The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-27 00:00:00

RETURNS.

Mr. HUME moved for copies of Earl Grey's dis-
patches to the Mauritius, respecting the formation of a
bank in that islani in the present year ; of all dis-
patches to and from the Mauritius respecting the state
of that colony, since January, 1847 ; and of all dis-
patches to and from the Governor of Trinidad, respect.
ing the supply of lab.iur, and the state of that colony,
since Lord Harris's arrival in that island.—Ordered.

Mr. HUME then moved for a copy of the memorial
of the West India Association on the present state of the
British West India colonies, dated the 11th day of No
vember, 1847, addressed to Lord J►►hn Russell, First
Lord of her Majesty's Treasury ; return of the number
of slaves captured in each year, since January, 1810,
and I;)r which the sum of 1.061,8611. have been paid as
bounty to captors from the pubEc revenue, stating the
numb.4r of these slaves landed alive, and how the same
were disposed of ; and copy of the correspondence re-
ceived by the British Government from the Commis-
sione: s at the Huanna and Rio de Janeiro, since Ja
nuary, 1847, on the subject of slavery and the slave
trade.—Ordered.
THE RAJA OF SATTARA.

Mr. HUME wished to ask the Government whether,
after the publicity of Major Carpenter's declaration of his
belief of the ex-Raja of Sattara's undoubted innocence
of the charges brought against him, any measures had
been adopted by the Board of Control to allow the ex-
Raja to prove his innocence, which he is able and ready
to do it an opportunity is afforded him, as stated in the
papers before Parliament. The Hon. Member also
moved for copies of all documents referred to by Major
Carpenter (in his letter of the 25th day of May, 1846, to
the cretary of the Governor-General, Parliamentary
Paper, No. 711, of session 1847), by which disclosures
respecting the proceedings at Sattara, had been made,
that eonfirmed beyond a doubt Major Carpenter's be
lief of the innocence of the ex-Rsja of Sattara, now an
exile and a prisoner at Benares, and under the surveil-
: unce of Major Carpenter, by orders of the East India
Corn! any: and of a letter from his Highness the deposed
Raja of Sattara to the Right Hon. Sir H. Hardinge,
Governor- General of India, dated Benares, December
12, 1844; together with all minutes and correspondence
contained therein.
Mr. EWART seconded the motion. _

Mr. C. LEWIS, in the absence of Sir J. C. Hob-
house, said he had so recently been appointed to the
Indian Board that he had not been able to make him-
self master of the caso. At the same time he gave the
Hon. Member full credit for his motives in pressing
the case on the House. It did not appear that Major
Carp. nter could have had Any peculiar means of form-
ing a judgment. He was at a distance of one thousand
mile] from the scene of the transactions in question,
and only formed his opinion from public documents.
Major Carpenter's dispatch having already been read
by the Government, they did not see that the fact of
its having been made public rendered it necessary for
them to take any additional steps. He had no objection,
however, to the production of the papers, though he
believed that they were already accessible to the House.
With respect to the letter of the Raja, Sir J. C. Hub-
house had written for a copy to India, and as soon as
it arrived it would be presented to the House.

Mr. G. THOMPSON apologised for attempting to
address the House so soon after taking his scat, but he
did so simply because for seven years he had made the
case of the Raja of Sattara his peculiar study. He had
devoted a large portion of those seven years to the ex
amination of the papers in the case, and he thought he
might state without presumption that he belived him-
self more intimately acquainted with the contents
of a'l the documents on that subject laid before
the House, or published elsewhere, than any other living
individual. He had taken a prominent part in discus-
sions tlhewhere on this question, and he might also state
that, having visited India and the Raja, and having been,
through the kindness of the Government of India, per-
mitted to confer with that Prince, as well as communi-
cate personally with various individuals of high station
in that country, and, moreover, being somewhat con-
nected with the production of the papers now before
the House, he did hope that he should be permitted—
and he had no intention to abuse the indulgence which
he sought—to say one or two words on the question
before the House.—(Hear, hear.) But he had another
reason, and the strongest reason of all, to propitiate the
kindness of the House. There was nothing which he
did believe, which he believed more firmly, or from the
bottom of his heart, than the innocence of the Raja of
Setters. lie (Mr. G. Thompson) did not believe there
was one tittle of evidence implicating that Prince. There
was not one flaw—one act that could be called even an
indiscretion—in his case. Before his deposal he was
one of the most exemplary princes, Christian or heathen,
which ever reigned ; and since his deposal, under his
accumulated and protracted sufferings, notwithstanding
the confiscation of his property, public and private,
and the loss of a throne which he had adorned,
and of a climate which was agreeable to him, and
compared with which the one in which he now lived
was misery and death, and most of all the loss of a re-
putation which had no parallel in the history of India,
ancient or modern—notwithstanding all this, his conduct
was most praiseworthy and exemplary. He (Mr. G.
Thompson) was most anxious to know in what light her
Majesty's Government would regard the tcstiineny of
Major Carpenter. Had it not been for the circumstance
of his (Mr. Thompson's) coming into possession of the
papers containing that testimony, they would be. now in
oblivion, and would have remained in oblivicn for ever.
—(Hear, hear.) In order to know the real value of
Major Carpenter's opinion, the House should recollect
that before he was put in charge of the Raja of Sattara
he had been in charge of another Raja sent up to
Benarea from the central part of India. Major Carpenter
had fur twenty-eight years been ut the service of the 1,