The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-01 00:00:00

11••••
f destitution which would affect every interest in the com-
munity. Commerce would be neglected, there would be a
diminution in our exports, and a diminution in our means
of purchasing corn. He viewed, he would confess, with
the greatest alarm the present state of things in America,
and he hoped that the Government would adopt some such
measure as would enable them to meet the emergency
whenever it might occur. The calamity was one which came
upon this country suddenly, and it was the duty of Govern-
ment, as well as the duty of Parliament, to adopt any
measure which might alleviate it. No doubt many at •
tempts had been made to improve the quality of Indian
cotton, and he only wished he was able to say that they had
succeeded. From his experience he would say that the best
cotton grown there was the indigenous plant. It had, how-
ever, a short stem. With respect to the proposal that India
should be colonised, the distribution of property there was
such that colonisation was impossible without affecting the
rights of the natives. To his mind the only way to secure
a continuous supply was by creating a continuous demand
for the article. lie had no desire to alter the present sys-
tem of land tenure, when he looked to the present state of
Bengal, which was on the edge of an agrarian insurrection,
where troops had to be moved about to awe the people, and
where it was a criminal offence not to comply with the terms
of a sealed agreement. When he was at Allahabad he re-
collected to have seen a small patch of land, possessed by
an Englishman, planted with cotton, one half on the old
Indian system, the other on the American system, that the
natives might see the immense advantages which the one
system had over the other. There was a small house ad-
joining, which contained two rooms. In one room was the
machinery for cleaning the cotton, and in the other the
visitor was covered with the most beautiful flaky snow. To
his mind that little establishment was the symbol of the
past and future history of India. (Hear.) There the pre-
cept was given by force of example, and when he suggested
that a similar lesson should be given to the natives in each
of the cotton-growing districts, his suggestion was not very
favourably received. It was, in fact, met by a sneer. It
was now, however, absolutely necessary that they should
look forward to a changed state of things, and he was most
anxious to know if her Majesty's Government was prepared
with any measure to meet the emergency.
Earl DE GREY and RIPON agreed with the noble lords
who had already spoken that it was impossible to over-rate
the importance of this question ; still, however, he was not
able to agree with the petitioners is the whole of their
prayear as he understood it from the statement of the noble
marquis. The noble earl who had just sat down asked if
her Majesty's Government was prepared with any measure
to meet the probable emergency of a deficient supply of
cotton, but he had not intimated the precise nature of the
measure which he desired.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said he wished to see
the native cotton growers set the example which he had seen
at Allahabad.

Earl DE GREY and RIPON said he was not aware
that his lordship had stated that such was the character of
the measure which her Majesty's Government ought to adopt.
With respect to land tenure, he had no hesitation in saying
that her Majesty's Government was ready to encourage
English capitalists settling in India, and every facility would
be afforded them for acquiring property which could be
afforded them without endangering the sources of the public
revenue. It was most desirable that the ryots should have
every facility to send their cotton to market, but on sound
economical principles the improvement of the staple ought
rather to be effected by the agents of the merchants, the
going about and letting them know the description of arti-
cle required, rather than by those little model farms recom-
mended by the noble earl. That course was about to be
taken by those deeply interested in the supply of cotton.
Government, on its part, was determined to promote means
of communication in India ; the railway works would not
be again suspended ; on the contrary, they were fast ap-
proaching completion. The river Godavera was being ren-
dered navigable, civil courts with the new procedure were
being introduced into the different districts of the country,
but above all every effort would be made to increase the
facilities of transit.
The subject then dropped.
The other orders of the day having been disposed of,
their lordships adjourned at half-past seven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—YESTERDAY.
The SPEAKER, took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Lords' amendments to the following bills were cons.

dered and agreed to :—Berwick, Norham, and lslandshires
Roads, Huddersfield Gas, and Midland Railway (New
Lines).
The North Eastern Railway (Castleton and Grosmont
Branch, &c.) Bill was read a third time and passed.