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

of the Governor-General you must recall him, if you ap-
prove his policy you must cordially sustain him ; if you
partially disapprove you must so express that disapproval
as neither to shake his confidence in you nor paralyse his
powers in India. (Cheers.)
Sir J. GR A.II A M—Like my right hon. friend I am of
the Peel school, and feel all the force of the recommenda-
tion of three courses. (Laughter.) I cannot say, however,
that in the present case the choice lies between three, or
even two courses. It is not necessary either to recall the
Governor-General or to acquiesce in his policy. If the
Governor-General is to be his own master what becomes of
the responsibility of the Q ueen's. Ministers ? (Cheers.) Al-
though in a great public emergency they may think that
Lord Canning isbetter fitted than any other person —and in
that opinion I for one fully concur with them, to discharge
the duties of Governor-General, yet exercising the supreme
authority, they are entitled to reprehend the policy even of
that great proconsul, if they believe it to be inconsistent
with the habits and welfare of those to whom it relates
and dangerous to the safety of the British empire in India.
(Cheers.) Now., sir, I gladly come to the close of the ob-
servations which I have unwillingly addressed to you. The
general conclusion at which I have arrived may be briefly
stated. I think the proclamation is substantially wrong,
I think the despatch is substantially right. (Cheers.) The
error of the proclamation is in its essence ; the error of
the despatch is in its form and expression. (Renewed
cheering.) Upon a former occasion the right hon. gentle-
man the member for Radnor said that the neglect of the
Government with respect to the publication of the de-
, spatch almost amounted to design. Was ever a Govern-
meat dismissed yet for neglect almost amounting to design?
(Cheers.) A change of Government being sought, lam
bound to ask those who naturally aspire to succeed to the
present Ministers, what is their policy ? (Cheers.) Are
they for the proclamation, or are they for the despatch ?
(Continued cheering.) Iu other words, are they for con-
tiscation, or are they for amnesty—amnesty in the sense
of Sir John Lawrence? (Hear, hear.) The battle still
rages in India; that sea of fire is unquenched. Who was
the person placed as permanent Secretary at the Board of
Control by her Majesty's late advisers? Sir George Clerk.
What does Sir George Clerk say upon this subject? He
says that the ship cannot be righted unless the proclama-
tion is thrown overboard. (Cheers.) He goes•further, for
he says that you cannot permanently hold India if the
principle of confiscation be established by the British Go-
vernment. (Hear, hear.) So, in the very words of the.
despatch which is so much blamed, I say that we shall
not be able to hold India if the entire population, on ac-
count of the principle of confiscation, think they are sub-
jected to British dominion at the expense of legitimate
rights. (Cheers.) Adopting that view, I have to con-
sider what is the real object of the present motion. (Hear,
hear.) I have no friend in whose honour or word I trust
more implicitly than I do in the honour and word of the
right hon. member for Radnor ; and he has told us that
he does not believe that this motion has been brought for-
ward with any party object whatever. (Laughter.) We
all know that men congregate and make treaties of friendly
and offensive alliance, deliberate on plans of attack, and
probably on the division of the spoil ; and to tell me that
there is no party object in this motion is to draw on my
small stock of credulity, and make me sceptical and an un-
believer. (Laughter.) Three months have hardly passed by
since by a deliberate vote of this house we expelled the late
Government from power ; and are we prepared to rein-
state them upon such a motion as the present, wherein
the principle which has been asserted by her Majesty':,
advisers is not explicitly or openly condemned ? Can Ibe
a party to any such vote, en.ertaining the opinion I have
expressed in this house ? I cannot do it. All my party
wishes still linger about (Cries of " Oh I" from the
Opposition.) An hon. gentleman on the front Opposition
bench sneers at this. I say at once that whatever others
may be lam no candidate for power. (Cheers.) I exer-
cise a most dispassionate and disinterested judgment, and
let those who sneer on that bench make the same declara-
tion. (Loud and repeated cheers.) I never gave a vote
with more pain or regret in my life. (Oh, oh l) I never
discharged a public duty with a more clear conscience.
