The Express.
London, England, 1858-07-13 00:00:00

PETITION OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY

TO TEE HOUSE OF LORDS.

At a general court of the Hest India Company
held yesterday, it wu ordered—That the draft of
the proposed petition to the House of Lords against
bill No. 3, for the better government of India, be
printed for the use of the proprietors. We hays
this morning received a copy, and subjoin it un-
abridged:

THE PROPOSED PETITION OF THE EAST
INDIA. COMPANY

TO TIM 1101! MONODRAMA Tll LOllll SPIRITUAL
♦ND TIIITOZAL 01 Tal UNITE/ 5150005 O► OZZAT
11ITAIN AND MILANI) IN ►ARLIVIINT ASSIXILID,
Humbly 'Wroth,
_

1. That at the commencement of the present awl= of
parliament, your petitioners did address you right honour-
able house, praying that you would not "give your sanction
to any change in the constitution of the Indian goys =ant,
without inn previous inqaity into the present system," an
inquiry extending into "every branch of Indian administra-
tion ;" and that your petitioners did at the same time
" challenge the moat searching investigation into the matiny
of the Bengal army,and the causes, whether remote or im-
mediate, which produced that mut,ny."
2. That nevertheless, without any such inquiry or inves-
tigation whatsoever having taken place, a biU has been in-
troduced into your right honourable house, and read a first
time, entirely abrogating that constitution of government
for India which has existed from the first—viz., the govern-
ment of this company, at whose expense, and by whose
exertions, British authority was originally established in

3. That your petitioners closet but regard such a mea-
sure aa having, in public estintation, a penal character, and
its adoption se ealeulatisd to lead to the general inference
that they have abused their trust, and have been deservedly
cashiered for misconduct. Your petitioners submit to your
• right honourable house that they cannot, without dishonour,
acquiesce in their own condemnation, without having
oitained a trial, or so much as the production of a single
charge against them. In 1853, it was decided by parlia-
ment, after an inquiry the most minute and labotiort, that
the government of India by your petitioners should con-
tinue "until parliament should otherwise provide," it Is
now declared by the preamble of the bill before your right
honourable house, to be " expedient" to make such other
provision for the government of India, without reason
given, or cause assigned, or any inquiry whatsoever.
4. That, in the opinion of your petitioners, the dram-
atriums of the rebellion in India do make inquiry by parlia-
ment necessary, and such inquiry ought to be tato the con-
duct of individuals, as the chief mesas whereby mimoonduct,
if proved, can in future be prevented. Your petitioners
submit to your right honourable house, that it Is at least
possible that one result of such an inquiry might be to
implicate functions/lei of the Indian government who
are not servants of this company, but whom it is sow Fro- I
posed to relieve from that practical although limited control
to which they have hitherto been subjected by the existence
of this company. Your petitioners submit to your right
honourable hones, that in passing the proposed measure,
without full previous inquiry, you do incur the danger of
Increasing that power of the servants of the crown, which,
as exerted in the again of India, may have already been too
great, and required to be diminished.
6. That your petitioners cannot but ooneider the rejection
of their prayer for inquiry as not only en act of injustice
towards themselves, but an act of injustice towards the
people of India, and a most lamentable precedent for the
future conduct of the legislature under great national calami-
ties. In their fanner petition, your petitioners did respect-
fully claim each an inquity, "because when, for the first
time in this century, the thoughts of every public man in
the country were fixed on India, an inquiry would be more
thorough, and its remits would carry much more instruction
to the mind of parliament and the country than at rny pee-
r:ding period." Your petitioners apprehend that the rejec-
tion of this their prayer is a neglect of a precious optertenity
which may never recur. The bill, now ruder r waideration
by your tight honor-able house, center j to e'i fo.aaer pre-
cedent, contains no mention whatever of the people of
India.

6. That your petitioners did represent to your tight
honourable house, in their former petition, that "they cou'd
not well conceive a worse form of government for India than
a minister with a council, whom he Merl be at liberty to
consult or not st his pleasure.' " a m inciple which the pro-
posed form of gevetament adopts to a very serious extent, It
being one of the main providons of the bill for the better
government of India," that the President of the Council
shall be at liberty to receive secret communications from
left, and send out secret orders, whenever in his judgment
each seamy may be required, without submitting the same
to the members of the council. It is the belief of your
petitioners that inquiry by your right honourable house into
the operation end results of the power of went &titian, which
has been exercised by the President of the Board of Control,
since the institution of that board, through the medium of
the secret oftnittes of the directors of this company, would
make it int le for your right honourable house to place
in the of a Secretary of State still greater powers fur
mischief than heretofore, by passing an enactment, the
effect of which is 'nothing lees than to give the sanction of
parliament to the dangerous practice of transacting the pub-
lic business by means of private letters.
7. That the capital stock and debts of this company
mount in the aggregate to 113,000 000!. sterling, a liability
from which It I. proposed by parliament to relieve your
petitioners, and which parliament does not propose to take
upon itself, but on the contrary, by the insertion tithe word
" Mem" after Indian revenuea," in clause 42 of the afore-
said can, to agemaly disclaim. Your boa
respectfully to regresent to your right boa. = such
ea easeassat moot bat tend to miokel the MOM pimple
on a nadir ef the mei vital importance, feremadi ft mar
petillefts enamel ma how the national weft era be kept
sopmele tam thearedit of the geveremswt, ewe by
coallaaleg empauy in its foams aftielslsO hategess.
8. TIM in the year 1773, when toe elhenseediSif
your petitioners were aria Mendel, and powers eel
which they had hitherto szerthed were eiherwhe
fertile et the umbers of year lordships' hefts AI sweluet
dfsrafass miss thee wee et shit doe salmi ipsw,
" that the bawdier had elf flatted by
I. the what@ of the senew:=lss every Idea
of honour...l6Bft spirit, end thWesuleses, hes every teak
of people:" soweverewes white, be the bid of your poti-
lisasse, she seesweed swbhb is the using to that of 1'773)
sesiwe more lamlbest th.a ever,
f. regard o them esisiarethasidiere
ee n 4 It:A Inquiry whisk yew Whims
tpmelylax=
erisoorabl: eouteilisiftle Ma Memo
madmen fthemak gra' your right lwasweable hers ask
to safer *shill tor the.. bettor sovetateent et Itds wow
before you to bass s its, • sod year petitioners do farther
pray your right he hewn to allow this mammy to
be heard by OMNI *phut then dd bill, and in the
company's rights esti ptivikses.
And your peddraire will ever pray.

The Musa: de ileance contains some remarks cat
ladieastes, of which the foible 'mg is a specimen :
" Altar the double exhibition of England's impotency la the
Other sad la India, the prettnaion of oar aslglboare to
retasin sovereign masters of the commercial destinies of na-
then sad Is pavan Frazee born axpaading, is amply
ridiculous."

The Oautta Militant of Turin mentions a rumour
to the effect that the Neapolitan gorernmant has, throsgh
the intervention of the British ambassador, offreed Maws.
Rubettino sad Co., of 00101, an Indemnity of 100,0006.. far
the detention of the Cagliari and her crew, and that the said
company has refund the am as being bneaeisst.