The Press.
London, England, 1853-05-21 00:00:00

Vrotettlings in arliantent.

IN I)IAN MISGOVERNMENT.
On the House of Commons resuming business
after the brief recess on Thursday, the first public)
question that was proposed in the shape of a motion
for going into committee of supply was employed by
Mr. RICH, to expatiate upon the anomalous system
and evil results of our present Government of India.
Nothing like full and efficient information had as
yet been offered to the House on the subject. The
committee, had been appointed very late ; had re-
ported but upon a single head of the vast inquiry ;
and had given only the opinions of eighteen witnesses,
of whom five were military officers, and the other
thirteen all interested in the past, present, and
future of the East India Company. He wanted not
only an examination into the bare machinery of
government, or a detail of messages exchanged be-
tween Leadenhall and Downing-street, but an
inquiry " into the well-being of the whole people of
India, how they were governed, and what had been
done to improve their social and moral condition."
Upon these points Mr. Rich proceeded to offer a
variety of details, from which he drew a heavy charge
of maladministration against the Company, as re •
garded their military, financial, and judicial systems ;
as also of neglect in the matters of public works,
social improvement, and native alliances. Of the
Indian Army be remarked :
" It was asserted that none but the most degraded natives
of India could be induced to enter our service. The
higher castes disdained entering a service in which the
highest rank they could attain must be subordinate to
that of the rawest ensign just arrived from Europe. The
prement inefficient state of the Indian army was attested
by Sir C. Napier, and if they wanted further evidence they
would find it in the statement of Lord Ellenborough, to
the effect that all the young European officers treated the
natives with the greatest contempt. Why should not one
half of the Indian army be led by natives, seeing that
such an arrangement would only render the other half all
the more efficient? At present every European officer
escaped as soon as possible from his regiment, and got on
the staff, or into a civil appointment. It appeared that
there were in all 4,710 officers to the Indian' army. Of
these 94N were absent on leave. 1,040 employed in civil
appointments or on the staff, making 1,988 absent front
the regiments, and leaving only 2,728 officers for regimental
duty. He found also that whereas in her Majesty's troops
there was 1 officer for every 2r) soldiers, the East India
Company haul for their European regiments 1 officer to
soldiers, and for the Sepoys 1 officer to 100 men. (Hear.)
He would ask any military man whether after such details
he could wonder at the calamities of Caboul. or the doubt•
ful and sanguinary victories of the Punjaub ?"
Of Indian Finance :

" In this country one year's deficit would alarm a minis-
try, but in India during the last 1:1 years I'2 had been
years of deficiency. ( Hear, hear.) One year hail been
one of surplus to the amount of 300,000/., but the de-
ficits on the other 12 Vicars averaged a million annually.
In 1143:3, when the charter was renewed, the debt amounted
to 33 millions, lint dedneting the commercial assets of the
company, then giving up trade, it was '►9 millions, whereas
at the present. moment it exceeded too millions. Here was
an neettmulation of 21 millions in less than 20 years
through maladministration. It might be said that with a
modified charter this state of things would improve, but
that story was as old as the company itself. Lord Melville
in '93 had hoped for an improved revenue; so had the
Duke of Wellington at a later date; and, when Lord Hast-
ings had effected what was called the pacification of India
by the termination of the Mahratta war, he even Antici-
pated a surplus, and went. so far as to deelare that its
probable autonut. would lie four millions annually. Even
so late as the time of Lord Dalhousie, the Saturnian reign
was again promised, but it had never come. (Hear, hear.)"
Of Indian Law :

" In India no previous legal education was considered
neeessary for a judge. and men were allowed to decide on
the destinies of 01Ie hundred millions of people who had
never hail an 1 s instruction in law. Out of 567 trials
there h►il been 3:ls appeals, and in 131 cases the decisions
of the inferior courts had been reversed."
Of Indian Education :
" The returns were frightful,—maly one school at
Madras."

Of Indian Patronage:-
- In refutation of the charge of native exclusion, the
eompany had published a paper showing that 1,14011 natives
held employtuent under them. This was in appearance a
fair number, as the European staff was only S4M but these
latter absorbed all the large salaries, while the natives had
all the drudgery. Of the natives, 1.100 had salaries e,
from INd. to Os. Md. pee diem ; .100, from Os. Sd. to 18a 4d. ;
177. between 300/. and VOL a year; and 45 from 5001. to
SOO/. a year. What were all these compared to the
European situations of from N.OOOl. to 10,1001. and 12,11.01.
a year."
Of Indian Pale Works :

" The company were as land to their own interests as
they were to those of the country. It appeared that thew
was a vast delta of eotmtry sultieet to frightful inundations
and consequent dearth. which an outlay of 30000/. would
restore to a safe and healthy position. Famines had taken
place, sweeping away 100,000 persons and millions of pro-
perty, and yet si.x.years had been consumed. by the cum-

MAY 21, 1853.

ha thrr
patty in correspondence, discussing the question of m
or no these hundreds of thousands of people should
periodically sacrificed."
Stuuming up his charges against, the system
into the following schedule—" irresponsible govern-
ment, private interest overriding public trust,
maladministration of justice, the distraction or
degradation of its allies, endless wars, and bank-
ruptcy looming in the distance "—the hon. mem-
ber contended that he hail made out a ease
which forbade hasty legislation when the renewal of
the charter should be asked from them. A year or
two of delay were nothing compared with the object
of establishing a sound, remanent, and satisfaetory
form of government in India.
Sir C. Woon declined to open the question pro-
posed, on the plea that he should so very soon have
to develop the intentions and views of the tiovern-
ment on the subject of India, the day for which
operation had been previously fixed by Lord John
Eussell for the 3rd of June.