The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-23 00:00:00

GOVERNORSHIP OF BO3IBAY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Pray, Sir, can you infirm the public what is the
hitch about the nomination of a successor to Sir George
Arthur, in the government of Bombay ? This estim-
able,' peaceable, well-intentioned public functionary, has
dropt in amongst us without our having any notion of
his resignation. The government has passed quietly
into the hands of Mr. Lcstock Reid, the senior civil
member of the Council ; and here are the Minis-
ters and the Court of Directors, coquetting first with
one psrson and then with another for the last month, and
they have not yet settled who is to have the appointment.
For the administration of an Indian Government at this
time of day the public naturally expect a man of effi-
ciency, a statesman with enlarged views, of a cool and
dispassionate judgment, possessing firmness, integrity,
and weighty personal character ; but what is most re-
quired is a thorough political economist. Never was
there such a set of drivellers in finance as our Indian
statesmen. In the first place, we have a salt monopoly
in Bengal, realising, it is true, a revenue of about two
millions, but starving and demoralising the people by
all sorts of shifts to evade it. Falling most heavily on
the poorer classes, while among the rich it is hardly
felt, or known to exist. I say, Sir, any tax operating
in this manner is a bad tax, whatever be the amount; it
is vicious in principle and is, as was the late bread tax, a
monstrously unjust and defective method of realising a
revenue.
In Madras they have still heavy internal transit duties;
they have enormous export an import duties on the pro-
duce of their own country passing, coastwise, from one
port to another, if it be only the distance of ten or
twenty miles. I know of an instance of a Governor,
within the last ten years, who was obliged to pay into
his own exchequer 16 per cent. duty before he could
procure a carpet, made within his own jurisdiction and
transmitted coastwise, to be laid down in the drawing-
room of the Governor's house ; and till within the
last six or eight years, as much as 30 per cent., ad
valorem duty, was levied on rico, the common food of the
people, brought for sale to Bombay, coastwise, within
two hours' sail of that city. For several years attempts
have been made by the local Governments to construct
roads. These have been, here and there, made, it is
true, but in the cheapest possible manner, so that they
require frequent repairs, that are seldom executed.
There are, however, no bridges to connect the different
portions of these roads, avowedly on account of the ex-
pense, and thus the very roads themselves are rendered
all but useless.

The Chairs of the Court of Directors, guided entirely
by their officials, are the sole movers of the gigantic
machine of the Government of India, but, like their
brother directors, are tco busily engaged in the just
distribution of patronage • to be able to pay sufficient
attention to S ate affairs. The ordinary directors,
with their single patronage, have scarcely time to dis-
charge the small share o responsibility imposed upon
them. How. much less, then, can the Chairs and the
President of the Board of Control be expected to con-
duct all the affairs of the Indian Government, while
overburdened with the whole of the patronage of Gover-
nors, Commanders-in-chief, Judges, Bishops, Generals
on the Staff, as also with a double portiox of writer-
ships, cadetships, assistant-surgeons, and military chap-
lains ? It is this excessive load of patronage which is
now preventing their deciding on the fittest person to
succeed Governor Arthur, of Bombay. The appoint..
ment is full of difficulties we know. The Court of Di-
rectors and the Ministers are pulling different ways. It
is not the best man for the office that they want—it is
the man whim both parties are most willing to secure.
Half-a-dozen persons have been spoken of, but there is
ne one who at present suits both parties. We believe
the Court of Directors would have liked Sir Henry Pot-
tinger, but there were strong objections on account of
certain opinions which he holds on certain points con-
nected with Sinde, which stood in his way, besides which
the Ministry wanted him themselves for a business of
their own, and he was appointed Governor, for a special
purpose, to the Cape of Good Hope. The name of the
Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers was then mentioned. A
more proper man could not have been selected. He has all
the requisites which I hold a ruler ought to have for au
Indian Government. Mr. Villiers is deservedly considered
one of the first political economists of the age. He pos-
sesses an excellent judgment, quick discrimination, great
firmness of purpose and deliberation, an untiring at-
tention to business, making himself thoroughly master
of every branch of a subject before he commits himself
on it, and never has reason to retract or qualify what ho
has once advanced. Moreover, though acted on by a
strong sense of the moral injustice inflicted by the corn-
laws—a law against which he was the first to wage war,
and to hunt down till its fate was doomed—he has al-
ways lamented in public and in private the necessity of
popular agitation, and was one of the most strenuous of
the party which advocated the dissolution of the League,
even though the total abolition a the law was only
promised at the end of three Sears. I am sorry to per-
ceive from a letter of his, in one of the papers, a
few day's since, that there is so little chance of his
nomination, because I fed certain that none of those
who have been mentioned possess higher qualities.
Among those named we may mention Lord Dal-
housie, a younger man, with less Parliamentary ex-
perience. He has been spoken of for Bombay, as a
stepping-stone to the supreme Government. Then there
is Lord Joclyn, younger still, and with a shorter public
career, and of whose qualifications the public certainly
know nothing. Sir George Clerk, the able diplomatist
of the Punjab, has also been spoken of. lie is, however,
a company's servant, and the appointment is wanted for
one of the Ministerial party, so be will not do. But
another remove is current lately, that Sir James Graham
has been invited to succeed Lord Hardinge as Governor-
General, in case he should persist in coming home.
What can the Whigs be driving at ? Among the names
above-mentioned, with the exception of Mr. Villiers,
all were members of Sir Robert Peel's Government, and
is it possible that Lord John Russell's Administration is
going to suffer such a man as Mr. Villiers—one so emi-
nently qualified, who has worked so hard for his party,
who by his family connexion and position is virtually
one of themselves—to be set aside in order to conciliate
that Conservutive body, the Court of Directors, or to
truckle to the adherents of Sir Robert Peel. If this be-
the game of the present Ministry, they must feel them-
selves weak indeed, and Ged help them in the next ses-
sion of Parliament, and at the ensuing election.
AN OLD INDIAN.

