The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-06 00:00:00

THE WEATHER.—Surt Orricz, OCT. 6.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
59—highest since noon yesterday.
50—lowest this morning and during the night.
57—this day at noon.
_ .

BAROMETER-30.04.

WIND, W.N.W.; moderate breeze and fine.

THE SUN.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1858.

Two very important despatches from Lord CAN-
NING have been published under the authority of
Lord STANLEY, and will be found in another part
of this day's impression. They are peculiarly in-
teresting documents, constituting the defence by
the Governor-General of India of the proclamation
which called forth the celebrated despatch from
Lord ELLENBOROUGH, which led to the resignation
by that noble lord of the office for which he was
so well qualified, and to the organised and deter-
mined onslaught on the Government ; an onslaught
which might have produced very untoward
results but for the refusal of the indepen-
dent Liberals to " march through Coventry"
with the " thick and thin" adherents of the PAL-
MERSTON regime—and the timely arrival of the
energetic protest of Sir JAMES OUTRAN against
the principle on which that proclamation was
founded. That remonstrance—coming from ;the
person of all others most competent to form a sound
and accurate judgment of the probable consequences
of the wholesale confiscation clause, placing every
landowner throughout the entire district on trial,
and visiting him with all the penalties of guilt,
until he could establish his innocence to the satis-
faction of prejudiced and possibly interested
judges—was conclusive. He went even further
than Lord ELLENBOROUGH, in showing the dangers
and mischief that must inevitably arise from the
inauspicious course, and formed the full and com-
plete vindication of the Noble Earl, who was made
the victim of the attempt of the Whig party to re-
gain possession of place and power.
Lord CANNING himself, in his own defence, is
compelled to justify Lord ELLENBOROUGH. Indeed
he had given explanations to Mr. Sminr, late
of Cannon-row, which might have altered the en-
tire course, and prevented the transmission
of the celebrated despatch, had not the ex-Presi-
dent of the India Board. been pleased to treat it as
a private communication, and to suppress it in toto
from his successor. It was the absence of any ex-
planation by the mail subsequent to that which
brought the proclamation, that compelled Lord
ELLENBOROUGII to speak in such decisive terms.
Had Mr. SMITH exhibited a little more candour,
or had Lord PALMERSTON, when consulted on the
point, instructed him better as to the duty which an
ex-Minister owes not only to the QUEEN and coun-
try, but also to his successor in office—a duty en-
forced no less by private courtesy than public
principle—the CARDWELL resolutions would never
have been brought forward, and the DERBY Go-
vernment would have been prevented from acquir-
ing a vast accession of strength, which enabled
them to defeat every subsequent attack during the
remainder of the session.

The public are greatly indebted to Lord STANLEY
for the publication of those interesting documents.
Mr. SMITH would have waited for a motion in one
or both Houses of Parliament before he con-
sented to their appearance, but Lord STANLEY,
'ex mero motu, freely and gracefully forwards copies
to every London daily journal, and thus gives
ample currency to the opinions and views of Lord
CANNING on the vexed question at issue between
him and Lord ELLENBOROUGH.

The first despatch is dated the 17th June, and is
directed to the Secret Committee of the India Board,
avowedly as an answer to that of the 19th April,
by which he was manifestly greatly nettled. He,
however, determined to retain his lucrative position
until further notice. We do not blame his Lord-
ship for this prudent decision, although it might
not have been that at which his father would have
arrived. He expresses his belief, that " a change
in the head of the Government of India, if it took
place under circumstances which indicated a repu-
diation on the part of the Government of India of
the policy which had theretofore been pursued to-
wards the rebels of Oude, would seriously retard
the pacification of the "country." With that im-
pression he was certainly more than justified in
abstaining from laying down his position until, at
all events, due provision had been made for a
qualified successor.

There is a perfect agreement between Lords
ELLENBOBOUGH and CANNING and Sir JAMES
OUTRAN on many points. They concur in the
opinion that the case of the inhabitants of Oude is
altogether exceptional—that they should not be

; •
2
4,
't,4,1.0-44101)
• 4-•
" „ bicv
-•
.1.,