The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-26 00:00:00

TO TXR IDITOII OP THI ■ITYLW.

Stu,—Considerable impair/ bas lately place,
in the committee on "Indian territories" and else-
where, as to the propriety of admitting the natives
of India to share in the legislative counctls of India.
Unfortunately for truth, the inquiry which is likely
to weigh most is that which is conducted with closed
doors I mean the Houses of Parliament.
,

I dO not doubt that these who are—concerned in
the inquiry will act impartially according to the evi.
deuce produced before them; but the first inquiry
which should take place, is the source from which
the evidence comes. Men in the ordinary affairs of
life do not allow interested parties to place before
them the evidence on which • decision is to rest;
and to trust to that only, they make • case of prose-
cutor and defendant, and if they allow the one to set
forth his case, they do not forbid the other to rebut
it by counter evidence.
linen a witness for the prosecutor is called and
states a number of generalities, he is usually asked,
what means he has had for his opinions—and if it
should be found that his means were small, his testi-
mony would carry with it but small weight.
If a witness were to arise and state he did not
think that fit men in a population of 120 millions
could be found fors share in the legislative council,
it would naturally excite wonder, and lead some
men to ask, " What opportunities have you had of
acquainting yourself with such a people ? Have
you conversed with them ? Are you able to converse
with them? Have you ever been among them, and
had an opportunity of testing their moral and intel-
lectual qualifications? Do you think because half a
dozen of them cannot represent the opinions of 120
millions, that three or four foreigners can better re-
preant them, in • council which excludes all but
Ent/lishmen ?
Doubtless, England would not be fully represented
by the members of Old Sarum, and to carry out
the argument, the Legislative Council of India ought
to have a very great number of natives in it; but it
is not my purpose on this occasion to advocate (per
&ileum) a change which would not be perfectly in-
telligible to India, any more than it would have been
a hundred years ago to England.
It is not easy to predict what India may arrive at:
the question of despotism and republicanism has
long been in doubt, but no one can doubt that a
change is called for in the Indian government which
admits of the intelligence of the people being brought
to bear on their fellow subjects. Witnesses who
have deposed lately before parliament are willing to
derive information (suitable for the government to
receive) "out of doors," but they will not take it
first hand. So that the government of India must
consent to decide on irresponsible, and often on the
hearsay evidence of their colleagues, matters which,
in every well regulated court, would not be decided
except on the best evidence delivered before them.
I observe in a statistical lecture delivered by Col.
Sykes, who is great is such matters, that he says,
of the suits decided in India, two are decided by the
European, and 98 by the native. He spoke as Col.
Sykes, and not as a director of the East India Com-
pany, and spoke truly, I believe. He might, how-
ever, in justice to the people of India, have gone
further, and stated the number of appeals and re-
versals in each case.

When we hear that nearly the whole judicial eye-
tem of a country (for in criminal matters the natives
of India keep nearly the same comparison) is con-
ducted by the people of the country, it seems strange
that they should not rise higher ; that men able to do
what the most elevated minds in this country are
employed upon should be thought unable
to emel ge from a state of degradation which nought
but prejudice and ignorance could confine them to.
We have raised the natives in some cases to the
judicial level of the European, but to preserve the
prestige of the European—to show to the country
that he ie of a favoured class--the power is exer-
cised in a different form. I trust the committee of
the House will not be misled by the evidence heard
before them. It would mislead few who bad any
experienee of the natives of India.
I am, sir, yours obediently,
M. LEWIN.