The Press.
London, England, 1857-07-04 00:00:00

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occupy the public attention at this moment, which appear
to me to be fair and proper inquiries to he made by
Parliament, and which I hope her Majesty's Government
will not shrink from answering. No one can for a moment
shut his eyes to the extreme peril in which at this moment
our authority in India is placed ; hut, sir, little as my
confidence has ever been in the Government of that
country, I cannot say that I take those despairing or
desperate views with respect to our frisition, or with
regard to India, which in a moment of danger or calamity
are too often prevalent. I beg to express my opinion—an
opinion which I have before expressed in this house—that
the tenure by which we hold India is not a frail one.-
When I reflect that that country is inhabited by twenty
five nations different in race, different in religion, different
in language, I say it is no easy process by which such hete
loweneous elements can be fused into combination. But as
perhaps everything is possible, and every disaster prac-
ticable, if there is an inefficient or a negligent Government,
the house will be performing its highest duty if at tLis,
the earliest of p inanity after intelligence has arrived
which has produced great alarm in the capital of her
Majesty's kingdom, it invites her Majesty's Government
frankly to express what, in their opinion, is the cause of
this great calamity ; and, above all, what are the means
which they intend to take—at once to take—in order to
encounter the perils which have arisen, and to prevent the
evil consequences which are to be apprehended.
Mr. VERNON SMITH, in reply, said that in a short
time 14,000 men would be on their way to India.
He hoped that the house would not be led "to ex-
aggerate the crisis by the mag titude of the steps
they were taking. '1 hose troops would be sent out
solely as a measure of security." He hoped that the
next mail would bring favourable intelligence. Delhi
was capable of being easily surrounded ; so that if we
could not overcome the mutineers by force, we could
do so by famine :

He had no doubt, however, that their reduction would be
effected by force. General Anson had appeared before
the place, and on the 27th of May he would have had an
ample force. Unfortunately, the mail left on the 27th,
and he (Mr. Smith) could not, therefore, appiise the house
that Delhi had been razed to the ground, but he hoped
that by the next mail they would learn that ample retribu-
tion hal ueen exacted from the mutineers.

In reply to Mr. Disraeli's questions, Mr. Vernon
Smith said that various causes of this disaffection
had been bruited about in society, but none of them
had ever been pressed upon the Home Government,
nor had any application ever been made by the local
Governments for an increase in the European troops
at their disposal. As to the withdrawal of military
officers for the purposes of the civil service, that had
been the habitual practice for a long series of years,
and had never been disapproved of by successive
Governments. "At the same time it should be recol-
lected that whenever a regiment was called into
action, it was the rule that all the officers who were
engaged in any branch of the civil service should
immediately join their troops." With reference to
the alleged interference with the religion of the native
troops, Mr. Vernon Smith was not aware that the
cartridge question, and "other causes," had even
been brought so prominently before the Government
as to justify a charge of neglect against the Govern-
ment for not having applied a remedy to them. Mr.
Vernon Smith exculpated Lord Canning from the
charge of vacillation, and said that neither on this
occasion nor on any previous occasion had he ten-
derei his resignation, and had "behaved in this
emergency with the vigour and judgment which he
(Mr. V. Smith) always anticipated." With respect
to the reported difference of opinion between General
Anson and Lord Canning, Mr. V. Smith observed :
sm quite aware that subject has been bruited about in
private circles, but of my own knowledge I know nothing
of it. I have always heard those gentlemen in private
speak in the highest possible terms of each other, and I
am not aware that there were such differences between
them as might not be allowed between all men acting
together in public life.
In conclusion, Mr. Smith declined to go further into
details, but declared his belief that no danger exists
further than that any outbreak may happen periodi-
cally in India from fanaticism or other causes, to
be put down as sureiy as the present outbreak will be."
SAVINGS-BANICS.

Sir H. Wilmot:max asked the Chancellor of the
Exchequer for an explanation as to the purchase of
287,8001. Three per Cent. stock and 2,470,0001. Ex-
chequer Bills, and as to the sale of 2,384,030/. Three
per Cent stock and 111,0001. Exchequer Bills, be
longing to the trustees of savings banks, in the year
ending the 20th of November, 1858. He wished to
know what was the meaning of this gigantic stock-
jobbing transaction effected without the knowledge
of that house.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
operation complained of was as follows:
On the 20th of November, 1855, the balance in the hands
of the Savings•bank Commissioners was 217,0001. 'That
was not stock nor Exchequer Bills, but money in hand
which it was incumbent on the commissioners to invest.
In the course of last year it became necessary to borrow
2,000,001. on Exchequer Bills, and the Government had
therefore to consider what would be the most advantageous
step to take. They accordingly sold 103,0001. of the
snip-bank stock, which produced a sum of 1,703,0001.,