The Express.
London, England, 1850-02-07 00:00:00

that a parliamentary committee pesseseed the power of dell.
gating to its chairman the power of determining what
witneues were necessary to the inanity, be did not feel him.
self at liberty to incur the expense that would
be ocasiened. But without alluding any further to
what had passed with regard to himself, he could not but
say that he deeply regretted that the hon. gentleman the
chairman of the committee should have taken this occasion
to raise what might be considered a very painful and excit-
ing discussion relating to the o*in of Ceylon. The hon.
gentleman perhaps was net aware,touther with the !ton mem-
ber for Montrose (Mr. Hume) of the cunt q fence of this fresh
inquiry. The governor of Ceylon had just put down what
they considered to have been a very formidable conspiracy
sad incipient insurrection, which might have led to much
bloodshed and much destruction of life and property—(6%4
abeers)—in that Wand. Whether in putting it down, and
in pusithing the participators, tke noble lord had acted with
greater rigour than was necessary, was a question upon
which a committee had been appointed. It was a mom im-
portant inquiry, affecting not only the character of that
governor, but affectieg our auth xity in all pars of the
world. (Cheers.) Statements had gone fork to Ceylon—
made by persons en the authority of that committee—
most dangerous to the maintenance of order in that coleny,
where it was well known that the white population bore but
a very email proportion to the two millions sad a halt of
natives. Reports had been spread soonest that population
that the legal authority of the governor was at an end; that
they had no necessity to obey his authority ; and the parties
spreading these reports had said that they new from their
communication+ with the hon. member for Montrose and the
committee that Lord Torricgtoe was to be recalled. (dear)
He did think it would have been better to has: e snidest such
exciting topics, and to have permitted the rexypoin'tnetit
of the committee, and to have the question calmly
inquired into.

Sir J. GRAHAM lied been so pointedly alluded to fey
more than one honourable member in the counts tf the
debate, that he cols( not refrain from speaking, though he
was very unwilling to protract the debate, which had
been conducted with mote heat than be themcht
the subject required. He knew nothing of the matter
excepting what had occurred at the ex.d of last se "'inn, and
what he had e 'fleeted from the report of the committee, and
from other organs of public opinion. The matter whim had
been pressed upon the consideration of the house was a
epiestion as to the understanding which Lad been arrived at
between the house and the government at the eril of the
last session. It had been his misfortune to c nue into mill.
pion with the noble lord opposite on many political questions,
and he must say, having known the noble lord for very
many years, he knew no men lest capable of endeavouritg
to avoid any engagement or obligation into which le hod
entered. (Hear, hear.) He %new no momher of that
house who, from his constitutional principle', unhesitatinely
adhered to through • long political life, would be so
little disposed to attempt to evade any enquiry Insisted upon
by a committee appointed by the great inquest the nation :
he could not ht lien that the noble lora would nick • such
an attempt without the most sati‘Letory and conclusive
evidence. That was his g: neral opinion, rend it '4 :.s entirely
home out by what took place at the and of
last session. He did think that the linden:and-
Mg then come to between the noble lord and
the committee was confined to this—that the committee
should meet on the earliest day atter the debate was closed ;
that they shoal consider the cocumentary evidenee which
it would be necessary to have supplied from Ceyioo, and
that it should consider what witness, a it wouli be I...seamy
to have summoned. (hear, hear.) That was the under-
standing, he believed, that had been arrived it; and, looking
to what had occurre4 he must say that that understar ding
had been crmplied with. It appeared, however, that el el.
collies arose in fixing on the names of the persons to beiume
mooed, and that power was given, by a vote of he committee,
to the chairman of nominatleg these witnesses to the Secretary
of State. He must say his impression was that that vote
went far beyond the understanding sr, ich had been entered
into He thought the noble lord had fulfilled to as :eau
the engagement which he had entered into. But, re .:Iy,
that was not so much the question for the house to con-
sider—these were points of secondary ineportancn. The
great question for them to consider was, not whether a vote
of censure should be pawed without any previ'.us notice
having been given—what they had to consider was, what
the ends of justice required. He extremely reetretted that
hon. members should nave carried on the discueson with too
mull excitement; and, anxious that the committee sbnuld
be re-appointed. he should vote for the motion of the hoc.
gentleman, the Under Secretary for the Colon:es.

