The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-25 00:00:00

Sir GEORGE GREY, the only member of the
Government who spoke, affirmed strongly that
Mr. ESTCOURT'S plan would only create more con-
fusion and than now existed ; and he
denounced with not a little caustic the conduct of
gen Cemen who, at the same time, objected to pew-
rents, and yet claimed for certain wealthy families
the right to appropriate pews. On this subject,
Mr. BUXTON, speaking, he said, from personal
knowledge of the poorer classes, took the same view
which we gave the other day, that that part of
them which attended worship had so much feeling
of independence, that they liked the chapel better
than the Church, because they then paid what they
could afford for their pew, and felt themselves as
independent as their richer neighbours.
Mr. DISRAELI came out with some pompous
platitudes on the question, which we should have
thought good taste might have led him to avoid,
although he has had high Whig example. " After
a quarter of a century, we had discovered that
Church rates involved the principles of a National
Church of local government, of the privileges of the
great body of the people, and of the predominance
of the majority on which our whole social system
depends." If Mr. DISRAELI really believes all this
parade of great principles to be bound up with
Church-rates, we must confess that our belief in his
capacity and judgment must be altogether changed;
and if he does not, which we are sure is the truth,
why does he condescend to such Cider Cellar de-
clamation. Mr. DISRAELI throws on the Govern-
ment the bringing forward of a plan. As they
decline, we submit that the leader of the Opposi-
tion is the next person responsible.

For the sake of sufferers under the Cotton Famine,
of commercial men who may have transactions with
the Government, and of India also, we ask the at-
tention of the public to a case which requires, we
fear, the support of public opinion. We need not say
that we have not the slightest interest in the
Madras Irrigation and Canal Company beyond
that, which on public grounds we took in the com-
pany at its commencement. We then carefully
examined its claims to such aid and cooperation as
the Government of India could legitimately furnish ;
our readers may remember that we were satisfied
then, and we have ever since had increasing reason
to be satisfied, that the enterprise would as cer-
tainly as anything human could, be a profitable
one to those who embarked in it; while to the natives
of that past of Tntl;a, it ssmila ryas,.
beneficent, being at the same time advantageous to
the Indian public treasury. We need not re-
trace old ground—indeed, that ground is better
understood now than it was even a few years ago.
A few sentences embody the chief advantages of the
scheme. Water for irrigation is the wealth, but
also the want of India, the water being abundant, but
running away wastefully to the sea. Cheap convey-
ance for its produce, especially for the distribution of
the local and interior produce, is an equal neces-
sity. The Company's scheme therefore embraces the
distribution of the superabundant waters, by camas
which at the same time convey the produce; with
the addition of tanks, and of dams across rivers.
The Company, the natives, and the landlords, that
is the Government are to share equitably the pro-
ceeds of the works.
Lord STANLEY, one of the most business-like
and enlightened Indian secretaries we have ever
had, and whom it would be well for India and Eng-
land if party considerations allowed us still to have
in that post, agreed in December, 1858, iu order
to facilitate the raising of the requisite capital, to
guarantee 5 per cent. on a work which should be
estimated to cost a million sterling. In January
following, in accordance with the agreement, his
Lordship directed the Madras Government to select
a suitable project—this was done—and the Madras
Government, in July, 1859, reported to the Score
tart' of State that their most competent engineer,
to whom they had referred the matter had selected
what is known in India as " the Toomb'idra project."
Unfortunately, for this business, the Government
had changed in the interim, and Sir CHARLES
WOOD had succeeded Lord STANLEY. We must
not weary our readers with details and unknown
Indian names; the sum is this—the Company
accepted the " Toombuddra project "—but when the
Madras Government Engineer, and the Company's
Engineer went more carefully into the matter, they
reported that an extension of the canal and irriga-
tion scheme which would cost £350,000 more was
so desirable that the whole ought to be received as
one scheme, and the guarantee of five per cent.
extended to the whole.

We are sorry to say that Sir CHARLES WOOD,
without any communication with the Company,
wrote to India himself, requiring the limitation of
the scheme to what would cost only the £1,000,000.
The consequence was that a modified scheme would
at an enormous proportionate cost, benefit but about
500,000 acres ; while the entire scheme, at about
one-third more outlay, would extend the irrigation
over four times that space. When the Company
thekn addewofitaiolinatillis,they handsomely offered to raise
capital, without guarantee, receiving ,
themselves the profit of the additional capital.
Government law officers declared this *-
and proper solution of all difficw

be a fair
...ales, and certainly
nusiness will concur with
scarcely credible that Sir CHARLES

every honourable man Pl'
them. It seem-

WOOD

I . would neither guarantee the capital and
take a part of the profits, nor allow the company to
do the work with unguaranteed capital; such,
however, was the fact !
The Company now took high legal opinion
pany's legal right, according which with the case they stated, Was sent to Sir
CHARLES MrOOD. It was in favour of the con. -
Lord STANLEY, to
, WOOD disputed to the agreement with
the whole scheme. Sir CHARLES
had omitted certain matters. The direc-
torsthe legal opinion, adding, that the
Company
asked for the omitted matters,
of the Company
offering to re-state
the case--
refused ! He refused an Sir CHARLES WOOD
y kind of arbitration—he
would hear of nothing but his ovvn proposal ! Thus
arbitrarily and dictatorially dealt with the Com-
pany, confident -in their legal position, fell back