The Press.
London, England, 1855-08-11 00:00:00

advantageously taken. " Amending Acts "
that is, acts which repeal a part of some pre-
vious act, and put something else in the place
of that part—are at best clumsy contrivances
to do with the least amount of trouble that
which must be done somehow. In some in-
stances, we fear, this method of patching an
old blunder must still be retained. E.y.: sup-
pose that in the late Customs Act or Mercantile
Marine Act, each consisting of some two
hundred folio pages—each, in fact, constituting
a little code in itself—a single clause be found
defective, it is certainly better to amend the
defect by a new law than to declare invalid,
and then re-enact, the whole of that in ex-
istence. But these are exceptional cases ; and
in general we do not hesitate to affirm that
acts passed to amend other acts ought first to
repeal the law with which they deal, then to
restore, with the requisite corrections, so
much as it is desired to preserve—to the
intent that, the required statute being once
found by the inquirer, there may be no further
need of reference backwards or forwards, in
search of earlier or later acts in connection
with which that first found must be construed.
None but those practically conversant with
the Statute-book know how much its pages
would be simplified, and search through them
facilitated, by this one easy reform. A Board
like that proposed need not cost more thatf
6,000/. yearly, making the most ample allow+
ante for that large item of " Sundries " which
swells all public as well as private accounts.
It would act as a filter for the muddy waters
of Parliamentary legislation—a purifying in-
strument of which they stand in much need.

THE INDIAN FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
TUESDAY last was an eventful day for India—
not on account of anything actually done for
the amelioration of its condition, but because
of the disclosures then formally made to the
House of Commons. These were of a nature
to render the continuance of the misgovern
ment of the Directors for any lengthened term
impossible. It is a satisfaction to us to be able
to say that every word of these disclosures
afforded the most complete confirmation of the
charges which we have repeatedly made in the
columns of this Journal. The deficit for the
year 1854.5 was stated in round numbers at
two millions six hundred thousand pounds
sterling. The discrepancies between the asser-
tions of the Company's financiers as to the
cash balances at different periods were held as
showing the grossest incompetence, or, what
seemed more probable, a purposed mystifica-
tion of the accounts, with a view to deceive
the public. The new Five per Cent. loan, and
all that related to it, was so entirely condemned
that the Minister's only anxiety was to show
that he was in no way responsible for it. The
habitual resort to torture both in police and
revenue cases was fully admitted, and the
official report of the nature of this torture
tallied completely with the descriptions which
we sometime since gave. As regards the direc-
torial spokesmen in the House, and particu-
larly Sir JAMES HOOO, it was shown that they
must be either utterly ignorant of the country
which they have claimed a peculiar fitness to
govern, or that they have wilfully violated the
truth for the purpose of misleading the House
of Commons. Never, perhaps, since the day
they were born did the Direction cut so pitiable
a figure. Both Indian Minister and Indian
Secretary abandoned all defence of them, while
the Ministerial supporters were most for-
ward in the attack. Mr. HENLEY expressed
. .

his abhorrence of the abominable practices in
which their complicity was established, and Mr.
WHITESIDE, quitting the subject of torture,
and alluding to their judicial system, stated
that he had never read such a farrago of folly,
ignorance, and absurdity, as the decisions of
their local courts of justice.
Misfortunes, they say, never come single,
and this extraordinary exhibition in the face
of all Europe of the kind of Government to
which the noblest dependency of the British
Crown has been unfortunately committed
followed closely on the heels of the Judicial
Committee of the Privy Council in the case of