Mr. FOX MAULE defended the character of Maier.
General Smelt and Colonel Drought from the aspersions
which had been thrown out. The latter gentlemen was not
a youne of cer. he had been 35 ye .r. in her Majesty's ser-
vine, 33 of which he bad been on full pay. That gall est
officer had bthaved with remarkable zeal and intelligence,
under the most difficult circumstances.
Mr. BRIGHT said he rose to offer one or two obscrea-
done, which he should not have made but fee the amend-
ment of the hoe member for Backs, who had not P... 01111
great tact as a leader in the reso:ution he ha' submeted.
(Hear, hear.) There was a pretty. general opinion cc both
aides the house, that the course tanen by Lerd Grey, if not
intended to evade inquiry, at least laid him open to sarong
suspicion of it ; and he was ewe no one en the bench on
which hn sat would be disposed to sanction such conduct.
But the hon. member's proposition bad been made without
any notice, without any one supposing that so grave a
questicn as a Tots of censure on the government woe
to be brought forward. (Hear. hear.) The meters
was one of direct eisapproval of the conduct of
the government, though it was quite possibes that
the entree taken hid been taken by misappre-
hension on the part of wee member of 'he g vernment, and
who was not then "'meat to state pr. cisely the motives from
which he had acted. With regard to the question itself, he
thought Lord Grey entirely wrong in the course he had taken ;
and there was a fallacy in the explaration that had been given
by the right hon. baronet the member for Ripon. He did
net think the committee were to be bound, in the course
they took, by any expression which had fallen from the
noble lord at the head of the government; they ought to be
left at liberty to take the course usually taken by committees,
which was to lease a considerable power in the halide of their
chairman with regard to the summoning of witnesses; and
this course was of great advantage to the business of its
committees. In this cafe, the course taken had been
precisely the right one, and the only one which it was in the
committee's power to take ; for they had not then the nom •
before them, and could not poesibly obtain them without
cimmunicating with Ceylon. They requested their chair-
man to make such communication ; and, when he received
his answer, it was his duty to proceed to the Colonialeefiee
an i hand in the names o' such parties as he believed to be
substantial witnesses, for the purposes of the inquiry. The
hen. member for Inverness-shire did so; and the witnesses
he proposed to call were precisely thole whom the house
would believe ought to be called, in order to give informa-
tion on the point. They were LieuteCalonel Braybrooke,
Lieut. Henderson (of the Ceylon Rifles), E. J. Waring,
Esq. (police magistrate), and Mr. Jahn Selby, advocate,
brother (be believed) of the Queen's advocate. Had the
hon. gentleman acting for the committee called three or tour
men of no character, or of unknown character—men who
might be supposed to be strong partisans against Lord Tor-
rington, and from whom only • very coloured and garbiel
account of them) transactions might be supposed likely to be
obtained—then Lord Grey might have heritated. As it was
he protested against the noble lord refusing to summon these
persons, and refusing almost entirely on the ground of ex-
pense. ("No," from the opposition benches.) In s letter
addressed to the chairman of the committee by the hon.
gentleman the Under Secretary for the Colonies, he vaid :
Lord Grey Is not aware that a parliamentary committee povaeer
the power of delegating to its chairman the power of deridinr
witnesses are to be called for; and his lordship does not fee. in.
at liberty, without the express authority of the committee, to a
the heavy expense which would be occasioned ;by directing the
tendency of the additional witnesses where names you b.i,o zirt r..
it had been expressly understood that two or more wr.
news should be called ; and it certainly was not unreason'
able that the chairman should select four, respect.sble MO,
and parties whom the committee might fairly examine.
The number certainly did not exceed what it might be sup-
posed the committee required to be called, when they left at
tts their chairman to choose such others as it might be
necessary to examine. He agreed in what had been said as
to the impropriety of the course taken by Lord Grey; it was
a very bad thing for his own case, for Lord Torrirgton, and
for the government, that he should have hesitated in a
swatter like this. The noble lord at the head of the govern-
ment said this was a very exciting subject in the cutesy.
No doubt of it ! But the proper way to put down
excitement in that colony, and to prevent it
stetting up in others, was for that hoes. to show the most
determined resolution, to have the fullest and 'speediest
inquiry which the circumstances would permit. If the hen,
member for Bucks would substitute for his motion—e Thee
the witnesses whose names were handed in to the Colonel:-
office be forthwith summoned to attend this committee' —he
(Mr. Bright) should be extremely happy to vote with hint ;
and that would sufficiently show the opinion of the
house with regard to their not having been called sty
Lord Grey; but he would not, under the circum-
steams, consent to vote for the motion the hon. gentlemen
bed made ; and he did not like to go into the same lobby
with the government on this motion without this brief ex-
planation of his reasons for doing so. (Hese, hear.)
After a few remarks from Major BLACKALL,
Mr. DISRAELI justified himself in having proposed
what wee equivalent to a vote of censure on the government
without proper notice, and consented to withdraw his
amendment in favour of that proposed by Mr. Bright.
Mr. VERNON BAITS thought the proposition of the
member for Manchester premature. The Committee *era
to be reappointed in a few days, and might themselves
determine upon the evidence they should requite.
Lord J. RUSSELL, accepting the amendment of Mr.
Disraeli es a vote of censure, would not consent to its
withdrawal.
The home divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment 6B
Against
A second division took place on the amendment of the
member for Manchester, which was negatived by a niajority
of 109 to 100, and 6 o'clock having arrived the house
adjourned.

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