The Express.
London, England, 1853-05-27 00:00:00

-INIMA.

Lord MONTBAGLE roeet7apreeira t a petition from 8.401
Hindoo inhabitants of Bengal. Behar, and Orissa, against
article 21 of the Act of 1830 of the govercteent of India.
The polities was placed in his bawl for presentation by s
meritorious officer of the East India Company, and now a
member of the House of Commons, and this would warrant
their lordships in believing that the petition was perfectly
genuine. The Petitioners complained of the 21.1 article of
the Act of 1&0 of the Indian govefeelaet, MY* they
declared interfered with their relishes hogete, dontrary
to the pledges made by the Eaalistisooat that they
would is ao way interfere with dle lc of the
Hinds or llohaaamodaa ishabitaals of
had ro forme* to the right at labodliaso ht the caw of osa-
arrta to the Christi** railidos. No ass maid Msure
anxious than be was to anticipate the time whoa all blow
Inv of the Christian religion &Soh be istradmod into
India. But at the mine time those bkodar abed& sat be
introduced amongst a po who by Mak or fewadobistalmo.
The noble lord concluded by proloadas Ho low dad
moving that it be referred to oho Win
The Earl of EL LENBOROUGN amid he row he So
parrot of expreseing his cenoarrenee in what had him
ham his noble friend. The petitioners had jolt TWINS to
somplaia of the grievance referred to, whieh was faessir
tent with the pledges made by the legislature of this now
try to the people of India, and with the conditions on which
they held that country—those auditions being that they
mould reepeet the lens and relight' of the people of that
eenutry. Bct althosigh he thus far 'lnto with the peti-
tioner.. he was satisfied that in practise the act complained
of bad not produced very much injury on this amount, that
the number of pseudo.oonverts to Christianity were up to
the present fine so iohnitely small that the ca et must he
very few in which the act had been called into operation.
That which was essential to the existence of our govern-
ment in India, and without which it wee cot safe for three
weeks, was a continued respect for tho relig:oa of the
peop!e, and the laws of property which depended upon that

(Hear, bowl He hoped this subject would be
taken into mat a/16one consideration by the committee.
Earl GRANVILLE felt it necessary to say a few words
in sisplanstion on the pert of the government. The noble
lord bad omitted to state that the principal incenveni-
' seers of the law of 1815 were objected to at the tinsels, the
Supreme Court. Ile trusted their lordships would alwith him in thinking that the general principles of the law
were fair to the natives, real noble in themselves, and
consistent with the real justice of the can. (Hiter,lattar.)
After a few words from Lard MONTILAOLII4
Ibe Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said be hoped the
noble earl (Granville) would look into the wording of the
act, and see if he could not substitute some words that
would be less prejudicial If the noble earl could so
*snags it that the Hindoo converts should be u well off
as before their conversion, and that oth.r parties should be
no worse off, he would meet the wishes of all. (Hear,
hear.) Some provision ought to be made for those of the
family remaining attached to their old faith, in order that
they might be enabled to perform the conditions devolving
upon the whole. (Hear.)
The motion for referring the petition to the committee was
then speed to.
PRICES OF PROVISIONS, ice., IN INDIA.

The Earl of ALBEMARLE moved for returns showing
the average price of provisions and the rats of labour, bathe
different provinces of India, at intervals of 10 years during
the halt 60 years.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said that the prices of
articles of support were infinitely lower now than when the
British rule in India commenced. We inherited the coun-
try after it had been placed almost in a state of desolation ;
and in consequence of the consumption and the waste, the
prices of all commodities were exceedingly dear. Unfortu-
irately the revenue was fixed according to the then prices of
provision., and hence the injury done to the cultivator. The
revenue was Heed according to a war price, and it was
paid now according to a peace price. That was the cause
of half the miseries of India.
The returns were ordered.
MAL DON ELECTION.

The Esrl of ABERDEEN moved thet their lordships
should coueur with the other house in an address to her Ma-
jesty fur a commission of ingoiry into the Mahlon election.
Agreed to.
Their lordships adjourned at a quarter before cleat
o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUURBDAT, MAT 26.
The Ectuttatt took the chair at Pair o'clock.
NEW hIENDLII
Mr. MACKUCKON took the oaths and his mat as member
for Rio.

CORK ELECTION.

Sir I. Y. BULLER appeared at the bar of the house,
and read the resolutions coins to by the committee upon
this subject.
(These resolutions appeared in the Expreu of the 25th
Lost.]
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed:
Aberdeen Railway, Bedale and Leyburn Railway, Edin-
burgh and Glueow Railway, Leads and Whitehall R ads,
Portsmouth Railway, Scottish Midland Junction Railway,
South E.u,tern Railway (Reading Extension de.), South
Shields Improvement, Tralee and Killarney Railway, and
Alston 'Wads. . .

L pou the motion of Mr. MI4IIIOY, it wu resolved that
the minutes of the evidence taken Mfore the committees on
the Wexford, Carlow, and Dublin Junction Roilway Bill,
in Session 1845, and the same bill and the Wexford, Wick-
low, and Dubliu Railway Bill, in Session 1848, be referred
to the committee on the Wexford Junction Railway Bill.