There was at present no power to transfer such trust., and much inconvenience had resulted. T oe pre sent bill would empower the Charitable Trusts' C iinniis sion to transfer such trusts to the bishop really intended by the legatee. Lord CAMPBELL supported the bill, which was read a first time. RELIGIOUS WORSHIP, The E rl of SHAFTESBURY said that after full consideration he much preferred the bill on this subject which ho himself had introduced, to that proposed jby the meet rev. primate (the Archbishop of Canterbury). It had the concurrence of the great mast of the country, but, he regretted to say, not of the clergy, a great many of whom were strongly opposed to it, and others, he f, are!, scerr tly entertained a dislike which they did not preptr expt ess. 1 cling, Line:eele, that it would be impossible to carry it without much, and, perhaps, auery debate, he should withdraw it. founded, nobl e It cart, whose objections would enable the he Toe Archbishop of CANTERBURY, i n mov i ng t h e Fecund reading of the bill, expressed his regret that i t had thoughtnot t h w e approval onvoetl well eI f the bishop on certain representations to give an authority for special services, but would nut give any powers which would be oppressive. He regretted that the noble earl should think it valueless, as it was calculated to eff,ct all the purposes sought by the noble earl in his bill. Lord DUNGANNON was glad the noble earl had withdrawn his bill by wi.ich our whole parochial system would be broken up. He should not Oppose a bill sup ported by the unanimous voice of the bench of Lis'ior. The Bis:,op of LONDON supported the bill of the most reverend primate, which woul'l effect all the objects of the noble earl without being open to the same oLjecticus. The Earl of DERBY thought it would be very satis• factory to their lordships to hear that the noble tarl had .postponed his bill, in order that the bill of the most,tev. prelate might be passed. Lord CAMPBELL gave his support to the bill, which he thought was sound in principle. The bill was read a second time, and the house ad jonrued at twenty minutes past nine. HOUSE OF' COMMONS;—(YEsTEtt)AY.) The SPEAKUR took the chair shortly before four o'clock. NEW MEMBERS. Sir H. Rawlingou and Lord J. Browne, took the oaths and their seats, the former for Reigate, the latter fur Mayo. STANDING ORDERS. The following gentlemen were appointed a committee on standing orders :—Colonel Wilson Patten, Mr. Sotheron Estcourt, Mr. Henley, Sir Robert Ferguson, Mr. Robert Palmer, Mr. B ra mston, Mr. Thornley, Mr. Elliott Lockhart, M r . B onham-Carter, M r . Deedes, and Mr. John Arthur Wynne. THE MARRIAGE OF HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS ROYAL. The SPEAKER reported to the house her Mrjesty's most gracious answer to the address presented to her Majesty on Saturday, relative to the marriage of her Royal Highness the Princess Royal. Iler Majesty received with great satisfaction their dutiful and affectionate address. her Maj es t y th an k e d t h em for their congra tulation 3, and assured th em that i t was most gratifying to her to know that th e ausp i c i ous ev ent had called forth expressions of the hi g h est sympa thy and attachment of the people. (Hear, hear.) IMPROVE`IENTS IN INDIA. Mr. GREGSON gave notice that be ,houid movo on an eally day for returns of the improvements in the administration of India during the last 30 years. REINFORCEMENT'S FOR INDIA. Sir J. PAKINGION gave notice that on Sir Be L. Evans Moving the appointment of his committee relative to the transport of troops to India, he should object to the proposed constitution of the committee, in point of ollaitiorg, &c,, and that the committee should be selected on the same principle as the committee of inquiry in reference to Sebastopol. (Hear, hear.) CAVALRY IN INDIA In answer to a que:l7nfroM Capt. VIVIAN, Sir J. RAIVISDEN said that arrangements had been made for the reinforcement of cavalry for India the same as for other corps intended to be maintained there, There was no present intention to send more cavalry out to India, and it was impossible now to state what addition would be made to the cavalry, because it greatly depended on the course of events. The home Govern ment would not send horses by the men. CAPTURE OF THE CAGLIARI. Mr. RIDLEY asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether her Majesty's Government had received a copy of a despatch, dated the 16th day of January, sent by the Sareinian Government to the Government of Naples, on the question of the illezal capture of the Cagliaii steamer and her crew ; and, if so, whether it was in tended to lay a copy of that despatch on the table I f the house ? Also, whether the views of her Majesty's Government coincided with those of Count Cavour ; and, if so, what course they proposed to take in pursuance of those views. Lord PALMERSTON said that a confidential despatch such as that alluded to bad been received by her Majesty's Government from the Sardinian Govern ment, and also some documents drawn up by the Neapolitan Government, forming the act of accusation against the parties to be brought for trial. Certain questions were pending between the Sar. dinian and Neapolitan Governments as to the locality where the Cagliari was seized, to which the attention of the law officers of her Majesty's Government bad been directed. Ile asked not t) be pressed to lay the papers before the house at present. TELEGRAPH TO ALEXANDRIA. Mr. CRA.WFORD asked the First Lord of the Trea sury whether her Majesty's Government bad entered