The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-21 00:00:00

one other point which I must notiee—the tff,ot it the
despatch upon the feeling', of Lord Canning. lAm not
_

'so—intimate-with -Lkad :Canning _ag inernbrii of

this hoase, but I have hal the pleasure of his acquaint-

anoe, and have always thought that he was one of the
list men who would knowingly do anything inhuman br
unjust. (Hear, hear.) That is my opinion still. (einem)
I think he is to be commiserated,
.as any other man ia
his ph,ition woul I have been who happened to be4in
India at rueb a time as the pre,:ent-; and we are bound

to take -a Itnieut view of such errors as we may suppose
he bas,corninitted., ((Tear, hear.) If I-were in India' or
anywhere else in the service of tho State; I should ex-
13ct that tiiere,would be a general disposition to give
1:118 fair play in the exercise of my office, and that no

strai.ed construction to_ my injury would be pu upoa

. .
an yLiiing evhich I did. (llear.) That is the view which
I bull with relrect to Lord Canning. I hare never said
a sellebte againet him in public, although I think some
of his acts have been opera to objection,• and I am not
about to say anything against him now; (Hear, hear.) I
would not support a resolution which had for its objfret
the damaging of Lord Canning, and I think the hon.
member for Swansea has not done amiss iu cffering to
the house the amendment of which he has given
notice. (Hear, hear.) nut it is ju-t pos,dhle that
leirl Canning is in the aniagt of ciicura'stances which
have rendered it difficult, perhaps impassible, !far
him to exercise his owe calm ja Igment upon the
great question which forms the eubj,ct of his proola.
illation. (Hear, hear.) I see in that proclamation
not an emanation from the hutnano and just mind of
Lord Canning, but an emanation from that mixture of
red tape and ancient traiiien which is the foundation
of the policy of the old civilian council' of Calcutta.
(Cncirs.) But if it were a question of hurting Lord
Canning's feelings and denouncing his preolamation,
could not he,itate as to the choics which I should make.
Private and personal feelings are but of slight and tempo-
rary importance compared witty the vast and permanent
interests involved in the dangetema questions which we
are now discussing. (Hear, hear.) I think, moreover.
that-the right hon. gentleman the member for Oxford,
the noble lord-the member for the West Riding. and the
rioble lord the member for Llndon, have no right to
throw themselves into conte: tions of agony—(a laugh).—
wite regard to the manper of the despatch, because, as
was stated the other night by the Attorney-General fur
Ireland, they did not care so mu h for tee feelings of
another public servant acting on behalf of the Crown at
a still greaser distance from Eagland, when last .year
they'jeintel in pronouncing an emphatic condenanatitin
of the car:duct a Sir John Bowring. (Cheers.) I like
laic play. (Cheery.) I would treat Lord Canning as I
would treat Sir Jetta Bearing and Sir juhri Bowrieg as
I would treat Lord Canning. (gean)._ Do not let us
have in the servies of the Sate lowea-te Men v.ho may
be trampled upon at pleaerre and high-caste men whom
nobody dare crit'cise. (Cheers.) I said when I began
that the resolution is important to something else beside
India. It is important to the position of parties in this
house. (Hear, hear) Let me devote a few wordtto
tat branch of the suject. 'I am afraid—and I hope I
sin not slandering anybody in saying so—that there is
quite as much zeal for what is called place as zeal for
the food of u,. (Oneers.) If the despatch had been
published three months ago, when we were all sitting on
the ot.eer side cif the house, it is probable that many
gentleuleu who now speak so severely of it would
have thought it a noble despatch, oentaining noble
se itimeiate .xpressed in noble language. (Loud
cheers and laughter.) But for the last two
months there has been.a growing irritation observable on
this side of the ho use. (A. laugh.) There has been a
feeling which no ingenuity has been able to disguise—
(chers)—that if the present Government remained in
office ever the session no small difficulty would be found
en displacing it. (Continued cheers.) When a tree is
newly planted it may easily be willed up, but it soon

strikis.its roots right- aud left and downwards, and at
the end of a year the strongest man may not be able t
tear it out of the ground. (Cheers.) 'Now, hon..gentle-
men opposite know that I thffer very widely from them

on many public qutaions, and prooably at no very dis-
tant d they may find it out in some act of severe hos-
til;ty—(a laugb)—but I put it to the house whether out
of doors the reputation of the present Government is
not, in many respects, better than that of the last
(Cheers.) I undertake to say that, with no exoeption,
the jsdgfrent of deputations from the country, for ex-
ample, will be in favour of the manner in which they have
been.teoeived by the present Ministers, and of the way
in which their suggestionsand requests have beam treated.
(enters.) That may be no great matter ;I do not say it
is ; but I make the observation for the benefit of gentle.
men who sit on this side of the house, beOause it is pos-
sible that they miy have to receive deputations again.
(A. laugh.) Take the conuct of the present Ministers
in this house. I know it may be said that being a weak
Government, and not having a majority at their backs,
they are obliged to be very civil. (" Hear, hear," and
a laugh ) But what I maintain is, that every Ministry
ought to be very civil to the House of Commons—
(eheers)—and what I am prepared to assert is—we all
know the fact—that during the existence of the late Go•
verument civility was entiray unknown. (Great cheer-
ing.) Take another point, for it is worthy of the 003•

