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THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT. The serious ^ bu...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Lna«^Vm|^ T ^Er The Day In Parliamentiaq...
will not be the fault of the soldiers . The imperialist propaganda is now undisguised and incessant . The assumption is a mere question of days . If F rance be indeed unfit for a ^ % . ^ j » Bmenti it begins to be clear that she is far n | IWe unfit fot a pure despotism . Already oppositfowQ , growing daily more elastic in resources and eMdiedients , is sending out its flying skirtoisheFS . < ^ be Press is the
waxing bolder in thought tftfd langfil ^ ge : very Consiitutionnel , we suppose from sheer satiety of adulation , shoots a poisoned arrow ; and in the miserable Legislative , a nominee screws up courage to give his rulers a " bit of his mind . " In the faubourg of the workmen , the Dictator is greeted with the flat blasphemy of Vive la Mepublique , hissing at his ears like an execration . What is to be done with the countless mobile elements
of resistance in a country where esprit overflows ? Even the lacqueys , the menials , the creatures of the tyranny , are prone to opposition , as a pastime . Louis Bonaparte has lost his strongest friend in Europe , Prince Schwarzenberg . The Great Powers are fain to fight shy of such a phenomenon as a second Emperor Napoleon . As a " utility' * President , he was worth encouraging , but as a brother in the purple !—1815 forbids it .
The meeting of the Zollverein Congress at Berlin has discovered the smouldering jealousies of the great German Powers . If Prussia hold firm , she may yet be able to atone by commercial supremacy for political humiliations . At Naples , the British ambassador lisps the " compliments of the season" to the royal executioner , of whom-fresh cruelties to Mr . Gladstone ' s
unhappy clients are recorded : while at Rome , " converted" Englishmen making themselves a spectacle to gods and men in religious ceremonies ; and Eton and Rugby challenging " allthe world , " in the Capital of the Caesars , to a match at cricket ,, and getting well beaten for their pains , are certainly a more pleasant , if a more ridiculous , subject for our meditations .
As official enquiries advance , the report of vessels seen on a field of ice , off the Great Bank , on the 20 th of April , 1851 , by the mate and crew of the Renovation , grows more distinct and probable . It does seem certain that two ships were so seen , and probable that they were Franklin ' s ships . Captain Ommanney evidently thinks so , from his desire to send to Canada for more information
about them . If so , the vessels were drifted away early in 1851 , and one of them was in good condition ; the crews were not very likely to have perished long before : what then has become of them ? Conjecture only tantalises itself by thinking of such enquiries ; but in the meanwhile , the vision of the ships has stimulated both curiosity and hope , and it has been made known opportunely , just as the new Arctic expedition is leaving our snores to continue the search . '
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The Week In Parliament. The Serious ^ Bu...
THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT . The serious ^ business of the Commons began on Monday with the motion by Mr . Heuries for the appointment of a " Select Committee to inquire into the operation of tho Act 3 rd and 4 th William IV ., c . 85 , ' for the better Government of Her Majesty ' * Indian territories , ' and to report their observations thereon . " In advancing this motion , Mr . Horries glanced rapidly at tho history of tho iuitliority vested in the Eo » t India Company ,
Thii system of tho Government was originally osta * blishod in 1784 ; but ninco that oiich subsequent niooauro has had a tendency further to enlarge tho restrictions \ vliioh conferred exclusive rights , . pr ivilogos , ttnd possessions on tho Company . When ( he Charter woa ronowM m 1703 , a Hrnall private trade > vas admitted , undor control of iilio Company ; but until 181 B , tho introduction of private tralo wuH very , partial . In 1811 S thoro was an important inquiry , and ono immodiato result of tjiafc . invoa . ygtt . tiQn , traders admitted full
wan , that in 181 . ' ?' . private wore ) Jo rowofls , no doubt , and the skill oi tho jnilitary and naval armaments of'Groat Britain—into individuals having no further right or property in tho umUotv bo acquired ; and , at the same tuno , it not only
