The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-17 00:00:00

VOTE OF THANKS TO MR. TIA.LLIDAY.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—I now
rise to move that the resolution of thanks which this
house arrived at on the Bth of Feb. last be read. My
object in making that motion is that we may insert in
the resolution the name of a very distinguished gentle-
man—the Governor of Bengal, whose name by an un-
happy inadvertence was omitted on that occasion. The
thanks of the house were offered to the Governor-Gene-
ral and to the Governors of Madras and Bombay, but
the name of the Hon. F. J. Halliday, the Lieutenant-
Governor of Bengal, was omitted. Now, lam sure the
house will feel that that gentleman has been placed, in
consequence of what may almost be termed a clerical
error, in an extremely painful position. It is not merely
that he has been deprived of the highest compliment that
one of her Majesty's subjects can receive—the thanks of
Parliament for public services—but the omission of his
name seems to cast a slur upon his name and reputation
which never could have been intended. (Hear, hear.) I
do not anticipate, therefore, the slightest opposition to
the proposition that I am now going to make—that the
resolution of the Bth of Feb. be read, and that in his due
position in that resolution, which would be immediately
after Lord Elphinstone, the name of the Hon, F. J. Hal-
liday, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, be inserted,
so that he may receive in a proper manner the thanks of
the House of Commons for his public services during the
revolt in India. (Hear, hear.) But since I gave that al-
melt formal n tice several amendments to which I must
call the attention of the house have been placed upon the
votes. There is one amendment by the hon. and gallant
member for Westminster, to include the names of Major
General Mansfield, Brigadier-General Chamberlain, B:i-
-gadier-General Hope Grant, and Brigadier-General Wal-
pole, and, in addition to the fourth resolution of the Bch
of February, the hon. and gallant gentleman requests
Els to record the thanks of the house as eminently
merited by those distinguished men who were com-
manding officers, and who lost their lives during
the revolt in India. The hon. and gallant member
for Southwark also proposes a vote of thanks to Sir
William Peel for his services in India. I trust there will
be no difference of opinion as to the course which we
ought to take upon these propositions. I can assure the
hon, and gallant gentleman who made them that there
is no one in this house who more appreciates the services
or more deplores the loss of these eminent men than my-
self. (Hear, hear.) Indeed, when I had the honour of
addressing the house upon the original resolution, as
proposed by the noble lord the member for Tiverton, I
called upon the house not to forget at that moment of
thanks and congratulation the names of the illustrious
departed, and I even took the liberty of expressing my
regret that rules, the wisdom of which experience has
proved, prevented our inserting the name of Sir William
Peel, whose romantic exploits recall the brilliant achieve-
ments of Sir Sidney Smith. (Cheers.) I, therefore, need
not assure the hon. and gallant members that there is no
want of respect or of sympathy on our part with the
deeds and character of the eminent persons mentioned
in their respective amendments. But there are certain
rules which have always been observed in regulating our
votes of thanks, and from which, I think, it would be
most unwise for us to depart. Indeed, when we have
passed the line, I do not exactly see where we are to
stop. (Hear, hear.) On reading the names included in the
amendments I am sure, brilliant as they are, I could add
to them come not less distinguished. Why should
the name of Greathod, for example, or of Adrian Hope,
be omitted I (Hear, hear.) The truth is, however, that
the services of these and other distinguished officers are
acknowledged in that general resolution which thanks
the rest of the officers of her Majesty's army for their
gallant services. (Hear, hear.) Perhaps the house will
permit me to add that I think the thanks of Parliament
should not be proposed except acer great deliberation,
and then only by the existing Government. (Hear, hear.)