into any arrangements for extending the Mediterranean system of telegraphs to Alexandria ; and whether any arrangements bad been concluded, or are now under the consideration of her Majesty's Government, for bringing India into telegraphic communication with this countty by way of Egypt and the Red Sea, or by any other route Lord PALMERSTON said that as yet her Majesty's Government had not been able to make final arrange ments for continuing the telegraph to Alexandria. Several communications had taken .place between the Government and the different parties interested, but as yet the Government had been unable to make final arrangements. As yet no definite proposal had been made to the Government for carrying the telegraph by the way of the Red Sea to India. CHAPEL OF THE BRITISH EMBASSY, PARIS. Mr. WISE asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the 2,0001. advanced from the fund for Civil Contingencies, on account of the purchase of a chapel in Paris, had been repaid ; and what course her Majesty's Government had taken with reterence to the decision of the House of Commons declining to confirm the contract made by the British ambatsador. Whether it was true that certain British residents at Paris had offered to purchase the said chapel, and that her Majesty's govern ment bad declined to resign the purchase condemned by the vote of a large majority last session. (Hear.) The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said no offer bad been made to the English Ambassador at Paris to exonerate her Majesty's Government from the liabi lities they had incurred. One mode of doing so had been made to her Majesty's Government, but it could not be accepted without certain conditions being at first complied with requiring the Consent of the French Go. vernment. 'Some local difficulties surrounded it, and should they receive a favourable answer the matter would be arranged. GENERAL ASHBURNHAM. Mr. WARREN asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether it was true that Gen. Aehburnham proceeded from China to India in pursuance of instructions from home, and whether he bad since returned to Eng'and, and, if so, under what circum , tances, whether volunta rily, or whether he had been recalled ; and, in the Litter case, whether there be any otjection to state on what grounds ? • Lord PALMERSTON said it was well known that General Ashburnham was sent out to take the command of the forces intended to operate against Canton, but which were diverted from their intended destination by the commander-in-chief to reioforce the troops for India, in consequence of that, and there being no probability of his active service being required before Canton, he was permitted to go to India to see if he could be actively employed there; but finding no opportunity of active employment in the field opening to him commensurable with his rank, he thought it better to return to this country, and place his services at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief. Ger. PEEL rose to address the house, when he was called to order by The SPEABiR, who said that the house was always disposed to bear explanations relative to the honour and character of individuals, but the gallant officer must confine his remarks to Explanations. Gen. PEEL then, addressing the house as the friend of Gen. Ashburnham, read a statement from the gallant general, accounting for his return home, similar to the statement made by the noble lord the First Lord of the Treasury. The subject aen dropped. VOTE OF THANKS TO THE ARMY AND NAVY IN INDIA. Mr. DISR A ELI rose to a point of order. When the noble lord (Palmerston) gave notice of his motion on Thuraday, it was concluded in general terms in a vote of thanks to the army and navy, but on the notice appearing on Saturday in the votes he found it included a vote of thanks to the Governor-General. He urged that the noble lord had not given proper notice of his intention to do so. The noble lord if he intended to have proposed a vote of thanks to the Governor- General of India ought to have given notice of it, and have given the house an opportunity of discussing the whole of that noble lord's Indian policy, and if neces sary have a call of the house, that a fair verdict might be taken on the motion. (Rear, hear) Ile asked if the noble lord was justified in the course he now pro posed to take. (Hear, hear.) The SPEAKER said the original motion was of a general character and not specific, the terms of which he then held in his hand. (Cries of "No army," and "Navy only.") The particulars of that notice had been placed in the vote', and he had no hesitaton in saying that ample notice hL.d been given of the terms of the motion to be submitted to the House. Sir J. PAKINGTON said that he understood the notice to have been specific and not general. (Hear, hear.) No one bad the least idea that when the noble lord gave notice of motion that he intended to include a vote of thanks to the Governor-General of India. (Hear, hear ) Lord PALMERSTON said that tine roles of the house did not require notices to be given. He might have proposed the vote without notice. (Hear. hear.) The SPEAKER ruled that the noble lord was in order. Lord PALMERSTON then proceeded. to say—l rise to perform a duty at once painful and gratifying to the person who has to perform it, and which I am sure will excite in the minds of all hon. gentlemen mingled feeling of pain and gratification. The occasion on which we are assembled is one in which the house is called on to take into consi deration the great events which have