divested them of the ^* rcvioii | ly dxcliisiVG right of trading with China , but pj 0 !» # ively inhibited them from trading at all ; so that , frofli the passing of the act , and solong as the act should otmtfcue to be enforced , they ceased to btft Wb simply famia ^ re ftaders , but tr «* SW * pf any charolrt ** wji # ffcver . AH fheir possessions We * e * made Over to the Ci ^ n ; the !* GommGfreial assets irfere disposed of , their fu *« i ! e power of tradd entirely anirihilate 3 , so long as the , act continued in fortfft The act 0 m passed , for twenty yew * j that . « r * s to say , it was to Iflflt from J 834 to 1854 ' One of the eonditiofta on the 4 sid 60 « the . JSafTt India C pnqlf pany for this—ite timst certainly & t $ . it immense sacriftee on their part—was , that their stock , then amounting to ould
6 , 000 , 000 £ ., which they had lent to the public , sh , not be subject to redemption before the year 1874 ; that was to say , not until forty years after the passing of the act . On the other hand it was enacted , that if during the continuance of those forty years the Government should at anytime take from the Company anyof tho privileges which it then conferred upon them as agents for the administration of the empire of India , the Company should have the right of requiring the redem ption of that stock , by the payment on the part of the public of 200 Z . for every 1007 . of stock so existing ; a condition on which the East India Company would not be likely to insist so long as the market value of the stock remains , as it now does , 60 ? . or 70 / . above the value of 2002 . Another condition
was , that the Company retained the entire patronage of the Indian administration—the appointment of all the officers for the administration of Indian affairs ; the Governor-General and the Commander-m-Chief alone excepted ; and the Board of Directors further had the right of revoking , indiscriminately , all appointments to offices in India , not even excepting the Governor-Generalship , though this office they could not confer without the ^ cpnsent of the Crown . Under this arrangement the affairs of India had continued to be administered from 1834 to the present time ; and they would continue to be so administered until the year 1864 ; when it will remain for Parliament and the Crown to determine whether the system shall be continued or altered .
Now since 1834 , great changes have taken place . India has made great progress ; and Mr . Herries rapidly indicated the nature of the progress . The revenue of India has greatly increased . ^ In : the year 1834-5 , at the commencement of the period in question , the total revenue of India was 18 , 407 , 7731 . ; and since that year there had been , upon the whole number of years , a = eradual increase in that revenue , as thus ; - —in 1835 .-6 , the revenue was 19 , 294 , 877 ? . ; in 1836 , 37 , 19 , 119 , 902 ? . ; in 1641-42 , 19 , 874 , 142 Z , ;; in " 1 S 42-4 & ,- 20 , 572 , 7862 , 4 in 1843-44 , 21 , 423 , 243 ? . ; in 1848-49 , 23 , 342 , 544 ? . ; in 1849-50 , 25 , 160 , 575 ? . ; in 1850-51 ( estimated ) , 24 , 579 , 282 ? .
The difference between the first and the last years as 6 000 , 000 ? . He was sorry to say that the expenditure had also increased—from 18 , 602 , 250 ? ., in 1834-5 to 25 , 257 , 991 ? ., in 1850-1 ; the latter sum showing a deficiency of revenue of 678 , 709 ? . But the wars of that period the Affghan war , the war of Scinde , the first and second Punjab war , cost altogether 86 , 000 , 000 ? . In the interval the debt had been increased only by 20 , 000 , 000 ? . ; so that 16 , 000 . 000 ? . had been met by the elasticity of the revenue . The interest on the debt of India has increased from 1 , 774 , 153 ? ., in 1834-5 to 2 , 201 , 105 ? ., in 1850-1 . of Indian
The trade returns show the elasticity resources . Imports have increased from 6 , 154 , 129 ? . in 1834-5 , to 12 , 649 , 307 ? . in 1848-9 ; Exports , from 8 , 000 , 000 ? . and some odd hundreds of thousands , to 18 , 000 , 000 ? . and some odd hundreds of thousands ; shipping tonnage , from 108 , 870 to 252 , 153 . ,. . , .,, And in reference to tho war expenditure , it should bo mentioned that in less than twenty years we have added to our Indian possessions 165 , 000 square miles , and 9 , 000 , 000 of population ; the consolidated empire now comprising 150 , 000 , 000 of British subjects , Tho interval exhibits a persevering determination on the part of tho Government to promote tho employmonfc and education of the natives : as appoarg by tho following
