The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

• HOUSE OF LORDS.—(YECTERDAY.)
The LORD CHINCELGOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.
MUTINY OF NATIVE INDIA.N TROOPS,
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH had been in hopes
that it would not be necessary to draw their lord-
ships' attention to the lamentable mutinies which
had taken place in the native army of India. The
news' which he hid read last night gave so
grave a character of the mutinies which had
occurred in India, that he did not think it consistent
with his duty to refrain from putting a question to the
noble lord the President of the Council.
Their lordships would, of course, be acquainted
with the mutiny of the 19th Native Regiment,
the march of that regiment, and its subsequent disband•
anent at Barrackpore in the presence of five other native
regiments. They must also have perceived with apprehen-
sion the spread of disaffection amongst the native army,
but a circumstance had occurred that gave a more
serious &Teel to the affair, namely, the spread of
incendiary fires. From ti:e 16th to the 25th of April
no less than seven incendiary fires had occurred in
the district occupied by the disaffected troops. A
regiment amounting to four hundred sabres had
been permitted to remain in open mutiny without any
effort being made to check the progress of the disaffec-
tion. He could not understand how it was so in Mee-
rut, where the Government had a strong force of
artillery, dragoons, and carabineere, who could have
been depended upon. Open mutiny was, in fact,
open war, and it was only to be met by open war.
There must have been some strange exagge-
ration in the accounts that had been received,
but having carefully perused the accounts which had
been published in the Bengal territory, he could come
to no other conclusion than that the whole of the dis-
content was caused by the fear that the Government
intended to interfere with the religion of the natives of
India. He found the names of six officers, and several
other public functionaries all connected with the mis-
sionary proceedino. ; and the Governor General (Lord
Canning) was said to be a large subscriber to every so-
ciety having for its object the conversion of the natives.
The hone must remember that the Governor-General
could not separate himself from his public character as
Governor General, and if any attempt was made to in-
terfere with the religious rites of the natives, a bloody
revolution would take place, the result of which would
be that the English would be driven from India.
The question he wished to pat was, whether instructions
bad been sent out to India, directing the several goverro
ments to make known to the army that the Home Go-
vernment woul f prbtect all their subjects in the undis-
turbed exercise of their religion ?
Earl GRANVILLE thought the noble lord had
taken a course which might lead to very disastrous
consequences in India. His question was based
upon a telegraphic despatch, which might give a
very exaggerated account of the state of the
native troops in India ; but be felt hound t
defended Lord Canning from the aspersions that had been
cast upon him. He could assure the noble earl that the
Government would not for a moment countenance any
attempt to interfere with the religious rites of the natives
of India.
Lord MALMESBURY could not agree in regretting
the observations made by the noble earl. The noble
earl opposite had admitted that rumours prevailed which
the noble earl had by his question given an opportunity
of contradicting. The communications on this sut.ject
did not depend entirely on the electric telegraph. If
Lord Canning had subscribed to any such Societies as
was stated, ho had not acted with his usual cool judg-
ment and prudence. Such societies could not and would
not abstain from making use of that fact. From iiii
kiowledge of Lerd Cannieg's caution and judgment, he
could not believe that he would commit so imprudent au
act.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said it was of the
utmost consequence that Lord Cannine'is conduct should
remain unimpeached till there e as clear and reliable in-
formation of what had occurred. He must entre it thei-
lordships until they heard what were the specific sub-
scriptions to suspend their judgmrnt. He was sure there
was not a ma-s in that house more aware than Lord Can-
ning of the danger of giving countenance to any attempt
to interfere with the rights of the native population to
protection in their religion.
Lord GRANVILLE, to show the vague nature of the
information, referred to its source, a paragraph in an
Indian journal, to the effect that the noble lard had sub-
scribed to a scientific association, which could hardly be
thought to have any religious tendency,
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said that since a noble lord,
a member of the Government, had said thatif Lord Can-
ning had subscribed to associations for the purpose of
converting the native population, he would not be fit to
remain at the head of affairs in India, that was quite
sufficient to remove any wrong feeling on the question.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE replied that he said
if Lord Canning had done anything to give countenance
to the rumours which were abroad, he solid not be fit
to hold the position of head of the government in India;
but that if he had subscribed to any religious association
he .woull doubtless be prepared to explain his reasons
for doing s
The ject then dropped.
