The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-25 00:00:00

FRE SUN,

pally to address the house— -if at any tame they obtained bad indeed heard from India that the dresses and ward-
the simplicity which he arged for with regard te the robes of the ladies of the Court had been exposed to sale,
Government at home, what changes would it ho deter- like a t ankrupds stock, in the haberdashers' shops of
able to make in the Government in ledia ? And he would Calcutta—a thing likely to incense and horrify the peo-
make one observation at this point, that in all the state- ple of India who witnessed it. Take, again, the case of
ments and arguments which he hoped to use be begged the Burmese war. The Governor-General entered into
the house to believe that he used them with the greatest it, and annexed the province of -13,gu, and to this day
possible deference, with the feeling that this was a ques- there had been no treaty with tne King of Burmala if
tion upon which no man was at all entitled to dogma- that case bad been brought before the house, it was im-
tise, that it was a vast question which they all looked at possible that the war with Burmah could have been en-
as one they were scarcely capable of handling and deter- tered upon. He did not believe that there was one man
mining. (Cheers.) He submitted bai views to the house in England who, knowing the facts, would say that this
because he had considered the subject more or less for war was just or neceseiry in any sense. (Hear.) The
many years, and he believed he was actuated by the Governor-General of India had an army of 300,000 men
eirnale and honest desire of contributing something to under his comnonnil ; he was a long way from home ;
the information and knowledge of Parliament with re- he was himself highly connected with the governing
gard to its duty upon this que-tion. (Cheers ) What was classes at hnme. There were certain reasons that made
it they had to complain of in lnclia.? What was ii- that war palatable to large classes, and be was so powerful
the people of India, if they spoke by his mouth, had to that he entered into these grea, operations almost en-
complain of ? They would tell the house that, as a rule, ' controlled by the opinion of the Parliament and people
throughout all the presidencies, and tdroughout those ! of England. He might commit any amount of blunders
presidencies most which had longest been under British . or crones against the moral law, and be would still re-
rule, the cultivators of the soil, the great body of the ! main loaded with dignities and certain of pensions. Did
population of India, were in a condition of great ire- I it not become the power of that house to examine ear-
-1 rowly the foundation of the misfortunes and disgraces of poveriehment, of great dejection, and of great suffering.
1 (Hear.) He bad brought to the house the report of the the grave catastrophe which had just occurred ? The
committee which he obtained 10 years ago, up„ which place ef the Governor-General was toe high— -his power
sat several members of the Court of Directors, and they l was too great—and he believed that this particular office
I and officer were very much responsible—of come e under
all agreed to report as much as be had now stated to
the Government at bona—for the udefortunes that had
the house—the report being confined chiefly to the pre-
sidencies of Bombay and Madras. If he were now sub- takes place. Only think of a Governor-General of India
mitting the case of the population of India he would i writing to an Indian prince, the ruler over many mil-
say that the taxes of India were more onerous and I hoes ef men in the heart of India,—" Remember, you
oppressive than the taxes of any other country in I are but as the dust under my feet." Passages like these
the world. He thought he could demonstrate that were left out of despatches. It would not do for the
proposition to the house. He would show that indus- Parliament cf England to know that their officer ad-
trydressed language I lea this t) a native prince. (Hear.) The
was neglected to a greater extent probably than a as
lac. was that a Governor-General o flndia, unless be was
the case in any other county in the world which bad
been for any length of time under what was termed a
such a man as was not found mere than once in a cen-
He fury, was very liable to have his head turned, and to civilised and Christian Government. (there hear,)
form ambitious views, which were mainly to be gratified
!would be able to show front the notes and memoranda of
by eucctestul wars and the annexation of province after
eminent men in India, of the Governor of Bengal, Mr.