(Cheers.) I would gladly have voted for the previous
question, and I gladly and cordially adopt the amendment
of the hon. member for Swansea. If that, however, be
rejected, I shall reluctantly, yet unhesitatingly, give my
vote against the motion of my right hon. friend the mem-
ber for Oxford. -(Loud cheers.)
Sir R. BETHELL should deeply regret if there were
many members in the house who thought that if others
spoke on this subject they did so for the purpose of joining
in a cabal or party movement. (Oh, oh ; and hear, hear.)
Those who cheered such a sentiment were the most likely
to fall under the imputation. (Oh, oh.) Of all complaints,
this one of the Government, namely, that this was a most
factious motion, was the most ridiculous. (Oh, oh, and
laughter.) If the conduct of the present administration
were reviewed,, it would be seen that no Government had
ever, in so short a time, committed so many blunders, or
been treated with such forbearance. (Derisive cheers, and
cries of epiestion.) Why how many times had the noble
lord the member for London drawn them out of the mire.
(01r, ob, and ironical cheers ?) The same hand which dic-
tated the India bill of the Government was visible in the
despatch. (Oh, oh.) The Opposition could have tripped
up the Government for their blunder in the India Bill,
but the noble lord, the member for London, had come to
their rescue. (Oh, oh.) The climax of the Government
absurdity was reacted in the funeral oration of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer over his defunct measure.
(Oh, ob.) While the Government were simply ridiculous,
the Opposition allowed them to remain i❑ office. Now,
however, a question had arisen, by which our Indian Go-
vernment was imperilled. What was the gravamen of the
charge against the Government? Why, that during a
fearful rebellion in one of the dependencies of the Crown,
a rebuke had been published on a great public officer, and
published, too, to the persons engaged in the rebellion.
That was in fact casting doubt on the authority of the
Crown. In firmer days such a course would have ren-
dered the Minister liable to an impeachment. This was
a matter in which the Government had exhibited to the
people of India the Queen at a usurper. Why, under such
circumstances could anybody foresee anything but conti-
nual war in Oude? The doctrines of clemency preached
by the Government were mere hypocrisy. Of course the
Government never meant to act up to the doctrines enun-
ciated in the despatch. The right hon. baronet who had
just sat down had said that if the despatch had been the
act of the whole Government he would have been prepared
to visit the act with ce .sure. But the right hon. baronet
seemed to forget that the responsibility of the despatch had
bean assumed by the Government. The despatch was
clearly considered by the whole Government before it was
sent oat. The hon. and learned gentleman then proceeded
at very considerable length to read the various statements
which from time to time have been made in both Houses
of Parliament with respect to the despatch of Lord Ellen-
borough, with the view of showing that by the statements
of the members of the Government themselves the despatch
was the work and was issued on the responsibility of the
whole Cabinet. He submitted that the publication of this
despatch was the deliberate and well considered act
of the entire Government. Under those circumstances,
if the resignation of Lord Ellenborough was inevi-
table, what about the retention of office by tho e who
were his accomplices in the act which had rendered his
resignation necessary? Well, that was the first count
in the indictment against her Majesty's Government. The
next point was that, when the despatch was sent out, the
Government were in ignorance as to whether the procla-
mation had been issued or not. In that state of things the
despatch was a most precipitate step. In the next place,
he said it was in very intemperate language ; in the next
place, it was injurious to the public service, and in the
fourth place it was an injustice to a great public servant.
The Solicitor-General said that Oude ought to be treated
as a conquered province, but if L )rd Canning had so
treated it he would have ignored the annexation and have
repudiated the authority of -his sovereign. The hon. and
learned gentleman then wont on to argue that the procla-
mation was only intended to apply to the Zemindars and
talookdars, and to no others. The object of the proclama-
tion was not to take away the lands of the people, but to
induce them to come and give their allegiance to the Queen.