taken place during the past year in India, events which in all parts of that county have called forth those distinguished qualities which characterise our race, and which never in the his tory of the world were more eminently displayed. The event which have occurred, namely, the groat mutiny which extended to almost the whole of the Bengal army and to a small portion of the armies of the other presiders. cies, -was wholly unexpected, and was foreseen by no one before it happened, although there have been many pro phets after the fact who say that they could have foretold, but never did foretell it before it happened. Some of those who were acquainted with the Sepoys were aware that in certain localities and in certain regiments there were dis contents, but those who best knew the Sepoys reposed the gr eatest confidence in the ir lo y alt y and fidelity. Sir C. Napier, who six years ago was at the head of the Bengal forces in a paper from which I read an extract last session described, in 1849, the native troops as proverbial for their fidelity. It is true, in that letter he says that Lord Har dinge, who was not so well able to judge by experience of the Indian soldiers, and who judged them more by the ordinary roles of human nature, thought it was not expe dient that large bodies of native troops should be collected together for military exercises, lost they should bo tempted to enter into conspiracies, hut Sir C. Napier distinctly said ho had no such apprehension, and that he could rely on any number of native troops who might be brought to gether in masses 'for purposereof military instruction, The great mutiny, which begun by small degrees and extended itself to a large range of country, and though an immunise military force, took India by surprise. Some officers who were bast acquainted with the character of the native troops had such a belief in their fidelity, that up to the last moment they would not believe in their revolt, and fell victims to that belief. This great event coming unexpect edly, and taking the military and civil service of the crown in India by surprise, gave them greater opportunities than if they had received some warning of showing the energy, self-reliance, and perseverance which they have shown on so many occasions. Unfortunately though we have to rejoice in many triumphs and successes of our troops over superior numbers, it would be unworthy of this house, argil contrary to the feeling of the country, if we did not on this occasion pay a tribute to the great men who have fallen. I will not go into the question of private feeling and sorrow, for we have only to look at great public service done to the country ; but in passing a vote of thanks to the living, wo ought to pay a passing tribute to those their country has lost. We have lost many—some who had given proofs and promises of future distinction, and soma who by their active achievements had shown themselves to be a credit and an honour to their country. (Hear.) The first I shall men tion was one who was among the first to perish—the late Gen. Anson. Immediately on the outbreak of the mutiny he assumed the command of all the troops he could collect, and hastened towards Delhi. Gen. Anson has been repre eented by those who are-little acquainted with the facts as having delayed the occupation of Delhi, by waiting for a siege train which was not required. So little were people informed with regard to India, that there were some persons who believed that Delhi was an open town, and that you had nothing to do but to walk into it; and they did not know that it was surrounded by fortifications which re quired the use of a battering train. General Anson fell a victim to disease at an early period of the operations, and was succeeded by Sir Henry Barnard in the command, who marched at once upon Delhi, and displeye during the time that his life was preserved high quali d ties as a General. He in the first instance gained a great advantage over the Sepoys outside the town, upon which some officers would have paused, having gained a great success after a long march ; but General Barnard saw that if he allowed the Sepoys to occupy a certain position before the town he would have to undertake two sieges, one agains , that advanced position and another against the town itself. General Barnard, therefore, pushed on, an I gained pos• session of that position, and so obtained favouraMe ground for his operations against General Barnard in a short time fell a victim to his great exertions, and was succeeded by Gon. Wilson, who, more fortunate, was able to bring the siege to a close. The list of those distinguished men who fell by disease or the sword in the operations that have been going on Would be too long for me to mention now. There aro many whose names mention whose actions have been placed before the public view, but letii not be supposed that there are not others whose names I do not mention who aro not equally worthy of public gra titude and the thanks of this house. (flear, hear.) Sir Henry Lawrence was a man whose great services we all know. (Hear.) He held for many years distinguished positions iu the civil and military service, and he was one whose loss every one must deplore. (Hear, hear) General Nicholson—(hear)—was an officer of the greatest merit, whose services, if he had lived, would have been of the greatest value to his country. Sir Hugh Wheeler—(hear) --who in the midst of his arduous efforts to defend Cawn pore lost his life, was one of those who, if he had been pre served, would been enabled to perform important