The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-26 00:00:00

PRIVATE BUSINESS:

The Clifton and Durdham Downs (Bristol), the Garston
and Liverpool Railway, Marlborough Railway, and Exeter
Railway Bills were read a second time.
The Great Northern of Scotland Railway and the Leigh
District Gas Bills were read a third time and passed.
THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.
Lord LYVEDON presented a petition from the inhabi-
tants and taxpayers of Calcutta and of Bengal Proper com-
plaining of the system of government in India. The
noble lord said he differed from some of the statements in
the petition, but in others he entirely concurred. The petition
contained ;;the names of persons of great importance in
India, and also the names of nearly all the gentlemen in
the legal profession in practice there. The complaints
of the petitioners were the great increase which
had lately taken plape in the taxation of the
country. Her Majesty's G overament had taken the unusual
course of sending out a special financial commissioner, and
various heavy imposts had been made on the people
there. The p t:tioners particularly referred to the
increase of the Mysore grant, which was said to have ab-
sorbed half the sum produced by the income tax. Having
applied to the legislative council for information, the peti-
tioners had been repulsed, and this he considered the real
grievance of the pctltianars. They moreover complained of
the manner of the military expenditure of the Indian Go-
vernment, while they stated that the military expenditure
at home was economical at the expense of India. The
petitioners also complained that there were no exact
estirnat ,s of the cost of the Indian army—(hear, hear)—
and they most earnestly urged that some steps might be
taken to remedy this state of things for the future [Another
of the prayers of the petitions was that the members of the
Council of India should have seats in Parliament, and also
that the number of those gentlemen might be increased.
He thought there was great objection to the Legislative
Council of India, and thought it absolutely unnecessary
for the wellbeing and good Government of India, and he
concluded by asking in which of the two houses the mea-
sUre ralativw to Irrdlo• weald Irroapht forward.
Earl DE GRhY and RIPON said he was unable to state
the precise time at which the bill would be brought for-
ward relating to the Council of India, but it was in
a very forward state, and would be brought under the con-
sideration of the other house very shortly. The no ble earl
had touched upon the Mysore grant, but the ultimate re •
suit of that transaction would be that, whereas, under for-
mer arrangements, certain districts were act aside for sup-
plying the wants of the Mysore princes, that family
would now be provided for by an annual charge of
£17.000. He thought their lordships would come
to the conslusion that the arrangement made for those
princes was much more conveniently provided for than for-
merly. With reference to the motion for pipers on this
subject made in the Legislative Council in Calcutta, he was
surprised to hear his noble friend approve of that part of the
petition. He altogether denied that the Legislative Coun-
cil was a Parliament, or had the right to exercise the func-
tions of a Parliament. He thought it highly desirable to
have depots at home for the regiments in India; and
with respect to the India accounts relative to the
military expenditure, papers relative to them would be laid
veryshortly before Parliament. He altogether denied that
the Secretary of State had power to make an uncontrolled
charge on the revenues of India.
The Duke of ARGYLL defended the pas sing of the act
of 18;53.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said he condemned
from the first the constitution of the legislative council.
He saw from the first their desire to nibble at the religion
of the people, and he attributed to that council more
than anything else the outbreak of the late mutiny. If the
government entertained feelings against the council, he
trusted they would have the courage to abolish a body
which was inconsistent with the honour, the credit, and the
strength of the government in India.
After a few words from the Marquis of Clanricarde and
Earl- Grey, the subject dropped, and their lordships
adjourned,

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—:(THIS EVENING.)
INDISPOSITION OF THE SPEAKER.
At a quarter to four o'cloek. the Clerk of the House read
a letter from the Speaker, stating that from illness arising
from rheumatism he was unable to attend the house this
evening, but that he hoped to be able to resume his duties
on Monday.
' Mr. MASSEY, the Chairman of Committees, then took
the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Lords' amendments to the South Eastern Railway
(Capital, &c.) Bill were considered and agreed to. The
Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford Railway, with amend-
ments, was also considered. The Lancashire and Yorkshire
Railway (Bootle Branch, &c.) Bill was read a third time.
The Newcastle and Under Lyme Marsh Land Bill:and the
Sneyd's Branch Railway Bill were considered and ordered
for third reading.
THE DANISH CLAIMS.
Mr. MACAULAY presented a petition from Thomas
Ward on behalf of himself and others, claimants against
the Crown for losses incurred in the Secret Expedition to
Copenhagen in 1807, The hon. and learned member read
some extracts from the petition, which stated that the
claimants were British merchants, and that a Royal Com-
mission had examined their claims and adjudicated
in their favour in 1810. Their report was presented to the
House of Commons by her Majesty's Government, and in
1811 a committee of the whole house passed .a resolution
voting a "money address," which was presented by a
member of the Privy Council to her Majesty, who expressed
her desire to give effect to the wishes of the House of Com-
mons in this instance. However, notwithstanding these
proceedings, the petitioners' claims were unliquidat ed, and
they prayed the house to redress the grievance, which arose
out of an exceptional event in the history of the civilised
world. The hon. member gave notice that he would eallthe
attention of the house to the subject en a future occasion,
and move a resolution in reference to the subject.
DERRYMACASH RIOTS.
Sir W. VERNER moved for copies of the several infor-
mations and dying declarations in relation to any of the
cases of homicide, riot, illegal or party processions, or
other criminal offences, alleged to have been committed in
the county of Armagh in the month of July last, taken
before a magistrate ; also of entries in the Crown book in
reference to such proceedings, as well as other information
on the subject.—Ordered.