statement of tho number of natives employed by the Governmont in India in poHts of administration ( not speaking of judicial appointments , to which ho should afterwards refer ) : —Natives employed by the Government in India upon salaries ranging above 24 ? . per annum—1 at 1 660 Z .: 8 at 840 ? . to 9 C 0 Z , ; 12 at 720 f . to 840 ? .: 68 at 600 ? . to 720 ? . ; 69 at 480 ? . to 600 ? . ; 68 at 860 ? . to 480 ? . ; 277 at 240 ? . to 360 ? . ; 1 , 173 at 120 ? . to 240 ? . ; 1 , 147 at and under 120 ? . ; total , 2 , 818 natives . A native judicial force had been constituted and invested with powers to a degree and extent wholly unknown previously to the period to which he was adverting ; and that justice was administered mainly in India by natives , not only between natives and nativos , but in civil causes between natives and Europeans . From these civil courts tho appeals only amounted to 16 per cent ., and tho reversals of 8 ontenco did not exceed 4 per cent . Mr . Herrioa referred to thin statement to show tho
progress of education . " In 1823 tho only native educational establish ments founded by tho British Government woro tho Mahomedan College , Calcutta , and Sanscrit Collogo , Bonaros . In . 1885 thoro woro 14 . In 1852 thoro woro now in Bengal and tho North-Western Provinces abovo 40 . In 183 o tho groat change wan adopted of substituting tho English for tho Oriental Ryntem of education ; and in tho report of tho Council of Education lor 1849 Mr . Botlnino said : — ' Thoro is no institution in England whero tho publ ished a nswers of tho ' Btudontw are subjected to bo strict and eovoro a test . I have no hesitation in Baying , that ovory succeeding examination that I witness increases my admiration of tho aoutonosu and talont , literary and eciontific , which are evinced by tho yourtjj mon of this country . ' In the ElphinBtono Institution of Bombay tho course of study was stated' to bo equal in oxtont to a course for a dogroo in an English University . ' " Tho financial dondoney for 1851-2 would bo 788 , 000 ? . ; but that would bo more fclian absorbed in outlays for public works , canals , roads , and tanks . Mr , Worries read a
statement-- !^ ' | hil ^ Worls . —• Grand trunk-road , Cal . ctitta to 3 J «* l * i , to ; p # l < w » atiinued to Lahore and Peshawur complete to Kitrstitft * i * o ? th of Delhi , 966 miles , metalled throBghout cost , I , O 0 O ? # per mile ; total cost , about 1 , 500 , 000 ? . sterling * Calcutta and Bombay mail-road about 1 , 000 iniles > ' . trill cost 600 , 000 ? .. Bombay and Agra rpad , 734 miteB , cost about 350 ? . per mile . : Ganges Canal for irrigation of flattds between the Ganges axif Jumna , from Hujdwar to Alleghurf thence to CaWnpore and fiumarpoi /©; wtofo length , 765 miles ; cost about l , 5 OO , OQfl 0 f jRailwayg---Calcutta , Madras , and Bpmbay . "
Ecclesfisiical Establishments in India . —tn the year 1812 there were only 14 chaplains it Bengal , 12 at Madras , and 5 at Bombay . In 1813 a bishop of Calcutta and three archdeacons for the presidency were appointed * in 1832 there were in Bengal 37 chaplains , in Madras 23 ^ andin Bombay 15 ; ujrider the act of 1833 the archdeacons ceased , and two additional bishops Were appointed , and now there were three bishops and 68 chaplains in Bengal , 34 in Madras , and 28 in Bombay—making 3 bishops and 130 chaplains altogether , in addition to 6 of the Scotch church . distribution of Patronage by the Company during the last six years . —In 1845 , 28 writers , 280 cadets .
and 56 . surgeons ; in 1846 , 28 wntersj 280 cadets , 28 surgeonsj in 1847 , 28 writers , 252 cadets , 66 surgeons ; ia 1848 , 28 writers , 196 cadets ; in ; . 184 & . ^ 28 writers , 252 cadets , and 28 surgeons ; and in 18 l > 0 , 66 writers , 234 oadetB , and 56 surgeons ; the . reason of the large addition , to the number of . .-writers being the annexation of the territory of the Punjab to the empire of India . Out of 146 cadets inow at Addiscombe , 57 W «» re sons of Indian servants ; and out of 2622 appointments that had been made between 1840 and 1851 , he found that 1100 had been giveii to sons of Indian servants ;; exhibitinr therefore something the reverse of that partiality -with which the ! Company had been charged .
