The Sun.
London, England, 1832-01-28 00:00:00

gious disease 4 in Ireland was head a second time, and
ordered to be conimitted on Friday next.
The Exchequer Courts Bill (Scotland) was read a
second time, and referred to a Select Committee.
The Embezzlement Bill was read a third time and
passed. . . .

Mr. CRAMPTON obtained leatte to king in ~ilf for
the erection of a Nisi thins Court in
tOMSIIiTEV. ON EAST INDIA AFFAIRS.

Mr. C. GRANT said, that in rising to move for the
appointment of a Select Corntilittee on East India Affairs,
it would be 'receesery for him shortly to revert to what
heal been done on the snbject in the last session of Parlia-
ment, as well as to the coulee which, in his opinion, it
would be expedient to pursue in the present session. As
the period at which the charter of the East India Com-
pany expired aeprached, a veiy general wish had arisen
the! the stibjaCt should be investigated 13y both Hotises of
Parliament. Accordingly, select Committees were Ap-
pointed for that purpose. The Committee of the House
•of 'Commons Stet :sad nearly the close of last year. The
.Aarter would expire in 1834. The time was rapidly
passing away, and it became necessary, without further
delay, to consider the best means of prosecuting the
inquiry during the present session. set the end of that
period he trusted that the Cosernittee would be able to
core their labohrs, and to present to the House and to the
country such information as might qualify them to form a
sound judgment on the great question which was about
to be determined. During the interval between the
close of the present session and the commence-
ment of tilt next) an opportunity would he afforded to the
gouge anal to the country to look into the various mate-
rials which would be collected by the Committee, and to
prepare their minds for discussing the important subject.
At the same time, it would be the duty of his Majesty's
Government to avail themselves of that interval, for the
putpoe of duly considering those plans which they must,
on their own responsibility, propose for the future conduct
of East Indian affairs. In the discussion of those plans
the whole of the next session would be occupied ; and
there was every reason to hope that, after the ample ma-
terials laid before them, and the ample time afforded for
deliberation, Parliament would, by the close of that ses-
sion, be enabled to come to a complete and satisfactory
decision on the subject. The Committee, which had
already been appointed by both Houses of Parliament, had
collected a vast mass of information, although some of it
existed at present in an irregular shape. But in the
course of their examination there were many important
paints which he was apprehensive had not yet been touched
upon. When he proposed the Select Committee on the
subject twelve mouths ago, which Committee was accord-
ingly appointed, it was his feeling, and the feelino of the
ether Members of the Committee,'that it was not desirable
that his Majesty's Government should take any prominert
part in the proceedings of that Committee. There were
at that time, and of course there were at the present time,
two parties ; those who approved of the renewal of the
privileges of the East India Company, and those who dis-
approved of the renewal of those privileges. It was
from the controversy between those two parties
it was expected the truth must be elicited ; each party
endeavouring to prove its own case. But the Court of
Directors did not feel themselves called upon at that time
to enter into the examination of the question at all; and
those who were opposed to them, owing to particular cir-
cumatances, were unable to do justice to their own case.
The examination, however, proceeded during the session;
with a confident expectation that in the present session the
Court of Directors would take a leading part in it. No
petition from them to that effect had, however, been pre-
sented to Parliament; and it was now felt that some more
direct and extensive means of investigation must be re-
sorted to than those which had hitherto been adopted.
His Majesty's Government had, in the last session, not felt
it their duty to take any direct part in the investigation,
but had felt it their duty to watch the proceedings of the
Committee, and to supply all the documents which they
had the power to furnish ; being resolved that if no other
mode of obtaining final information on the subject offered
itself, a satisfactory mode should be proposed by them in
the present session. In the course of the last Session
some most important parts of the question were brought
under the consideration of the Committee, and a number
of individuals were examined, whose knowledge of India
enabled them to communicate a great deal of valuable in-
formation upon the subject. But at the close of the
session it became a matter of consideration in what man-
ner, during the present session, the question might be
most advantageously considered ; anal the result of that
consideration was the motion which he was about to
have the honour of submitting to that House. He need
not dwell on the vast variety tad the subjects which
