The Press.
London, England, 1858-05-22 00:00:00

THE PRESS, MAY 22, 1858.

DIRTY!-RATHER.

HIATORIANS have gladly remarked the onward
progress of thp Pritiph people in virtue and
mnpgs. The fosces of this advance are of
many ifinds, an 4 no do} bt the growth of a fil-
gious feeling is Ow perpnling cause of the whole.
Vven to go lincic Ant more than forty years,
we moy call to mnnl, That, at the clqop
of the great European war, pugilistic combats
were found in almost every week's papers, with
Peers of the realm for bottle-holders ! The
pillory was in frequent use, and the gallows was
in req• -; 'on at Newgate oftener in a month
than it now is in a year. In the year 1815 we
did not raise, for the spread of the Christian
faith, so much as 60,000/. a year, whereas we
now raise 600,0001.! In the sear 1815 we
doubt if a single nobleman or gentleman in
England built a church at his own sole cost ; in
the present year, 1858, we have no doubt that
more than fifty churches will be so built.

Along with this advance in the tone of morals
and religion there has naturally grown up also a
just and proper feeling of honour and truth in
public affairs. The notorious corruption of
Wm,roLE's days is gone, never, we trust, to
return. But more than this, a high and gentle-
manly feeling has been cultivated, and men can
withstand each other manfully on the floor of
Parliament, and afterwards meet at the social
table without anger or malice, or the loss of self-
respect.
Is it not highly desirable that such a state of
things should endure, and, if possible, be even
advanced ? But how lamentable would it be if
trickery and chicane and underhanded dealing
were gradually to supersede this improved condi-
tion of public morals. Some circumstances which
have occurred within the last few days lead to
doubts and apprehensions on this score. A visible
deterioration has taken place; and it concerns us
all to know the reason why.

A great question has recently been opened,
between the Governor-General of India and her
Majesty's Government at home. Lord CANNING
prepared a Proclamation, to be issued imme-
diately on the fall of Lucknow, of a kind which
seemed to the Government at home to be fraught
with peril. In such an emergency
rt it was ob-
viously most desirable that the communica-
tion should take place between the Governor-
General at Calcutta and the Government at home,
on this, and all other kindred topics. Yet, strange
to say, during three months which have elapsed
since the present Government came into office,
no private letter or communication has reached
the India Board !

When, however, the question which has un-
happily arisen, between the Government at
home and the Government at Calcutta, began to
assume a serious aspect, it occurred to some
friends of the Government to ask—Whether
Lord CANNING, in ignorance of the change of
Ministry which had taken place, might not have
been communicating with the late President of
the Board of Control, instead of with the present
one; and, if so, what had become of his letters ?
Accordingly, about a week ago, Mr. NEWDRGATE
asked Mr. VERNON SMITH, in his place in the
House of Commons, whether letters from Lord
CANNING had not come into his hands. So
questioned, Mr. VERNON Slum poured forth a
multitude of words, the substance of which, how-
ever, is contained in the following paragraph of
his reply :
" My answer is this. I received a private
letter, dated March 6, from Lord Comm, the
nature of which I will communicate to the House
presently. There are three modes of communi-
cation between the Governor-General and the
Board of Control—through the Court of Direc-
tors, which is public and official; through the
Secret Committee; or by private letter, which
is, of course, the most confidential manner. I
am perfectly prepared to admit in the fullest
sense that every ex-Minister and every man who
hears anything that may be of advantage or im-
portance to the public service is bound to com-
municate it to the Minister of the day ; but there
is this reserve in dealing with private corre-
spondence, that they are not bound to do any-

