The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-13 00:00:00

STATE OF INDIA.

Mr. LAYARD said that, as the Secretary for India
was not present, he would not propose the following
question of which he had given notice, " whether, notwith-
stauding the minute of the Lieutenant Governor ©f Bengal
upon, the Report of the Indigo Commission, dated 17th
December last, a bill had been introduced into the
Legislative Council of India to enforce contracts for
the delivery of agricultural produce; and, if so,
whether such measure had been introduced with the sanc-
tion of the Government of India : And, whether he would
lay upon the table of the house copies of that report and
minute, and of the Act XI. of 1860 of the Indian Legisla-
ture, together with the correspondence thereon between the
Governor- General of Ind ia,the Lieutenant- Governor of Ben-
gal, the Indigo Planters' Association, and other documents
And papers relating to the cultivation of indigo in Bengal."
This subject was one of the greatest importance, and he
trizsted his right hon. friend the Secretary of State for India
welt, Id shortly be in his place to answer his question. The
statement which he (Mr. Layard) had to make on
this question would be such as was scarcely
evo parailieled in the annals of this house,
rthe exhibited the conduct of the Europeans in India
raolvorst cha vacter, and the sufferings of the natives in
tieon to
st harrowin'g light. If he was not placed in a posi-
then
itt this s,•lbject on before Friday next he would
Dlrask
KI-IsBtrestion • on the motion for adjournment.
tunity would beAIRD , expressed a hope that an early oppor-
Ilford ed his hon.„ friend (Mr. Layard) to
bring this subject
THE Npap_r_ ma rd..
°(-)13 MONUMENT—TRAFALGAR-
Ad m iral ALC OTraT
Sca,4tdjAß attentionE to the incomplete
ona
state of the Nelson
el:t in Trafalgar-square, the
vote to complete the same, 4-
sion of 1858. "Ing been granted in the ses-
C 0 ISTPER admitted that there was great delay in
completing the nionum tin question, but there might be
something worse than de lay in reference to works in Tra-
falgar-square. (Laught r.) The lions for the monument
were entrusted for design; to that eminent artist air Ed

La nd seer.
THE DUCHIES OF. ' SCHIESWIG-HOLSTEIN
Mr. H. BAILLIE as ked the Secretary of State for ice.
reign Affairs whetherhe 1 Sad any objeetion to lay on the table
of the house the correspondence with the Governments of
Pru ssia and of Denmai .;k relative to the affairs of the
dud des of Schleswig and: of Holstein ? The hon. member
exprE waed his approval of: t the wanner iu which the noble

lord (Lord J. Russell) discharged the duties of his difficult
position, but e►t the same time he considered that it was
most desirable the house should be put in possession of the
foreign policy the Government proposes to pursue. He
then entered into a narrative relating to the hostilities be-
tween the States and Denmark.

Sir H. VERNEY brought forward a motion of a similar
character, and expressed a hope that her Majesty's Go-
vernment would endeavour to mediate so as to arrange the
difference between the States.

THE TAEPINGS AND THE ENGLISH
MISSIONARIES.

Col. SYKES asked whether a series of 13 papers, begin-
ning with consularnotifications dated the 18th and 29th Dec.
1860, and the 2d of Jan., 1861, comprising narratives of
missionary visits to Soochou and Nankin in 1860, letters
and other documents, and ending with an edict for the tole-
ration of Christianity by the Taeping king, dated 29th Dec.,
1860, papers which had been already published in the North
China Herald, the official organ of her Majesty's Legation at
Shanghai, had been transmitted to the Foreign-office by her
Majesty's Legation at Shanghai ; also whether Consul Mea-
dows had resigned his office, and if so, on what grounds ?
Lord J. RUSSELL having described the different dis-
putes that had arisen in the States in question since the
armed intervention of Austria and Prussia, said that various
propositions were made between these States which were
not mutually satisfactory. Last year the Danish Govern-
ment applied to this country, and submitted a proposition
to their consideration--certain propositions which her
Majesty's Government did not consider would receive the
the approval of the German Confederation, and they com-
municated their views to the Danish Government. The
French Government applied to the English Government

