The Press.
London, England, 1857-12-12 00:00:00

THE PRESS, DECEMBER 12,1857.

feels more than I do that it is absolutely necessary to give
future security to Englishmen in that country by punishing
in the most exemplary manner all who should be convicted
of having perpetrated those crimes. ( Hear, hear.) The
crime of the soldier who attacks his officer is to my view
the crime of parricide. The crime of a man who violates
a woman is so horrible that for my part I should wish that
in the legislation of all the world the punishment—the in-
exorable punishment—fur it were death. But could any
one have contemplated the possibility of a crime so ex-
tensively committed in India—the crime of torturing and
murdering children? There is something so revolting to
human nature in such a crime that I cannot understand
how any mercy could possibly be shown for so horrible an
offence. (Hear, hear.) I would persecute with unre-
mitting and untiring zeal the perpetrators of those horrible
crimes. God would not forgive us if we pardoned them ;
but I do entreat your lordships, and the people of this
country, and our countrymen in India to recollect that for
punishment to produce real effect there must be discrimi-
nation. ( Hear.) To produce effect the punishment even
of the greatest offences must appear to be inflicted after
ample investigation from the judicial administrators of the
law. (Hear, hear.) It mustjnot appear to be the result
of the wild vengeance of a private individual. (Hear,
hear.) If it be desired that our empire in India should be,
as I trust it will, eternal, it can rest only upon mutual
confidence between the governors and g ivertied, and I
trust that in the hour of victory, if we should triumph, we
shall be found as jealous of our honour as in the hour of
difficulty; fur by acting on such a principle we shall, if so
unfortunate as to fall, be accompanied in our fall by that
which we have hitherto carried with us, and I hope ever
will carry with us through this great contest, the sympathy
and goodwill of European nations. (Hear, hear.)

Lord GRANVILLE could not for a moment agree
with the noble earl that the Arms Act was a
grievance to Europeans, since the law sim ply required
the Englishman to come forward and give notice to
the magistrate of the arms be wanted to keep or
carry, to enable him to do so legally. He vindicated
the operation of the law restricting the Indian press
from the censure which had been cast upon it, and
stated that it was only owing to that law having been
impartially enforced that Lord Canning and his ad-
ministration of the affairs of India had been so reck-
lessly attacked. Up to three weeks before that law
came into operation there was scarcely a European
in India who did not coincide with Lord Canning
and sympathise with him. He quite agreed with the
noble earl that no effort should be spared to secure
the confidence of the natives, and he was sure that
when history should pronounce its verdict upon
these transactions in India its high eulogium would
be passed upon Lord Canning for having resisted
the pressure to put the Europeans and natives
upon a different footing, a measure which would
lead the whole mass of its population to regard the
Government as a partisan and a violent hater of
their race.

Lord GREY, deprecating discussion generally upon
Indian matters at this moment, said he cordially
agreed with the impartial policy of the Arms Act,
which he intimated had been resorted to from sheer
necessity, and to prevent a trade which might, and
there was no doubt would, have been carried on
between the natives and some bad Europeans, had
the latter been allowed to possess arms to any
extent. It was a paramount necessity that the Go-
vernment should be so conducted as to secure the
confidence of the natives in India, for the days of
our empire there would be numbered if ever its vast
population should know that our rule was inconsis-
tent with their interests.

Lord AIALMESDURY defended the remarks made by
Lord Ellenborough, and altogether disputed the
policy advocated vy Lord Grey, that in such a crisis
their lordships were to remain silent until the Go-
vernment gave them permission to speak.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE expressed his
approval both of the Arms Act and the restrictions
on the Indian press. The free sale of arms to all
persons and a free press were totally incompatible
with carrying on properly a civil war of such magni-
tude as that in India.

- -
The Duke of ARGYLL deprecated further debate
upon the subject at the present time, and defended
Lord Canning, whose leniency had more tended to
check the spread of mutiny than the most severe
sentsnce had done at the outset.
The motion was agreed to, and their lordships
adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS-MONDAY.

Mr. A. RUSSELL took the oaths and his seat for
Tavistock.

Petitions were presented by Mr. BLACK, from the
Committee of the Indian Christian Association,
Edinburgh; and by General TuomrsoN, from the
Baptist Congregation in Zion Chapel, Birmingham ;
praying fur a thorough reform iu the government of

On the motion of Mr. HAYTER, a new writ WAS
ordered to be issued for the borough of Scarborough
for the election of a member in the room of Earl
Mu'grave, who had accepted the office of Steward
of Hempholme.