The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-26 00:00:00

THE NAWAB OF THE CARNATIC.

Mr. LAYARD made an appeal to the Minister for India
on behalf of Hussein Dhar, hereditary Nawab of the Car-
natic, who had been deprived of his estates. The Nawab
had petitioned the East India Company, but that company
being no longer in existence, application had been made to
the right hon. gentleman. The right hon. gentleman had,
however, declined to act on a petition addressed to the late
company, and he (Mr. Layard) had advised the Nawab's
agent to send out to India for another petition. The agent
had done so, but as it could not arrive until the latter end
of the year, he trusted the right hon. gentleman would allow
the Nawab, who was in great difficulties, to have his pen-
sion, pending the examination of his petition, without pre-
judice to his claim.
Sir C. WOOD said that the case having been to
the Governor of Madras, he could not say anything until
he received his report. At present he believed the Nawab
was in receipt of a reduced pension. He agreed generally
in the principle that the claims of the native princes should
receive as favourable consideration as possible.
INDIAN RAILWAYS AND FINANCE.

Sir C. WOOD rose to ask for powers to raise whatever
money might be necessary for the year's railway work in
India, beyond the sums that might be raised by the different
railway companies. Last year be had estimated the probable
expenditure for railways at £6,000,000, and it reachtd
£5,900,000, showing the very great accuracy of the esti-
mate. Up to April last eight millions had been expended,
and this year he believed that six millions would be required,
of which between £1,700,000 and £1,800,000: would be
raised by the companies. What he wanted the house and
the country clearly to understand was, that the money
which he now asked power to raise was exclusively for rail-
way purposes. Every one concurred in thinking that the
railway works in India should not be suspended, but that
they should be finished at the earliest possible moment,
especially as this country was paying interest until the
lines were opened. He had no fault to find with the money
market, for, having recently asked for four millions, he had
been offered twenty-one ; but in this case the house aas to
understand that not one sixpence was to be borrowed except
for railway purposes. It was his intention also to avail
himself of that opportunity to make a statement relative to
the general finances of India, from which it would be seen
that it was not necessary to raise sixpence for the general
purposes of Government. (Hear.) It would be necessary to
refer to the three past years, and also to Mr. Laing's state-
ment for the current year. He should refer to the past years
very shortly, because the accounts of India were very corn
plicated. There had been laid upon the table a return for
1859-60, and also an estimate for 1860-61, which showed
that, although the income was larger than the estimate by
£2,000,000, the expenditure was larger than that estimate
by £3,500,000. That was very unaccountable, yet no ex-
planation was sent from India, but he believed it would turn
out that the reductions which Mr. Wilson stated had been
made in 1859-60 were not brought to account in that year.
While waiting for an explanation, he was much surprised
by seeing a statement of Mr. Laing, that the expenditure of
1860-61 was actually £200,000 more than that of 1859-60.
Mr. Laing. who everybody would be glad to hear was
much better—had since returned to this country, and had
admitted that he had been misled by a statement put forth
in the Calcutta Gazette by the financial Government of
India. The truth, therefore, stood exactly as that which'
he (Sir C. Wood) had illustrated--namely, that the reduc-
tion stated by Mr. Wilson, for 1859.60, was not brought to
account until 1860.61. He now came to 1860-61. The ex-
penditure in that year was £46,000,000, and the income
£39,500,000. The estimated deficit was £6,500,000, but
there was included in that compensation for losses in the
mutiny and other charges, which brought it down to
£5,500,000.
Mr. H. SEYMOUR asked whether that included the
home charges ?
Sir C. WOOD said that his calculation included all the
charges on the revenue of India. The actual expenditure
in 1859-60 was £50,475,000 ; the expenditure in 1860.61 was
£16,067,000, showing an actual reduction of £1,40J,000.
The regular estimate for 1861-62 was contained in the
papers on the table, and was framed in March last. It
showed a cash balance of £11,448,000, but in the despatch
received from India, dated the 2d of May, the estimated
cash balance was taken to be £12,850,000 in the official year
ending the 30th April, being £1,400,000 more than was
anticipated in March. Since that time the same system had
been pursued, and therefore he thought he might speak
with confidence of the estimates of the current year. Mr.
Laing, in his official estimates, was rather too favourable.
That gentleman proposed to transfer half a million to the
local budget, and he made reductions in the home charges
beyond the Government estimates to the extent of £300,000)
and by those means he arrived at a surplus of nearly
£250,000. Taking the income to be as it was, and allowing
for no reduction of expenditure, there possibly might be a
deficit of £1,000,000 in the course of the current year; but
as at the end of the year he hoped the expenditure and the
income would be brought into a state of equilibrium,
there would for the future be no necessity for any loan
whatever for Indian purposes. Of the expenditure for
the present year, £600,000 at least would be found
to be due to the recent famine in India; and the
charge for guaranteed interest was no less than
£1,300,000, which, with the loss on exchange of £473,000,
would amount altogether to £1,773,000. The duty on salt
had been most productive, and he was happy to say that,
owing to the improved condition of the people of India--
although the duty had been very considerably increased—
the consumption had in no degree diminished. In Bengal,
where the duty was 25 per cent., the consumption had
increased 30 per cent. It was only on the item of
opium that any falling off was apprehended ; but, in
view of that apprehension, Mr. Laing had taken a very low
figure for that item. The reduction was of course mainly
on account of the military expenditure, which the house
would be glad to hear had not been carried to a very great
extent. He did not mean to say that it had been carried to
the extent it might be carried, but it was quite impossible
tolfpo nerrencelduedidutniu rapidlyrcnaegteiywteharesfrome without exciting much discontent in so
large a number of men as had been in the military service
of the Indian Government. Seven hundred and seventy-
sevenn
g i
police, m u regiments a7eds b,oeoee
t broken, reductionr o
leisnn, upsot
ho
e, o sinceon oa,t
showing
Nlh.Booswo9ir,
nagne
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was not less than 200,0
000 men. The reduction in ex-
reduction of about nine millions and a quarter. (Hear.)
The extent of the area of the famine was more restricted
than was at first imagined, and was confined solely to the
north-western provinces. During its continuance 143,000
people were daily employed in the relief work, and the
famine also led to considerable emigration from these
districts. He next wished to refer to the evils which had
arisen in the lower provinces of Bengal in regard to the cul-
tivation of indigo. Those evils, which were of long standing,
were felt with great intensity last year, and had been pro •
ductive of much loss and suffering. It appeared by a letter
from the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, written in 1854,
that while the English capital introduced into the country
ought to prove the greatest blessing to the populationgeoned-
rally, the circumstances were such that the ry°t"onsidre
the cultivation of indigo as their direst curse, and therefore
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wathioichhhwaadscienatsreod-
duced by the Indian government was only of a temp y
character, but he must say it was not of a character to oper-
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