The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-27 00:00:00

(From the Times.)

The new India Bill is a remarkable combination of modesty
and enterprise. It fulfils not only the pledge made by the
Government on its accession to office, but also one which it
did not make, for it is an India Bill and a Parliamentary Re-
form Bill rolled into one. To the populous constituencies of
louden. 4lanchester. Kr...,
new members, not in the House of Commons, but in he
Council of India. Why should we not build Chateaux
d'Espagne in that country At home it is not always easy
to satisfy expectation. Parliamentary Reform is a ticklish
affair, becalm if you have once created a majority against
yon there ry be an end of Toryism altogether, But give
Reformers India instead. Your friend asks a commission in
the army, and you are forced te reply that it is not in the
line of your interest, but—what would he say to an Indian
appointment ? It is the first time that the populace of Man-
chaster has had a thousand a-year and heaps of patronage
offered; and only the most brutal natures, such as 'Mr.
Bright's, could be insensible to the boon. We should like to
see the hon. member for the metropolis iu the Council of
India. There is something peculiarly English in these
mixtures of home and foreign ideas. Thus it was
that India aai first, held in copyhold as' of the manor of
Greenwich, and to this day, if sailors are to be believed, the
ocean is in the parish of Stepney. On a memorable occasion
it was proposed that not only the property, but, if we re-
member right, he persons too of all the Hellenic dependen-
cies, the Agean, Asia Minor, Sicilian and Italian colonies in-
cluded, should be seized, and divided equally between the
five thousand citizens of Athens. Let us seize upon ludia
and divide the spoil. The 10/. householders of the five
favoured cities are not few, but yet ev ry man's share of male
and female slaves, gold-earrings and necklaces, shawls, inla d
boxes and filigree work, will not be a trifle. Lord Ellen-
borough leads the way, like another Sir Walter Raleigh, cry-
ing, "Lo ! these be your gold mines." Carrying out the
true principles of Parliamentary reform, we are to have re-
presentatives of the Indiin Civil Service, of the native inte-
rest, of commerce and manufactures, of railways, of stock, of
everything that has a s eke in the empire. We need not go
far for the origin and authority of this splendid conception.
It is eminently a prize scheme ; or, perhaps, we ought to
say, a competitive design. In Westminster Hall there lately
stood two hundred models of monuments for the Duke of
Wellington, in which the well-known figure of the hero stood
surrounded by cities, commerce, art, peace, war, experience,
industry, invention, integrity, all the virtues, graces, talents,
nymphs, Grenadiers, sailors, and everything that exists, or
could be imagined to exist. Such is the proposed constitu-
tion for the government of India.
But, if the invention displayod in this measure be remark.
able, not less is its modesty. Her Majesty's Government do
not take a single piece of patronage for themselves. They
give nine names to Parliament and the other nine to the con-
stituencies mentioned above. This is almost too heroic. We
are net accustomed to it. There has been only OC e example
of the kind that we remember, and that was in an India Bill
which did nut pass into law. Notwithstanding this redeem-
ing piece of modesty in Fox's Bill, it would not go down, and
overthrew the party. The only possible conclusion is that
the English do not like modesty—that is, too much of it.
Parliament adopts a very high tone with Ministers, but it
does not like to see the Executive wholly abasing its If be-
fore the Legislature. It does not like to see the Minister
crouching and crawling on the ground, offering humble peli-
tions, " by your leave," with bated breath, beseeching the
house to do what is the business of the Minister himself. The
House of CoMmons has no more wish to name the Council of
India than to 6,11 up the names of a Cabinet, or to nominate
the Judges, the Bishops; or any other MM sterial appoint-
ments. It may argue a want of ambition, and even of grati-
tude, but these' are tasks which even the House of Commons
will not take upon itself. It would rather leave something
to Government. Indeed, there is risk in all appoint.
ment ; out of nine three or four will turn out iediffer-
eut, and Parliament would rather not be answerable for
their sins and deficiencies. It expects t. Misters to
accept the responsibility. We suggest this to account for
the indifference shown by the house to the patronage freely
offered tQ it. The moderation, the humility, the self-denial
of the Ministers we cannot doubt. This is to be a Govern-
ment on sufferance, which denies nothing and offers every-
thing—which allows the introduction of any measure, and
gives to the House of Comm°. s, to tie great cities, to the
civil and military services. to the holders of shares and
stocks—to everybody, in fact, the catronage which rightl
accrues to her Majesty, and for the exercise of which they
are themselves answerable.
Nevtrtheless, the bill has its good points. A Council of
eighteen members is nearer the mark than one of eight, which
nobody believed to be the final intention of that scheme.
There is, tee, -something to be said for the qual fications
designed to secure the special experience requisite for the
various departments. But they are too many and too fine.
They woul often operate to the exclusion of good men, and
the selection of men who have little else than a Lominal
qualification—so many y -ars service, or residence in such and
such a position. Let anybody consider what would become of
India at this moment if the choice of her rulers on the spot
were subject to so many conditions. IT is possible to be
too ingenious. A watch, as any honest maker will tell
you, may have too many movements—it may tell you too
much, do too much. Suppose all these eighteen representa-
tives of as many interests, classes, services, provinces,
and attainments placed round a table, who is to keep
th m all together, and put th m into good mutual
relations? How, will horse, ox, mule, ass, pull together,—
strong and weak, fast and slow, steady and skittish, and with
all sorts of antipathies 7 It will be like one of those couven-
tions that paved the way for the Fre Al Revolution Those
great' city reprmentatives will feel themselves so many
Talbots, each the head of his 50,000 or 500,000 men. Scarce
a merchant in the city that would not be eligible to the post
as exporter of goods to India or importer of its produce, and
it is easy to see how much advantage a long resident candi-
date would have over one lately retarned from India. Wo
confess we tremble at the idea of London having to chaose a
man to reciove a thousand a-year, dispense patronage, exert
great influence, and get a footing in the grand machine of
Government. Such clockwork as Mr. Disraeli proposes is
too elaborate for the English taste. It would ruin us in
cleaning and repairing, and not go after all.

I(From the Morning Herald )
Under the circumstances, we are not surprised that several
i members sitting on the Opposition be,ches expressed a de
Itided preference for this proposal over that introduced a few
weeks since by Lord Palmerston. Tae new India Bill con.
, tains -many popular elements. It gives the people a fair
i share in the Government; and the question of patronage is

dealt with most judiciously. In fact, " the distribution of
patronage will not," as Mr. Disraeli remarked, " be in tho
least degree altered. Her Majesty will do directly that
which she Lhas before done indirectly. She will appoint
the Governor General, the fourth member of council, the
governors of the different presidencies, and the other great
officers, who are now appointed by the Crown, with the
assent of the Company. The members' of the civil service
will be elected under the same regulations which at present
prevail, and which are working so well. The cadetships
for the service of the Indian army and navy will remain as
they are now in the hands of the directors, so then in the
hands of the members of council. The only change will be
that formal change which the transference of the government
of India to the authority of the Queen renders necessary;
but, virtually, the patronage now held by the East 'lndia
Company will then be exereised in exactly the same way by
the members of the council."
That a measure conceived in this truly liberal spirit, and
formed with a due regard to the interests and welfare both
of England and of India, will be well received by the people
at large, we do .entertaiwthe slightest doubt. Its reception
in the House of Commons last night afforde i a marked con-
trast to the dissatisfaction and cruel censures that greeted
' the ex-Premier's proposal. Repeated bursts of applause
from various parts of the house show that its character was
thoroughly appreciated, and it may be considered as a most
satisfactory settlement of an irritating, a difficult,'and a
complicated question.