-_-,.......
thing to betray unnecessarily the confide, nce of a
private correspondent, and that is the limit which
I should ‘ipt twa a* iptorcourse between ex.
Ministers ed t- r plecessors. My first act after
quittiAg ptlice was f 9 epmntunicate to Lord
1
ELLT^Nprou a pq.vat letter from Lord
ELPNRISTRIt/E, whit tile Ole Earl returned
wit *t Wviti . apt fu. r communication.
Will . :4, •to 'rd 1,34/9Tpro the case is some-
krhaf ' ; ~. nt. ..; OPINING was my public
colleagpe and my private friend, and his letters
were more familiar, more confidential and inti-
mate, than those of other Governors. I therefore
did not send Lord CANNING'S private letters to
Lord ELLENBOROUGH—(a laugh)—but in perusing
them I watched carefully to see if they contained
anything that could possibly make them of such
a nature as to require me to communicate them
to the existing Government. (Hear, hear.)
Now, the particular communication which has
been alluded to in another place, and to which,
I think, undue importance has been attached, as
I shall show presently, was dated March 6. It
arrived when I was absent in Ireland ; but I do
not dwell upon that circumstance, because un-
doubtedly that was not the reason why it was
not communicated to the Noble Earl at the head

of the Board of Control. That private letter,
referring to many circumstances, contained one
paragraph which stated,—

"' I intend to issue a Proclamation to the
talookdars and landowners of Oude which will
reach you officially by the mail. I had hoped to
have accompanied it with a full explanatory
despatch, but more urgent business has prevented
me from doing so from hour to hour.'

" That letter did not contain any copy of the
Proclamation itself, nor any explanation respecting
it, or I would certainly have forwarded the Pro-
clamation or the explanation to the Government
—(Hear)—but as it stood I confess it appeared
to me at the time, and still appears to me, that
the letter was not of such importance that I
should communicate it to the Government.
(Laughter.) I may state, however, that I read
it the moment I received it to my Noble Friend
the Member for Tiverton—(derisive cheers from
the Ministerial side)—to whom it did not appear,
any more than to my•self that it was necessary to
communicate it to the Government. (Laughter.)
I am perfectly prepared to justify my not having
made that communication, and I have not the
slightest feeling of regret for not having done
so. (A laugh.)"

It will be observed that while Mr. VERNON
Shunt particularly spoke of one letter, he after-
wards dropped the expression, "Lord CAN-
" snro's letters," and spoke of " perusing
" them."

So, then, Mr. VERNON SMITH, since his retire-
ment from office, has been in the habit of
receiving letters—a series of letters—from Lord
CANING. And he knew—he could not but
know—that these letters were sent to him as
President of the Board of Control, and that all in
them which was not private and domestic was
public property, and belonged to the Board of
Control ! And yet it does not appear that in all
these three months he ever communicated one
line of these letters to his successor in office !
Granting the probability that in these letters
there were private allusions and private commu-
nications, still Mr. Smines duty clearly was,
omitting such passages, to have copies made of
all the rest of the letters, and to transmit those
copies without an hour's delay to his successor at
the India Board. We say that this was his plain
duty, and that his omission of so obvious a duty
is nothing less than FOUL PLAY. We say, too,
that had such conduct been traced to a Tory ex-
official instead of to a Whig, we should have found
Mr. BEILNAL OSBORNE, or some such useful emis-
sary, moving before now for a Select Committee,
"to examine the late President of the Board of
" Control touching certain official letters said to
" have been received by him and improperly
" secreted."

-------
But have we any right to assume that a single
line in these letters had any reference to public
affairs ? Yes, we have, for two reasons, viz.
Mr. VERNON SMITH, when further questioned
on another occasion, said :
" The lion. and Learned Gentleman had spoken
of some possible reproaches which Lord CAN-
mo would make ; but he (Mr. V. Sxtrru) did

I

reproaches, for if he had erred, it
'. delicacy for Lord Canning."