FIRE REWARDS.
7'O THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin,—Knowing your disposition to give every man
praise where due, I have taken the liberty of forwarding
to you the following case, which is well deserving
notice, because, I submit to you respectfully, if once fire
rewards are done away with, very great alteration, I am
peifectly convinced, will take place among the body of
our present preservers of lives and property—the firemen
of the metropolis. The case heard yesterday before Mr.
Elliott, at Lambeth-street, I witnessed myself, sad much
surprised was I to hear the opposition made by Mr.
Churchwarden Boxer, of St. George's parish, against
the rewards claimed for the attendance of engines and
firemen on the occasion alluded to. With your permis-
sion I will place the case before your notice :
LAMBETH-STREET POLICE-OFFICE.

Yesterday the firemen of the London Establishment
and West of England Company applied to the sitting
magistrate, to compel payment of the fire rewards due
to them on the occasion of the destruction of the fire-
work factory of Mr. Drewell, on the Ist of August last,
the memorable storm day.
Mr. Wolf, solicitor, attended to prosecute the claim,
and Mr. Churchwarden Boxer to resist payment.
It appeared that the premises took fire about eleven
o'clock on the day in question, and only five minutes had
elapsed before the engines and firemen concerned, as
well as Mr. Inspector Arnold, of the L division, with
constables, were in attendance. From the quantity of
gunpowder and other inflammable materials on the pre-
mises, the adjoining houses were placed in great
jeopardy ; but to tho praise of the firemen be it spoken,
they procured the necessary supply of water, and .
Drewell's shop only was destroyed, as also its dangerous
contents.

vv
The fire was not denied, but Mr. Boxer contended
that the firemen were in duty bound to attend without
reward.
The worthy magistrate thought different, and, con-
sidering an Act of Parliament was the law of the land—
to say nothing of the dangers to which this most useful
class of men were exposed—erdered the rewards to be
paid forthwith, as under :-30s. for the first engine, 20s.
for the second, and 10s. for the third, with 10s. for the
first turecock.

Now, Sir, thus ends the case, a&I I assure you I am
not any way interested, but on the morning of the fire
IRAe expected that through the exertions of these men
the neighbourhood would have been saved as it was.
Apologising for the liberty I take, I am, Sir, yours
obediently,
Wt. 20, 1846. A READER OF THE SUN.

SINGULAR FACT.—On Saturday last a quantity of
beautiful raspberries were gathered in the garden of
Mr. H. Morgan, of Manor terrace, Manor-street, Clap-
ham. There are ali.o, in the same garden, a number of
apples of the size of a heu's egg, being the second crop
this season. Laburnuin trees are in full blossom in
several gardens in the neighbourhood.
FATAL ACCIDENT.— Wednesday afternoon a sailing
boat, containing two persons, was sailing on the river off
Wandsworth, it blowing a gale of wind at the time,
when suddenly she was observed to be completely blown
over by the wind. Several boats put off from the shore,
and with some difficulty reached the sunken boat, and
succeeded in rescuing one of the men, named James
Paynter. The unfortunate owner of the boat, named
Clark, sank when the boat turned over, and was never
seen to rise again.