The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-14 00:00:00

and usage than to introduce a new resolution, which was
too limited in one sense and too extended in another. It
was too limited, as it would not meet every case of cormp•
tion, and it was too extended as it would affect the case of a
member who received an honourable testimonial for his ear-
vices. It was not twelve months since an hon. gentleman
had received such a testimonial ; and it was not many
years ago since an hon. gentleman not now in the
house had received a testimonial for his services in a
great cause. That was a most honourable tribute. (Hear,
hear.) This resolution, instead of checking corrrup•
tion, would put a stop to such honourable testimonials a■
these. He trusted the hon. baronet would not press his
resolution, but would be content with the declaration
which he had elicited from all sides of the hoes*, of their
determination to uphold its honour and dignity, and not
seek to fetter and cripple them with such a resolution.

- Lord PAL NIERSTON thought that in any matter which
concerned the honour cf members of the house it was moat
important that the regulation laid down should be clear
and precise ; a mere vague declaration in such a matter
would only become a ti a, for tender consciences, whilst it
was no restraint on ether.. He quite agreed that the rues
of Parliament, as now v -stood, were quite sufficient
for the purpose for which I -vere established ; but he
thought the resolution n -ed was objectionable, on
account of the vagueness of terms in which it was
couched. The objections urge, the hon. member for
Oldham wore thought sufficient ' e the Government
pause before they adopted such a don. If it bore
the extensive construction put ilia. there was really
hardly a function which any member Id perform with
respect to any matter connected w this constituents
which would not subject him to the . 'er of infringing
it. He held as high as anybody co, the necessity of
re tintaining the honour of members free from inv im; ,t•
tation of corruption, but he was disposed to think
present regulation, wish the discretion which the house
must always possess of judging of the conduct of its mem-
bers, when that conduct came before them, afforded a suffi-
cient security for the integrity of members, whilst there
would be great danger in the vagueness of the resolution
now proposed. He thought the appeal made to his hon.
frie'•d not to press the motion to a division was an appeal
which he would exercise a wise discretion in acceding to.
(Hear, hear.)

Sir J. TRELAWNY, in reply, said his resolution would
not apply to testimonials to members for past services.
The resolution of 1695 applied to the offer of a reward, he
wished to extend it to the acceptance. He regretted that
the hon. member for Birmingham had referred to the deci-
sion of the late committee. The hon. gentleman said it
was a direct acquittal. He (Sir J. Trelawny) could not so
consider it ; it was merely adirect negative of the allegation
contained in the petition. He contended the evidence
amply sustained the position he had maintained in his
opening statement. He had been actuated by no feeling
of malice—(hear, hear)—or mere ostentation in bringing
forward this motion. He warned the house that it was a
mistake to suppose that the public at large considered the
recent decision of the committee as a complete decision on
all the points raised, even on the evidence of the hon. mem-
ber for Youghal himself. As he believed the opinion, of
the house was against a division, he would beg leave to
.withdraw his motion. (Hear.)
The motion was then withdrawn.
THE IRISH JURY SYSTEM.

I‘Tr. J. D. FITZGERALD obtained leave to introduce &
bill consolidating the laws relative to juries in Ireland.
The bill was subsequently introduced and read a first
time.

ENLISTMENT OF NEGROES.
Mr. LO WE rose to move an address for copy of all in-
structions for the engagement of natives of Africa in the
Indian service ; and for a return of the alterations in the
annual Mutiny Act which such engagements would render
necessary. He thought it most important that the precise
instructions furnished to officers to be employed on this
service should be published, in order to let it be seen that
every care had been taken to prevent the plan degenerating
into a species of slave trade. He should like also to be in•
formed of the grounds upon which the conclusion was
come to, that the Kroomen were convertible into good
light troops. His motion also referred to the Mutiny Act,
for he was anxicus to understand how the Mutiny Act
could be said to have anything to do with the matter ; if
these Kroomen were to be employed for naval purposes,
the naval Mutiny Act had been p seed once and for ever,
a d therefore the alteration referred to by a noble lord in
another place could not have had reference to that act;
but if, on the other hand, they were to be enlisted for the
company'sservice, the Military Mutiny Act, not extending
to the forces of the company, no change in the act was re.
quired.