plainly implied that the
. a bearing on the topic now
and that therefore Mr. VER-
them. Had they been on
. private affairs only, no one
3 see a line of them. But
that "he may have erred,"
out of too much delicacy
' The meaning of this
obvious to admit of a doubt.
- right to ask for " private
. question, too, has been set
since occurred. The present
Board of Control was asked a
the practice with reference to

said he had to state that no
the Board of Control of any
soon as such letters were
at once forwarded to their
might state, however, that
Government came into office,
months, no private letter or
communication had either been received
Government or been received
itrol until Saturday night last.
Saturday night last a packet
containing three private
CANNING, all addressed to the
Board of Control, Lord ELLEN-
CANNING had received intel-
ELLENBOROUGH had accepted
fact of his having addressed
to him immediately after-
, to prove that he was in the
corresponding by private letters with the
'Cheers.)"
made complete. For three
CANNING was ignorant of the
taken place at the Board of
those three months no confi-
'ion was received from him.
\ of Lord ELLKNBOROUGH to
India Board is made known to
itely three private letters from
President are brought by one
eis clear and inevitable. In
which have elapsed, various
arrived here, written by
President of the Board of
these have been delivered to
accounts for the expression he
occasion, of " Lord CANNING'S
perusing them to see if they
necessary to be commu-
Government ! And we are to be
that during all these three
series of letters—how many
been—from Lord CANNING to
President of the India Board,
t family gossip and sinctly
Why ! we will undertake to
c a single man on the whole
'hose swallow is equal to such
But if not, what is the alter-
all these letters there was
nature, anything addressed
_ the India Board, what has
doing, in secreting it from the
successor ? Will any man, in
Parliament, stand up and say
have been honourable and

written on Thursday after-
hour after, we were treated
glimpses into this mystery.
evidently feeling that Mr.
involving the whole party
forward, took the matter out of
to set things straight by
extracts to the douse of Com-
ame fault was still adhered to,
frankness and straightforwardness.
his explanations, people were
. to how much had been re-
much kept behind. Hence
had still to be asked, as

it is undesirable that this

subject should occupy the
again, perhaps I had better
question to the Noble Lord.
-night of two letters which
by the late President of the

not fear those reproaches
was from too much dell
Here, again, it is pi
letters in question had a
before Parliament, and t
NON SMITH concealed th
private affairs, and on pi
would have desired to se
Mr. SMITH admits that
and may have erred "01
" for Lord CANNLVG."
language is too obvious 1
But have we any rig
letters" at all ? This q
at rest by what has since
Secretary of the Board
few days since as to the
private letters, when
" Mr. BAuxtE said l
record was kept at the
private letters. As 801
received they were at
destination. He migh
since the present Govet
a period of three mont
private communication I
or shown to the Govei
at the Board of Control i
(Cheers.) On Saturda'
arrived at the Board c
letters from Lord C ANN
President of the Board
uoitormi. Lord CAN-si
ligence that Lord ELLE
that office, and the fact
three private letters to
wards was sufficient to
habit of corresponding b
Board of Control. (Chu
Here the case is mac
months Lord CANNLNI
change which had take
Control. For all those
dential communication
At last the accession of
the Chair of the India I
him, and immediately th
him to the new Presid
packet. The inference is
the three months whiC
/eaters have probably a
Lord CANNING to the I
Control ; and all these
Mr. Siam. This accou
dropped on the first occae
letters," and of his perm
contained anything m
nicated to the Governm
expected to believe, thi
months the whole serif
soever they may have bee]
the (supposed) Preside
contained nothing but
private matters. Why !
say, that there is not a
Opposition bench whose
a story as this. But i
native ? Why, if in al
anything of a public na
to the President of thi
Mr. S3irrn been doing, i
knowledge of his succe
either House of Perlis
that he deems this to he
correct conduct ?
Thus far had we writ
soon, when, in an hou
to some further glimp
Lord P.totEusToN, ev
IER.xON s •
MITH wag 111
in disgrace, came forwas
his hands, and tried t 4
reading certain extracts
mons. But the same t
of a want of frankness
Irhen he had given his c
still in the dark as to
T,ealed, and how muck
'umber follows questions had
" Mr. BRIGHT : As it
411Pleaaant part of the 81
attention of the House 4
st once put another quei
feeave heard to-nig]
been received by