for any correspondence which had taken place in re-
ference to these disputes, which was instantly supplied,
and M. Thouvenel stated that on the part of
France he had adopted a course similar to that
pursued by her Majesty's Government. He believed
that the Governments of France, Russia, and Sweden
were ready to unite with the Government of this country
in endeavouring to arrange these differences, but consider•
able difficulties existed in effecting that object. In
support of this statement the noble lord entered
into details relative to the conflicting interest and
sentiments of the inhabitants of the States in:question.
It would be most injurious to the interests of Europe if
anything occurred to affect the integrity of Denmark, and
the best exertions of her Majesty's Government would be
directed to effecting an amicable adjustment of the differ-
ences that had unfortunately arisen. (Hear, hear.) The
noble lord went on to say that although there were many
hon. gentlemen in the house who might feel a partiality for
Germany or for Denmark, the hon. and gallant member for
Aberdeen was the only one who took an interest in the
Taepings. (A laugh.) The hon. and gallant member had
asked many questions on matters he had read in the North
China Herald. In reply to his request, it could not bepro-
mised that any papers which the Government could give
him on the subject should be very quickly laid on the table,
because the clerks in the Foreign-office were now fully em-
ployed in copying, and the printers in printing, other docu-
ments to be laid before the house. The noble lord then
particularised the papers relative to the Chinese rebellion
which he should be able to produce.
ARTERIAL DRAINAGE.

Sir J. SHELLEY wished to ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department when the promised bill for the
amendment of arterial drainage and outfalls would be intro-
duced by the Government ?
Mr. CLIVE said that a bill had been drawn before Easter,
but it was found necessary to reconsider and revise it. He
hoped that some day before the end of the month it would
be presented to the house.
EVICTIONS IN DONEGAL.

Mr. SCULLY wished to ask the Chief Secretary for Ire-
land if he had received information that on Monday, the
Bth of April inst., a resident magistrate, with a sub-inspec-
tor and 200 police, assisted the sheriff of the county of
Donegal to evict 45 families, numbering about 280 persons,
from the townland of Derrybaugh in that county ? They
had heard in that house a good deal about oppressed na-
tionalities, but he defied any member of the house to find a
parallel out of Ireland for such a scene as that which was
enacted on the occasion referred to. The hon. gentleman
read from the Dublin Daily Express, a Tory paper, and also
from the Londonderry Standard, an account of the evict-

tions. He had often heard the noble lord at the head of the

Government quote the words pudet h ec opprobria, &c., and
he would now ask him and the Government whether some
means, such as the compeliing of the landlord to maintain
for some time the persons he evicted could not be devised to
check this constant eviction of human beings from their
homes. It was true that the steward of the landlord had
been brutally murdered near the scene of these proceedings,
but he did not think that justified the wholesale eviction
of so many persons. He found no fault with the resident
magistrate, Mr. Dillon, who appeared to have performed
his duty in a humane and considerate manner.
Mr. CARDWELL said that he had received no official
account of the transaction to which his hon. friend referred,
nor could he have received any account within the time
since the notice had been given. He understood his hon.

friend acquitted the officers of the crown of any charge of

inhumanity, and admitted that they performed their duty
in a considerate and humane manner. With regard to the
exercise of his private rights by the gentleman in question,
he could not express any opinion, having no official report,
and knowing only the facts as they appeared in the columns
of the newspaper. But he believed no member of that
house would say a word in vindication or extenuation of
any indiscriminate evictions, or of any unkind and un-
feeling exercise of private rights. As a matter of fact,
however, he must state that the steward of this gentle-
man had been recently murdered, and that the mur-
derers had not been brought to conviction. On a recent
occasion also the premises in which this gentleman had
been sleeping were set on fire. These were facts which
ought to be known. But in the absence of official informa-
tion he declined to express any opinion.