The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-22 00:00:00

THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OE INDIA.

(From the Daily News.)

It is only too apparent that Lord Canning
neither inspires nor possesses the confidence of the
independent British community at Calcutta ; and it
is quite certain that at home all the public knows
about Lord Canning is, that he is the son of Mr.
Canning. Of course no rational being will ever
think of holding Lord Canning responsible for the
mutiny of the Bengal Army, or for the events which
have led to its revolt • and official • people at home
will, in due season—that is, when the time for in-
quiry comes—preach the comfortable doctrine that
nobody is to blame either for the occurrence itself
or for the total absence of all prescience as to the
real state of the Native Troops.
But with this entire want of confidence in Lord
Canning at Calcutta, where something is known of
him, and with this ignorance of Lord Canning at
home, where something at least ought to be known
of a Governor-General of India—with the facts
staring us iu the face that on the first appearance
of insubordination in the Bengal army, Lord Can-
ning did not view the symptoms of disaffection as
very serious ; that after the first symptoms of dis-
order were over, he wrote home that all cause for
alarm had passed away ; that he refused Jung
Bahadoor's offer of considerable reinforcements, by
the acceptance of which danger might at once have
been removed from Lucknow ; that the mutiny and
destruction of property at Divaparo are attributed,
by, a press he has the power to suspend, to his not
having complied with the requisition sent him for
additional troops from that station ; that the
merchants and traders of Calcutta, though in num-
bets a mere handful, are providing for their own
safety, and have, for making this provision to assist
themselves, been rebuked and snubbed by Lord
Canning ; considering all these things, the question
will force itself into men's mouths-4s Lord Can-
ning the man for this emergency ?
When the, tenure of Lord Dalhousie's Govern-
ment drew to a close, and a successor was to be
appointed, the public did not turn to Lord Canning
and express any spontaneous opinion of his fitness
fur the appointment. On the contrary, so far as
public opinion was concerned, it would have pre
ferred Lord Elgin as Governor-General of India ;
and there is, we believe, no doubt that the Court of
Directors of the East India Company would have
gladly concurred in this preference. Now we do not
begin by saying that the public feeling in this case
was right, but at all events it was reasonable, for
Lord Elgin was known to have been successful in
two very difficult governments. He bad• had large
success in dealing with the embarrassed, cross-
grained, and dissatisfied planters of Janatt;ca, and
the prosperous and fickle black population of that
island. In Canada and British North America be
had exhibited even superior qualities. He there
skilfully steered a great province of freemen
through the rocks and shoals of their own political
passions ; rooted out in a great measure the last
troubles of a rebellion which nearly lost us that
colony ; assisted in restoring it to a state of un-
paralleled loyalty ; enabled the Home Government
greatly to reduce its military expenditure, by the
introduction of a scheme of local self-defence ; and,
by the Treaty of Washington, laid the basis of au
enormous commerce with the United States,
which gives British North America all the
advantages of its territorial connexion with that
republic, and removes all stimulus or motive to
political annexation.
These services—and they were great services—