That, he argued, was a policy of clemency. It had been
said that Lord Canning had not been recalled. He had
not at any time been recalled, i❑ fact; but what could be
a more effectual recall than a despatch casting ridicule and

obloquy on a public servant. That was the—charge which
was brought against the Government, and be could not
see how anybody could come to any other conclusion with
regard to the act of the G worriment than it would be
productive of the greatest mischief in India. (Hear.) Ile,
therefore, asked who had done most for the cause of
humanity, and begged of them to consider with what a case
they would go to the hustings if this motion were negatived
The country would see it was the poverty of the Govern-
ment and not their will that induced them to grant mea-
sures of a liberal character. He taunted the present
Government with giving up their principles in order to
keep office. The hon. member for Birmingham hail
spoken of the blandishments that had been held out to
Liberal members, and reminded the house that the
stoutest Liberals had before now given way to such, and
he cautioned the hon. memb .r for Birmingham against
them, and advised him to steel himself against such
lest they might side off the asperities and angles of the de-
mocratic principles he espoused. (Hear, ant laughter )
The house was bound by every feeling of national honour
to say to men who had been guilty of such conduct that
they were not worthy of the confidence of the country.
Sir E. B. LYTTON moved the adjournment of the
debate.

Lord J. RUSSELL—I stated,•sir, early in this debate
the reasons why I felt it to be my duty to support the
motion of my right hon. friend the member for Oxford,
and I have now no right, nor indeed have I the slightest
inclination to resume my argument upon the question. I
am, moreover, perfectly willing to admit that the argu-
ments which I advanced may be of very little value, but
the hon. member for Birmingham,not content with an-
swering those arguments, has thought
htiatt is a subject into
make an attack
upon my personal character.N t
which Ido not desire to enter at any length. iedeed, I
am sorry to have to trespass upon the time of the house in
respect to it at all, but I feel that it will be absol Italy
nocessaty for me to do so; and as I believe the right hen.
gentleman the Chancellor of th.e Exchequer proposes to
move the adjournment of the hem° to-morrow for the
Whitsuntide holidays, I beg to give notice that I shall
take that opportunity, when I trust the hoe. member for
Birmingham may be present, to make some reference to
the remarks to which I have alluded. (Hear; hear.)
Mr. DUNLOP wished to offer some explanation in re-
ferent: to the amendment which he had that evening given
notice it was his intention to move di ruled the mot i in of
the right hon. gentleman th, member for Oxford o • the
amentneent of the hon. member for Swansea be carried.
He heartily concurred with those who condemned the
pub ication of the despatch of Lord Ellenborough, as well
as deprecated its general tone. He, ho wever, equally agreed
with those who disapproved the proclamation of Lord Can-
ning, and as he was of opinion that the resolutions of the
right hon. gentleman the member for Oxford would, if car-
ried, preclude the house from expressing any %dui( n on
that proclamation, and even go so far as to imply an
approval of the views which it set forth, he should
tin i it impesqele to vote for these resolutions unless they
wore qualified in some such way as to meet the objection
which he had to them in their present shape. He under
these circumstances preposed to add to the resolutions the
amendment of which I e had given notice in the early par t
of the evening-, which amendment, if accepted by the
right hon. gentleman the member for Oxford, would en-
able him to support the motion of the right hon. gentle-
man. If, hcwevor, the amen mint were rejected by the
right hon, gentleman it would be clear that he meant to
put upon the resolutions a construction to which they di,l
not seen at present to be clearly open, and he (Mr.
Dunlop) -should feel it to he his duty to vote against
them. If the amendment of the hon. member for Swanse
were carried, it would, he thought., be expedient to mace
to it the addition which he proposed in the event of the
resolutions being passed, inasmuch as he deemed it to be
extremely desirable that the House of Commons should
pronounce a ,distinct opiuion as to the course of policy