The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS. —(YrseTERDAY.)
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY.
Earl GREY said—l rise, my lords, pursuant to the
tni: not have c
we
hI
i ch thegi
directorsen, tto presentEastto your oiunid•
ur dot
pi past, ay
kpeeyt
s
done me the honour to entrust to my care. The Nast
e IndiannsCeogmn
consequence co m
its e b
havingefor eyo lordshipsubreen
signified
as petitioners,tn
them
b y
in
the ministers of the crown that a bill will be proposed to
Parliament, for the purpose of placing her Majesty's
East Indian dominions under thedirect authority
of the
crown ; in other words, a bill to abolish the East India
Company as governors of India. On receiving that com-
munication the East India Company
in
Wadhdinrhes
theyse d a letterated
to the First Lord of the Treasury,
their objections to the proposed abolition of the company
—objections which they said were not founded on per-
sonal considerations, but on considerations of thepublio
interest both of this country and of India, at the same
time expressing their readiness to concur in any attempt
that might be made to improve existing arrangensonts.
To that letter the Court of Directors received an serewer
couched in very brief, not to say contemptuous, terms,
informing them that the First Lord of the Treasury de-
clined to give them any information, either as to the rea-
sons which had induced the Government to submitabill
on this subject to Parliament, ores to the precisions which
that bill would contain, and reserving all explanation on
these points until the bill had been introduced into Par.
liameament. I cannot forbear stating at starting thatthis
answer had very m uch the appearance of discourtesy to
the East India Company. The position in which they
stand gave them a right to expect that her Majesty's
Government would have consulted them on this subject.
But not so much of the discourtesy do they complain as
of the injury likely to be done to the public service by
the course taken, because I am sure your lordships will
agree with me that to create a new system of govern-
ment for India is a task of extreme difficulty, and
requires to be undertaken with careful consideration in
order that danger may be avoided. (Hear, hear.)
Surely the directors, from their knowledge and experi-
ence, would have been able to have offered some useful
advice and assistance to Government in the considera-
tion of this subject, and I am persuaded that, as it would
clearly have been the duty of the East ladle Company
to do so, it would have been their anxious desire, if con-
sulted confidentially, to have given their best advice and
assistance in devising the beat arrangement that could
be adopted for the common interest. I cannot help
thinking that a very great injury has been done to the
public service by the course taken by Government, and
it does not appear to me that the present Cabinet stands
so much above all its predecessors in ability orjudgment
as to make the advice of the East India Company super-
fluous in this matter. (Hear, hear.) My lords, the
East India Company, on receiving from her Majesty's
Government this letter declining to enter into any con-
sultation, behaved, in my opinion, with the greatest
propriety. They showed no sign of offence with respect
to the discourtesy with which they had been treated,
but they considered what was the course which it was
their duty to pursue, and they came to the conclusion
that, as in their opinion the proposed measure was not
calculated to prove of public advantage, they were
bound, being practically charged with the protection of
British interests in India, to refer the whole question to
Parliament, and to state their views in petitions to both
houses. (Hear, hear.) Accordingly, the Court of Di-
rectors caused a petition to be drawn up, a petition
equally remarkable for the temperate and becoming lan.
guags in which it is couched, and for the extreme clear-
ness and order of its arguments. Indeed, I do not know
that I ever road a state paper which in my opinion
deserved a more unqualified commendation. (Cheers.)
That petition was assented to by 16 out of 18 directors,
including some who had been nomivated by the Crown,
and it was subsequeutly, after a very protracted discus.
Bien, adopted by the Csurt of Proprietors with, I believe,
only four dissentients. Seeing, my lords, that this
petition Las arisen in the manner I have described, and
that it has all the weight that can be derived from the
position of the great company from which it emanates, I
have thought it my duty to present it to your lordships,
and will now proceed to state its prayer and averments.