did not prove that Lord Elgin was in all respects
the fittest man in the Empire for the Governor-
General of India—that we quite admit. Nor do
we assert that he was, or is, the fittest man. For
the duties of a Governor-General of a dependent
Empire are very different, it is obvious, from those
of either a great productive and tropical Island,
where the bulk of the population consists of eman-
cipated negroes, or a large territorial colony grow-
ing into an independent State. But in these two
responsible employments Lord Elgin did exhibit
the rare faculty of successfully dealing with men
of various and even opposite tendencies, characters,
and capacities, and did show a coolness, a sagacity,
and a self-reliance invaluable in the rulers of trans-
marine possessions of the British Crown. His
were services which could not be passed over by
the Queen's Government ; and they werenot passed.
over. Two distant governments were at their dis-
posal about the same time. Both iu pecuniary
value were great, and both were of large though of
very different political mportance. They were the
government of the Australian Colony of Victoria,
worth 15,0001. a-year, and the Supreme Governor-
ship of India, worth 25,0001. a-year. The former
government was offered to Lord Elgin, and as vie
think was very naturally declined by him ; for
though the salary was much larger then he had en-
joyed in Canada, the position was in. rank an in-
ferior one, the colony, though it had its political
importance and its difficulties, containing only
about on&tenth of the population confided to Lord
Elgin's charge in Canada—in short, such a govern-
ment was a step backward, not forward ; and able
and ambitious men do not like, except under
circumstances of necessity and where renown is to
be acquired, to retrograde in official rank. Lord
Elgin refused Victoria, which could hardly have
been proposed in serious expectation of his accept-
ing it ; and, the offer over, Lord Canning was
appointed Governor-General of India, a position
which it is notorious Lord Elgin would only.have
been too happy to have accepted, and which the
public would have applauded his appointment to a 3
a substantial reward for proved merit.
Noir who was Lord Canning, that he should thus
have successfully competed with Lcrd Elgin for the
highest prize and the most responsible situation
under the British Crown ? Lord Aberdeen will
tell us, as he used to tell the foreign ministeis, that
as Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Lord
Canning was a most useful assistant, and a very
likely man to rise in the world. Mr. Rowland
Hill will tell us, and we believe with very great
truth—for we are not depreciating Lord Cauning—
that he was .by far the best Postmaster-General
he has ever known. During the debatts on the
last Charter -Act, Lord Canning got up the
case of India for the Government of that
day in the Lords, and exhibited about the
same amount of cram knowledge of the
subject, with much less tediousness, in that
assembly as the equally!aborious Sir Charles Wood
did in the House of Ceininons. And in the discus-
sion of the Oxford University Reform Bill Lord
Canning played the part—longo intervallo--which
was Mr. Gladstone's original character in the
Lower House of Parliament., All this is very true,
but not very important or enc.nragieg. Moreover,
Lord Canning, by Lord Aberdeen's desire, refused
the offer which Lord Derby made him to enter the
cabinet which Lord Darby never formed, and ac-
cepted the offer Lord Palmerston made him to con-
tinue in his cabinet. When we have added that
Lord Palmerston was his father's fillower and
friend, that Mr. Canning saw Lord Palmerston's
merits much better than either Lord Liverpool or
the Duke of Wellington, that Lord Palmerston is
supposed to be grateful for this prescience, and
that this gratitude is believed to be very much at
the bottom of his appointment, we have, we
think, told prettyfairly the story of Lord Canning's
political life before he went to India.
Now what did it amount tog To the creditable
fulfill:tient of the minor opporttinites it was Lord
Canning's goe d fortune to enjoy, "but to nothing
more. Lord Canning had never shown publicly any
high qualities. He had not his father's eloquence—
on the contrary, he had ap. impediment in his speech.
He had not his father's courage, mottle, or vigour—.
on the contrary, he was passive, submissive, re-
i.erved, and timid. He had nut his father's noble
ambition—on the contrary, ho was content to al-
- his fortunes by follo wing great men irrespec-
tive of their political views. He had not his father's
experience of the world, or his habits of self reli-
ance, or his knowledge of human nature, still less
power of seeing coming events from a distance, or
realising the final results of a great policy ; on the
contrary, Lord Canning was simply awe-educated
w e:1- behaved, and useful subordinate ; such as his
father and most other great men never were.
And he was chosen as Governor-General of India,
not because he had either special knowledge or spe-
cial fitness, but because he was the fortunate young
man of the Palmerston Cabinet, because India
WAS deeMed to be in ae exceedingly tranquil con-
dition, because the Government at home wanted a
man in India imbued with their own notions—
though what they are Heaven only knows I—be-
cause Load Canning was not licit, and because
Governors-General usually bring fortueet home,
and some obtain pensions of 5,000/. a year for deeds
which, ere they are settled do ,n at home, have as-
sated to shake the empire to its foundations.
We are not adopting or unduly exalting Lord
Elgin, in Paying that a companion of his cinalifisa-
tio is with thc:ee of Lord Canning were . I! in Lord
E gin's favour. What we deiire" to p int out is
that in this modern system, which requires either a
Governor-General to be taken, as Lord Au.:lland,
Lord Ellenboroegh, Lord Hardinge, Lord Dal
housir, and Lord Cenning were, from the Caleinst
of the day, or, as others have been, from the friends
of the M nister, the country has no security wha'-
ever for getting the best and fittest man, and that
the chances are that friendship and intimacy, whe-
ther political or private, will preveil against com-
petency and experience.

Had- the Government at all anticipated such a re-
volt, Le rd Canning would never have been sent to
India. There was apparently serious work to be
done in China, and then Lord Elgin was called in.
But in India the rule ought to have been, not con-
fidence in our position, not a belief that it was safe
to send a mediocre person ; but mistrust and a dis-