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

io enamoured with the bill as to adhere to their an-

nouncement in the original motion of it being their inten-
tion to accept the bill such as it was. He hoped the
alternative proposed by Mr. Mackenzie would meet with
a favourable consideration. He thought the difficulties

attending this question would have been considerably
diminished if the inquiries in Parliament had been con-
cluded before legislation was attempted. Much of the
difficulty out, of doors was owing to the ignorance of
the public on the question. This would account for
many of the attacks to which they had been exposed
from various quarters. Sir C. Wood in his last letter in-
timated a doubt as to whether that Court could claim the
actual administration of India, and if the Government
really entertained those doubts, then they had utterly

failed in their duty to Parliament upon the great ques-
tion they had undertaken in proposing to ,continue the
government in a body in regard to whom they enter-
tained those doubts. But while the Government ex-
pressed those doubts, he on the other hand would say
that much of the wonderful success which had attended

the government in India, had been owing to the form of
the home Government, and to the fortunate accident of
its having been placed in a double mould, and one part
being a check upon the other. It not only brought
various minds to work upon the measures of Govern-
ment, but it made an important impression on the ser-
vice of India itself, when it was known by those en-
gaded in that service that a fortunate rise in their career
was independent of political parties. Those were the
reasons why he had always been attached to the exist-
ence of the double government, and why he deprecated
centring the government in the Crown. It would make
the Governor-General far too powerful for any subject
to be made, and, relying for support on party connection
in this countrp, he would establish a despotism in India
of the most serious character. (Hear.)
Mr. LEwIN would not discuss the merits of the bill,
but he wished to express his objection to placing the
framing of the petition in the hands of the directors ;
by doing so it was placing themselves in the hands of
the Philistines, for the Court of Directors had brought
forward a proposition entirely assenting to the bill. To
place a petition against it in their hands was therefore
absurd. To show how far the directors deserved to be
trusted, what had they done in Parliament ? Why, they
had supported the Government. Sir J. Hogg voted
against the proprietors, and in favour of Ministers. He
attributed this to a sort of bargain between them.
(" Oh, oh !") The directors would get quite as much as
before in point of patronage ; the proposition, there-
fore, on their part, that the Court of Proprietors should
accept the bill was a most extraordinary instanca of
modest assurance. (Hear, and laughter.) The clause
relating to the quorum would have the effect of destroy-
ing the Court of Proprietors ; and the natives of India
would be much more grievously affected by it, for they
would thereby be deprived of any exponents of their
grievances in that court.
Mr. HUMS wished to call the attention of the Court to
their actual position. The House of Commons had passed
the bill, and if the Government adhered to what they
had intimated, it would have been much better if they
had come forward in a manly way, and had stated that
the time was come when, finding that the Government

Minute the other day, the Court of Proprietors were sur-
.iwised to find that not only had the directors determined
to drink, but that they were eager to press this poisoned
chalice to their lips. They had described the bill as an
unsavoury dose, and yet, without knowing what the
amendments might be, they suggested their acceptance
of it. At this moment, he knew not in what position
the court stood.

The CHAIRMAN said he had a motion, and an amend-
ment had been moved upon it. At the same time, if the
court wished to adopt a petition to the House of Lords,
he should be prepared to assent to it.
. ...

After some conversation on this point of form, the
chairman withdrew his motion ; and the amendment of
Mr. Mackenzie consequently fell to the ground, and then
Mr. Hume's motion, that a petition be presented to the
house, became the question before the court.

