The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-08 00:00:00

by the late Cabinet. The best provision, I repeat, has
been made to meet the difficulties which might arise in
the event of. any accidental, unforeseen, or unfortunate
vacancy occurring in the office of Governor-General. I
do not fear, Ido not wish it. We could not have done
otherwise than we have done. It was impossible for
any Government desirous of seeing the administration
of India conducted in a spirit of clemency as well as of
justice, desirous of conciliating as well as of subduing
a people, not to express its opinion in the proper terms
with respect to an act confiscating the whole proprie-
tary rights of the people of Oude. (Loud cheers.)
Earl GREY—I must point out to your lordships that
both the speech of the noble earl who has jest sat down
and that of the noble earl at the head of the Government
have been addressed, not to the question raised by my
noble friend as to whether it was proper at this time
publicly to declare the severe censure pronounced by
her Majesty's Ministers upon the whole policy of
Lord Gaining in respect to Oude, but, on the con-
trary, to the totally different question, whether that
policy in itself was right or wrong—whether the pro,
claenation which had been published was a proper
proclamation, and whether the Government have
done their duty in expressing their disapproval of it.
(Hear, hear.) On the last question, my lords, lam not
able to give any opinion whatever. We have not bef ,re
ne the information necessary to enable us to decide
whether Lord Canning has done right, or whether he
deserves to be censured. (Hear, hear.) I can quite
understand, however, that her Majesty's Government,
being in poesession of far more information than we now
have, may possibly have thought fit to disaippareod even
disapprove the
proclamation issued by the Governor Genera
to write a very severe despatch in condemnation of what
has been done, But, then, is it right that that censure
should be publicly proclaimed (Cheers.) My lords, I
cannot forget that Lord Canning during the time he has
held the government of India has shown great moral
courage and firmness in maintaining the principles of
of clemency at a period when the
justice and the policy
public mind was highly excited and not disposed to give
the consideration which was due to calmer counsels.
(Hear, hear.) I cannot forget that Lord Canning braved
the
virulent calumny to which he was exposed by ad-
hering to his duty in this respect amid every discourage-
ment. Therefore, I say, in the first place, you ought
not to believe that Lord Canning has now departed
from the principles on which he has hitherto acted until
you receive the most conclusive evidence on the subject,
until you have had an opportunity of examining all his
explanations of the grounds on which he has proceeded,
and of making up your minds that he has been in error.
But, even if you are convinced that he has done wrong,
you are bound to believe that it is an error cf judgment
only that he has committed. (Cheers from the Minis-
terial benches.) No man can doubt that it is Lord
Canning's desire and anxiety to act in a spirit of justice
and humanity ; and if he has done wrong it is
his judgment, not Lis moral sense, that has
been at fault. (Hear, bear.) That being so, what,
I ask, was the duty of her Majesty's Government ?
No doubt, if they thought him in error, fully
to explain to him the grounds of that opinion, and to
direct him to modify, if requisite, the course he was about
to adopt, I have not a word to say against the strongest
instructions which they might have felt a right to issue
on the subject But then when that despatch had only
just gone out, was it necessary to publish to the whole
world that this was the view taken of his conduct by the
Government I (Hear.) The noble earl opposite says,
" What were we to do ? It was very indiscreet to come
and ask the Government a question on the subject, but
when the question had been put to them they could net
help answering it." (Laughter.) My lords, that is quite
a new light in which to place the duties of a Minister.
I can only say that when I had the honour of sitting on that
bench as a Secretary of State I made it a rule invariably
to refuse to answer the simplest question, even though I
knew perfectly well how to answer it, if it were put to
me without notice. I said, "No, I never will answer
you without notice. Your question may be very simple;
but if you are once allowed to establish the practice of
coming down here and asking me without notice any
question you think fit, then the fact of my declining to
answer one when I have answered another will show that
the question is embarrassing?' (Hear, and a laugh.)
But, my lords, Igo further. Even supposing that her
Majesty's Government have had the fullest notice be-
forehand, is it to be said that they are under a positive
obligation to answer a question of this kind, though to
do so is injurious to the public service ? (Cheers.) I have
always understood that a very different eourse has been
pursued. It more than once fell to my lot, when
holding the seals of the Colonial-office, to have ques-
tions put to me as to my intentions respecting mat-
ters upon which I had been in correspondence with
the Governors of particular colonies. But I never
then thought of replying that I disapproved in every
sense of what had been done. I was accustomed
to say the subject is a difficult one, and communica-
tions are still goicg on with regard to it ; we hare
not yet been able to form a decision, and it would not
be expedient for the public service to say more at pre-
sent. (Hear, hear.) Now, am I to be told, my lords,
that because an indiscreet question is asked in the House
of Commons that is an excuse for a Minister to give an
indiscreet answer ! (Loud cries of "Hear, hear.") I cen
recognise no such excuse—(hear, hear)—for the more
indiscreet the question tke more distinctly is it the duty
of a Minister to relieve to answer it. (Hear, hear.) From
my experience of both Houses of Parliament I am per-
suaded that if, in answer to such a question in either
House of Parliament, her Majesty's Government bad
said Lord Canning has hitherto deserved our full confi-
dence, and we see no reason for withdrawing that con-
fidence ; the proclamation which has been adverted to is
at present the subject of correspondence between us and
Lord Canning, and we shall take care most attentively
to consider the whole of the circumstances of the case,
and see that justice be done, and the house shall in due
time be informed as to what has been done—l am per-
suaded, I say, that if the Government had adopted that
course, there would have been no disposition upon the
part of either House of Parliament to press the question
upon them. (Hear, hear.) I have never in the whole
course of my experience seen that course adopted by a
Government without being at once admitted by Parlia-
ment. (Hear.) Why, that very course had been adopted
by the present Government in reference to the Cagliari.
