The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-04 00:00:00

tem ;

be somewhat increased. I do not think it desirable that
they should be remunerated by what is called salary, but
should be more constant in their attend-
e
receive 6001. • year, and the chairman and deputy-chair-
enit.e''
lle,eayenewYdtimiblaobet tbreinwn, I propose that the directors
feey"e in number, and that will reader it
town, shall
1,0001. a year as their remuneration. The powers, ,
the privileges,sana i .
I now
wq ual
comeific attoi otnhse of
limitationthe director,ot are
exercise be
of
the
patronage by the directors. At present the house is aware
that all appointments to the civil service ; and at the Col-
l. ge at Addiscombe, to the engineers and artillery, and all
the seseistaut-surgeons in the army, and in fact,
ad the sppciairtnents to offices, are made by
the Court of Directors ; the patronage is divided
among the members by certain rules, and certain patron-
age is, by courtesy, allowed to the President of the Board
of Con:rel. The filling up of vacancies is regulated by the
demand. While I object to some of the exercise if their
patronage by the Court of Directors, yet I nitwit but
look to some if the servants which it has turned
out. (Hear, hear.) Many of the best servants under
the crown have been derived from this source, and I need
only mention the names of Eliminstone and Rowe,
and many others could be named as having obtained
employment by the exercise of this patronage. It is remark-
able also that it has been exercised in favour of
members of the middle classes as distinguished from the
aristocracy. When he was asked betore the committee of
the House of Lords, if he thought the son of • horsedealer
should be allowed to be sent out to India, Mr. Mall replied
that" if he was tit to be appointed, he did not see why he
should nut go." (" Hear, hear," and cheers.) I
confess I entirely agree with him. (Hear, hear.)
Lord Ellenborough stated that he wished that more of the
aristocracy ehould be introduced into the Indian service. 1
see no objection to the introduction of members of the aris-
tocracy into that service, but they must gain it by merit,
and not by favour. (Hear, bear.) With regard to the
appointmeuts to Haileybury, we propose to eo away alto
gethcr with nommatioas. We propese that no one shall be
admitted by favour or by nomination into the civil service.
Under such regulations as the President of the Board of
Control shall sanction, we propose that admission to Haile y-
bury shall be thrown open to public competition. It mem-
hers of the aristocracy are able to gain admission into
Haileybury by merit I shall he glad of it, and if the suit of
a horsedealer can obtain admission also by his merits, I shall
be equally glad; but there will be no admission by
favour, and merit alone will procure admission into
the Indian civil service. We propose to take •
similar course with regard to the scientific branches of
the army. We ptopoie that admissions to Addiscouthe
shall be thrown open to competition ; and we propose to
take a similar course with regard to assistant-surgeons.
With r.gard to other appointments in the army we do
not propose to make them so open to competition. I
now pus on to the second branch of the govern-
ment of India, and I shall not have occasion to detain the
house so long on this part of the subject, as leas change is
required in it. It appears by the evidence of all the wit-
nesses before the committee, and it is also the opinion of
Lord Dalhousie, that it is advisable that there should be no
change in the pewees of the Governor-General. Some
questions loam arisen and some (Semites have taken place
with the council with regard to the powers of the Governor-
General, but they have now been all settled by the deci-
sions of the law officers of the crown, and it is not neces-
sary that any change with regard to them should now be
smile. There is only one respect in which there ought
to be a change as regards the Governor-General.
It appears by the whole of the evidence that
the Goveinor•tieneral being governor of the whole of
India as well as of Bengal, hie powers are too much taxed,
and he has too much to do. We propose therefore to relieve
him from the government of the provinces of Bengal. Ido
not propose to make any change in the general control he
exercises over the whole of the Indian governments. Same
complaints have been made of the checks put by the Go-
vernier-General on the expenditure of the other Presidencies
as compared with that of Bengal. Those complaints, how-
ever, are not borne out by the facts. If there is any pro-
since to which favour would be shown, it would be likely to
be Bengal ; but it has been shown that the find in amount
of expenditure are the north-west provinces, the next is
Madras and the least of all is Bengal. We pro-
pose therefore that the power of the Governor-
General in this respect shall be left unchanged. There
is another point which has been raised ; namely, the
abseuco of the Governor-General from Calcutta, by which
he is deprived of the assistance of his council. I think,
however, that that is a case for administration and not for
legislation. in the case of Lord liardiage, when he went
into the upper provinces, and in that of Lord Dalhousie
when he went into the I'unjaub, it was clearly necessary
for the interests of India that they should be there in per-
son, and they took with them military powers, and they left
to their council all the powers necessary for the civil admi-
nistration of the government. It is no doubt desirable
that the Governor-General should be as much at Calcutta
as possible, but that is a point the regulation of which
must be left to the discretion of him and his
council. With regard to the executive council
'we do not propose to make any change in it
except that the members who are named as now
by the directors shall be approved by the crown, and that
what is called the fourth ordinary member of council shall
sit at the board and vote on every question. With regard
to the other presidencies, the evidence is all in favour of
' sending out to them, from time to time, statesmen of emi-
nence from this country, as governors; and that it is desir
able to maintain the councils. Looking to the nature of
the establishments, comprising separate armies and sepa-
rate judicial establishments, la Madras and Bombay, we
think it right to keep the governors above the sahordinate
rank of lieutenant-governors. The evidence is all in favour
of the appointment of a lieutenant-governor fur Bengal.
