The Press.
London, England, 1858-06-19 00:00:00

THE PRESS, JUNE 19, 1858.

resumed the consideration of the remaining resolu-
tions, beginning with the oth :
That the members pf the nominated portion of the
Council shall be selected by her Majesty, subject, as a
genera rule, to the qualification before expressed, and one-
half at the least of the elected members shall possess the
like qualification.

Lord STANLEY, after adverting to the position in
which the committee was placed by its past votes—
nne of which had decided that the members of the
Council should not be all nominated exclusively by
the Crown, but that they should be partly nominated
And partly elected,—reviewed the plans suggested
for providing an organ of election. The proposal of
looking to India for a portion of the Council would,
he observed, rob the Civil Service of India of the
maximum of efficiency in order to give it to the
Home Government; and that of Sir James Graham,
while it would not meet all the difficulties of the
ease, would open the door to many and great abuses.
The Government proposed not to vest the election
in any particular constituency, but to deal with the
first appointments thus I—Accepting the number of
fifteen, they proposed that, out of the fifteen
members, eight should be nominated by the Cmven,
and that the other seven should be elected out
of their own body by the. existing Court of Directors.
For the filling up of vacancies, they propose
that every alternate vacancy should be filled up
by nomination by the Crown, and by the choice of
the members of the whole Council. He thought,
if nomination and election by a constituency were put
Aside, the committee, in order to combib e the two
principles, were thrown hack by a kind of logical
necessity upon some such a plan as this.
Lord *PALMERSTON suggested that, before this new
proposition was considered, it should be placed upon
the votes, and that time should be given for
deliberating upon it. He entreated the house, how-
ever. to deal with the Council upon the established
principles of the British Constitution. According
to those principles the reponsibility of nominating
the councillors should he left to the advisers of the
Crown, and he was ready to leave them that dis-
cretion. He strongly urged the house not to resort
to any unconstitutional !locus pocus, or to adopt any
principle in this question contrary to our constitu-
tional system.
Atter some further discussion,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER proposed that
the 6th and 7th resolutions, relating to the coniti.
trition of the Council, should be omitted, and the
debate deferred until the Government proposition
was in print.
In the course of the succeeding discussion, the
tenure of office by the members of Council, their
patronage, their salaries, and the nature of their
functions, and whether they were to be admitted to
a knowledge of all despatches, were considered, and
Lord STANLEY gave explanations upon these and
other points, observing, in conclusion, that, as the
resolutions already passed had answered their purpose
(a remark which raised a good humoured laugh),
lie was prepared to consent, on the part of the Go-
vernment, to proceed no further with them, but at
once to introduce a bill.
Ultimately, after a long and very desultory discus•
sion, the sixth and remaining resolutions were with-
drawn, and the Chairman was ordered to report the
resolutions which had been agreed to, and to ask for
leave to bring in a bill founded thereon, it being
understood that the bill would be introduced that
evening, and that its second reading should stand
for Thursday evening next.

In the evening, -
Mr. FITZIIOY brought up the report of the com-
mittee upon the first five resolutions, which were
agreed to, and leave was given to bring in a bill
founded upon these resolutions.
Lord STANLEY immediately brought in the bill,
which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a
second time on Thursday next.