The noble earl here read an abstract of the petition of
the East India Company, which was published at length
in The Sun of Jan. 21, and proceeded to say : I
have now given your lords ] ips a sketch, and it is a very
alight one, of the substance of the petition. I have not
thought it necessary to do more lhan thus slightly to
state its substance, because I am sure that it has already
born read by most of your lordships. And I may acid,
that before we are called upon to legislate you will not
only read but carefully consider a document, every word
of which well deserves your attention. I believe if vcu
so study this petition you will find that toe argument it
contains is unanswerable in its main points, and that
you will come to the conclusion that the petitioners have
succeeded in demonstrating that there is no ground upon
which it can be required that the authorities at home
should be oonstituted essentially different from the man-
ner in which they now are. The petitioners point out
to your lordships that, under existing arrangements,
although instructions issue from the Board of Directors,
those instructions are not, and cannot be, carried out
without the couseet of her Majesty's Government,
which itself ultimately deeides what those instructions
ehail be. By this arrangement complete authority is
given to the Government. The Government is, as it
ought to be, supreme. That I regard as a matter beyond
controversy ; for your lordships must see that a possible
conflict of authority would be most icconvenient. Bat
the points to be urged in favour of the petitioners' case
do not stop here. When your lordships consider the
extent of your Indian empire, the vastness of its terri-
tory and of its population—a population including men
of different races and origins, all of them so unlike our-
selves in temper and habit of mind, I think it will appear
obvious to you that the task of conducting the eeneerns
of such an empire is one of the greatest magnitude. It
is impossible to suppose that Ministers of the Crown
can possess sufficient knowledge of India or of Indian
affairs to enable them unaided to conduct that go-
vernment in an efficient manner. The petitioners
have told your lordships that the average tiros
during which the Presidents of the Board of Control
hold their office is two years and a halt. Would it not
be preposterous to suppose that men holding office
for that period can have that intimate acquaintance
with the affairs of India which a proper conduct of the
Indian Government demands 2 Hitherto the requisite
knowledge and experience have been supplied by the
Court of Directors. It is further to be remarked, my,
lords, that the Court of Directors shields from the bane-
ful influence of party spirit the government of India. It
is because the Court of Directors is a body having no
connexion with political matters that it has been able to
carry on the Government of India free from the turmoil
of party warfare. If the Ministers of the Crown get the
Government of India most directly into their own hands
this will be no longer the case—and the evil resulting
from such a state of things will be at once apparent to
us, if we look elsewhere. Ido not at this present mo-
ment see in this house a noble friend of mine who, a few
years ago, held the governorship of Ceylon. My noble
friend—l allude to Lord Torrington—was governor of
that dependency at the time when disturbances took
place there. From the temper of the people of Ceylon
at that time there is no reason to doubt that if the rebels
bad been allowed to gain any advantage through any
weakness or want of spirit on the part of the govern-
ment of the colony, the consequences would have been
most fearful. But by the prompt and energetic measures
of my noble friend that insurrection was suppressed
almost immediately. Amongst the measures which the
alarming nature of the crisis required was a capital sen-
tence against 18 of the ringleaders of the rebellion, and
that sentence was carried into effect at one time against
them all. Because these 13 persons were executed at
once, a cry was raised against Lord Torrington. It was
believed that through him the Government might be in-
jured, and therefore he was hold up to public odium
through the press and in Parliament as a Minister of
cruelty. I say, my lords, that Lord Torrington deserved
the thanks of his country ' • but instead of those, the
treatment which he received was such as to render his
future Government of Ceylon to be so difficult, that'll
may say it almost became impossible. What, my lords,
has preserved the Government of India from attacks
similar to those made against Lord Torrington l It
has been preserved from them because by means of the
Court of Directors it has been kept always from
the arena of party passions. Your lordships well know
how firmly the Court of Directors has on some occasions
refused to folow the Government in doing things which
the court considered against the rules of justiee. It
would not have been able to do this had it been swayed
by the influences of political lies. We all know of the
celebrated instances of the bankers of Oude, where the
Government required the directors to send out a despatch
in the justice of which they did net believe. The Court
of Directors said : " We admit that you have the legal
power to take steps to compel us to sign that detpatok,
but so strong a sense have we of its injustice, that even
though you go to the Court of King's Bench for a
mandamus we will rather be imprisoned than yield."
But, my lords, it is said that the existing system of
Government is a double one. In one sense it is, but it
is not a double one in the sense of any conflict of power.
There can be no conflict of power; the power of the
directors is a moral power only, and can only be
exercised where they have conidence that they are
acting in accordance with the dictates of justice. The
immediate functions of Government are, and must of
necessity continue to be, exercised in India. The duties
of the home authorities are mainly confined to laying
down general rules for the guidance of those in authority
in India. Their duties are merely to deliberate and
direct, and in order that the Home Government may
have the advantage of the knowledge of those whose
experience is invaluable upon the subject of the govern-
ment of India, a double government to this extent must
always exist. I think thee, that the petitioners are
right in saying that, however the government in India
is to be administered, the country could not venture to
dispense with the aid of the company, in some sheer, or
another. Ido not say that the constitution of the
company is perfect ; the directors do not say that it ie
perfect ; they state their readiness to join with Parlia-
ment to amend their constitution, where amendments are
required. There is one fault, my lords, in the present
state of things, which I think is obvious.
Since
the
, the
company has ceased to by a!mercantile corp
proprietors of the East India OompapY
h formerly gave them
that interest in the company wine
thisk that in
a just claim to choose their directors.
deattr due inquiry, for
1853, when:a provision was ma bar:rno longer
Court of Directors,
r thoatthe Court itself to fill up vacan.
(iririni:iihaatveembeemenbebrestotefrthoe
enabling the Government
ittow7,
have given a pow
f- :he proposed directors helng sub.
wees Government for approval, ,and that
withheld till the names were submitted to
barniPieirt:rtiiiidVt:hulesthe'onsela•t:hf Parliament.
.. But whatever defects there
be in the constitution of the Indian Government
as Is now exists, these detects are merely mattele 0 I