The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-08 00:00:00

SIR J. BROOKE.

Mr. DRUMMOND said he wished to put a
question of some importance to the noble Lord (Lord J.
Russell). It was well known that Mr. Huine had for
the last two years been in the habit of inserting notices
on the paper containing certain allegations and insinua-
tions against Sir J. Brooke, but he (Mr. Drummond)
had taken every occasion to resist such motions. Mr.
Hume had shifted his ground, and he now issued
from his house, in Bryan sto n e-square, libels
on the character of that individual, and these had been
published at the expense of the Government.

Mr. HUME—I deny they were libels.
Mr. DRUMMOND—I say they were gross libels.
These letters were presented to the house by the sanction
of her Majesty, and they accused Sir J. Brooke, a servant
of the Crown, of having been guilty of gross and scandal-
ous falsehoods. Now, he wished to ask why it was that
such grave accusations were allowed to be published by
the Government against a man, with respect to whom
there was no reason to suppose the Sovereign had any
ground for departing from the approbation which she
had previously expressed of his conduct. (Cheers.)
Lord J. RUSSELL said the return of the correspon-
dence was agreed to after the resignation of the Earl of
Derby, and when there was no member of the Govern-
ment present in the house to give any answer with re-
spect to its production. When he accepted the seals of
the Foreign-office, he found the papers had been pre-
pared, in pursuance of the address, and his first impres-
sion was to ask the house to rescind the order which it
made—(hear, hear)—but on further consideration he
thought it was better that the correspondence should be
produced. He accordingly presented the return to the
house. He must say, however, that the, course which
bad thus been fallen into was a very inconvenient one,
and he trusted the house would not agree to any further
motion for the production of this correspondence, which
in fact consisted of long letters from the hon. member for
Montrose to the Secretary of State, containing accusa-
tions, which he might very well put into a speech in the
house. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUME hoped he might be allowed to explain.
All these papers had been laid before the house in re-
gular order. It was only fair that when a paper was
printed which applied to a letter not before the house,
that the letter itself should be produced ; but he had
made charges against Sir James Brooke, which Sir James
Brooke shrunk from, and if the house would only grant a
committee of inquiry, he would give them.
Mr. HENRY DRUMMOND wished now to ask
Lord John Russell, whether the Government have re-
ceived the accounts of the breaking out of the Dyaks in
acts of piracy, on the 3d day of February, in Sakarran,
under the command of the pirate Rentab, who unfortu-
nately escaped in the action with Captain Farquhar ;
the forcible coming out of a balla (or assemblage for
warlike purposes), in war vessels (bangongs) ; and the
attacking the forts at the mouths of the rivers Sakarran
and Rejang, by which Mr. Lee and many persons with
him lost their lives ; again rendering insecure to mercan-
tile interests the whole coast of Borneo.
Lord J. RUSSELL said such information had been
received at the Foreign-office, and Lord Clarendon was
now moving in the matter.
Mr. HUME said these acts of piracy were provoked
by Sir James Brooke himself.