services. Then I need only mention the name of General Havelock —(hear)—to remind the house of the loss which the country has sustained, and of the deep grief and lamentation with which his loss has been received by the country. (Hoar, hear.) General Neill—(hear)—was an officer whose loss must be deeply felt. (Hear.) Lieutenant Willoughby-- (hear)—was distinguished early in these events by the daring act of blowing up the magazine at Delhi, and who, having escaped from that danger, afterwards fell a victim either to disease or to the enemy. Lieut. Salkeld's—(hear) —name is prominently distinguished for heading.the bold achievement of blowing open the gates of Delhi, in coin pany with Lieutenant Howe, both of whom unfortunately fell. Thera are many others who fell whose names I could mention, but which I forbear from adding to the painful list; but whilst referring to those who still live, we do not forget those who have perished in this war, and we associate their memory with the bitter recollection of what brilliant services they might have performed for their country if. they had survived. There is one consolation in the matter, and that is that the display of manly qualities has been so great, and so universal, that we may hope th,t, many of those who have hitherto had no opportunity of distinguishing themselves, if they have that opportunity, will so conduct themselves as to be equally entitled to the gratitude of their country. I now come to those who happily are still living. I will state the resolution which I propose for the acceptance of the house. In the first place, it contains that which is usual on all great occasions, and that is to give the thanks of the house not only to the officers of the military and naval services who are entitled to those thanks, but to those persons who are at the head of the civil government, and who by their arrangements and by the means which they have provided for the mili tary service have contributed to our military successes.- I pr, pose that the thanks of this house shall be given not, only to the officers and men of the two services, but I propose to'add another resolution of which I was not able to give notice, but with regard to which I am sure no point of order will be urged against me, although it is a departure from the general practice and has been proposed on a sud den. I am sure that every one will feel that when we are thanking the army and navy for their services we ought to acknowledge the services of those persons, of whom there are a great number, who were not in the military service, but who in the defence of posts co-operated with the mili tary and who are equally entitled to our thanks. (Hear.) An objection has been taken to the first resolution which includes Lord Canning, the Governor-General ; Lord Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay ; Lord Harris, the Governor of Madras ; and Sir .John Lawrence, the Commissioner of the Punjaub. If these different officers bad not performed the services which they did perform, and if they had not shown the greatest diligence in providing the means to enable the mili tary commanders to take the field, and to accom plish so much before a single man had arrived from Eng land, we should not now be able to point to Delhi taken, Cawnpore relieved, and the garrison of Lucknow saved. Lord Canning, when first the mutiny took a serions shape, and after it had assumed a formidable magnitude, knowing that a very long time must elapse before any largo rein forcements could arrive from England, set himself to see whence reinforcements were to come by means of which the revolt was to be suppressed. Lord Canning accord ingly wrote to Lord Elgin, strongly urging on him to per mit the force.which had been placed at Lord Elgin's dis cretion for supporting his proceedings in China to be ea. verted from that service, and sent on to India. Lord Elgin, with a promptitude and zeal which was highly honourable to him, consented, and sent the force on which he had de pended for carrying out the duty on which he had been sent to the other end of the globe, and, feeling the import ance of putting down the rebellion in India, sent every ' man of that force thither, and postponed to an indefinite period his operations in China, and gave up the means he possessed of enforcing his negotiations in that country. Lord Canning also had resort to the governor of the Cape, and, although there were symptoms among the K ffir population which gave him some uneasiness, Sir G. Grey sent troops, horses, artillery, and moneys and everythin g that'he could send to assist the governor-general. The governor of the Mauritius did the same thing. Sir Henry Ward, the governor of Ceylon, pursued the same course. Sir H. Ward and the governor of the Mauritius stripped their respective colonies of troops to ar extent which nothing hut such an emergency could have justified, and took on themselves a responsibility which did the highest honour to their public spirit. (Hear, hear.) Lord Canning also took measures to send to Persia, the Mauritius, and Australia, for horses to mount the cavalry and equip the artillery which was expected from England. Lord Canning, knowing that when the troops from England arrived there would be a difficulty in sending them from Calcutta up the country, and-knowing, from experience, that the bullock• carts, the animals and vehiclesof thepeaaantry, were taken, as was the custom, by coescription, and that theeseasantry, therefore, hid them and carried them away, and that it was difficult to obtain the means of