provi ice during the period of his rule. The services
Halliday, that there was not and never had been in any
w
country pretending to be civilised a condition of thinga to were always ready to help him in these plans. He as
not sure that the President of the Board of Control
be compared with that which exited under the police
administration of the province of Bengal. (Hear.) With could not give evidence on this subject, for he bad heard
regard to the courts of justice he might say the same something of what had happened when the noble lord
thing. He could quote pas-ages from books written in was in India. When the Burmese war broke out the
favour of the Company with all the bias which the not le lord could no doubt tell the house that, without
strongest friends of the Company cottH have, in which inquiring into the quarrel or is causes, the press of
the writers declared that, precisely in proportion as'. Inure, le idea was devoted to the wrvicee, and the ser-
English courts of justice bad extended, had perjury and i vices themselves, broke out into univer-al approbation
all the evils which perjury introduced into the adminis- lof the couree taken by the Governor-General. Justice
tration of justice prevailed throughout the presidencies of I to Pegu and the millions of taxes to be raised for the
India. (Rear.) With regard to public works, if he were support of the war were forgotten, and nothing but
speaking for the natives of India he would state this fact, eisione of more territory and better patronage floated
a.
that in a single English county there were more reads—
before the eyes of the English in Indi He cora
more travelable roads—than were to be found in the tended that the power of the Governor-General was
whole of India ; and he would say also that the single too great and the office too high to be held by the i-ul jest
sity of Manchester, in the supply of its inhabitants with of any Power whatever, and, especially by any subj -ct of
the Queen of Eegand. He should pr puss, if he were
the single article of water, tred spent a larger sureof
money than the East India Company had eewut in the in a position to offer a scheme in the shape of a ball to
14 years from 1834 to 1848 in public works of every the house as an iediepensible preliminary to the sound
kind throughout the wholeof its vastdonainions. (Cheers.) . government of India in future, such as would be credit-
Ile would say the real activity of the Indian Govern- able to Parliament and advantageous to the people of
ment had been an activity of conquest and annexation— lndia, teat the office cf Governor-General should be abo-
(hear)—of conquest and annexation which after a time lisbed. (Hear.) Perhaps some gentlemen thought this a
had led to a fearful ewe trephe, which had enforced on very unreasonable proposition. Many people thought
the house attention to the question of India, which but it unreasonable in 1853 when it was proposed to abolish
for that catastrophe he feared the house would not have the E eat India Company ; but now Parliament and the
given it. (Cheers.) If there were another charge to be country believed it to be highly reasonable and preper—
made against the past Government of India it would be (hear) —and he was not sure that Le could not briug be-
with regard to the state of its finances. Where ea-, fore the house reasons to convince them that the aboli-
there a bad government whose finances were in good tion of the office of Governor-General was one of the
order ? Where was there a really good government whole most sensible and one of the most Conservative proposals
finances were in bad order ? Was there a better test in ever brought forward in connexion with the government
the long run of the condition of a people and the merits of India. (Hear.) He believed the duties of the Governor-
of a government than the state of the finances ? And General were far greater than any human being could
yet not in our own time, but going back through all the adequately fulfi'. He had a power omnipotent to crush
pages of " Mill," or any other history of India, they anything that was good. If he so wished he could ever-
found the normal condition of the finances of India bear and overrule whatever was proposed for the wen
had been that of deficit and bankruptcy. He maintained fire of India, while, as to doing anything that was good,
that if that were so the Government was a bad Govern- he could show that with regard to the va,t countries over
tnent. It had cost more to govern India than the Ge- which he ruled he war.powerless to affect anything that
vernmeet had been able to extract from the population those coui tears :sally required. (Hear.) The hon. gen-
of India. The Government had not been scrupulous as tieuran behind him (Ob. dyne:) tole them there were 20
to the amount of taxes or the mode in which they were nations in India, and that there were 20 1 ieguagee. Did
it ever happen before that any ono roan governed 20 na-
tions, ; but still, to carry en the government of India
tions, speaking 20 different languages, and bound them
according to the system which had heretofore prevailed,
more had been required than the Government could ex• up toger her in one great compact empire.
tract by any system of taxation known to them from [An Hoe. MEMBER here made an ob-ervation.]
the population over which they ruled. It cost more His hon. friend mentioned somegrcat Parth. a monarch.