The Government produced a great portion of the papers
connected with that affair, more, perhaps, than it was
quits discreet to produce, but when they were asked for
still mere they said we are still in communication with
the Government of Naples and Sardinia, and it would
not be convenient for the public service at present to
prodtice more papers. That answer was readily acquiesced
in by the house, and lam informed it was made on the very
same night that the indiscreet answer of which I com-
plain was given to the question relating to this procla-
mation. I conceive that the Government committed a
grave fault in expressing the opinion that they disap-
proved in every sense of the policy of Lord Canning
(Hear.) The noble earl opposite has found fault wits,
my noble friend near me (Earl Granville). He said,
" You complain of the despatch being in the hands of
persons not members of the Government, when it Wai
yourselves who asked for it ; but the noble earl forgets
that it was after the expressed censure of the Government
that my noble friend asked for the despatch, and I be-
lieve that had there been no expression of an opinion
hostile to Lord Canning he would never have asked for
that despatch at all. (Hear.) After an unqualified
censure upon the policy of Lord Canning had been
pointedly announced by the Government, all the friends
of Lord Canning were very naturally and very properly
desirous or seeing the terms in which that censure was
couched and what were the grounds upon which it was
founded, and they hoped from an examination of the
despeech to discover that there was not sufficient ground
for any censure at all. I much regret what has oc.
curred, not on account of Lord Canning, although I
cannot but think that the manner in which Lord Can-
ning filled his high office in a time of extreme difficulty
and under circumstances of a most deeply distressing
character—(hear)—the manner in which he performed
duties suddenly and unexpectedly cast upon him—(hear)
—has entitled him to gr, ater consideration than has
been shown him. (Hear, hear.) It is not, however, on
account of Lord Canning that I so much regret what has
occurred ; but it is for the sake of India and of this em-
pire. (Hear.) I am convinced that it is not for the
interest of India, nor of England either, that the govern-
ment of India should at this moment be placed in fresh
bands, or that Lord Canning, holding that high office,
should have his authority weakened and impaired by a
public expression on the part of her Majesty's Govern-
ment of censure of his policy. I confess, my lords!,
that in all my experience the course which has been
adopted by the Government appears to me to be without
a precedent, and it is one of which I cannot help ex-
pressing extreme disapproval. lam utterly at a loss to
conceive what grounds can have induced the Govern-
ment to take such a course. What object could be
gained by it I lam sure that the noble earl possesses
too firm a mind to shrink from a temporary obloquy for
refining to give up Lord Canning. lam sure, also,
that heis not actuated by another motive which might
almost seem to have prompted such a course, but were
it not for the high character of the noble earl one might
almost imagine tbat it was so. Circum4ances lead one
to believe that in the public mind, which some time
back went too far in favour of unspa-ing and indiscri-
minate severity, there had been a reaction, and the gene-
ral feeling would be hostile to a policy of extreme
severity, and it might be thought that a little
temporary popularity might be acquired f a weak Ad-
ministration by the production of a despatch containing
some high sounding words and phrases with regard to
principles of justice and humanity. It might almost be
thought that the course which has been adopted by the
G ozernment was dictated by some such motive, but I,
any lords, reject such a supposition, and can only account
ler it on the ground that it must have resulted from ex-
traiirdieary aed blameable inadvertence.
The enntirin was then a2ree,ll to.
THE ENGLISH CHURCH IN PARIS.
Viscount DUNGANNON, who, from speaking with
his back
gtouetebtelognaollery, '-was'n;ost imperfsc,ly heard, said
that the
worshio fur Entisfhprroevsiidding means of attending Divine
9,000
eents in Paris, amounting as
they did to nearly
occupied the
one of considerable
importance, and had ocC3u attention of the late
Government, who had, he believed,e arrived at a decision
upon the subject which the hostile veto
vote
of the House of
Commons prevented their carryinginto effect,
to be informed by the noble earl the
"Secretary
He wee:led
communication tate
I.a. Foreign
Affairs whether any
been recently made to him on this subject, and whetherhad
her Majesty's Government contemplated the adoption of
any course respecting it.
The Earl of MALNIESBURY—I need not Ray that
this subject has occupied the attention of the Foreign_
office for some years. I regret to state that, although I
bad some hopes of bringing
it to a successful issue, I
should Le entirely deceiving this house and the country,
nd also min Paris, were. I to induce them
ato believe that thecountrymen House of Commons IS likely to change