transport—Lord Canning, I ray, wisely resolved to pay the peasantry for the use of these carriages, and the result was that so far from their beingno means of transport, after the arrival of 20,000 troops a great number of bullock-carts were obliged to be sent away which had been brought to the railway station by the people in the hope that they would bo employed. I say, then, that Lord Canning is justly entitled to the thanks of this house. Lord Canning has been the object of many attacks, and I will give a specimen of the attacks to which he has been subjected. I have not seen the extract to which I allude, but I am told that there appeared in a Calcutta paper,-when Lord Canning appointed a particular officer to- the staff in the expedition to Persia, a statement to the effect that Lord Canning had crowned all his former foljies by appointing a worn out red-tapist to a post for the duties of which he was wholly unfit, and that he was only fit to sit at table with his dinner before him." I do not remember the exact words, but it was something of this insulting description. Now who does the house think was the man represented ? Why no other than that distinguished man General Havelock: ("Hear," and cheers.) I hope therefore that the house will not be led away by reports and paragraphs iu the Calcutta papers. I entreat the house to look at the services which Lord Can ning has performed in providing the means by which our officers have obtained their successes, and I am sure that no right feeling man will refuse to include him in the vote of thanks which I am about to propese. The same thing may be said, in a lesser degree of Lord Elphinstone, and of Lord Harris, who to the utmost of their power gave assistance to the Governbr-General, and who stripped their Presidencies of troops and sent every disposable man to the scene of action. As to John Lawrence's ser vices—(" hear," and loud cheers)—he has by his ability and judgment not only kept the Punjaub tranquil, but havitg organised a force of Sikhs, the very men who not long ago were so hostile to us, he sent every Euro. peon soldier that he could collect to Central India, by which' means so much was enabled to bo done. I hope the house is too sensible of such services to refuse to concur in the first resolution which I have to propose. I should have mentioned Mr. Frere, who-is included its the-vote, a man whose services are so well known that it is i-carcely neces sary to recur to them. Then the second resolution confe-s the thanks of the house on the different generals who are named therein. I think when I mention the name of Sir Cohn Campbell—(6heers)—that no man will say that any warmth of approbation which the house could express would be greater than his services. (Cheers) Sir Colin Campbell has displayed the highest qualities' of a soldier. The alacrity with which ho left England for India was characteristic of his country, of his extraction, and of his military capacity. He was asked if he would take thecorn maud in Indio, and when he could start; and his reply was, "To-morrow morning." He waited for no prepara tion, nor for any military equipment, saying that he weld get all he wanted at Calcutta, and he did not lose one hour before he departed. On his arrivaltt Calcutta, Sir Colin Campbell placed hims e lf i n th e h ouse of the Governor- General, and whatever may have been reported to tlee contrary, the most perfect harmony, esteem, and g ood-will prevailed between hi m an d th e Governor-Genera down to the latest hour; and I know that Sir Colin Campbell has written to the Governor-General, expressing his deep sense of the public services of Lord Canning in the course of this war. Sir Coal Csuspbell is a man of rare merit, combining with the greatest intrepedity and courage that caution and that power of adapting means to an end which. are calcu lated to effect objects in was-with the least effusion of blood and the least possible loss of his troops. It is a quality which his groat predecesor the Duke of Wellington emi nently possessed, .and which renders the exertions of an earns , doubly powerful on the day of battle. Sir Colin Cam p bell in his advance on Lucknow displayed the greatest strategy, and the meaner ill which he extricated that crowd of women and children, and sick and wounded, from their perilous position, showed a military ability which has never been surpassed. (Cheers.) 'Anti when h a came t o Cawn pore and attacked the Gwalior force, instead of rushing on without preparation, he waited until everything.wae duly prepared, and the result was such as completely to justify his foresight. It must be a great consolation to the country that we have so great an officer as Sir C. Campbell has shown himself to be; and I must say that we must all feel it to be a great satisfaction when wo know that there are among us men who, when great actions are to be performed aro found equal to the situation, and who by their de€ds entitle themselves to the applause and gratitude of the country. Then there is General Wilson. (Hear, hear.) Ho came accidentally into the command of the force before Delhi, iu consequence of the unfortunate death of his two predecessors, and he showed that the officers of the scien tific branch of the service are not less capable of command ing armies, and producing great and glorious results. The skill which he showed in variousengagernentsand the talent ho exhibited in conducting the siege, end the judgment ho displayed by not attempting the assault until the forces at his disposal were sufficient to command