The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-07 00:00:00

GOVERNMENT OT INDIA.

'rhe CHAIRMAN laid before the Court a report of the
Court of Directors, relative to the two bills now before
Parliament far the future government of India. It was
a voluminous document and congratulated the propri-
etors on the altered tone of public comment on the
conduct of the Company, and they were glad to find
that in a recent Parliamentary discussion it had been
generally admitted that the rule of the Company had
been honourable to themselves and beneficial to Indic
Both the bilir provided an unchecked power on the post
of the minister. It was true that the minister was to
have a council, but the most despotic rulers had councils
and a council might either be dependant on the minister,
or the minister on the council. The minister, it was true,
waste be subjected to Parliament, butit was very unlikely
Parliament would interfere in the affair of a hundred
millions of Hindoos and Mahomedane. The directors
believed that the question of India would, under the
proposed system, never be considered, except upon a
party cry raised for the purposed of injuring a Minister.
There were in the proposed plan no constitutional checks,
but it was indispensable to good government that those
checks should be found in the governing body itself.
The report entered into a critical examination of the vari-
ous provisions of the two bills, and Expressed a very
strong opinion, on the part of thedirectors, that too much
power was given to the Minister and too little to the
Council. In fact, the Council would have no substantial
power, but simply moral influence. The first bill estab-
lished no forms of business, but the second did ; but
they were of such a character as made the Council an
empty pageant—a mere nullity. The directors were
bound to admit that there was in the present bill an in-
dication of a wish to secure to the Council a certain
amount e f influence, but it was so small as to be entirely
insignificant. The mods of nomination in the second
bill by the Government was objectionable, on the
ground that it would destroy the independence
of the body.
As to the election of councillors
by large constituencies the directors could only express
a feeling of aniaziment. (Cheers.) A more objection-
able scheme for introducing the English element into
the government of India could not in the opinion of the
directors be devised. The second bill made provision
for is commission from England to India for the purpose
of instituting an inquiry into Indian finance. The direc-
tors coul I not believe the project would be persisted in,
for it would be the first step to the disorganisation of
the fabric of the government in India. It wooll
give a stock to the local authorities in India which would
be productive of the worst consequences. The Court
had) come to the conclusion that neither of the bills
was grounded upon circumstances which called for
change, and that the passing of either should be opposed
as being a great calamity to India. (Cheers.) They wore
also of opinion that it was inexpedient for Parliament to
legislate for India iu the present excited state of men's
minds. The directors thought that the bills should
be opposed, and that in the event of either of
them passing a second reading an attempt should be made
in committee to get rid of the objectionable portions and
to secure the appointment of an independent Council.
On the motion of the Chairman that the report should
be received,
Mr. MACKENZIE moved wean amendment that Par-
liament having determined that it was necessary to le-
gislate for India, Sir James Melville and Mr. J. Stuart
Mill should be requested to draw up a scheme for the
future Government of India, to be submitted to the
Court of Proprietors and eventually to Parliament.
Sir F. CURRIE thought it was too much to ask the
directors to draw out a bill for their own extinction.
The hon. proprietors could hardly expect the directors
to consent to become their own executioners. (Loud
laughter.)

Mr. A RBUTHNOT entered into a consideration of the
different clauses in the bill. He was more inclined to
the present Government than the last; but, on the
whole, he preferred Lord Palmerston's bill to Lord
Derby's bill.

(The conclusion will be given in our last edition.)

olifliatireEc,dowrsarwdasvhreelrde,aEt "lb!, East
Hte Yesterday awChoeunr Court
appointed a Provisional Member of Council at Bombay.
The specie on board the wrecked steamer Ava in the
Bay of Bengal, consisted of 500 boxes, each box contain-
ing 5,000 rupees. The money in every box was there-
InYdiaes
fore worth above 5001. sterling. After the wreck 200
boxes were piled up on the fore part of the ship, ready
to be taken ashore in the boats ; but the Ava broke in
two unfortunately too near these boxes, and 46 of them
fell isto the gap made by the separation of the fore and
aft parts of the steamer, and thus nearly 25,000/. was
immediately engulphed. As soon as the Ava struck the
Admiralty agent rushed into the mail room to save the
mails, but he found the room filled with water.
Dummy OF ANCIENT RELICS IN ORIINEY.—A very
important discovery of ancient silver has been made
at Sandwick perhaps one of the most extensive
and important discoveries, in an arclowslogical point of
view, that have ever been made in Scotland. The relics
were discovered in a rabbit-hole. Some time ago a boy
happened to pick 111) some k•ilver coins which the rabbits
bad thrown out in the formation of their hole' and car-
ried them home. The circumstance became known, and
one day lately, as some people were waiting for the ebb
of the tide, before proceeding with the work of gathering
ware, one of their number proposed that they should
visit the place where the boy had lately discovered
the mollify. They accordingly
Went in a body to
the spot, and at the first or second stroke of a
warehook one of them drew out a large heap
of silver. At the eight of the bright metal there
was instantly a scramble among those present, and by
one or other of them all was carried away. The circum-
stance coming afterwards to the ears of the authorities
in Kirkwall, an investigation was male, and we are
glad that the greater part of the treasure has been reco-
vered, Sheriff Robertson and others who interested
themselves in recovering the property, having remune-
rated the finders. The relics are altogether several
pounds in weight, and consist of massive pins, brooches,
bracelets, necklaces, and other ornaments, besides some
number cf silver coins. The dates of the latter, and
the supposed age of the ornaments, we have not ascer-
tained, but we believe that bath have been contempo-
raneous with the reign of the earliest kings in Scottish
or Scandinavian history.-3"(4.n Groat Journal.