Mr. LEWIN asked whether, if the petition were agreed
to, the Court of Directors would subscribe to it ?
Mr. WIGRAM—The petition will bear the seal of the
company, and it will be the petition of the Court of Pro-
prietors, and not of the Court of Directors, as directors.
Sir J. HoGG vindicated himself against the charge made
by Mr. Lewin of his not having supported the interests
of the proprietors in the House of Commons, and said
that he and the other directors who were members of
Parliament had in every discussion endeavoured to main-
tain the powers both of the Court of Directors and of
the Court of Proprietors, and to preserve the existing
system unimpaired. There was one good point in the
bill. It continued the government of India in the East
India Company ; and however mutilated the Court of
Directors were by that measure, and however injured
in their constitution and in their independence, still they
had all the powers and all the privileges that appertained
to past Courts of Directors in their full extent, and un-
impaired. He wished to press tiiis upon the Court. It
was for them to make their election between the govern-
ment of India being continued in the East India Com-
pany according to the provisions of the bill, or of its
being vested in the Ministers of the Crown—(no, no)—
with a council of five or six. He did not mean to say
that that was his wish, but they must come to that con-
clusion, whether they liked it or not. That was the
only alternative. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. WIGRAM strongly recommended the Court of
Company
Proprietors to take what they could get. The fact that
ov
governmentcerd
eof
alndia was
multitude coonftinsinuesdinintthheeoEthaestr India
partst
of the bill.

After some further observations,
Mr. M. Siam (a director) expressed a hope that this
discussion might not proceed further, as a great majority
of the Court appeared ready to support the petition.
Mr. Serjeant GASELEE protested against the discussion
being put an end to on the mere dictation of the hon.
director. He was opposed to the petition, and believed
that the House of Lords would treat it with contempt.
The hon. and learned gentleman continued to address
the Court for some time amid much noise and confusion.
Some verbal alterations having been made in the peti-
tion, the question that it be adopted, and the seal of the
company affixed, was put and carried all but unani-
mously, one hand only being held up against it.
The Court then adjourned.

