The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-12 00:00:00

THI SUN,

justice of it, when we are still totally ignorant of the
reasons which he himself is prepared to assign for the
issue of the proclamation. tCheers.) It is this, and this
only, I wish to impress on your lordships, namely, that
we are bound to reserve our judgment altogether on the
question of the proclamation. As far as lean at present
• judge, I might be inclined to disapprove the proclama
tion, but I know that men, far more intimately ac-
quainted than I am with the state of India, believe the
proclamation, even with the present information thEy
possess respecting it, to be right. (Hear.) That beirg
the case, it is fair for us, on the commove-t principles
of justice, to suspend cur judgment till we know Lord
Canning's reasons for it. (Cheers.) I only wish to add
one word more. I cannot help thinking that a great
deal more is made of the non-communication by Mr.
Vernon Smith of a private letter than it deserves. (Hear.)
Because, what really is the fact ? My right hon. friend
received a letter announcing that the Governor-General
had not had time to write an explanation on the subject
of his proclamation. Mr. V. Smith did not know that
proclamation or its importance ; and, though it is greatly
to be regretted that he did not communicate the letter
to the Government, yet it was quite natural that he
should not have done so, and in point of fact the Govern-
ment would have learned nothing from the communica-
tion but what they ought to have known without. (Hear.)
The Government received the draught of an intended
proclamation, but they had not received the proclatna•
Lion as issued. Now, we know that the most important
State papers frequently undergo alteration between the
time of their preparation and issue. (Hear.) We also
know that the proper occasion for sending a full expla-
nation cf the views of the Indian Government in issuing
so important a document is when they transmitted to
England the prod :mation as issued and informed the
home Government that it bad been issued. Until the
home Government received a despatch informing them
that the proclamation had been actually issued, I say
that in the absence of any private letter, we are bound
to presume that in due time some explanation will
arrive. Therefore, in point of fact, the non-communica-
tion of the private letter which has been referred to left
the Government in ignorance of nothing which they
were not bound to know without seeing that private
letter. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of DERBY—I will not enter into any dis-
cussion of the merits of the proclamation as drawn up
in the first instance, cr as subsequently published ; but
I must say, in answer to the statement that the Govern-
ment were bound, after receiving the proclamation as
i ntended to be issued, to wait before making any expla-
nation of their opinions until it was actually received as
published, that I altogether dissent from that doctrine.
Earl GREY—I never made any statement that Go•
vernment might not express their opinions, but I said
that they had a right to anticipate that an explanation of
the circumstances under which the proclamation was
published was on its way and would in due time be
received by them.
The Earl of DERBY—The fault which, I apprehend,
is found with the Government is that, on receiving the
proolamation intended to be published, they expressed
in a eecret letter to the Governor-General their dis-
approval of it; and, without intending to discuss the
proclamation, 1 must say that the Government were
undoubtedly of opinion that the issue of a proclamation
in which confiscation was made the general rule would
produce the dangerous consequences, driving many to
despair and inducing others to combine. (Cries of
" Order !")
Earl GRANVILLE rose to order.—When the noble
earl rose, after the important declaration made by his
noble colleague, I thought he was going to give some
explanation of a personal character, which I am sure
your lordships would have listened to with attention ;
but when the noble earl proceeds to discuss a matter
which we have already said we do not intend to argue at
this time, and to make a speech applicable to a motion
which is to come on towards the end of the week, I have
a right to say that the noble earl is not in order,
especially as he has already spoken. (hear.)
The Marquis of SALISBURY rose to move the ad-
ournment of the house, in order to allow the Earl of
Derby to address their lordship.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said, he would save
the necessity for a motion of adjournment by moving
that the order of the day f)r the second reading of the
Chief Justice of Bombay Bill be discharged. (Hear,
and laughter.)
The Earl of DERBY then proceeded. He said,—l
certainly was anxious after the statement made by my
noble friend to take an opportunity of expressing the co-
incidence of my concurrence, as far as I could concur
with him, in the course he has adopted, and of explain-
ing that point on which I am unable wholly to agree with
him, 1 wish also to bear testimony to the manly and
generous manner in which my noble friend—if he has
committed any indiscretion—has more than atoned for
that indiscretion, and done himself infinite honour.
(Cheers.) I was proceeding to answer some observa-
tions which bad been made on the other side. I thought
it was made a matter cf complaint against us that, with-
out waiting for explanations from the Governor-General,
we hastened to express our disapproval of the proclama-
tion about to be issued. I say that if we did diqtpprove,
as was certainly the case, the tenour of that proclama-
tion, and feared the effect it would have upon the popu-
lation of India, it was our bounden duty not to lose a
single mail in expressing to the Governor-General our
apprehensions as to the consequences which might ensue.
Such was the object of the despatch sent out by my noble
friend the President of the Council on the 26th of April,
and I still think it is deeply to be regretted that be,
green the 10:h and the 26th my noble friend was not
informed that explanations of the intended proclamation
might be expected to arrive by an early mail. (Hear.)
But your le,rdships must bear in mind that the despatch
sent out on the 26th was intended to be, and was, a
secret despatch. (Hear, hear.) It communicated our ap-
prehensions to the Governor-General, and we hoped it.
would be in time to alter the determination to which h 3
had come ; but, after all, it did not contain a distinct
izjunction to Lord Canning to recall or revoke his pro-
clamation. Far from it. It simply expressed our anxious
hope that in carrying into effect the doctrines put forth
in his prochtnation be would find it necessary and proper
to mitigate their strictness and rigour. (Hear, hear.)
Although the proclamation as we have since received
it does not go the length which I might desire in that
sense, yet undoubtedly one paragraph, which has been
insetted since the receipt of the copy to which the de-
spatch of my noble friend the President of the Council
applied, does materially modify the terms of the original
proclaina'ion. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH—Not with respect
to the principle of confiscation.
The Earl of DERBY—My noble friend says not with
regard to confiscation, but I hope and believe it must
be the intention of the Governor• General, although un-
fortunately he lays down confiscation as a rule, to wake
large exceptions, for the purpose not only of freeing
from further penel-des, but of restoring lands and pro-
perty to those who may have forfeited them by their
recent conduct. (Hear, hear.) The despatch sent out
on the 26th of April, as I said before, was a secret
F.ttoh. When the proclamation finally came home and
was made known by the public journals it excited con-
siderable attention and animadversion. My right hon,
friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer arrived late
in the house that day. A. question of which no notice
had been given was immediately asked as to whether tho
proclamation had been received, whether any despatch
had been written in answer to it, and whether we
were prepared to lay that despatch upon the table of the
house. Without any communication with the Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer, or with any other person in either
house of Parliament, unfortunately, as I think, the Se.
cretary to the Board of Control rose and at once stated
that a despatch had been sent out, and would be laid on
the table. Now, I concur with my noble friend the Presi-
dent of the Board of Control in thinking that sooner orlater
it was indispensable that that despatch should be pub-

