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London, England, 1858-05-10 00:00:00

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LONDON, mormar, MAY 10.
I. --....
Alt important step has bens taken to *Wit sa
expression of opinion frost the City of Landes
respecting the contemplated remodelling of the
Home Government of India. A Petition to the
I House of Commons—u will be mess a redhismise to
our advertising columns—ham be.. phased at the bar
of the London Tavern to receive the mignatatim of the
banker., merchants, traders, and other citizens. The
prayer of the Petition is, that the Homed Omesmone
" will put an end to the agitation and excitement at
" preset prevailing by the abseedonnemet of all the
" messuree now pending in Parliament on the sub-
,
" jeet of Indian Goverment, and by the postponer
"e• . " meat of legislation on the subject to stature esin
-.7 1 sion, whereby alone a rational expectation con be
" entertained of that calm and mature am:wider&
1 ""tion which is obviously indispensable to
" a sound, a just, and a safe decision."
' This Petition, we are assured, has already
bun signed by several of the feat-class firms in the
City—by BARING BROTHERS ; SMITH, PATER, and
SMITE'S ; HUTH and CO., LINDSAY and Co., &c. ; and
i 1 expresses the views of the most esteemed and influen-
tial citizens of every shade of political opinion.
During the recent discussions on Indian affairs, a
sense of impatient wonder has frequently come over us
en finding the mercantile community of the Metropoliv
preserving en inscrutable silence on the Indian ques-
t thee, after both Manchester and Liverpool had spok en
S ... oat. Now, however, we incline to the belief that the
delay will add weight even to the opinion of a body
• of practical men, more competent than say other in
the world to form a just estimate of the probable
economical consequences of revolutionising °windiest
Government The merchants of London, we have
had ample occasion to know, have from the begin-
ning looked with distrust and apprehension on the pro-
pose to transfer the Home Government of India to
a virtually irresponsible Minister, exposed to all the
pressure and solicitation of personal and party con-
.
neximsa. ?bey have, however, remained watching
the programs of events in silence until repeated dim-
cassioos in the House of Commons have demonstrated the utter unpreparedness of that body am at
present constituted—both in respect of acquaintance
with the actual state of Isdia and distinct percep-
dons of sound practical principles of government—to
.. . I legislate on the sutject it has rashly grappled with ;
and, moreover, the scandalous predominance ol
factious motive* over the minds of a large peeper-
lion of its members. No sooner have these lament-
I able truths become obvious to the tardiest apprehen•
eons than a number of those London nessebents
• 1i who, by common consent of their compeers, are
regarded as the most shrewd and judicious among
.fili
%eV them, come forward to invite the whole of the mfr.
• cantile community of London to remonstrate with
the Legislature on the unwarrantable precipitancy
P with which it is putting to the hazard the lasting
peace and prosperity of India and the empire of
k Great Britain in those remote regions. The Petitios
which is presented under awl auspices for the et
i l natures of the citizens of London speaks to the
~
1 Legislature as freemen ought to speak. Abstaining
from passionate declamation or exaggerated phrase,
it nevertheless tells the uncompromising troth le
the plainest language. And if all men of mark is
- ‘ the City who have freely and frequently expressed
in private conversation the opinions and sentiment'
embodied in the Petition, follow the patriotic ex.
) 1 , ample set them by the Hums, BAIIIIOII, and
i SKIVES, there can be no doubt that it will contri•
bate materially to give pause to the House of Cont.
i mons in its rash and downward career.
In our efforts to promote this and every movement
which promises to avert the perils which at present
threaten our dominions in India, and our own eoa
i
stitutional liberties, from the despotic plans of radial:
government which find favour in the eyes of many 01
our legislators, we shall at least be acquitted of the
r !I
charge of party spirit. The line which conviction ha.
oompelleel us to adopt in these discussions has placed
us, with reference to this question, in opposition to
almost the only statesman of the day in the sincerity
of whose devotion to constitutional principles we
place any reliance. We have said, and we say
again, that Lord JOHN RUSSELL is the only living
Parliamentary leader under whom we believe a ro
construction of a real liberal party to be at thie
time passible. Notwithstanding our diffintnee with
i • him on this question of Indian government (end
we fear on one or two others of equal
moment), we should hail with pleasure his advent
• to office. But the views we have expreesed oe
the great Indian question has been so deliberately
embraced, the issues of any mistaken legislation our
I the subject mast be so momentous, that no regard
•
to Lord JOHN itrelaELL'S past services, no anticiplA
`,/ lion of the benefits he may yet confer on hie
Y country, could warrant, or even palliate, any coin.
pro ism on our part. We admit that the Crowe
ought to be as powerful in India as in any other part
1 ' of its dominions ; but we hold that it ought not
to be more so. We admit that a right ti
discuss, remonstrate, legislate on every 'object o
national policy, is inalienably' inherent in Pulse
meat ; but we hold that there moot be some other
•/ 1 organised and regulated agency for ordinary Indies
legislation and the exercise ofadministrative cheeks
upon the self-will of the Crown, if India is to be
governed justly, safely, and honourably. We
believe that the adoption of any one of the plans he
the future government of India at present ands
the consideration of the House of Commons will
plops in the hands of a Minister, holding his omci
by the ephemeral tenure of his malmsey with
) some exclusively English party, an amount at
et ,
1 patronage that most of necessity rapes• him to
: fil
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