of India had been mismanaged, they were determined to
take it out of our hands. With all due deference to the
Court of Directors, he considered the proposition to ap- (From. the Times.)
prove the bill was altogether premature. Although he It is evident, from the tone assumed by the Govern
highly respected the House of Commons, yet there were meat on Tuesday evening in both Houses of Parliament,.
two branches of the Legislature, and it would be better and more especially by Lord Clarendon in the House
to pause and see what the opinion of the House of Lords of Lords, that as we approach the final crisis of this
would be on the second reading of the bill. He had had Eastern negotiation the confidence of her Majesty's
great experience as a Reformer, and one rule which he Ministers in its successful termination does not increase.
always adopted was, that before proposing reform he re- On the contrary, the conduct of the Russian authorities
quired that the evils of the existing system should be in the Principalities can only be regarded as a fresh
pointed out. lie never advocated change for change proof of the indifference of the Imperial Government to
sake. There ought always to be good reasons assigned the rights established by treaty in those provinces ; and
for any proposed change. Had this been done in the a Power which appropriates, the revenue of a foreign
present instance ? Had the East India Company been territory, professedly held as a temporary deposit,
shown to have misgoverned India ? The opinion of both and in time of peace, is obnoxious to the charge of
Houses of Parliament was in their favour, and through- actual spoliation. What can be expected of the
out the whole speech of Sir C. Wood, when he introduced forbearance or justice of a State which has
the bill, his effort was to impress the house with the fact advanced thus far, and with such entire recklessness, on
that the Government of India had been well conducted. the old track of aggression and rapine ? Or what confi-
Having, then, the favourable opinion of the two houses dence can be place in the assurances of Russia, when
of Parliament, and of the Cabinet, what could any man every fresh incident that comes to our knowledge affords
suppose when he, nevertheless, found that the whole increased evidence of the avidity with which she fastens
efforts of the Government were now tending to destroy on her prey ? It was a question whether the honour and
that very body by taking away their independence and the public interests of Europe required that the decisive
making changes in a system which they had hitherto so resistance to Russia should be made when her armies
ably carried out ? What could any man suspect but that crossed the Pruth, or whether room should still be left
there must be some covert object in proposing a measure for further negotiation. The Cabinets of Western
of that nature ? The bill took away the popular ele- Europe decided, we think wisely, in favour of the latter
ment from the Government of India by substituting and more temperate of these courses. The result
nomination for election. The system of nominees was has been that we have obtained, to a much higher de-
against the whole spirit of the company's charter, which gree than we had before, the concurrence and assistance
was intended to operate as a check upon the Board of of the German States, and that all the world has
Control. That system was introducing Parliamentary seen the earnest and undeniable anxiety of the
interests into the Court, and giving the Minister of the British and French Cabinets to avoid hostilities thus
day greater power, and thereby destroying the popular wantonly provoked. But beyond this it is impossible
interests. It was by election alone that the indepen- to go, for in the present state of affairs in the East it is
dence of the court could be maintained. Therefore he certain that if Turkey were compelled to yield an abject
trusted the House of Lords would protect them. The submission to the demands made upon her, she would
bill was not yet an act of Parliament, and he would sub- be convulsed by internal agitation even more fatal to
mit to the court that they ought not to come to any re- her existence than the attack of a foreign enemy, and
solution in the way of expressing an opinion on the bill Russia would cease to be the aggressor only to become
until it had been passed by the House of Lords, when the protector of her victim. The nature of the case and
they, would be able to judge of its whole scope and ten- the state of public feeling in the East determine, there-
dency. He would, therefore, recommend that a peti- fore, the extent to which concessions can be carried.
tion should be drawn up and presented to the House of Beyond a certain point they would become more
Lords. Whatever the result might be it would show dangerous than war itself ; but, short of that point,
that the proprietors had done their utmost for preserv- there is no great reason to suppose that they will fin-
ing their constitutional rights. The petition ought to be duce the Emperor Nicholas to lower his demands, to
presented without delay. The complaints of the pro- withdraw his armies, and to lend himself in good faith
prietors, as well as of their directors, were expressed in to the pacific termination of this dispute.
a very fair way in the resolutions submitted by Mr. Holt Some of our contemporaries, and most of the Conti-
' Mackenzie last court-day. He (Mr. Hume) had changed nental journals, have been misled by the importance
these resolutions into the form of a petition, and con- attached to the negotiations going on at Constantinople,
eluded by praying their lordships to preserve the effi- and to the intelligence brought from Turkey by the Ca-