'Joshed. Questions must have been asked as to whether
such a despatch was sent, and whether we approved the
policy indicated in the proclamation ; and if the subjact
had given rise to discusions we should have been ex-

pected to show the terms in which we had written to the

Governor-Genera]. But I regret that that premature

announcement should have been made. (Hear.) I ex-

pressed my regret on the following day, and I recollect
that upon that occasion a noble earl opposite drew atten-
tion to the fact that, instead of defending the publica-
tion of the despatch, I confined my observations to the
policy expressed in it. (Hear.) That is perfectly true.
I felt then, as I feel now, that that hasty and immediate
announcement that the Government were prepared to
publish the despatch—an announcement made without
comnaunication with any member of the Government—
was an act of imprudence, and that tho results of the
1 publication of the despatch would be unfortunate. I
teas of that opinion thou ; I am of that opinion now ;
and my noble friend near me, with that candour, frank-
' ne.9s, and honesty which so eminently upon all occasions
characterise his conduct, comes forward and states that
that act was his and his alone, and that he and he only
There is nothing,
y I_orfod_rs, tshoepcaoinnfuelltloenmeyesieel(ilingesara's)
ought to be responsiblems.

the poFsibility of being suspected for any purpose;
sacrificing a coileague, and I know not that I have ever
in my life felt deeper pain than when I received from my
noble friend, not a tender of hi, resignation, but a cop.) of