Although her Majesty ' s Ministers are responsible for tbe government of India , said Mr . Herries , it is a mistake to suppose that the directors of the Cdinpany constitute a mere agency * On this point , however , much fuller information was given later in the evening by ^ Sir JAMES WeCB HOOg : — " All matters of war and of treaiW with nattive powers wete -vested , and properly vested , in her Majesty ' s Government , whOj after framing a despatch on these topics , sent it , not to th 6 Court of Directors ; but to the Secret Committee , consistiiig of the chairman , the deputy chairman , and the senior member ofctixe court ; and for that despatch her Majesty ' s doyernment was exclusively responsible . of
This , however ^ was a very Ktnall ^ tnd mitttite part the admibisterative government of India , the business of the financial , judicial , and other departments being vested by law in the East India Company , and transacted practically by the directors . All letters and despatches came to the Court of Directors ; and despatches , after being framed by the executive , were submitted to the committee of the department to which they belonged , and , if disapproved of , a discussion took place upon them ; they were then placed upon the table for a week , and afterwards underwent discussion by the whole Court . After this , tho despatch went to tho Board of Control , who either approved rtr diHftimrovfid of it : but in this last case the law provided
that , should the Court of Directors disapprove of the alteration mado , they had a right to remonstrate and to call on her Majesty ' s Government to assign their reasons tor tho alterations , provided they thought it their duty to insist upon them . Tina was the working of the system , irom which it would bo seen that the great body ^ f directors were separate and quite apart from the Secret Committee , and might know nothing of the particular busings ' transacted by tho latter . Another point referred to had boon tho patronage of the Court . It was a delicate thing ior him to touch upon this subject , but he might state that ^ inquiry wliich had been instituted had shown that , out oi 2900 appointments , 1100 woro given to the eons oi servants of tho company , 1700 to tho sons of the noDiniy , gentry , and professional men , and the rest were S ^* "" they ought to be , to tho eons of naval and military omcers in the Queen ' service , and tho largest proportion ot au . io the clertrv . It would be for the committee to aptemmo
whether the patronage had been fairly ^ " ^ Xr ' Thoro was abuse everywhere , but a . greater »«« e "" JJ could not bo than for ft man to p urchase votes tot a . scu in tho direction by promises of patronage . •» . « $ ' yJZ course of his canvas no voter , either directly o ^ . " ^ ^ had intimated to liim ovon a hope that he wiUd «™ ° " berhim , oxcopt in ono case , and the consequence ivns w ho loft the individual ' s room and declined his e « PP ?™ - . Sir James also contributed somo facts respocting * judicial courts . He was not speaking pow ot » ent "» . " Madras , or-Bombay alono , but of the whole of l »« Wi > , ho found that in 1840 thore woro disposed ot w ° "§ r suits , 268 , 574 . cases . Of that number 266 j , or ™ Z cent ., woro disposed of by native judicial officorB , aja ^ y European judges 2423 , or only 1 per cent . « » W ^ ut hapa bo said that natives woro entrusted with ¦ or )? " tliem not with appellate jurisdiction . Now , ho would P » ° a 8 tho result of tho appellate juriediction . In tlio s ^ V 41- «* *^ ,., 1 . 4 ,. l , U « l , « , l »» A » , J O » r > aiiifnrliHnOSed OI W ' B" : „ ., a
tho whole suits of India , including appeals , woro o , of which Buit » 319 , 654 , or 03 per cont ., woro disposw » ' natives , and 21 , 304 , or 0 and a fraction por ' cent ., vy ^ pcan judges . Tho only return relatjng to . PP ™ cftifl iVom tho North'WeBtern Provinces , where tw > Hi were 15 por cent ., and tho reversals only 4 V ,, „ " nee ; Mr . Horries ' s motion met with general c 0110 " ^ . ^ tho variouB spekkers , luowevor , throwing out ^ hints . Sir Thomas Comcbbook remarkea tu ^^ real government of India mnut , after all , bo > of itBolf . Mr . HuVJJ deprecated removal of tlio w * Diroctora , and insisted that India is bettor oil t »« ^ of our colonies ; bnt l » o advocated road-mai » i « K
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 24, 1852, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_24041852/page/2/
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