than 30,000,0001. a-year to govern India, and the gross No doubt there bad been men strong in atm and in
revenue being somewhere about 30 000.0001 , and there head, and of stern resolution, who had kept great
being a deficit, the deficit had to be made up by loans, empires together during their lives ; but aS soon as they
The Government obtained all they could from the pope- went the way of all flesh, and descended, like tue
Wien. It was not enough, and they had to borrow from meanest of their subjects, into the tomb, the provinces
the population and from Europeans at a high rate of in- . they had ruled were divided into numerous petty Sates
tereet to make up the SUM which was found to be neces- and their great empires vanished. (Hear, hear) He
leery. They had a debt of 60,000,0001. It was centi- would ask the noble lord below Liar (Lord J. Russell)
flintily increasing. They always had a loan open, and and the noble lord the member for Tiverton (the noble
while their debt was increasing their credit had been lord the member for King's Lynn had not as yet expe-
falling, because they had not treated their creditors very rience on that point) whether, when they came to appoint
honourably on one or two occasions, and chiefly, of a Governor-General of India, they did not find it one of
course, on account of the calamities which had recently the most serious and difficult duties they could be called
happened in India. There was one point with regard on to perform. (Hear, hear.) Hedid not know at this
to taxation which he wished to explain to the house, and moment, and he never did know, a man who was corn-
he hoped that, in the reforms to which the noble lord petent to govern India—(hear, hear)—and if any man
'was looking forward, it would not be overlooked. He I said he was competent, he set himself up at a much
bad said that the gross revenue was 30,000,000/. Ex- higher value than those who were acqueiuted with him
elusive of the opium revenue, which was not, strictly were likely to do. (A laugh.) Let the house look at
speaking, and hardly at all, a tax upon the people, he the making of the laws for 20 nations speaking 20 lan-
set down the taxation of the country at something like guagee. Look at the regulations of the police for 20
25 000,000/. Honourable gentlemen must not compare nations speaking 20 languages- (riser) Look at the
25,000,000/. taxation in India with 60,000,0001. in Eeg- question of public works as it affected 20 nations speak-
land. They must bear in mind that in India they could ing 20 languages, where there was no municipal p ,wer
have 12 days' labour of a man for the same sum in eil• and no combinations of any kind, such as facilitated the
Ter or gold which they bad to pay for one day's labour of constructien of public works in this country. (hear.)
a man in England; that if, for example, these 25,000,000/. Inevitably all those duties that devolved on every good
'were expended in purchasing labour, it would pur- Government must necessarily he neglected by the Go-
chase twelve times as much in India as in England vernor-General of India, however wise, capable, and
—that was to say, that the 25,000,000/. would purchase honest he might be in the performance of his duties, be-
es many days' labour in India as 300,000,0001. would cause the duties they laid upon him were such as no
purchase in England. [An Hon. Member.—How much man now living or who ever lived could properly sus-
is the labour worth ?] That was precisely what he was tain. (Hear, hear.) It might be asked what be would
coming to. If the labour of a man was only worth 2 t substitute ter :he Governor-Generalship. Now, he did
ts-day, they could not expect as much revenue from him not propose to abolish the office of Governor-General of
as if it were 2s. a-day. That was just the point to which India this gesiion. (A laugh.) He was not proposing
he wished the hon. gentleman would turn his attention. any clause in the bill, and if he were to propose one to
They bad in England a population which, for the sake carry out the idea he had now expressed, he might be
of argument, he would call 30,000,000. They had in answered by the argument that a great part of the popu•
India a population of 150,000.000. Therefore, the lation of India was in a state of anarchy, and that it
populatioreof India was five times as great as the popu. wool Ibe meet Inconvenient, if not dangerous, to abolish
lation of England. They raised 60,000,000/, taxation in the office of Governor• General at such a time. (Hear.)
