The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-12 00:00:00

LONDON, NVEDNESDA

' a letter in which he had already submitted his resignation
to her Majesty. I wes bound to consider not private
and personal feelings only, but what was due to the great
interests of the country. I was bound to consider whe-
ther it was desirable that the Government should stake
their existence as a Government upon their liability for
an act of which they were not in the slightest degree
cognizant—whether they should take upon themselves
the defence of that which they felt they could not
wholly defend ; or whether they should accept the noble
self-sacrifice of my noble friend, and thereby through his
generosity allow his colleagues to have justice done to
them. The conclusion to which I came,—and I never
felt greater pain than when I arrived at that determine.
tion,—was that, in justice to the public interests, it was
my bounden duty to accept the self-sacrifice of my noble
friend ; and, painful as I felt it to be to separate from
one for whom personally I entertain the highest respect,
whose knowledge of Indian subjects, whose long ex-
p,:rience, whose devotedness to the cause of India, and
whose entire abnegation of all selfish feelings for the pro-
motion of the public welfare render him an invaluable
councillor on Indian affairs—(cheers)—and whose with-
drawal could not but be regarded as a groat loss to the
Cabinet of her Majesty, I yet felt bound by still stronger
considerations, though with the deepest pain, to concur
in the suggestion of my noble friend that his resignation
should be received. (Hear, heer.) I have now made
all the observations which I think it necessary to address
to your lordships upon the present occasion. I will
admit to the noble earl opposite that this is not the time
to discuss the policy of the proclamation of Lord Can-
ning, either as it was intended to ba issued, or as it
may hereafter be proved to have been issued. I regret
with him the premature publication of a document which
I think, ought not to have been no soon laid before the
public, though sooner or later it must have been
submitted to Parliament. Still, feeling myself unable
to defend the hasty promulgation of that despatch,
I have been, with the greatest reluctance, com-
pelled to accept the resignation of my noble friend near
me ; but in doing so I feel it due to myself, and due
to my colleagues, and due to him to say that we sepa•
rate from him as colleagues,—I trust we shall never
separate as friends,—with the deepest and sincerest re-
gret for his loss, and with an earnest hope that we may
still have the benefit of his didnterested and impartial
advice in our effort to settle the great problem of the
government of India. (Cheers.)
Eerl G RANVILLE—I shall trouble your lordships
with only a few observaaions. I was certainly nct pre-
pared for the important announcement made by the
President of the B.sard of Control in a statement which,
as truly remarked by the noble earl who has just spoken,
war most honourable and straightforward ; and, how-
ever widely we may differ upon points of policy, I can-
not but feel that a large portion cf the eulogy to which
your lordships have listened is well deserved. (Rear.)
How far the resignation of the President of the Board
of Control may affect the position of his colleagues I am
not prepared to say. My object in rising is simply to
call attention to a small matter of fact upon which some
doubt still seems to rest. The noble earl at the head of
the Government has stated that the question in the
House of Commons was asked without any notice having
been given, and that it was answered by the Secretary
to the Bard of Control without previous cornrounica-
tien with any other member of the Government. Now,
what I want to ask is—and the fact must surely be
known to the noble earl—whether Mr. Baillie was
net aware that a question would be put to him, and
whether ho gave his answer without knowing the wishes
of his colleagues.
The Earl of DERBY.—My noble friend (Lord Ellen_
borough) stated distinctly that Mr. Baillie gave the
answer by his authority and on his responsibility with-
out the knowledge of any member of the Cabinet. For
myself, I had not the slightest idea that that question,
or any other question upon that subject was going to
be put.
Earl GRANVILLE.—It has been stated that the
question was put without previous notice. Mr. Baillie
must have had notice of it, or hove could he have com-
municated with the noble earl upon the subject? (A laugh)