The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-08 00:00:00

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to establish the whole principle of the Indian army and
the Indian Government in direct violation of the Mil of
Rights. He would not further demand the assent of
the committee. He submitted these views perfectly
bena fide. The question before them was not whether
they would refrain altogether from legislation, but whe-
ther they:Would persevere is an attempt at final legisla-
tion, when it was impossible any legislation could be
final. or satisfactory. The hon. and learned member for
Sheffield need not be afraid ; even if this resolution was
adopted, the hon. and learned gentleman would have
abundance of discussion 'on his proposal, and ample op-
portunity of bringing it to an issue. He submitted bis
view with confidence to the house. He believed he pro-
posed as: much as could be done with safety. It made a
considerable change, and that in harmony with the vote
to which the house had arrived. If they thought fit at a
future period to proceed further, his motion would form
no impediment. On the contrary, it would give them
some practical experience —(hear)—of the mode of
carrying into operation the union of the executive mini-
ster with an independent council. After twelve months
they would be in a much better position to arrive at a
definitive solution of the question of Indian legislation.
What was the object of the extraordinary haste 4 They
were told it was to have the benefit of the authority of
the Crown in India. By his proposal they would have
the benefit 6of that authority. They were told it was
desirable to make Parliament more cognisant of Indian
affairs, to bring the public opinion of England to bear
on them, and inspire the people with a deeper feeling of
the responsibilities they had contracted. What was
required to direct the attention of the people of Eng-
land to that country, so long as mail after mail
brought tidings of new bodies of insurgents in arms,
of new disturbances in the districts that had been
re-cieenpied ; so long as each mail tells that the
best blood of England is being spent in war, under
all the disadvantages of the hot season. There was
Ito danger that the attention of the British people would
not be kept directed to it. There was only one other
ground for proceeding with legislation at this moment.
It might have happened that the whole administrative
system had broken down. So far from that being the
case, hoviever, he was honestly bound to say that the
system of government in Leadenhall-street could not be
considered to have broken down as an administrative
system. It might be that as a nation we were not en-
dowed with administrative talents. He had no special

leaning towards the East India Company. All his as-
sociations were with the ordinary machinery of govern-
ment; but he must say that the government of the East
India Company and the Government of the Crown bad
been tested as administra'ions under circumstances of
great suddenness and great pressure, and he must say
that the East India Company, so far from having failed,
had discharged their duties in a manner to entitle them
to the lasting gratitude of the country. The Chancellor
of the Exchequer had lamented the want of information
in the house and country. That was the case. He would
put a test to the committee. Had any one of them heard
any gentleman say, "If you want to get up the India
question, read the debates ? " On the contrary, he had
heard rather irreverent remarks, that they had dogma-
tised without knowledge, and marched forward without
considering whether they had before them a path or a
precipice. He did not find any one incline to give them
the credit they obtained on that subject of showing they
were masters of their business and knew what they were
about. He had ventured to introduce his views to the
house as involving no party difference, no personal con-
sideration, but as his honest opinion after candid con-
sideration. So far as his intention and convictions were
concerned he had honestly attempted to give effect to the
judgment of the house—so far an it bad already been
declared—and to carry out the important changes they
had decided on. He believed he had suggested the course
best adapted to the maintenance of their own dignity,
and most in consonance with their duty and obligation
to maintain, study, and promote the interests of the
people of England. (Loud cheer?.)
Lord STANLEY said,—Knowing as I do, and k now -
lug as this house does, the power with which the right
hon. gentleman treats every subject with which ho has
to deal—knowing tho sympathy which such an amend-
. ment as that he has put on the paper could not fail to
command in this house—knowing, moreover, how easy
it is, eve❑ for those gifted with far inferior powers, to
assign on almost any subject plausible reasons in favour
of delay and in favour of hesitation with reference to any
decided course which it has been proposed to take, I
cannot be surprised that the speech of the right hon.
gentleman should have produced, as undoubtedly it has
done, a considerable impression on the house. (Hear.)