PRINCESS ROYAL'S ANNUITY. •
Earl GRANVILLE, in moving the second reading of
this bill, said,—On the assumption that your lordships
will agree with me in the principle that we ought to pro-
vide for the support of the institutions of this country,
and, monarchy being one of the elements of our consti-
tltion, that we ought to deal in a spirit, not of wasteful-
ness, but of just liberality to the R.)3 al family—(se
—that the Royal family shosid be maintained in honour
and dignity, and that those illustrious ladies belonging
toil who go abroad should have a fair and-liberal main-
tenance, it will not be neceseary that I shoull trouel •
you with many observations. This might have offered
a tempting opportunity to allude to certeia qualities
of her Majesty ; but though the feelings of affection
and respect which we may entertain for the Sove-
reign may make us more anxious cordially and unani-
mously to adopt a vote of this description, still I should
be ashamed if I based it on any such affection and
respect. (Hear, hear.) I only ask your lordships to
lake that course which I believe we are bound to do,
not so much for the dignity of the Crown as from a re-
gard to what is due to the feelings and natural pride of
the country. Tile provision proposed in the present in-
stance is reasonable, and being reaeor able, I am sure it
will be unanimously adopted by your lord hips. Look-
ing to the precedents in such cases, we find that for the
Princesses Royal, the daughters of Geerge 11. and Georee
provision was made by a dowry of 80,0001., and
an annuity of 5,0001. In titia case the dowry is less by
one-half than that given in former times, while the an-
redly is larger, being 8,0001, instead of 5,0001 I know
there are some who have thought that to pay down a
leeee sum at once would have be n a better arrangement,
but lam not of that opinion. I think that a hen an il-
luetrious lady is married into a great kingdom and
a powerful House our object should be not so much in
make provision for her children as to provide for that in-
dependence and that decent splendour which I am sore
every one of your lordships must think ought to at-
tend the eldest daughter of the Sovereign, (Hear.)
For theta) reasons, without dwelling upon the feelings of
gratrilcation expressed by your lordships on a former
evening at an event which is likely to reward her Ma-
jesty for the excellent education she has bestowed 111
the Princess Royal, and to render the Princess Royal at
happy in her future life as we all desire, I now ask your
lordships to give a second reading to this bill. (Hear.)
' The Earl of MALINIESBURY said, although, accord-
ing to the old proverb, silence gave consent, yet in the
absence of his noble friend the Earl of Derby, he felt
bound on the part of noble lords on that side of the
house to express his satisfaction with the bill proposed
and his admiration of the manner in which her Majesty
had exercised her rule in these realms, and of the bright
example which she had set to all her subjecte. (Hear
With regard to the details of the bill, as it had passed
the House of Commons, it would be useless to discuss
the question whether any better plan could have been
proposed. For his own part, he was inclined to believe
it would have been better to have given a round sum at
()Secs, which would have placed the Princess Boyd in a
Shore dignified position than as an annuitant of this
country. It would be idle, however, to discuss that
question now, and he therefore had only to express his
concurrence with the bill which was before the house.
The bill was then read a second time.
, DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES
BILL.
The house then went into committee upon this bill,
iibich bad been recommitted.
Clauses 1 to 16 were agreed to.
Upon crease 17
The LORD CHANCELLOR said, since the bill
had been printed be had received many communications
suggesting that the provisions of this clause might be
extended to husbands deserted by their wives. The
'Sallee gave power to a wife who had been deserted by
kat' 'husband without reasonable cause to apply to the
k;eurt for a divorce a merai et thoro, and he proposed
7.1" an amendment in the 12th line, which would give
to huabauds deserted by their wive; the same right of
ipticradticn _ the eurt.
LEON A.RDS said this biil sanctioned for
the first time the 'principle that divorces could be
granted upon thesole ground of desertion. That he
considered to b
open the door to
e a
great
dangerous principle, and would
Lad considered this purllusien. The committee which
(33,eet had recomtr ended that in
goases of desertion the
rtn should be empowered to
rant the wife alimony, but
toi pronounce a divorce.
sboull move as an amend
That was a much more reono tba e proposition, and he
masent in line 15 that the clause
be altered to enable the Court to grant alimony to a de
ailed wife, instead of the divorTcea mouse
chte(
ernsaet thoro.- 'Earl GREY rose to order. he
ller had
proposed an amendment in line 12, and
until was
disposed of their lordships could not discuss
an altera-
tion in line 15. Tbey ought to proceed according to the
recognised rules and practice of Parliament. (Rear )
Lord ST. LEOTARDS agreed with the noble earl,
but maintained that tho eourse he had pursued was Cal.
c'ulated to save the time of their lordship. The clause
as it stood provided that desertion by her husband should
L_give a wife a right to divorce a mouse et thoro. The
cod Chancellor now proposed to extend the clause so
air to meet the case of a wife deserting her husband.
Now, his argument was that neither husband nor wife
should have a right to divorce for desertion ; and if his
amendment to that effect were adopted by their lord-
ships, there would be no necessity for discussing the
alteration proposed by the Lord Chancellor in line 12.
`Earl STANHOPE thought that much of the irregu-
larity which arose in committee proceeded from the un-
satisfactory mode in which the amendments were
painted. They appeared, not according to the order iu
which they ought to be taken up, but according to the
frames of the persons proposing them.
Earl GRANVILLE was of opinion that some latitude