They should be proposed in both houses, and with such
a concurrence of opinion that there could be no doubt
of their being unanimously passed. I hope, therefore,
that the hon. and gallant gentlemen, feeling that
the house appreciates equally with themselves the
services of the eminent persons whom they have named,
will not press to a division the propositions which they
have placed upon the paper, I am certain with the best
intent.o. s, but I think with less consideration than so
important a question would require. (Hear, hear.) I
hope that nothing so painful may occur as that we
should have a division upon a subject of this kind. The
rules which have been laid down are the result of the
experience of long years ; the practice that has been
adopted has been sanctioned by the most eminent men
who have attempted to control the business of Parlia-
ment ; and I trust, therefore, that the hon. and gallant
gentlemen will be satisfied with an expression of their
respect and sympathy with the distinguished persons
whose names they have proposed, will not insist upon
going to a division, but will allow the motion which I
now make to be passed unanimously. (Hear, hear.) The
right hon. gentleman then moved, " that the first reso-
lution of the house of the Bth of February be read,"
which having been done, he proposed, "that the name
of the Hon. Frederick James Halliday, Lieut.-Governor
of Bengal, be inserted after that of Lord Elphinstone."
Mr. DRUMMOND observed that, when the noble
lord the member for Tiverton moved the vote of thanks
on the sth February to the distinguished officers who
had done such good service in India, the name of Lord'
Canning was objectedag
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he had been in India. Subsequently, when it was shown
that the vote of thanks was confined to the exertions
used to suppress the mutiny, the right hon. gentleman
gave way, and consented that the resolution should pass
nentine contradieente. Now, as it would be impossible,
when the Indian 8.11 came to be debated, and when the
causes which led to the insurrection came to be consi-
dered, not to bring forward some of the conduct of
Mr. Halliday, he only protested now, as the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer formerly did, against being
supposed that, by assenting to the present motion, he
was precluded from making whatever observations he
should feel to be ncesesary when the Indian Bill came
before the house.

Mr. MANGLES hoped the house would not think
him guilty of presumption if he stated very briefly the
circumstances under which the name of Mr. Halliday
was unfortunately omitted in the vote of thanks. That
Mr. Halliday was most certainly entitled to the thanks
of the house he could bear the strongest testimony, on
account of his energetic exertions to further to the ut•
most extent the military operations. Though Mr. Hal
liday only bore the title of Lieutenant Governor, Le was
as much a Governor of the districts under his authority
as were the Governors of Bombay and Madras ; the
only dikerence being that the latter had military autho-
rity over the armies in their provinces. The thanks cf
the house, however, were nut voted to the Governors of
Madras and Bombay for any military operation-, but
for the civil services they had rendered in furthering the
operations of the army ; and in that respect he believed
that the exertions and success of Mr. Halliday were in no
wise inferior to those of the Governers of the other pro-
vinces. Mr. Halliday had most di.igently, energetically,
and with all the zeal which distinguished him, furtlaerei
the operations of the Government, especially i❑ regard
to;lthe movement of troops along the great Trunk-road,
and the excellent arrangements he made for provisioning
and for the carriage of the troops de-erved the gratitude
r 4 the country. Not only was food provided for the
troops at the different stations, but it was cooked for
every detachment as it came up, and never was any
operation conducted with greater rapidity than the
movement of the troops from Calcutta along the main
Trunk-road. (Hear.) In consequence of their habits
and character the population, happily, did not require
troops to keep them in cr !er. The labourer in Bengal
war a peaceful and timid person ; but still there were
bad characters there as elsewhere. Nevertheless the
arrangements Mr. Halliday made for the preservation of
the peace were so succes ful as to prevent eineute or
insurrection in any of the stations under Mr. Hal-
liday's jurisdiction where no Sepoys mutinied. He t ,ok
a liitle bare of blame for the non-insertion of Mr. Hid-
liday's name in the original vote of thanks, and the re-
gret he had expressed privately he now expressed pub-
licly for that omission. A paper, containing the list of
officers whom it was proposed to thank, was sent to
him byitbe President of the Board of Control, and he
blamedtlahrimself for Inot noticing the omission of Mr.
Halliday's name, and, if the hon. member for West
Surrey had any charge to make against Mr. Halliday,
he had so high an opinion of the Lieutenant-Governor's
to the
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aato dhethseiagoonoidd service rtenradaedryedtohymheiernt
,„,_ „.g!).. (Hear, hear.)
tii;%o'-'ll4O-1-.OnEVt AN'S said, he did not propose to divide
he proposition of which be bad giyon