The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-22 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY

of saying, "I will punish the guilty by retrospective
inquiry, and inflict punishment upon those who shall be
proved to have been guilty," he took the other course
and said, "I will not punish the past, I will only take
a security for the future, and all those who give me that
security by te»dering their submission shall be restored
to their rights." I admit, therefore, that those papers
establish conclusively the fact that the policy of Lord
Canning with regard to this proclamation was the policy
which he pursued from the commencement, and which
has been characterised, in the course of these debates, as
the clemency of Lord Canning. Well, that being the
case, it appeared to me that these papers going out to
India will counteract the bad effect of the secret de-
spatch publi-lied by the Government, and that being
the case, and the conduct of the Governoreneral hav-
ing been, I do not Fay sufficiently, vindicated by,those
who have taken part in the debate, which has now been
carried on for several days, I would submit that if it is
the wish of the house— (loud Ministerial cheers)--that
no further proceedings should take place, I would recom-
mend to my right hon. friend to bow to the wishes and
feelings of the house. I might undoubtedly, in accord-
ance with the spirit with which the motion is made, put
it to the Government whether they would not be dis-
posed to view that letter in the same light in which it
strikes me, and to sanction by their concurrence Lord
Canning's policy. lam not in a condition to ask any-
thing of them, but, stating the ground on which it ap-
pears to me that those papers goirg out to India will
materially and powerfully counteract the prejudicial
effect of the secret despatch, I submit to my hon. friend
that if it be the wish of the house that he should with-
draw the resolution, he might perhaps act more pro-
perly in withdrawing it.
Mr. CARDWELL—Sir, I conceive that I am in this
position—(loud laughter)—that the motion is in your
hands, and except with the general concurrence of the
house I have not the power to withdraw it. I did not

feel that it was open to me in an earlier part of the even-
ing to express my desire to withdraw the resolution, but
after the numerous appeals that have bean made to me,
I shall certainly desire to act in concurrence with the
general feeling of the house, and if I understand that it
is the gei.eral feeling of the house that I should withdraw
it, I will not stand in the way.
Mr. GLADSTONE—My impression is that my right
hon. friend has not misunderstood what he believes to
be the prevailing sentiment of the house. There can be
no doubt, whatever toe motive of this proceeding, that
in every proceeding where the house is divided on mat-
ters of deep interest that much of the bitterness of party
strif:3 mu-t mingle in the contest, and that if it did not
appear in the beginning it must always grow up during
the course of the discussion. At the same time I think
we are all deeply sensible that there is something involved
in the discussion of this great Indian question far above
party interests. (Cheers.) lam certain that there is no
man who hears me, whatever result he may have antici-
pated to the motion of my right hon. friend, and I be-
lieve that result to have been very doubtful—there is no

man who hears me who is not willing readily to surren-
der the paltry advantage that he might have gained fi cm
the issue of Vie conflict, for the sake of the happy rtilec-
tion that even in the hour of excitement, so far from
acting detrimentally to the public interest, we have
stayed our hand, that we have retire.' from the battl-!-
..

field, and even at the risk of criticism on the proceed-
ings of the house, which we cannot escape from, we have
declined to carry this matte to the issue. But, sir,
concurring as I do in the spirit of the recommendations
I' hat have been made, and regarding the decision to

which my right hon. friend—if permitted by the house
—is ready to come, asa decision eminently advantageous
under the circumstances of the hour to the public inte-
rests, I still would venture to say one word on the subject
of the person to whom my noble friend the member for
Tiverton has alluded, whose interest and feelings are
bound up in our proceeding, and whoso interest and
feelings are, allow me to saya closely connected with
public interest. My noble friend has put a construe-
ti in to which I am able to give, not an entire, but a
partial assent upon the papers that ale before us to. day.
I am convinced that Lord Canning did not intend, in
issuing the proclamation with regard to Oude, in any
point or in any degree to compromise those principles
of equity and humanity by which, I beg leave to say,
ha has made it name illustrious in the history of the
country. If Lord Canning's judgment has erred—a
question on which it is not necessary for me to give
an opinion, aid I frankly own that now I do not
think we are in a position to pass a judgment on the
conduct of Lord Cant ing in issuing the proclamation—
I am deeply convinced that be has erred simply through
a tnisca2culation as to the object be had in view, and
as to the efficacy of his moans. And I concur with the
noble lord the member for Tiverton, in the belief that
it was the intention of Lord Canning to effect no gene-
ral displacement of proprietary rights in Oude, but he
resorted to that proclamation as, what we thought, the
best means in his power under the circumstances of
Oude for the purpose of settling all the controversies
that had arises in the province with regard to pro-
prietary rights since the annexation of it by the Eig-
Lab. At the same time lam free to say that I think
those who hays bad, like myself, the honour and
privilege of kno vino' Lord Canning from his boyhood,
are not; only entitled but bound to put that construc-
tion on his intentions, and, for one, I have no choice
but to put that construction. lam as much convinced
of that both from general knowledge of him and from
alt the information I have been able to obtain, as if I
had the statement from hire t t h.i tnnrn..... Wifk
vg at u so Lord U inning, and with regard to the
judgment of the honse at large, I have been one of
those who, lamenting the original proposal of my right
hon. friend, felt thankful to the hon, gentleman
the member for Swansea for the amendment which he
submitted. Ido not think, convinced as I am of the
motives and irtenti )ns of Lord Canning, that it would
be fair to ask the hau,e, or that it would be fair to ask
of her Maje,:ty's Government at this moment to put any
partieular interpretation even upon the papers that have
heee receives to-day. It appears to me that the safest
ground upon which we can take our stand is that up to
this moment we do not absolutely know that the procla-
mation is a public document, and that although it is true
that we aro in possession cf so much of his views and
policy as Lord Canning thought fit to state in answer to
the letter if Sir J. Outram, yet we are not at all entitled
to say that we are in possession of the whele case which

