The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-01 00:00:00

THE REVIEW DAYS AT CHOBHAM.

str u7FTIODMAN sai•l the public bad beta much dis-
appointed owing to theis nut knowing the days Ul2 which
the reviews were to take place at Chatham. (A laugh.)
Would there be an♦ objection to an Intimation of those in-
tended reviews being made to the public ? (Hear, hear.)

Viscount PALMERSTON—In mossier to the question of
my hon. friend, I have to say that the main object of as-
it ceiling the troops encamped at Cit,otihilll is to prepare
them by previous instruction for all the cies i,f•
war ; and, therefore, one eseential point is at t ' should
know beforehand what they are to "gut, hczt day;'
but that they should go to bed in perfect Allskop whe-
ther they are to he woke up in the middle o them Vht, or
at day-break. Consequently, it would be t.itficult if the
public were let into the secret to keep the troops in the
dark. (Laughter.) I can only tell the hon, gentleman
that those who are anxious to witch as those interesting evo-
lutions may b 3 certain that every day when it does
not rain—(loinghter)--and when the state of the
weather will a:low the men with due regard to
their lit alth to be marched out of thiveamp—those who
choose to visit the scene are sure of seeing things quite
worth the trouble of goin3; there to witness. (Laughter.)
TUE INDIA BILL—ADJOURNED DEBATE. .

The order of the day fur resuming the debate un the
second reading having been read,
Mr. RICH said his main objection to the bill rested upon
no period being fixed for its duration. It ought net to ex-
tend for one minute beyond five years, but the still better
course would be to delay legislation, and pass a continuance
bill. He saw no hope in the assurance that the bill would
be altered whenever parliament thought fit. Once pass the
bill, and alteration would not be easy. The fact was, the
question of India reform had sprung up, like a great tree
from a grain of mustard-seed. Members would
certainly have acted indiscreetly had tuey brought
is a bill such as the country :would be ripe for
by the end of the session. Nevertheless, this was
'no excuse for crude and hasty legislation. With
regard to the competition part of the plan, Mr. Rich gave it
his high approval, and hoped that it might be extended.
He advocated the removal of the Court of Directors and
parliamentary responsibility as regarded the President of
the Board ofCootrol. lle denounced the war mania and
the lust of territory which have hitherto characterised the
government of India. The natives, too, he considered to
have been unjustly Ousted; they had • right to • fair field
as regarded all the branches of the service, which all expe-
rience proved could not lead to any dangerous results.
Mr.C. BRUCE believed that the present was • time
when it was desirable t i legislate for India: firstly, because
the Select Committee reported favourably as to the opera-
tionof the existing act; and secondly., because the subject
should be withdrawn as early as possible from the arena of
public opinion. The course of the present debate had can.
armed him in the latter view ; fur nothing could exceed the
exaggeration indulged in by the "Young India" party in
the house, as to the evils of the existing system. Mr. Bruce
made objections to the nominee system in the case of the
Court of Directors; but still he could not support the
amendment.

iIiTitiIOBIBANKS gave his support to the govern-
lent measure.

Mr. NAPIER followed, and made a very long speech to
• very thin house—the opposition side of which was nearly
deserted. He addressed himself especially to the judicial
system of India, the defects of which be pointed out ; and
he urged the house, upon general grounds, as they valued
their own character, and cared about the interests of two
hundred millions of persons, not to agree to the second
, reading of the bill.
' Mr. J. MACOREOOR, without approving of all the
details of tbu bill, thought that the government bad taken
the wisest and mostgenerous course which could be adopted.
Mr. D. SEYMOUR avowed himself as the supporter ot
the" Young India" party, notwithstanding the sarcasm
which had be. n levelled against it. And he accordingly
pr seceded to denounce the past and present rule of the
government of India, especially with regard to the policy
and conduct ot its numerous wars, their effect upon the
finances of the country, the neglect of public works, and
other abuse., which he considered to be mainly caused by
the present system of double government.
Sir C. WOOD hoped the house would come to a de-
cision on that important question to-night, and indeed
the state of the house fur some hours past indicated'
that they had had nearly enough of the debate. But from
the position he occupied, it might be expected
that he should offer some observations in reply to
the *foments against the bill. It was remarkable that
during the course of the discussion very little had been
said in favour of the amendment of the noble lord. And
the arguments used by those who concurred in it were of
sd diverse and contradictory a kind, that if one were set
against tLe other, the noble lord would be left without any
argument at all. (Hear, hear.) But it might be said that
the onus of proof in favour of immediate legislation lay on
thrice who proposed the bill. He denied that. The existing
charteewas about to espies, and in the natural order of things
they had to provide for the future government of India. The
burden of proof therefore lay on those who thought fit to
interrupt that natural course of things. (liety.) The noble
lord said that there had been suspension acts on fertilise
occasions. The noble lord was quite mistaken in that.
Lord STANLEY said he had never said so.

