The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb.,!l6.
The LORD CHANCELLOR tOOk his seat 012 the Wool
sack at Fire o'clock.
MAYNOOTH GRANT.

The Earl of RODEN presented a petition from ciao
Protestants of the city of Dublin against the continue
once of the grant to Maynooth.
EAST INDIA COMPANY'S CHARTER.
The Earl of ELLENBbROUGH said that since he
had given notice of his intention of putting a question
to the Noble Marquis opposite on this subject notice
had been given in the other House of Parliament for the
appointment of a Committee on the subject; and there-
fore the only question which he could put now would be
on what day it was intended to move for a Committee in
this House. He should also wish to know whether, on
moving for these Committees, her Majesty's Govern-
ment were prepared to lay before them ample informa-
tion on the present condition of the country; and he
would venture to hope that that information would com-
prise all the papers necessary to throw light upon his
(the Noble Earl's) recal from India. Whatever might
have been the motives which induced Sir
Robert I'eel to refuse the production of these
papers, eight years ego, they could now exist no
longer, and be thought that when the time came to fix
the nature of the future government, these papers would
be of the greatest use in considering the relations be-
tween her Majesty's Government and the government of
the Court of Directors. With regard to the latter part
of his question, relating to the armament sent to Ran-
goon, he would wish to bo informed whether the Indian
Government had taken care to ascertain by trustworthy
agents the truth of the representations which had in-
duced the Government to dispatch the armament. He
could recollect the circumstance attending certain
claims brought forward by a celebrated person—Don
Pacifico. Athens rejoiced but in one Don Pacifico, but
he could assure the Noble Marquis that there were
(keens of Don Pacificos at Rangoon, if there were not
the strongest misapprehensions and grossest misrepre-
sentations on the part of all persons who at any time had
been indirectly connected with India, and who had
written with regard to Rangoon and Ava. Rangoon
was the sink of Asia; it was the Alsatia to which all
went who could not live elsewhere—persons who found
the rest of Asia too hot for them, and who went there
and endeavoured to obtain a new reputation and new for-
tunes. Ho was the more inclined to regret that this
course was not adopted, because as soon us the commo-
dore arrived he found the case different from what he
expected it to be. All sorts of persons came with gricv-
ances; all the Don Pacificos made their complaints, and
it was said that ho was obliged to send to Calcutta for
fresh instructions. He had no doubt the Krug of Ava
would do justice, but he felt confident that he would do
no more than his commissioners recommended him to
do. He should like to know distinctly the grounds on
which the expedition was sent to Ave; whether any
attempt hod been made to ascertain the truth of the
statement which had been made? And if the Noble
Marquis could tell him, he should like to know what the
objects of her Majesty's Government were, and to what
extent it was intended to press on the Government of
Ave conditions which might not be altogether acceptable
to them?
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that it was, of
course, the wish of her Majesty's Government to afford
all the information relative to the important subject of
the future government of our Indian empire, in order
to enable Parliament to form that deliberate judg-
ment which the subject merited, and when that
information was produced it would be for the
Noble Earl, if he did not think it sufficient, to move
for any addition. With regard to the latter part of the
Noble Earl's question, the arrival of the Indian mail
had happily brought intelligence that the dispute with
the Government of Rangoon had been settled in an ami-
cable manner. He, of course, was not aware whether
the King of Ava was sincere in the arrangement, but
he could say that no steps had been taken by the Indian
Government to dispatch an armament to that quarter
without having been fully satisfied that several British
subjects had been treated by the authorities at Rangoon
in the most unjust and Ne xetioue manner. The state
of the question was this June last a distinguished officer
employed by the company, Colonel Ogle, then superinten-
dent of the nearest settlement to the port of Rangoon, re-
ported to the Governor-General and Council that a merchant
of high respectability and character had satisfied him that
be had undergo aat Rangoon grievous acts of injustice; and
Rangoon being a port occasionally resorted to by European
ships for the purposes of commerce and shelter, he thought
that redress ought to be demanded. It was represented
to him that a person having been led into Rangoon
by the ignorance of his pilot, and having found fault with
hint, the man threw himself overboard ; that it was then laid
to his charge that he had endeavoured to drown the pilot,
the object being to obtain pecuniary compensation which
he was not entitled to pay ; and that the merchant
..%
and
his crew underwent the most vexatious treatment. to
Governor of Rangoon directed a court of arbitration D
held on the subject, and that court having pronounced in
favour of the captain of the ship, the Governhoer rae
lrahtiito7
sr iloyf
set aside the award and required him to pal
and also a large
the deceased a considerable sum of money
r himself. It was
amount for the benefit of the Gov
also represented to Colonel Ogle that Governor
arnnoother merchant had
g been obliged to pay
suffered vexatious treatment,
ihiaayv,ina-nd been accused of the
wages he was not entitled to
murder of a man who died from naturalt causes.
. These vex-
ations were of a kind so enormous as induceo Colonel Ogle
to submit to the President and Council in. India the
pon
expe-
diency of obtaining redress. It was
thatth eupptorhneestiulduoesnvgterraonnuodnr ground
Council,
the responsibility of Colonel Ogle,h
opinion that Commodore Lambert
of India, in communifiaietion
suggested it to be
shuuld be sent to Rangoon with a
l el
idef force to
etekdrt
aleeinirDeanlide
reparation in those spciic cases. Washs
was, as the Nobler Earl had stated,
Pacificos. Many p sognrsi
grievances;
ceetso; tahnedemnmoclore and madeon
those cases exceeding
statements of their
the specific case for which he was ordered to demand redress,
he exercised a wise discretion by abstaining from proceedings
against the governor, whose conduct was represented to be so
uniformly unjust and exorbitant; but he acted with justice
and propriety, addressing, in most decisive terms, the King
of Ava, demanding reparation; and the result was, that the
King approved of the course which Commodore Lambert had
taken ; he admitted that satisfaction was due from him ; and
the governor who had so misconducted himself was imme-
diately removed from his place. An arrangement was made
which he ( the Mai quis of Lansdowne) had no reason to think
would not be fairly carried out ; the course proposed was to send
two persons to the spot to find the nature of the injustice
which had been done, arid,the compensation which was due.
lle must presume this would be such as the nature of the
ease required; and it appeared to him that Colonel ,
Ogle re-
presenting the British interests, the Governor-General, and
the Commodore employed, had done their duty in most
satisfactory way, with a view to the interests et the country
and the honour of the Crown.—(Hear, hear.)