England. Tbey raised in India, arguing by the value He did not mean to propose such a thing now, but he
of labour taxation, equivalent to 300,000,000/, which took that opportunity of stating his views, in the hope
was five times the English revenue. A man might say that when they came to 1863 they might perhaps be
the taxation in India and England appeared about the able to consider the question more in the light in which
same, and no great injury was done. But it must be he was endeavouring to present it to the House.
borne in mind that in England they had an incalculable (Hear, hear.) Ile would propose that, instead of bay•
power of steam, of machinery, of modes of transit, roads, log a Governor-General of an Indian empire, they should
canals, railways, and everything which capital and have neither the one nor the other. (Hear, bear, and a
human invention could bring to help the industry of the laugh.) He would propose that they should have presi-
people, while in India there was nothing of the kind, dencies, and not an empire. (hear.) If he were a Minis-
(Hear.) In India there was scarcely a decent road, the ter—which the house would admit was a bold figure of
rivers were not bridged, there were comparatively no speech—(a leugb)—and if the house were to agree with
steam-engines, and none of those aids to industry that him—which was also a rather essential point—he would
met us at every step when travelling in Great Britain propose to have five presidencies in India, and he would
and Ireland. Suppose steam-engines, machinery, and bays the governments of those presidencies perfectly
m ides of transit abolished in England, how touch re equal in rank and in ea'ary, The capitals of those prosi•
venue would the Chancellor of the Exchequer obtain dencies would be Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Agra, and
from the people of Eiglard ? Instead of 60,000,000 e, Lahore. He would take Madras as an illustratioee Id,as '
a-year, would beeget-10,000,000/. ?He doubted it very dray bad a p ipulation of some 20,000,000. Taely eti knew
m rub. If theOhonse would follow out the argu. its position on the map, and that it had the advantage of
Molt, they would come to the c-onclusion that the taxes of being more compact, geographicelly speaking, than the
tre people of India were oppressive to the last degree, and other presidencies. It had a Governor and a Council. He
that the Government which had thus taxed them could be would give to it a Governor and a Council still, but would
tolerated no longer, and must promptly be put an end confine all their duties to the Presidency of Madras, and
to at once and for ever. He wished to say something he would treat it just as if Madras was the only portion
about the manner in which these great exeenees were of India connected with this country. He would have its
incurred. The extravagance of the East India Govern- ficance, its taxation, its justice, and its police depart-
ment was notorious to all. He believed there never was meats, as well as its public works and military &part-
e service under the sun that had been paid at so high a merits, precisely the same as if it were a State having no
rate as the exclusive civil service of the East India connection with any other part of India, and r. cognised
Company. Clergymen and missionaries could be got to only as le dependency of this country. (Hear.) He would
go out to India for a moderate sum—private soldiers and propose that the government of every presidency should
officers of the army went out for a moderate retuunera- correspond with the Secretary fer India in England, and
tion—merchants were content to live in the cities of that there should be telegraphic communications between
India for a percentage not greatly exceeding tee ordinary all the presidencies in India, as he hoped before long to
profits of commerce. Bat the civil service, because it was see a telegraphic communica•ion between the office of the
bound up with those who were raised by it, and who noble lord (Lord Stanley) and every presidency over
dispensed the patronage, received a rate of payment which he presided. (Hear, hear.) He would no doubt
which would be incredible if they did not know it to be be told that there were insuperable difficulties to such
true, and which, knowing it to be true, they must admit an arrangement, and he would be sure to hear of the
was monstrous. The East Indian Government scattered military difficulty. Now, he did not profess to be an
salaries about at Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Agra, La- authority on military affairs, but he knew that ruili-
bore, and half-a dozen ether cities, which were up to the - tary men often made great mistakes. He would have
mark of those of the Prime Minister and Secretaries of the army divided, each presidency having its own
State in this country. These salaries were framed upon army, just as now, care being taken to have them
the theory that India was a mine of unexplored wealth, kept distinct, and he saw no danger of any confusion
although no one bad found it so but the members of the or misunderstanding, when an emergency arose, of
civil service of the East India Company. (Hear) The having them all brought together to carry out the views
policy of the Governmeret was at the bettom of the coo- of the Government. There was one difficulty which it was
Marg. deficit. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had twice important to bear in mind, and that was with regard to
declared that expenditure depended upon policy. That the councils in India. He thought every goverhoh of a
was true in India as in England, and it was the policy presidency should have an assietant °outlet]) bnt d.ffer-
that had been pursued there wbieh rendered the revenue ently constituted from what they now were, He would
liable to this constantly recurring deficit. He bad come have an open council. The noble lord the member for
to the conclusion, which many hon, members probanly London used some expre:sions the other night' which he
bleared with him, that the edifice we Lad reared in India interpreted to mean that it was necessary to maintain in
was too vast, There were few men now, and least of all all its exclusiveness the system of the aiell service in
those connected with the East India Company, who, look- India. In that he entirely differed from the noble lord.