Lord Canaing may have thought fit to submit to her
Majesty's Government at home. That being so, I hope
we way lave from her Majesty's Government a state-
ment the.; they do not recede from the intention they
have exp..eased in this house to support the declaration
of the hsn. member for S Nausea, which refers to the
past pen ,d of Lord Canning's government, that they
c incur iii the sentiments expressed by the amendment,
that they are sati,fied with the judgment and firmness
which le has shown in difficalt circumstances, and that
they approve generally of the policy which he has pur-
sued. I confess it appears to me tbat so much we may
Government did specifically
reasombly ask, and I believe I awn right in saying that
place sentiments with regard to the
dtheeciliareitd
ißof Majesty'sahneorther
pelicyand conduct of Lord Canning as Governor-General
of India, which precisely correspond with all that the
amenonent of the hon. member for Swansea says with
roger: to Lord Canning's proceediugs up to the issuing
of the Oude proclamation. Sir, I feel a deep interest
in Lied Canning, not only on public grounds, but on
the ground that the country has a deep interest in the
charseter of its public men, and that Interest becomes
deep .r when a person has been chosen by the favour of
his eavereign to discharge the high duties of Governor-
(:eroral of India under circumstances of unparalleled
diffiealty. When the late Government made choice of
Ler( Canning in concert with the Court of Directors,
I c efees it had Appeared to me that they had made en
adwrablo selection, dictated only by a motive of public
duti, which was likely to result in great advantage to
thoc over whom ho was called to rule. I had sufficient
knea ledge of Lord Canning to form a most favourable
oriiion of what be would do in India, and, I am bound
to ny, although the trial to which he has been sub-
mitted has been severe beyond all precedent, that no
one, I think, can look back upon the proceedings of last
sunnier without feeling that we owe it to Lord Can-
ting that we have escaped—if indeed we have escaped
—he charge of cruelty in India. And now I call upon
thi house to observe that there is no one who has stated
mire el atly and distinctly the mitigating peculiarity of
ties position of the landholders of Oude than Lord Can-
ting himself, both in his priva'e letter to the right hen.
member for Northampton, and like Aim, in the public di.
5;3*-1 is ued by Mr. Edmonstone, to the Commission, r
for Oude, and which has this morning been placed on
tie table. Sr, I thick it not too much to express the
live that the house will generally cuncur iu the pro-
pie y and wisdom of the course which my right hon.
fiend the member for Oxford is absut to take, and
while he is permitted by the general assent of the house
to !rum° that course, her I\lejasty's Government will
%pen the other hand not refu-e, in the hour when pres-
sure is relieved, the pledge which they gave—and I trust
Lonnirahly gave—in the hour when pressure was
seroig upo them, but will declare in this house, as they
hare declared in the other, that the policy of Lord Can-
non in the general conduct of the affairs of India, under
circumstances of unparalleled difficulty, is deserving
ace has received the r approbation. (Cheers.)
give any opinion
1, )rd uonun-I am not going to
wbither the right hon. gentleman the member for
Os ord should or should not be permitted to withdraw
his motion ; but inasmuch as I conceive that in the
event of the house consenting to the withdrawal I shall
be leeiived of the opportunity of presenting a petition
relating to_the motion lions a portion of my constituents
roseliog in 13everley, aide') has been placed in my hand=,
I via pow state tee purport of it. The petitioners state
they have seen with regret the pr mlamation of the
Go:ei no -General o` India, o nfis eating the whole of the
Landed property of Oude ; th,y state their belief teat the
tire of that prec'ainatioa will be to exasperate the
whole Of the people of that country, and their prayer is
that if t house should come to a resolution condernnro
e
tety of the despatch of Lord Kleobotough, the constitu-
en:n:B thrauehout Vie country may hav an opportunity
of pronotieeino tbt.ir opinion on the matter. (Hear.)
Sir E. PERRY—An appeal has been made that Coins
txpression c f opinion sheaill be made by the Gloyer, -
,n)Lt on the conduct of L rd CAnuitig. I wish to point
ett, as an act t.f jestice, that the question which w-
lo:ve been debating for the last week has been whether
L)rd Caemirg intended, to confiscate the lands of a
province. NV° c i.puted that in this hello, because, from
a knowledge of Lord Canning's antecedents, we believed
t was impossible to suppose he would do that. Now,
f see from the papers which w e have received this day,
that the question which has arisen between Lord Canning
and Sir James Ou ram has not been a question of justice
or injustice, but simply a question of policy. These
papers disclose the fact that the talookdars had been
,dispossessed by Lerd Dalhousie, and that that dispos-
session had caused great turbulence. (Murmurs.) These I
papers bow that all Lord Canning intended to do was

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