would necessarily come under the consideration of the
Committee, connected with the whole legislative and other
policy of our Indian empire. In proposing the appoint-
ment of the present Committee, he was quite aware that
he asked the gentlemen of whom it was to be composed,
to take upon themselves no light task. He had communi-
cated to those gentlemen his intention ; and he had ex-
pressed to them his earnest hope that, if they did under-
take it, they would bestow upon it their almost undivided
attention; and he had received assurances from them that
they were disposed to do so. Looking at the vast range
of subjects which were to be considered, it must be evident
that it was impossible they could be advantageously inves•
tigated by a single body. It was absolutely necessary that
he should submit to the House the expediency of sub-di-
viding the Committee, and thereby availing themselves of
the great principle of the division of labour. In order to
carry into effect this principle, in the best possible manner,
it would be necessary to have a considerable number of
sub-divisions, at least six or seven, all diligently devoting
their time and attention to the particular p.ints submitted
to them. It might appear to some persons to be a difficult
matter to assign to the different sub committees the dif-
ferent topics upon which their labours were to be particu-
larly employed. But those departments had been already
defined elsewhere. In the India House, and in the Board of
Controul, the business was divided into six distinct depart-
ments, each occupied with its own peculiar subject. He
should propose, therefore, at least six sub-committees, each
of which to have the consideration of a particular depart.
meat. But there were other matters requiring considera.
tion, and he should, therefore, proceed as far as to propose
eight sub-committees. This practice of forming sub-com-
mittees had seldom been resorted to by that House, ex.
cept in cases like the present, of the highest importance.
Committees were generally appointed for some specific
purpose, on which they were expected in a few days to
make a report to the House. The number of Members of
which such Committees were composed was consequently
comparatively small. But in this case, as the subject was
one of extreme importance, as it would require long-con-
tinued attention, and as the gentlemen of whom it was his
intention to propose that the Committee should be formed
hail assured him that they were prepared to devote as
much of their time as possible to the investigation ; and
further, as the number of the Sub-Committees would be
seven, or probably eight, and at least labouring four days
in every week, it was impossible to prevent the number of
Members from swelling far beyond the usual amount on
such occasion ; it was necessary also to provide for the un-
avoidable absence of some of the Members, and for other
contingencies ; in order that there might always be a
supply equal to the demand. The number which he
thought desirable was about forty-eight or forty-nine.
General Committees en this subject had always been
numerous. That last year consisted of thirty-eight Mem-
bers—that the year before of thirty-five. In 1813, the
General Committee on this question consisted of forty
Members. He trusted that the M.mbers of the pro-
posed Committee and the House would do him justice
to believe, that in making this proposition his only
motive was to facilitate the labours of the Com-
mittee, to bring those labours to an early close,
and to place before the House and the public, pre-
vious to the Parliamentary decision on the case, as fairly
and fully as possible, the materials on which alone a sound
judgment could be formed. It might be supposed by some,
that notwithstanding the number of the members of the
Committee, and notwithstanding the number of Sub-Corn-
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information had been obtained by former Committees, and
was lying on the table of the House- The Committees of
the House of Commons and House of Lords had received
the evidence of many individuals on the subject ; and
although that evidence was not systematically arranged,
still the materials were there, and with those materials the
proposed Committee might be :applied. In addition to
this, directions had for some time been given by the
Board of Controul for its officers to prepare to give all
the information which it was in their power to commu-
nicate. Those officers bad been employed in arranging the
evidence given before the Comtnittees of the House of
Lords and the House of Commons, and in framing a sum-
mary of the whole. Immediately on the appointment of
the Sub-Committees, the attention of each of them would
necessarily be directed to the collection of the evidence
peculiar to that department confided to its examination. In
addition to this, the great officers of the Board, with
which he had the honour of being connected, were pre-
paring statements, historical summaries, and every specize
of document calculated to place the main facts of the case
in as clear a point of view as possible. The Board of
Controul had, in addition, collected many most important