ciency and independence of the Court of Directors, and radoc and the Chaptal. In reality, nothing has been
especially to amend the clause as to the appointment of done at Constantinople, and we are not surprised at it ;
nominees to the Court of Directors. That was the sub- but, as we stated on Tuesday, the true seat of the nego-
stance of the prayer, and, if complied with, the principal ciations is Vienna—where Austria takes the leading
evils of the bill would be removed. part in the conference. But here, again, our contempo-
The petition, which embodied Mr. Mackenzie's reso-
raries are misinformed when they state that the ultima-
lutions of Friday last, was then read. tum of the conference was despatched on the 24th or
26th of July to St. Petersburg, and that the Emperor's
Mr. AYRTON commented upon the letter addressed by answer may be known here on the 10th of August. The
the Chairman and Deputy-Chairman of the Court of last proposals of the conference were not despatched from
Directors to the President of the Board of Control on Vienna till Sunday orperhaps even Monday last, and they
the Ist of July, and said that, instead of maintaining the were sent to Constantinople before they would reach St.
constitution of the Court of Proprietors, no sooner had Petersburg. If a direct answer is received from both
the Minister of the Crown laid down an ascending scale Courts at Vienna with the least possible delay, the in-
which would put power into their own hands than they terval would be about a fortnight ; but if, as is probable,
made a suggestion which would totally nullify the a communication has to be made from Constantinople to
Court of Proprietors. If there was one point St. Petersburg, the delay may be even longer. In the
to which the Court of Directors ought to have called meantime, the demand of the British Government for
the attention of the Government it was the insuffi- explanations as to the extraordinary and oppressive con-
cient strength of the Court of Proprietors, but instead duct of the Russians in the Principalities will arrive at
of that they took it upon them to state that that Court St. Petersburgh almost as soon as the proposition from
was unfit to have the Government of India put into Vienna, and will convince the Emperor that the time is
their hands, and they then made a suggestion, if it past when the mask in which he has hitherto shrouded
should be considered desirable that the constitution of his policy can still be worn. We have a right to insist
the Court of Directors should be altered—and what was on knowing upon what pretext these provinces, with
that suggestion ? Not that the Government should which we have most extensive commercial relations, are
nominate the directors, but that the directors should thus virtually incorporated in the'Russian empire.
nominate their own members, subject to the approbation The internal measures of the Russian Cabinet are all
of the Board of Control, thus transferring to them that of a warlike character. On the 20th of July a ukase
power which they held to be so objectionable when was published raising a levy of seven men per 1,000 on
given to the Government ; so that, in point of fact, the the population of the eastern half of the Empire, which
only alternative, with a view to remedy existing abuses, is supposed to amount to 23 millions. At the same time
was to take all the power out of the hands of the pro- the arrears of men (three per 1,000) who had been ex
prietors and put it into their own. (No, no I) Why, if cased on the last levy. are called up, so that in some dis--
they considered that Court wanting in weight and in- teas the conscription will amount to 1 per cent. Some
fluence, why did they not suggest that there were ole- pressure has begun to be felt fur money to support these
meats in its constitution which ought to be removed— enormous military preparations, and the Executive Go-
elements entirely inconsistent with its political character, vernment applied to the Minister of Finance for permis-
however they might have accorded with its commercial sion to use a portion of the gold reserve deposited in the
character—and that old women and girls, provided they of the Crown. But this gold is the basis of
possessed the pecuniary qualification, constituted part of fortressestheßussian paper currency, and the Minister of Finance
that Court ? He was not astonished that the Court of raised strong objections, which were not for the pre-
Directors had not taken more trouble in regard to the
bill, for it would render that Court still more close and sent overruled, to the appropriation of any part of
secret than at present ; and he considered that the prae-
this fund. The Emperor then applied to the Sacred
Synod for a loan of 60 million roubles. That holy
tical result of the reduction of the number of directors body expressed heir readiness to obey at all risks the
would be to enable those gentlemen to re-elect one ano- Imperial commands, but alleged that they were the
ther, so that it would be impossible for the proprietors
to introduce any new director except at great interval
of time. He saw some remedy for this evil in the sy: depositories of the property of the Church for the
most sacred purposes, and
closed with ecclesiastical te held their purse-strings
nwity. Thus far these
tom of nomination by the Crown. But what would be f
the aspect .of the Court then ? Why, men who had not acts undoubtedly indicate the financial weakness of
been in India for 20, 30, or 40 years, would be the the Russian Government ; but, on the other hand,it must be remembered that if war were declared,
elected members of the Court, while men who had just
especially if it assumed the cry of religious supremacy,
