The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-06 00:00:00

CASE OF' LIEUTENANT HOLLIS.

Mr. ESCOTT moved for copies of all letters and other
documents which had passed to and from the Court of Di-
rectors of the East India Company and Lieutenant NV.
Hollis, and to and from the said Court and the Board of
Control, relative to the dismissal of that, officer from the East
India Company's service. The Honourable and
Learned Gentleman said that he would not attempt
to justify the language used by Lieutenant Hollis,
and which led to his dismissal, but that language was
drawn from him by irritating conduct on the part of his superior
officer. Utter ruin had been brought upon him by the sentence
which he had now been four years suffering under. He did not
think the Court. which passed the sentence upon Mr. Hollis
was legally constituted, and, at all events, he had been a long
time suffering, and he trusted the Court would think it right
to replace him in the position which he had formerly filled with
such credit to himself and advantage to the country. Lieute-
nant Hollis was a man of good family and kind disposition, and
surely a rash word should not for ever be allowed to operate to
his detriment.

Lord JOCELYN had no objection to the production of the
correspondence sought for, and the Honourable Gentleman
would be enabled to see by it what moderation had been exer-
cised by the Court of Directors towards Lieutenant Hollis.
That officer had been guilty of one of the gravest
offences known against military disciplinc—he broke
through his arrest, and used language which one gentle-
man should not use towards another. The Court of Directors
had, notwithstanding the sentence of the court-martial, allowed
Lieutenant Hollis 501. a year, within a few pounds of half pay
allowance. He trusted the House would show no sympathy
with an officer who had acted in a manner inconsistent with the
interests of the public service. There could be no doubt but
the tribunal that tried him was by the 4th Geo. 4, c. 81, qua-
lified to do so. He would not trespass further on the attention
of the House.
Mr. HOGG said he would take no notice of the taunts
that had been thrown out by the Hon. and Learned Gentle-
man against the East India Company. He thought the Noble
Lerd had answered the complaint of the Hon. Gentleman, and
he would not occupy the time of the House unnecessarily.
REVIEW CF THE SESSION.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL then rose amidst some slight con-
fusion at the bar from Members entering the House. He said,
Sir,—l am very glad that the notice which I have upon the
paper will offer no interruption to the other business, and I
am perfectly satisfied that the other notices should have been
got through before I proceed to lay the few observations I have
to make before the House. Sir, I shall take this opportunity,
one of the last of the session, to consider how we have performed
the duties which we were called on to perform by her Majesty
at the commencement of the session ; and, in doing so, I shall
refer to these subjects with a view to measure the progress that
has
thebeenm made—topoirtout
passed
—and
aichskartehe foundtoHbneuseto
consider the prospect before them, rather than with the view
in measures
that
havei sse
insisted on, on other occasions, namely, of proving . that the
Ministers of the Crown are incompetent for the functions with
which they have been entrusted. The latter is not my intention.
If it were not my purpose to deviate from the previous practice
to which I have referred—if it were my purpose to found
charges of incompetency en the fact that measures had been
delayed till a late period of the session, that they were only
sent from one House to another as late as the let of July, when
no time was left to consider them properly ; that many mea-
sures were brought forward in the beginning and given up at
the end; if I were inclined to found a charge against minis-
ters I should find ample materials for my purpose. ( Hear,
hear.) One Bill alone—the Bill of the Right Hon. Baronet
opposite on Physic and Surgery—would form a subject for
lengthened comment-4 Hear, hear.) He was accustomed to
lay great blame upon me for bringing forward the Poor.law,
and afterwards making amendments is compliance with the
suggestions and objections of Members of the House. It
is not the custom of the present Government to
listen to objections from the Members of the House ; but
they had from time to time altered measures to obviate the ob-
jections of certain classes, and so with respect to this mea-
sure. The Right Honourable Gentleman had altered it to meet
the views of the members of the College of Surgeons; then the
general practitioners had objections to urge, and the Bill was a
second time altered ; the physicians and surgeons were also
considered and the Bill was altered again, and b:fore it was
brought into this House it was put into at least a dozen shapes.
I have done enough to show, without going further, that I
could found a charge of incompetence, and not on this Bill
alone. But, Sir, I consider that there are other questions that
are far more important than the executive mode in which the
legislation is carried on with respect to mere details. It is
a question of graver consideration how the great interests of
the country have been affected by the measures which have
been brought before the House, and in what position the coun-
try stands in relation to these measures. In referring to these
subjects, I shall take, in the first place, in some measure, the
order of the Queen's speech with regard to these measures.
The speech at the commencement of this session opened by an

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