success, entitle Gen. Wilson to the gratitude of the country and the thanks of this house. Gen. Outram is also mentioned by name in the resolution. General Outran), after showing great abi lity in the Persian expedition, returned to India and was appointed to a command which entitled him to supersede General Havelock, who bad been earning those laurels which now can only crown his monument ; but General Outra,u3,. showing a spirit of chivalry—(hear, hear) which was equal to his ability, declined to take the command i from General Havelock before he had earned the highest distinction which be sought, and he served under him as a volunteer ' telling him, " Until you have su ccee d e d i n relieving Lucknow, the object of your repeated endea vours, I will not step in and deprive you of the glory to which you are so eminently entitled. (Loud cheers.) It is pleasant to find such. distinguished commanders en dowed with such generosity as Gen. Outrun so nobly dis played. Then there is Gun. Cotton, who has done such good service, and Gen. 11. Graut--(hear, hear)--and officer of great distinction and ofgreat promise, who has performed a'rett that d h c e o nwrielrl achievement s,glory l nagndc of afted to his s e - h e i yb profession,r hi hope en on n ro ti m whose time his uue a c n ou ° n r tr a y a . - (Hear, hear.) Then there is Gen. Chamberlain , who per formed good servi ce a t D e lhi , and Col. Greathei. (Hear, hear.) I came these, because the name s of all those wh have distin gu i s h e d themselves canno t tion, yet it wou ld b e a great suppression o - f feelingifmoest of thorn were not mentioned; although I cannot mention them all. There is Col. Jones, of the 31st Foot, who was distinguished at Delhi ; Col. Campbell, of the 32 , 1, at the same place ; Col. Jones, of the 6Jth, and Col. B. Smith piear, hear)--the engineer who had the Merl . of conduct ing the op era ti ons under Gen. Wiesen at D elhi, and of placing, a battery within 50 yards of a wall that was breached—an exploit worthy of all admiration. Them there are Lieut.... Rayner and Lieut. Collis, who co-operated with Lieut. Willoughby in blowing up the magazine at Delhi. There is Gen. Woodburn, of the Bombay army, and Brigadier-General Stuart. Thou there is General V. Cortlandt—(hear, hear)—who has performed important services in the Punjaub. Theme is Gen. Burn aired Cel V. Eyre- -(loud cheers ) —who performed a most important service; and Gen. Inglis -(loud cheers)--a name for ever wowei.ele, in th e gallant and enduring defence of Luck- I now. (Cheers.) I may montion the name of another man, not indeed belonging to the army, but who is to be found wherever fighting is going on and he can get into it, and that is Capt. Peel, who is distinguished for his courage equally on sea and on land. (Cheers) I beg to move-- "That the thanks of this house he given to the Right Hon. Viscount' Canning, Governor-General of the British Possessions in the East Indies ; the Right Hon. Lord Har ris, Governor of the Presidency of Madras ; the Right Hon. Lord Elphinstone, Govei nor of the Presidency of Bombay ; Sir John Laird Mair Lawrence, G.C.8., Chief Com mis loner of the Punjaub ; and Henry Bartle Frere, General Commander of Scinde, for the energy and ability with which they have employed the resources at their com mand to suppress the widely-spread mutiny in her Hajesty's Indian dominions. "That the thanks of this house be given to his Excel lency General Sir Colin Campbell, G.C.8., Commander-in- Chief in India ; Major-General Sir James Outram, G.C.B ; Major-General Sir Archdale Wilson, Bart., K.C.8.; and Major-General John Eardley Wilmot Inglis, K.C.B. • for the eminent skill, courage, and p erseverance displayed by them in the achievement of so many and such im e ortant triumphs Over numerous bodies of the mutineers. ' "That the thanks of this house be given to the other gallant officers of her Majesty's army, navy, and marines; and also of the Hon. East India Company's seririce, for the intrepidity, the patient endurance, and other high military qualities which have masked their discharge of those ardu ous duties which they have so successfully performed. • "That this house Both highly approve and acknowledge the high courage, the devoted loyalty, and the brilliant services of the non-commissioned officers and men of her Majesty's military and naval forces ; of the European troops in the service of the Honourable East Indi a Com- pany ; and of the great body of those native corps through out India who have remained faithful to their standards ; .tnd that the same be signified to thorn by the commanders of the several corm, who are desired to thank them for their gallant behaviour." I am happy to say that many portions of the Bengal army have been faithful to its allegiance, and that in the town of Lucknow, where some of the troops were solicited to be faithless to their homes and to join the mutineers, they romained loyal to the last, and resolved to shed the last drop of their blood in defer.ce of European lives. (Cheers.) In the Madras army there waa hardly a defection, and in the Bombay army the defection was only slight. It is due to a large portion of the Indian troops that their fidelity should be acknowledged and rewarded with the thanks of this house. I would &so move a vote of thanks of which I have not given notice, but - which I trust the house will at once accept, and that is, "That this house cloth highly ap prove the courage, self-devotion, and exemplary conduct of the persons who, though not holding military rank, have nevertheless performed