- Mr. BAILLIE said it was quite clear that the right hon.'
gentleman neither understood the Mutiny Act nor the rules
of Parliament. (Hear.) He was very much surprised that the
right hon. gentleman, who he believed was a lawyer, should
have put such a notice on the paper. Ho asked for " a return
of the alterations in the Mutiny Act which such arrange-
ments would have rendered necessary ;" is fact, for a return
of alt orations which had never been made, and which, in
fact, could not have been made at the time. It was plain that
the right hon, gentleman had never read the Mutiny Act. It
gave authority to enlist and attest recruits in different parts
of the world for her Majesty's service, but it gave no such
authority to the East India Company, and the alteration, if
it could have been made, would have been to give this power
to the East India Company. As regarded the instructi on,
the right hon. gentleman should not only have them, but
something more. It would be impossible to understand these
ins ructions without having all the papers relating to the
matter, and he should, therefore, move as an addition to the
right hon. gentleman's motion, for copies of all letters re-
ceived from Mr. Spence relative to the enlistment of Kroo-
men ; of the memorandum of an interview between the Di.
rectors of the East India Company and Mr. Spence ; and of
all subsequent correspondence on the subject, and for the
memorandum of the amendment required in the Mnt'ny Act
to enable the East India Company to enlist recruits in the
same manner as her Majesty. (Hear, hear.)
Lord PALMERSTON —I qu to agree in the opinion which
seems to have been entert.dned by her Majesty's Government
that it would have been desirable to enlist a negro force for
employment in India. I believe it would have been an cape-
dient arrangement, and I know that that is the opinion of the
Governor-General, They would be exceedingly useful, they
would stand the climate better than Europeans, and would be
free from those objections which applied to native Indian troops
in respect to their peculiar feelings of caste. The diffioulty
would be how to raise a black force without giving any in
direct encouragement to a renewal of the slave trade, and I
presume that was the view taken by the Government on this
matter. Ido hot know that it was likely we should have
been able to obtain any efficient troops from that coast, for
so far as the information which I have received gees them,
Kroomen are generally seafaring men, and are not willing to
engage for more than a temporary absence from home. They
will only take short voyages, and would not be likely to en-
gage for service in India. Neither my right hon. friend nor
myselt wish to imply any objection to the principle of raising
black troops for India if proper means had been taken for that
purpose ; what we wish to impress upon the house is that in
raising such a force great care should be taken that no means
be employed which will have the effect of indirectly renewing
the slave trade, (Hear, hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER I cannot pre-
tend to give any opinion on the apabilities of the Kroomen,
because, though I have had the advantage of recently con-
ver-in,g with two gentlemen who have had great personal ex-
perience of the country in which this particular section of
the human race resides, their accounts were unfortunately
very much opposed to each other. (Laughter.) The ono
told me that they were a race admirably adapted for naval
warfare; the other that their capital putiikhment was shoot-
ing with the rifle. One told me that they were perfectly
willing to quit their country for any length of time ; the
other that they eould be relied on only for a very short time.
My noble friend at the head of the Board of Control has in
this matter been actuated solely by a fooling of public spirit,
and by a desire to omit no opportunity at a moment of exi-
gency of obtaining resources for carrying on the war in which
we are engaged in India, and which, from the news we have
received to-night, will, I trust, soon be brought to a success-
ful termination. The noble lord may be perfectly certain
that, however desirous we may have been to raise a black
force for s, rvice in India, we should avoid everything which
could in the slightest degree bare the appearance even of re-
newing that slave trade which this country has made such
immense sacrifices to put down. Tho tone of the noble lord
requires no comment, and ho has taken a very fair view of
the matter, (Hear.) I think the Secretary of the Board of
Centrel has made a perfectly sufficiout and satisfactory
answer to the observations of the right hon. gentleman (Mr.
Lowe), whose tone cert dnly did not resemble that of the
noble lord. (Hear, hear.)
General THOMPSON beloved it was every man's duty to
throw light upon a matter, however ins gniflcant. It was his
misfortune in his time to be a commandant of Kroomen,
and to see something of their qualities. It was his belie
that, unless they were greatly altered, no Krooman ever hit
a mark yet. (Laughter.) Ho once ordered a field-day of
Kroomen. There was some expectation of an attack by
the natives of the iuterior. The Kroomen were his baro-
meters—the most timid race in the world, He always
knew there was some danger from the interior when the
Kroomen were buying fowling-pieces, Ho thought he would
try what use they would make of them, so ho had them drawn
up in a loose sort of line, which our ancestors would have
called " a very fil by line." One at a time ran out in front
al out 30 yards, fired his fowling-piece, and then, like a
prudent man, turned his face to the rear, and ran back
again. (Laughter.) He could not believe but there had been
some desire to pass a joke upon the Government. It was just
as reasonable to propose that a regiment of cuirassiers uld
be raised out of ehoemen because of their peculiar adaptation
to the prcelium aquitatunt, as that Kroomen should be made
into a rifle brigade. (Laughter.)
Mr. LOWE said, he had been rep °bonded by the Secretary
to the Board of Control for his ignorance of Parliamentary
practice, because he said that a bill when it stood for a third
reading should t,e recommitted and amendments introduced.
He reasserted that statement, By a recent order the house
had given up its power of amending bills substantially on a
third reading, but they could recommit a bill and place it for
a third reading on a future day. It might not have been
worth while to mention it but for the unmerited contradiction
of the hon. gentletnen.
The original motion was withdrawn, and the motion of the
Secretary to the Board of Control was agreed to.

The report of the Committee of Supply was brought up and
agreed to.

CUSTOMS' DUTIES BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
The house adjourned at a few minutes before 10 o'clock.