returned from India, and who were intimately ac- not only would these efforts be made, but far greater
mans
with the present condition, feelings, and opi- sacrifices would probably be obtained from the enthu-
nions of the people, would be from time to-time ?mini-
whit of the people. Nothing, meanwhile, is neglected
nated by the Crown, and thus a division would exist in which can influence the ambition and national pride of
the Court, which was to be greatly deprecated. the Russians, and even the language of public docu-
The CHAIRMAN said, the object of the Court of Di-
merits is passionate and arrogant in the extreme—at
rectors in submitting the minute to the Court of Pro- present, however, we are told, without much effect upon
, the people, whr.olldo not believe their church to be iii
prietors was to place fairly before them the question as
it affected the Indian Government and people. They
arlyßudtantgheernalotr'e the Emperor Nicholas assumes this tone
in his own dominions, the more does he lower and con-
had been accused of being promoters of the bill, but
tract his influence obnuftohreign States. All his attempts
the correspondence would sufficiently refute that charge.
As to the petition to the House of Lords, of course, if
maninceoroCfontrhtes thßealitniter,iaunesd
of the Russian diplomatists have not been more sue-
thethere was any wish on the part of the Court of Proprie-
tors that a petition should be presented, the directors have failed ; and even at
to impose his policy
cause she commands thethe entrance eth Courts of Vienna and Berlin
h r adebtm oe to
f important
gratitude i s Denmark, nma k
Russia, be-
Directors,
fore -
could have no objection. At the same time he hoped
cessful. Of these
her
support owest
terms of the petition would be left to the Court of
Directors, as there were certain expressions in it which
ar But the throughout the late Schleswig-Holstein
required modification. No doubt the Court of Proprie-
Western maritimeindecadencep Powers,
and
n do f
no Denmark
state
.i s even
tors had suffered in this experimerdum crueis, as well as
undoubtedlyhmweere closely connected with her relations to the
the Court of Directors ; but to say that the power of the
proprietors would be altogether nullified was an expres-
interested in the maintenance of strict neutrality,
sion not to be justified. The clause respecting the quo-
event of hostilities. We discredit, is
in more
tion... that the Russian government h' .sser--
t be fault
more with ; but
numerously h eattended. thought i t -
a lishing its hold upon the Court of has
te time
rum
mulide causead beenthe foundcourt grte:
No proprietor would think of noticing that there was
the statement that the Danish overnme have pro-
ceeded, under Russian g
t b
Copenhagen,
taa
rqauswee tans ee
shouldpresent,
rits unless lueps s
amongthe g htohsetnoi f; tahnedßaj
then,el ofif k
and
npoutitceaonf tehbedretnootrebpeeiantgeda qnuloo-.1
influence, to abrogate or impair
arunym,geitnt‘lle,
tions before the Court which tended to diminish its cha- the constitution of •
omual dn dsiedr vteakteo
1849, is wholly inaccurate. The
racter more than anything else. The Court of Directors Danish government leave caused a bill or draught
had said in their correspondence all they could say. No , project to be published, containing some modifica-
obstruction would be thrown in the way of the i tions of the
course constitution now in force • but this bill
which the proprietors desired to take, though he feared ,is to be submitted tothediscussion '
. and vote of the
that while a petition would be a record of the opinion of 1 Chambers when they re-assemble, and it has not
the Court, it would do them very little good. It, was, I been promulgated To
by Royal authority._Den-
se
rather apprehended, a fact that the Courtof • - I mark, as well as to all the adjacent parts of Europe, the
tors, as well as the Court of Proprietors, didnot present crisis is of vital importance • for though this
sess that popularity which they once did. A p
' °S. 1 uarrel commenced. ' 'the solution it
s to pepu. , q upon the Bosphorus,
]arising the Court of Proprietors, that, of Course,
the
i may receive will determine whether or not Russia is to
Court of Directors never had any idea of doing. er I make the rights of foreign States subordinate to her in-
should be very sorry if they had. Should ....5e terestsen
such pretensions
for effecting such a result be carried, hhoped any measure !
leave or her ambition ; and,
ei'leindependence of the
e the pro- been manifeste4the peace and
prietors would carry it themselves, adherence of
es, and
not press ;t , world can only be preserved by the firm
upon the Court of Directors. 1 all other Powers to the measures necessary to restore
Mr. JONES strongly advocated thepolicy the authority of law, and to set bounds to the possibility
the power of the Court of Proprietors. of maintaining
It of aggression.
channel through which public o • •
to bear on the Government of plndiauno i could be brought 1 f Gatenby has
or the benefit of the I AUSTRALIA.—The General Hewet:, p
native population. With respectWales, whence she sailed tat
embarrassments t e bill, he saw great ' arrived from New South
embarrassments likely to arise fromof old, valued at
oit to the government 25th of March, with 29,336 ounces g
of India, and he thought Swhich sailed on the
honourably in giving such • ir
C.
Wood had not acted 117,3007. The Mary Bannatyne,
he Surinam is also
insufficient reasons for such Bth of April, brings 440 ounces. T
mighty changes.
reported having left Sy .
dney the 28th of February, but
Mr. SULLIVAN said that when the chairman moved the ', it appears she has no gold on frei.
ebt.

THE EASTERN QUESTION.