It has been stated that much inconvenience has been caused
by the temporary appointment of a deputy-governor of
Bengal, in the absence of the Govemor•Geiterel, and the in-
terest* of the presidency are said to have suffered by that
system. While, therefore, we relieve the Governor-General
it will clearly be for the benefit and the interest of the pro-
vince to have an active Lieut.-Governor constantly on the
spat. We propose, therefore, to appoint a Lieut.-Governor
for Beagal, and to continue the present power of the crown
to appoint either a governor or a Ilena-governor at Ava ;
and we also propose to take powers in the bill enabling us
to constitute a new presidency with a goventer en the Indus.
(Hear.) That is all I have to say with regard to the exe-
cutive government in India. [Mr. Hume—Are no natives
to be admitted to the councils T] There is no reason now
by law why natives should not be put into the councils ;
but the evidence is decisive that it to not at present desira-
ble to appoint them to the councils. I will now pro-
ceed
to the subject of the legislative council. It Is
proposed to constitute legislative councils of the execn-
tive council as it stands at present with the additions. is
each presidency or lieutenant-governorship, the governor or
lieutenant-governor will select the member of the civil ler-
I vice for part of that Legislative Council one member each.
I The Chief Justice of the Queen's Court and one other
judge of the Queen's Court will be members also of that
Legislative Council; and it will be in the power of the
Court of Directors, if they should think fit, to allow the
Governor-General to add two other members of the civil
service to-this council. The members now sitting are six,
theGovemor-General and the Commander-in-Chief, and four
members of council; and by adding four members, one'(
from each presidency, and two of the Queen's justices in
Calcutta, we should then have a body of 12 for all practical
purposes of legislation. It is alleged, now, that great in-
convenience is found in the legislative council in Calcutta,
I in not having member. acquainted with the habits of the
country in other parts of India. We propose to remove
that disadvantage, by having some of the members selected
by the presidents In the :..ther presidencies ; and though we
do not propose that those members should sit in
the executive Council, there would still be this
advantage, that they would be able to supply in-
formation to the Governer-General and council of
India in the executive committee on all matters connected
' with the presidencies and lieutenant-governorships. These
different members of the civil service will bring to the
council that intimate acquaintaoce with the habits and
customs of the people of India, which, in governing such a
country, is so palpably requisite. (Hear, hear.) The
council would thus have the advantage of the assistonee of
three persons having received a legal education in England,
two of them being in the situation of judges; and this
arrangement will, I hope, have the effect of imparting to
that Legislative Council that spirit of improved legis-
lation which, henceforward, all persons going out
from this country should be guided by. (Hear,
hear.) We propose, in addition, to give the
Governor-General a veto upon the legislation.. I
I come now to another subject; and I am sorry to
say that we cannot embody oar views in this respect in the
bill. I refer to an improvement which we propose in the
courts of justice, in the president's towns. I stated early in
the observation I have been addressing to the house, that I
would ultimately state the measures that we propose for the
administration of justice. With respect to that, so far as it
is concocted with the civil ser vice, we propose considerably
to change the course of education at Haileybury, and to
alter toe examination which students are subjected to
before going to India. We propose considerably to add
to the legal courier now pursued at Haileybury. I
am in hopes that the present term of two years
—I am assured so by the head of the cullege—
would be sufficient to enable the student to acquire
the requisite knowledge to pees the examinations we
shall institute ; but, if that should not suffice, the term
will be extended, so that at all events no man shall go out
as a civil servant to India withoat a competent
knowledge on all thole branches of legal education. We
further propose to eusure the fairness of the art examina-
tion by providing that it shill be conducted by an inde-
pendent board of examiners. In this manner we
trust to improve the morale and the knowledge, and
' the position of future candidates for employment in the
I Company's service. (Hear, hear.) I now come to another
part of this subject. We propose to effect what we believe
would be a great improvement in the constitution of the
Superior Courts in India. At present, as the house is
aware, there is what is called a Queen's Court in each pre-
sident's town for the administraion of justice to the Eng-
lish inhabitants. There is, also, the highest Company's
court—what do you call it [Mr. Lowe—The Sudarawanity)
—the Sudarawannv, consisting of the Company's officers,
being substantially the saute court, but administering civil
and criminal justice in two &cruets courts. We prop ,se
Ito COMloii.llie these two into one. (Hear, hear) I believe
the constitution of bath will be improved by the male e-
ta a. (I't tr, hear.) The introduction of Queen'sja.:ges
will impet. hereon:l law and legal ka,naledge, such as
they w.B r -ry ma this eouutry; and on the other hand
the Cotta. hand,
the j trivia contribute that sal :eh the
I Eel 'aih le. • yen acquaintance. intiat.•te sad
..etei lie. with eta a 1111.14 and mums of the e iuutry.
Ne ray ar that. this man rhould he 'he ultimate coar of
awn.l i, .00h pres • i.-; writ adagio rs. I: is also p lo-
p • ti it Amulet 'Jove WWI ;gristle:Son, and that li c