Sir C. WOOD said that his ears then gently misappre-
hended the noble lord, but as the noble lord denied having
made such an assertion, he would of inane concede that it
was so. Then the hon. member for Montrose said that con •
siderable time was allowed for inquiry before the act of 1833
was passed, and that they ought to allow sufficient time for in-
vestigation now likewise. But the circumstances were dif-
ferent in the two cases. (Hear.) In 1833 the main question
involved was the commercial privileges of the East India
Company, and of coarse time should be allowed the com-
pany to arrange and complete those concerns. (Hear, bear.)
Oa the present occasion there was nothing of the kind.
They were simply called on to provide for the future
trederanment of India, and the house had to decide in whose
that government should be placed. The hon. member
Sir Montrose said they ought to watt for evidence from India,
but the noble lent adautted that, on a question for pro.
Wang fie fir 111,11110111 Mat of India, he would not attach
Wffilffinialibt to Misses from that country, and that the
drew el mermaid, when made, would be hardly
Maw se felt there. (Hear, hear.) A great deal had
bola stilt OS she arabject of the future government et India,
hatho hest ma loud a single argument urged in favour of
Sbiet. The boa. member for Blanchester, the other night,
soles boa member for Richmond (Mr. Rich), that even-
ing, neelleded a delay of two year., in order that there
stied been egitation to pull down the East India Com-
pany. (Hear, hair.) Those who wished to pull down the
last India Company, and who thought that this could be
anemplithed in two years of agitation, might have pod
mesa hi asking for delay ; but this could hardly be •
pal reason for the hon. member for Montrose,
wished to keep up the East India Com-
pany, to join with these honourable gentlemen
in asking for delay. (Hear, hear.) Other hon. gentlemen
said that all the abuses of the present system were to be at-
tributed to the East India Company, whilst others again
sold that theirs was only a sham and fictitious control.
(sear. hear.) Now it did not seem to him that popular
__holies was the proper mode of determining a great and
impomest question lika this. (Hoar, hear.) What was to
be the Mori government of India was a question second
hopteloses to none that could engage the deliberate
nensideratlea of parliament, and he treated such • question
weld never be submitted to the decision of public agita-
tion. (Hew, hear.) He had on a former occasion referred
to the authority of Mr. Mill, who said that an enlightened
public opinion was the best security for good government,
but an unenlightened public opinion was the very worst or
worse than none at all. (Hear, hear.) The statements
and misstatements which had been made use of during
these discussions for the purpose of exciting prejudice
against the East India Company exceeded, be must say,
anything he ever heard before. (Hear, hear.) The
hon. member for Manchester told the house the other night
that a report on the state of the public works of Madras,
which had been moved for by the hon. member for
Montrose, had not been laid on the table, and he left it to
be inferred that it had been kept back by the Ent India
Company, because it would have told against them. Ho
*mew that common charity might ban suggested to the
has. gentleman that the East India Company would Inaba
ammatad by such improper motives ; but the simple fact was
that the report in question had been laid en the table a math
ego. (Hear, hear.) Another hon. gentleman (Mr.
Blaekett) said that the company had forfeited their charter,
because they did not present the annual territorial SNIIIIMIL
The fact was not so, (or they were laid oa the table WS AD
14th of May.
Mr. BLACKETT said that he took the precaution if
Mt* • question to the Secretary of the Treasury on the
who answered that for many years it Wae impossible
Ispuseat these accounts.
Sir C. WOOD said that what the secretary of the Teems
awry might have said about the accounts many years age
Sid not affect the question. But when hon. gentlemen pot
firth statements with confidence, they ought to incartaks
What the facts really were. (Hear, hear.) Theo
the hoe. gentleman said, speaking of the land revenue,
that 60,000,0001. of arrears of rent were left uncollected,
from which he would have the house and the public infer
either that the land tax was excessive, or that great negli-
pace existed in the collection of the tax. The hon. gentle
neon made this statement from the appendix to the evidence
taken last year, but he fell iota the most ludicrous mistake
(he hon. gentleman would excuse him for saying so) that
le INS possible for man to make. (Laughter.) Ths
appendix contained an account of outstanding balances of
wean of land tax for the last 20 years. And although
k was stated in a note at the bottom of the page that
lames there had been an outstanding balance of
4,1110.0001. one year, it was reduced to 2,000,0001. last
yawe partly owing to greater z ..al in collecting the money,
mot y by writing off some of the account ; yet the hon.
pastgaman added the outstanding balance at the end of each
sensessitive year for '2O years, and he informed the house
rat the whole sum was due to the land revenue of India.
(" Hear, hear," and laughter.) Yet it was these statements
red statements like these th 4 were to form public opinion
tls this country on the Indian question. (Hear, hear.)
Them hon. gentlemen referred to the salt-tax, but not one
if stated the facts correctly. The hon. gentleman the
another for Manchester. began 'by quoting an extract from
a newspaper, from which it ap7eared that there had been a
peat falling off in the eonsumption of salt, but he did not
refer to the next number ef the same paper which confessed
that it made a mistake to the amount of 40,000 tans. (Hear,
Mar.) If the hon. gentleman tett aired to the papers laid
before the house, he would ....se the real state of the case
which would at least suggest to him doubts on the subject
et which he was speaking. T hen the hon. geotltman (Mr.
Blacken) in order to show th it the salt had fallen,
task as average of fans years, which he compared with the
Minend four years.
Mr. BLACKETT said he did net do any such thing.
Sir C. WOOD said he certainly heard it with his own
ears, and the organs of public opinion reported it as said by
the hon. gentleman. Bat the mistake was this They took
a datament of revenue IN in heating a failing off in con-
con, totally omittiag the feet that in the meantime'
redsty had been reduced. In Madras, where there was
se teduction of duty, the revenna had increased. In Bom-
bay there had been an increase. In Bengal the duty had