hade
THE TROOP SHIP MEWERA.
The Duke of MONTROSE wished to ask a question of th
Government with reference to the ship Megfera, which
been employed to take out troops to the Cape, awl
s
re-
ference to which a letter had appeared in the Time with
com-
plaining of the want of accommodation for the office' rsa
men, as well as for their arms and baggag •
e, In consequence
(Sf the quantity of ordnance stores on board.
eThey
t h ohuard
also been embarked at Dover, and within forty.s
bealonhgeinevgytogte!
hl officers were placed on deck
in a most disgraceful manner,
and
ns tt es re ekd
slitaodreesnacn°
caulking the water poured into the
vessel in a most unusual
manner. The ship had arrived
at M •
adei
letters which he had received, he learra, and by private
learnt that this defect con-
tinued throughout the Vow,
annoyance of the troops, voyage, to the great discomfort and
wished to ask what amount of
ordnance stores were on board, and to whom the blame of the
inconveniences complained
of attache ?
The Earl of MINTO ,
(who was all but inaudible in the
watery) was understood to say that the ship had been fitted
up with more than the
usualen
she
; that inquiry had been
made as to the number of m could take, and the autho-
rities at Sheerness stated that 702
• that 677 men could be conveniently
accommodated in her; of and men were sent
onboard; and afterwards, When the Birkenhead was A4iDg

~d

out to convey troonn to the Cape, the Admiralty suggestec
that 100 of the rifle corps should be transferred to that ship,
but the answer was. that the officers preferred rernllining to-
gethc•r• The ship was titled up with every comfort; she
sailed in bad weather; and if the master had done his ouo,
he would have taken shelter, and completed his stock at
some other port than Plymouth.
Lord COLCHESTER did r:ot think it had been sufficiently
explained why the troops were embarked at Dover instead of
in smooth water; and he thought that an officer of greater
rank than a mastersin the navy should be appointed to the
command of ships conveying troops.
The Earl of MINTO made some observations, whichre
inaudible, but was understood to agree to the suggestions hat
an officer of higher rank should take the command of troop-
ships.
The Earl of ELLENBOOUG would recommend the
R H
Noble Duke by and bye to move for the doctor's report,
which would be the true test of the conduct of the sidmt-
ralty. It was more important that 400 troops should
.be
landed in a state of efficiency than 600 suffering from l,be
unßuer
effects of the voyage. This subject had been brought
his attention by the expedition to China, when the 9Stla e 7,
proper
fell to pieces as soon as it landed from the want os!
proper accommodation on the passage. The Megtera
frolit
have been overcrowded. Her burden was 1,400 tons, 1"
which the machinery had to be deducted; and there °eggs
to be one ton and a half, if not two tons, to every tiro. d,
should move for a return of the number of persons on board,
including the crew, consisting of 200 persons, and the worms
and children.
Earl GREY had no objection to the return, but would At;
vise the Noble Earl to wait for the doctor's report. He
ba
the satisfaction of stating that all the regiments which bad
hitherto been sent out to the Cape bad been landed in a re°3t
satisfactory state.
CO
n-1
The Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND defended the
duct of the master of the Megwra, which the :Noble Ear
(Minto) had impugned.
THE TENT
P LAWS.
Lord BROUGHAM sa Aid that he would recommend ale,.it
Lordships not to adopt two or three of the amendments mode
by the other House of Parliament in this Bill last se4,t:
sivin to the ant aents a peetual monopoly;
ettingg aside those amengdments, herp hoped their Lordship,
would agree to a measure embodying the clauses in the
of last session; and such was the measure which be ,hnie
introduced the other night, and which was read atr,"ll
first
He wished to make this explanation because the Nob„Le„r-on
P
the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, who brought in a "..ad
the subject last year, was not present when his Bill was
a first the
Lordtime STANLEY,other ofnight. Alderley, said the Government Big
of this year was very similar to that of last year. rvit
SECRETARY OF BANKRUPTS' OFFICE Al3‘-'.'"'