military servipes throughout the districts in which they were resident, and that these reso lutions be transmitted by Mr. Speaker to the Governor- General of India, and that his lordship be requested to communicate the same to theseveral officers referred to therein." (Cheers.) I think we should not be doing jus tice to the feelings of the country if we did not include these indivi teals in our vote of thanks. (Cheers.) To name them would be impossible. There are many amongst them who have performed the most heroic actions, who have shown the greatest military capacitY, who have not only resisted superior numbers with courage and perse verance, but also with the greatest possible skill. (Cheers.) I will only add, that all parties, whether brought up to h e military or naval professions, or whether occupy ing civil positions, have always been found equal to the cir cumstances in which they were placed, have also risen with the occssion, hate been adequate to all etntigevies, and have always done honour to themselves and to the country which has given them birth. (Loud cheering.) The SPEAKER having put the first resolution, convey ing the thanks of the house to the Governor-General and the other gentlemen therein named, Mr. DISRAELI said—Sir, in recording the unprece• dented,lnstre which surrounds our gallant troops I must still express my regret that on the present occasion the noble lord should have unnecessarily introduced into the discussion elements of controversy. (Hear, hear.) I quite agree with the . noble lord in his view of the conduct of the most distinguished individuals during the last year in India. Ido not think there is any one instance in which character has been so remarkably exhibited, and in which individual energy has shone with so much lustre. The in cidents of story are epical, the narrative reads like an Ho meric poem, and every scene produces a hero. In those remarkable events there are two incidents which in import ance, attract considerable attention, and it is curious that in those two instances our countrymen are placed in an exactly contrary position. In one they were besiegers and in the other they were the besieged, and in both cases they achieved complete success and gained immortal glory. (Cheers.) Between the siege of Delhi and the siege of Lucknow there is, however, a passage which ought never to be forgotten on an occasion like the present; and that is the connecting link between them--the march of Greathed —worthy I think of Caesar. (Cheers.) The noble lord has very properly reminded us that on an occasion like the present, when we are called upon to express the thanks of this house for the heroic services of our countrymen in India, we should not forget those who have departed— those who have deserved, but unfortunately canuotreceive the expression of our approbation and gratitude. (Hear.) I was glad also to observe that the noble lord did justice to one who long sat in this house, and who, I believe, had the opportunity been afforded him, would have proved per. fectly equal to the occasion—l moan the sagacious and gal lant Anson—(cheers)—who would, I have no doubt, have gained an illustrious reputation. The noble lord has re minded us of the distinguished general who fell before Delhi, but who, before be fell, had at least the satisfaction of achieving great results on behalf of his sovereign and his country—General Barnard. (Cheers.) There are many rho, having been unfortunately prematurely cut off, can not be enumerated on that roll of heroes, such as Nichol son, Havelock, and Neill. (Cheers.) There are other die "tinguished names which aro recorded in the vote. Sir J. Oatram was not more distinguished by his chivalry than by the generous sentiment which placed him under peon liar circumstances in a subordinate position. (Cheers.) There ie one gallant officer whose name appears in the last resolution whose gallant conduct in the defence of Luck now has not only excited the" feelings of all Englishmen, - but has created, from peculiar circumstances, great interest in this house. lam sure, however strong may have been the general feeling of the country with respect to the un happy position in which the gallant Inglis wasplaced, many a heart which thr , bbed for his beleaguered fqrtress atLuck now in this house will to-night with peculiar pleasure join in the vote of approbation o f hi s ga ll an t services. (Cheers.) The noble lord has described with great happiness the che r-cter of the commander-in-chief. Sir Colin Campbell has, I believe, only one fault—a courage too reckless for his country. I believe that a union of personal valour, so emi nent, so prudent, has seldom been equalled in the annals of the history of Great Britain. (Cheers.) The noble lord has referred to the conduct of the other branch of her kfajesty's service, and alth oug h it wou ld appear somewhat singular in a war with India the services of her Majesty's navy would be needed, still by that happy destiny which seems to con nect the glory and daeger of our country with the existence and services of that eminently national and popular branch, even in this strange war with India the services of the navy have been most distinguished. Those who remember the early career of Capt. W. Peel in the Crimea will not be as tonished at his achievements in India, and at the manna in which he brought up the heavy artillery through lands where there were no roads, and before the astonished eoun tenances of enemies who counted upon the absence of such means of, attack. (Cheers.) These are subjects on which