COURTS MARTIAL IN INDIA.
Mr. FREELAN ) asked the MARTIAL
of State for India,
whether copies of the findings of the courts 'martial ap-
pointed in India for the trial of officers charged with in-
sulting Mahometans while engaged in religious worship in.
Egypt, and of any reprimands or comments on the proceed-
ing of the-courts-martial by Sir Hugh Rose, had been re-
ceived by the government; and whether there would be
any objection to lay such copies, if received, uport the table
of the house ?
Sir C. WOOD said that he was happy now to be in a
position to produce communications from Sir Hugh Rose,
and he would lay them on the table of the house if the hon..
member would move for them.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF NATIONAL
EDUCATION, IRELAND.
Mr. LONGFIELD asked the Chief Secretary for Ire-
land when he would furnish the return, ordered by the
house, of the names, &c., of the members of the present
Board of National Education in Ireland ?
Mr. CARDWELL said that, by the returns of the
house, he found that the return had been laid on the table
of the house, and a portion of it had been printed.
THE LATE CAPTAIN BRABAZON.
General PEEL asked the noble lord the First Lord of
the Treasury, in the absence of the Secretary of State for
Foreign. Affairs, NAB:, was prevented attending from
illness, what steps the Government had taken to
ascertain whether the report of the murder of
Captain Brabazon, of the Royal Artillery, by the Chinese,
was true; and, whether the informaeon received is derived
from the personal knwledge of the informants, or rested
merely on Chinese rumour?
THE ALLEGED OUTRAGE ON CAPTAIN MAC-
DONALD.
Lord R. CECIL called the attention of the house to the
outrages on Ckptain Macdonald at Bonn ; and asked the
Secretary 6f State for Foreign Affairs if he in-
tended to take any steps for the protection of British
subjects travelling in Prussia. The noble lord
detailed the circumstances connected with the event, and
contended that it was to English travellers that
some statement should be made by the Government on this
subject, and he censured in very strong terms the conduct
of the Prussian authorities as unjust, illegal, and
arbitrary. He thought the authorities ought to
be warned of the danger which they incurred in
pursuing similar conduct. Bofors English travellers
went to Prussia they ought to be made acquainted by their
Government that travelling in that country was attended
with peculiar dangers and annoyances, ,particularly as
regarded Englishmen.
CAPTAIN BRABAZON.
Mr. GREGORY said with reference to the alleged fate
of Captain Brabazon, who was stated to have been decapi-
tated and his body thrown into a canal, it was asked why
the canal had not been dragged, to which it was replied
that there were so many of the bodies of the Chinese in
it that it would have been impossible to have discovered
the bOdy of Captain Brabazon out of the multitude of other
bodies. He had been informed by a gentleman who was
located in the neighbourhood of the canal at the time in
question, that he had not seen a human body in the canal.
He referred also to documents froth Chinese authorities to
show that the statements as to the death of Cap.
Jain Br..bazon were inaccurate, and that he was
alive twenty days after his alleged death. He
thought that, considerinc, the operations of the Chinese
artillery, it was evident that they were directed by other
than native engineers. He suggested, therefore, that the
military authorities might have been induced to have
separated him from his fellow-prisoners, with a
view to avail themselves of his military knowledge.
He thought it was a duty to the bereaved family of the
gallant officer to make inquiries to ascertain his fate, and
he praised Lord J. Russell for the interest he took in his
fate.
CAPTAIN MACDONALD.
Mr. MALINS said that Captain Macdonald had en-
trusted his case with the house to him. He recapitulated
some of the leading and well known circumstances con-
nected with the case. He thought the noble lord at the
head of the Government was bound tq make some expla-
nation on this subject, and the house to give an
expression of feeling that would show the Austrian people
that the people of this country resented as a national
indignity the conduct of the Austrian officials in re-
gard to wthis affair.
Lord PALMERSTON, in reply to the question relative
to Captain Brabazon, said he feared that the only con-
solation which the,friends of the gallant gentleman could
derive was that his fate was sudden, and that consequently
he escaped the torments and
,suffering
of his fellow-pri-
soners.
LLEFT SPEAKING.]

THE CENSUS IN FRANCE.—NOW that a nevreen-
sus is about to be taken, it may be well to state what the
number of the population of France was on prece ling occa-
sions :—ln 1821, it was 30,461,875; in 1831, 32,569,223; in
1836, 33,540,910; in 1841, 34,230,178; in 1846, 35,401,761;
iA 1851, 35,783,170; and i 4 185 e, 36,039,3011—qcgignani,