The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-16 00:00:00

Mr. LOWE said he thought that even those mem-
bers who were most enthusiastic in their °hearts of the
bon. and learned member's speech must allow that it
rather rested upon authority than argument ; and as be
('4r. Lowe) did not come down from the library armed
with evidence he could not say how far the arguments
sated by the honourable and learned gentleman bore
upon the subject. Now, his (Ur. Lowe's) memory very
greatly deceived Lim if the passage from Mill, quoted by
the hon, and learned gentleman, was not addressed to
the government of the Company subsequent to Mt.
There was another authority which he (Mr. Lowe) would
venture to quote. It was one which he was sore the
hon. and learned gentleman would have no objection
to. When the East India Bill came before the house
before, Mr. Pninn moved—" That the Indian empire
might be governed by her Majesty, her heirs and
successors." That motion was negatived ; and amongst
the minority was the hon, and learned member for
Eaniskillee, (Laughter.) The aestneption which ran
through the hon. and learned gentleman's speeoh and
that of the hon. member for Huntingdon (31r. T. Baring)
was evidently this—that the house was called upon to
atabkoeotatvoe
throw
byr
ogwreoatotaonfdgmeaormoeunrtolnosdisatoepp,
otlhiorsyt
jthoesyt
towseeree
if they could put it in gear again. The way that India
was managed was this : when the President of the
Board of Control was of opinion that nay matter required
to be a matter of secrecy he was allowed to frame a
despatch which he sent to the Secret Committee of the
East India Company, who took a solemn oath not to
communicate that de.,patcb, or to remoistrate against
it, but were bound to send it out as they received it.
Now, he (Mr. Lowe) asked what amount of control or
initiative that committee could have under such circum-
stances 1 In consequence of this state of things, he
(Mr. Lowe) could not for his own part look upon the
Court of Directors as deserving much blame or entitled
to great praise, not because their intentions were not
good, and their efforts often most earnest, but because
they had been for the last 70 years deprived of the power
of acting singly in any great matters. Film the manner
therefore, in which business was transacted at the East
India House, the directors exercised in the government
of India no very important influence by their direct
agency ; but he must add, that the indirect consequences
resulting from the retention of the company were of a
most serious nature, and called for immediate interf,r-
ence. Tiae effect of the Existence of the East India
C imp2ny was to produce a fearful amount of delay.
Tony boasted that they were an independent check upen
any Minister. Now, he had shown the house that they
were not a check upon his decisions, although
they might justly say they were a clog upon him.
The government of India was carried out in their
name they were obliged to receive all de.
spatches sent to this c untry, and through their bands
had to pass all despatches transmitted hence. Ail who
bad grievances were forced to apply to them in order that
they might apply to the Beard of Control, which had
then to refer them back, so as to comply with the forms
of the East India House—forms which were peculiarly
unfitted for providing for such matters as naval and
military establishments, and the laying in of stores, and
in the carrying on of a serious war amounted to a
positive evil ; for although in questions of great magni-
tude the President of the Board of Control could issue
his order to the Governor-General, without its passing
through the East India Company, he could not make
practical arrangements without their going through that
channel. Allusion had been made to the Indian rail-
ways, but so far from blaming the Company for not
having done more in this respect, he (Mr. Lowe) was
surprised, taking into consideration the various proceed-
ings which had to be adopted, that they had ever suc-
ceeded in laying a sleeper. Let the house consider
the stages through which a matter of that description
had to pass. The East India Company, as they were
aware, guaranteed a dividend, and, therefore, was
obliged to control the expenditure. Well, the Company
ordered a railway ; it bad first to pass before the railway
board in India, anethen the railway board in England ;
from them to the East India Company, to pass through
all the forms of the India House ; from thence to the
permanent secretary, and then to the Parliamentary
secretary ; from him back to the President of the Board
of Control, who then sent it hack to the East India
House; and, lastly, the East India House sent out
orders for its construction. The same remarks would
apply to legal reform in India. Lord Macaulay's law
commission was sent out to India in 180, and nothing
had yet been done. It was true the petition of the
Company alleged that it was on the point of being carried
into effect when the mutiny broke out—that mutiny, by
the way, was, he thought, very much like the fire in
Caleb Balderstone's larder, for it served as a most oppor-
tune excuse for every deficiency. He did not, however,
blame the Company for these things; but he thought
that that house would be deeply blameable if, after thou,
matters had been brought so prominently under its
notice, it allowed a system is continue which was fraught
with so muoh danger. Another great evil attaching to
the East India Company was, that from the fact of the
government being carried on in its name, the public
supposed that it really was the Government, and the
consequence was the Minister of the Crown was screenvd
by that supposition; and this very objection the peti•
tioners themselves admitted when they said that they
could not "conceive a worse form of government for
India than a Minister, with a council which he is at
liberty to consult or not at his pleasure, or whose advice
he should be able to disregard without giving his reasons
in writing, and in a manner likely to produce conviction ;
and when they admitted further on that "any arrange-
ment of the council which will not be a check will be a
C!,screen,"hoelav en rye
mightAs
utp
pp
supposed
thereses:sedentttohme ak ewfoars no check at all, for the
leg newspapers. In fact, announcementt e first
croling a witness to testify to the.insufficienty
if
he
mr.Lowe)tiowmfeeraeinwd
teah:ei whichmouornof.
cowry
bald in
India was the only
this
cent spawn, he could
in question aff,lrd not call a better than the petition
of the pre-1
possession which'
aped which the Qu."-,en's name was not
•,0
ti,fg3:vdt,:anir-_ier':.., and it was of all others'
was abiolutely identirj government and monarchy
conception of . for the people of India had no
nmy of 0. republic or a thing beyond the supra-
,gy crown ; he regarded this exception, there-.