Bnt though I quite allow that the object and purpose of
the right hon. gentleman's amendment are different in
some respects from the objects and purposes formerly
submitted in the same spirit to the house, yet I could
not hut think, when I listened to the right hon. gentle-
man, that some of the arguments he most strenously
employed were arguments which I had heard before, and
that at no distant date. (Hear, hear.) The right hon.
gentleman dwelt on the time at which we prcpose to
make this change, on the disturbed state of affairs is
India, on the dangers of party spirit, and on the com-
plexity and iLtricacy of the subject with which we have
to deal. These topics and arguments have all been
touched on before ; they were all urged by the noble
lord the member for Durham (Lord H. Vane) some six
weeks ago ; and what was the decision at which the
house arrived ? After a debate of scarcely two hours, the
the proposition then made in favour of postponing the
discussion of this subject was negatived, not by a bare

majority, but by one of the most overwhelming majori-
ties ever recorded in this house. (Hear, hear.) What
are the objections to procesding with the measure of
the Government ? The right hen. gentleman objects to
proceeding with it at this time of the year, and he has re-
ferred to a late motion ma le in this house as indicating
the spirit in which it is likely Indian affairs will be dis-
cussed. He has adverted also to the continuance of the
war is India, and he has told us of the great intricacies
and difficulties of the question. Now, with regard to
the question of time, I will not go back beyond the pre-
cedent of 1856, though I may just mention in passing
that on almost all former occasions when this house
entered upon the renewal of the East India charter the
duty was undertaken at a period of the year quite as
advanced as this. (Hear, hear.) But to go no further
back than 1856, I may remind the house that though
the questiOn of the Home Government of India was not

then dealt with in so comprehensive a manner as now,
yet in the bill introduced by the right hon. gentleman
the member for Halifax no slight or unimportant changes
were imported into-the system of government. (Hear,
hear.) Let me also remind the house that we are now
beginning anew to deal with this subject. We have had
before us ever since February the plan of the late Go-
vernment. Since December last we have had intimations
of that plan being in progress, for we were then told that
Indian affairs would call for our most serious considera-
tion. Ever since that time, and, indeed, for months
_before, every newspaper and every review has been fall
of the subject, and the public mind has been called, as it
never was before, by occurrences of the most dreadful.
kind, to consider the question of Indian administration.
(Hear, bear.) I venture to repeat what I said on a for-
mer occasion, that I do not believe you can ever have
a more favourable occasion than the present to =alder
this subject. It would be a strange confession of
weakness and incapacity if, after' six months' definitive
notice, and after the attention of all England has been
called for twelve months to Indian affairs, we were now
to declare that we were incompetent to make a perma-
nent settlement—l do not say of the whole Indian clues.:
tion, but a settlement of that part of the question with
which alone we are called to deal. The right hon. gen-
tleman speaks of the effect and influence of party spirit
on this question. The noble lord the member for
Durham six weeks ago preceded him on that topic ;
but the noble lord the member for Durham bad not the
advantage of some events which have since occurred.
The right hon. gentleman referred to a late event, the
memory of which is fresh with us all, as affording an
unfavourable indication of the manner in which Indian
questions are treated in this house. Remembering that
event—remembering the debate that took place, and the
conclusion the house came to, I am inclined, from pre-
oliely the sarce premises, to draw a Precisely opposite
conclusion. I think many were led at that time to sup-
port the Government of the day from a scrupulous desire
not in any manner to bring India within the scope of
party conflict in this house. (Hear) With regard to the
state of the insurrection in India I have no wish to mis-
lead the house. I agree with the right hon. gentleman
when he tele us that the war now being waged in India
is net at an end. I agree with him that, though the
worst is new over, the war is far from being at an end.
am afraid in some districts, though it may not be a war
erilous to the empire, that thoso military operations
will be long. I fear that they will be harassing to the
troops, and may involve a considerable sacrifice of valu-
able lives. But how far, and to what extent, does that
state of affairs impede our proceedings in the work of re-
??nstruction of the home government of India ? (Hear.)
For 12 months that war has raged, for six months the
whole question has been open, and it has been publicly
announced, on the highest authority, that the existing
se_ste m of the Indian Government at home is discredited.
ea there been
e effect that any
complaint—has it been sa'd that
carrying on 01 operation,ann?uncement has been to impe le the
in India or to diminish the
public spirit of those
gentleman appealEd wtohthlare employed ? The right bon.
and asked
whether,
eernoble lord the member for
Tiverton,
,stif the noble lord:had known
the dimensions which this di bae in India was about
to assume, he would have proceededurll with his proposed
course of egislation But we stand Trent pnsition
him, thha
from that in which the noble lord stood. The
the
lord
promptitude in ecasrtate
thought, and I am far from blaming
of
affairs in India required greater
un the Indian business at home, and was one of theryriene,
eons alleged by him for entering on that course of
then. We are in a different position now. It 13 not in
our power to deal with this matter as if the question had
not been raised. (Hear.)
The question has been rained,
and the confidence of all persone.in the system and me,
chanism by which the administration of Indian affairs at
home is carried on has been diminished. It seems to
Inc that the only manner of restoring that confidence—
and it is nom more important than ever that it should be
felt in the administration of Indian affairs—is to close up
again as speedily as possible, and as permanently as Pos'