ing back to the policy that had been pursued, would rot (Lord J. Russell here indicated dissent.) The noble lord
be willing to admit that it had not been judicious but corrected him io that statement, and therefore ho must
Hazardous—that territories had been annexed that had have been mistaken, What they wanted eves to make
better been left independent, and that wars had been un- the Governrnente of each of the Presidebeiee Govern-
dertaken which were as needless as they were altogether mente for the people of the Presidency ; not Clovernments
unjustifiable. (Hear.) The immense empire that had for the civil servants of the Crown, but for the non-official
been conquered was too vast for management, its base mercantile classes from England who settle there, and
was in decay, and during the last 12 months it appeared fur the 20,000,000 of natives, (Hear, he; r.) He should
to be tottering to its fall. Who or what was the in- propose to du that which was done with great advantage
etrument the Cabinet, the Government, or the per- in Ceylon. He had received a letter
from an officer
eon—by whom this evil policy was carried on I who bad been in the service of the East India Oath-
The greatest officer in India was the Governor• pang, and who told
him in that fetter h fact which geeti
General. He was the ruler of about one-fifth, fled him very much. He mall
certainly more than one-sixth, of the human race. The "At a publictdponrete at tioloreb—o, in 18:35, to the (Invert
of France and Russia were but the governor, nor, Si
Wilmo on, at which I was present, the best
of provinces compared with the power, the dignity, and speech of tire evenine
mmadeb by at Atlyttaie a heave
the high estate of the Governor-General of India. Now, nobleman of Candy7anT as
erassLoil,dq?),.sound,serse,
err of. Connell. It was re-
over this officer almost no real control was exercised. malleable for its approprlateeeilist
If he were to appeal to the two hon, gentlemen who had ' and the deliberatie n and ease thatP atiteranbe of
frequently addressed the house during these debates his feelings. There was no repetitioa dr e-keele ''
(Colonel Sykes and Mr. Willoughby), they would probe- or flattery, and it was admitted *all who lieZ-I(.l.l,seoicif)y
lily admit that the Governor-General of India was an
but
the
the soundest and neetacts speech of the night,"' him
to
° cfficer of such high position that scarcely any control This was M Ceylon. It was not, of
ueifi what
best. tears who could make the best course,speech
C
could be exercised over him, either in India or England.
he had road could be, said of a native ;of
'take the case of the Marquis of Dalhousie for example, t
He was not about to make an attack upon him, for the could be said of thousands in India. They nyeeodn, it
occasion was too solemn for personal controversies. But
Silo
hear.) And in every
to beyond the walls of that house to find a bead bronzed
aninaeltssutt
nequal to the ablest heads e those
the annexation of Sahara, of the Punjab, of Nagpore
to;ttleivas nodt the same. There
And of Oude occurred under his rule. (Hear,) He would part of adorned
the aeallcolic'y tceeases.w
.(tl:lleaetarit was apenrisnosliusloit'ntlc‘nutdohilee
net go into the case of Setters, but one of the mostma;s- 1 people of India toY
nificent princes that India ever produced cuff red and were thousands anl.
(Hear, hear.)
died most unjustly in exile, either through the mi-takes
awl:l),oewrnerrneenctornmpigehtetncthotoosetatkooadalysnacpueosts'hot:.m.
or the crimes of the Government of India. This, how- i ion to which the
If the governor eachh .presideney were to have in iris
ever, was Lot done under the Government of Lord Del-
p council some of the officials of his Government, semis of
houere. •As to the annexation of Nagpore, the boute had never heard anything about it
had b
beep no message from the Crown or statement of the in presidency, and
two or three at least of the intelligent natives of the pre-
CroVernoteet relative to that annexation: H sidency in whom the people would have some confidence
en. members , they would have begun that which would be of iueetiiiiable,