one can treat with complete satisfaction, and in which we can all most cordially agree. However awful was the course of events during the last yeir, howeser troubled and however gloomy our prospects m ay in some degree be at this moment every one must feel that the nation which produces such men as these ie a nation cot destined to be a cteclining empire. (Cheers.) I wish the noble lord had permitted us • this evening to give a unanimous vote with respect to the actions of the heroes to whom we are under such great e_nd deep obligati ons . It i s no t mere ly the (Avers of her bins jesty's troops who have distinguished themselves. There has been a degree of energy on the part of the common soldiers which cannot be stifflciently praised, lad even an elevation of sentiment and purity of feeling which the country will always appreciate. I can conceive in the trying moments of many of these illustrious men, from the highest general to the rank and file, why on some occasions they exhibited such a sentiment and such conduct---I can conceiv, in the hour of trial an I struggle, that what animated them to each determined valour and energy was the possibility that they might obtain the ap probation of their sovereign and their country. We know' from the confessions of many warriors that what-has -sus tained them in the hour of battle was thehopeof thefavonr of their sovereign and the vote of thanks of this house. Who can tell what might have been the feelings of a man • like General Inglis with regard to this influence? We know it was so in the case of General Havelock. Perhaps at the darkest and most trying moment the vision of the vote of the House of Commons might have °ems over hie feelings, and sustaiued him to the hour of his triumph. This shows how important it is that votes of this kind should not be • degraded. (Cheers.) When lam told, if I make an oh' servation on the manner in which votes are brought for. ward, that it is the usual form and the usual precedent thank certain persons whose actions have been meritorious , • and some whose conduct iu the opinion of others has bees little meritorious, I think we ought to take care how WC make such a proposal a mere form, because you will not honour those who receive thanks if they are endues - Int - but you will destroy the distinction to those who hais their lives or at least perilled their lives, in order to merit and obtain them. (Hear.) Let me express myself distinctly with regard to the first vote. There are amongst the noble men and gentlemen whose names are mentioned some re specting whose services there can be no question. Tor stance, Sir John Lawrence, who on every occasion has shown that he possesses the highest qualities, and that he has exercised theni without any personal feeling. So far as • o3e can judge frem the course of events, the conduct of tho Governors-General of Bombay and Madras is deserving o f thanks. So far tie lam able to obtain information, Lord Elphinstone is particularly entitled to our thanks, because I believe that it is owing to him that troops were obtained from the Cape. (Hear, hear.) lam not desirous of enter' ing into a controversy with respect to the conduct of Lord Cunning. I think her Majesty's Government ere fectly right in proposing a vote of thanks to Lord Canning. if they think he deserves it, but I also thi n k that a/such a - subject due n o ti ce ought to have be en g i ven . It s hould net be consid ere d a mere form—it should not have been • surprise. After alf that has occurred and all that has be en said, I think the friends of Lord Canning ought not te: desire to see a vote of this kind surreptitiously carried. have never brought any charges against Lord Cannivg . But if the noble lord challenges us to-night, I must oa press my opinion, which is not influenced by prejudice a t factious motives. I think there are passages in the se ri ; duct of Lord C ann i ng which require mat explanation s u et a vindication which we have nut yet heard. lam not zr pared to say that explanations cannot be given, or tha t vindication may not be made; but I sin Y'V o pared to s a y thi s — we ought not'to vote these thanks 4 . ~Lord Ossining, and Lord Cauning ought not to deign _ a „ accept them, unless the house has arrived at the clear ° b u g . eiction that his Excellency merits a testimony •sf 1 34 _, T approbation. No doubt the mutiny in-India took 01 °. • hely by surprise, and of course Lora Canning had told . t o noble lord so • but some more satisfactory explausr la , ought to have ' been given than those which had been v t u b , doted by the noble lord. There are passages of policy on of part of the government of India which demand the"! 0 , careful inv e stigation before the house c a n b e so 1113W i r s. .. to commit itcelf to the approbation of c o n I n a which see ms wards they may consider it their duty tot mpugn. W . ° w o o s some information as to the negotiations between the vernor-General and the ruler of Nep eu l. Th a t matter oil; entirely involved in mystery. Why were th e negotiate ..4 , e n n with the ruler of Nepaul to brin g hi s t roo ps into O discouraged? Why were they afterwards condole ,t`; s Why were they afterwards r enewe d ? It i s p o ssible iserd Canning may clear up th ese p o i n t s , b u t surd'lvot, e conduct requires explanati on , an d we oug h t no t our thanks to him before w e h ave ascerta i ne d these to fa ct I should like to know the motives which induced Canning to order the troops from Rangoon, and then T: 0 7; termand thew. It is possibl e th a t par t o f his pro