sidtration of hon. gentlemen on this site yE the house ;
and I ask honourable gentlemen sitting below the gang-
way to look to the hereditary trouLles that were
going on with respect to our foreign policy, and
which the existing Governtuount found they had to
deal with on their accession to office. There was the
Conspiracy BM, which would have landed you on
the very verge of a war, if not in war, with France. That
danger has been avoided, by no concession, certainly, in-
jurious to the honour of England. (Hear.) Take another
question which agitate I the p ablic mied with respect to
Naples. I ant not going into details on that subject ; but,
as far as a Government could act I think thieGoverntnent
has acted with judgment. ( Hear, hear.) I' believe the
-noble lord below me (Lord J Bluetit) aeut4t4el thatbim-
self. With respect, then, to these questions, seeing the
dilemma to which the fortign affairs of the country were
brought under the last regime it is but fair, generous, and
just that we on this side of the house should take no step
which bears the colour of faction for the purpose of
throwing the present Government out of office. (Cheers.)
Whenever I j }in in any act to put the right hon. gentle-
meo opposite out, it shat be for something I clearly un-
der,tand, and something that the country will clearly un-
dt rstand—(cheers)—sotuething that shall offer a chance
of good to some portion of the British empire, and a
chance of advancing distinctly the greet principles
which, if we are a party at all on this side of the house,
we profess to have agreed upon. (Hear.) But there is
another point to which I wish to advert. Not only is it
feared that the right hon. gentlemen opposite would get
firm in their seats, but it was also feared that some mem-
bers near me might get less firm in their alliance with
right hon. gentlemen on this s de. (Hear) I bave heard
of mutinous discussions and meetings, and of languageof
the most unpardonable character uttered, no doubt in the
heat of debate, as gentlemen say now. Bat something
was going on in committee room No. 11, which, it was
thought, unless it were put a stop tu, would break up
powerful ranks, which, if united, might storm the Trea-
sury bench, and replace the last Government in office.
(Cheers.) I believe it was intended that there should be
a d-uperate effort made to change the state of things
here before Whitsuntide. (Loud cheers.) That was a
resolu ion come to locg before anybody knew anything
about Lord Etienborough's despatch, sad this teemed
to be a convenient opportuni.y, inasmuch as it ap-
peared to be defending an absent servant of the Crown,
and teaching a lesson to the government for what was
declared to be their injudicious conduct in publishing
the despatch. Tt.is altogether appeared a very likely
occe-ion for putting forward a pretext on which right
bon. gentlemen might ri2o to office. (Bear, hear) I do
not no sit speak to the Whigs in this house, or to those
gentlemen who have been in office and expect to be is
office again ; but I should like all those gentlemen who
call themselves independent members, and who come to
this house with no object of-place, patronage, favour, or
emolument of any kind for themselves, but with the ho-
ne-t desire to serve their c nutty as members of the
House of Commons, would consider what might be the
resu:t of the present discussion. If the present resolu-
tion should be carried, it was supposed that the oil gc-
vernment, or something like it, would come back again.
Now, there was great diectontent with that government
before it went out of office ; but no pledge has been
given as to its future conduct; no assurance that it
would be be.ter or different than formerly. No new
measures have been promised, no new policy avowed,
and no new men have been held forth to the public very
distinctly to take the high offices in the state ; but there
has been something which I think the members of this
house must have felt pain in witnessing. (Hear, hear.)
There have been newspapers greatly in the interest of
the ex-Treasury bench (cheer.), and in the most un-
blushing manner articles have proceeded evidently from
the pen of somebody (loud c'utecre) who know exactly
what was wanted to be done. (Hear, hear) or
I do
e
pie, in committee-room No. 11 a gentleuttehf whom
not mean to mention, for the house knows him as well
,ntleman who
as the other circumstances of the casee---etaing;
is held out,
took a most prominent part in the
and no one is more indignant at it ruthan himself, as ix-Ai
for a certain office if another government came in.
(Cheers.) Thee, again, another gentleman, who made
a sp-ech there, or moved or seconded a .resolution, is
also held out for of ce, but it is not stated exactly in
fi
position
.he is brl placed ; and before
what precise
up e g ering
Fibers held the 'tt ball
many others
of some
place in the incoming government. I
do
not say that thisis meant merely for the hon. gentle-
but the glittering ball is held up, and every
men near we,
roan is expected to look at it. (Loud cheers.) These
are not all the arts employed. lion. gentlemen sitting
below the gangway with us for years—gentlemen of the
most independent character— receive flattering and
neant,fully engraved cards for great parties in splendid
mansions ; and not later that, Friday last, of all times,
those invitatiAns were scattered abroad, if not with a
more liberal, no doubt Ales a more discriminating hand
than f eenerly. Of course (it is very ahsurd, no doubt,
but that is why I mention it), if those cards of invitation
coetaint d a note giving exactly a history of them, that
note would say, " We have measured your head and
gauged your goal, and we know, or believe (for I believe
they do not know), that your principles which you came
to Parliament to support, your charanter in this house,
and ysur self-respect, will go for nothing in sight of *
miserable temptation like this." (Cries of "Oh !" and
cheers.) If we could see those persons taking the course
sail to be taken by the celebrated horse-tamer, who ap-
peal 4, I am told, to the noble and intelligent instincts
of the animal he tames, then I should not 'complain 7,
but they appeal to instincts which every honourable
mind repudiates, and to aspirations .which I hope no
gentleman in this house will be influenced-by. (Cheery-)
If they succeed, what sort of Government should we
have? lam as anxious for a Liberal Government as
any man in this house, lyit I cannot believe that in the
present position of parties on this side of the house a
liberal and solid Government can be formed. We are
told, and the whole country is fixed in expectation and