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Leader (1850-1860), 15th May 1858, Edition 1 of 2, Page 459

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      elected , and that tlie election is void , the said Major Gavan having been guilty , by his agent * , of several acts of bribery ( -which were enumerated ); . "but the committee also found tlj . it such acts of bribery had-taken place without the knowledge or consent of Major Gavan . THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDTA . VOTE OP CKSSURE . Mr . Cardwell ^ ave notice that on the ensuing Thursday he shouUl move a resolution in the following terms : —" That this House ,-while it abstains from expressing any opinion , upon the policy of any ¦

      proclamation of the Governor-General . of . India in relation to Gude , lias seen with regret and serious apprehension that her Majesty ' s Government Have addressed to the Governor-General , through the Secret Committee of the BoaTd of Directors , a despatch condemning ; , in strongterms , the policy of the Governor-General , and are of opinion that such a course mxiit , under present -circumstances in India , produce a most prejudicial eftect , by weakening the authority of the Governor-General , and encouraging the further resistance of those-who are still in arms against iis . " THE . OATHS BIT . ! ,.

      Lord John Russian moved that the House disagree with-the Lords' amendment on the Oaths Jlill , by which the clause affecting members of the Jewish faith was omitted . —Mr . Kewdegate defended the amendment , and denounced the clause as founded on revolutionary principles . Consequently , the House of Lords—a set of men the most intellectual , the most wise , and the most enlightened—had refused its sanction to the clause . If the . House of Commons should take upon themselves to be the sole authority in the kingdom , as once before the Long Parliament had done , tliey would find that they had outstepped the bounds of discretion and the patience of the countrv . ( Alautth . ~ )

      Sir Richaiid Bimircrxi said that , should it become necessary , he should feel it to be his duty to suggest a course , perfectly constitutional , by which the great object of the bill might be accomplished . He might appeal io every constitutional la \ vyer whether usage did not warrant the conclusion that , when a particular measure had been adopted by that House in a series of Parliaments for many years , and which represented the voice of the nation , it was not the diity of the other House to yield to the often-repeated wishes of the House of Commons . If all their appeals , however , were in

      vain , and if the exclusion of the Jews from that House depended , as he insisted it did , upon a perverted and fraudulent * application . of tlie law , then he conceived it to be the duty of that House to consider whether there * was any constitutional course of proceeding left for it to adopt . He deprecated any course that -would'produce a collision with ' the courts of law , and hoped that no member would rashly bring forward a resolution of thnt kind . His proposition would relieve tlic House from any apprehension of a controversy with the established courts of justice . The bill as amended imposed a larger amount of disability upon the Jews .

      Sir Jonx PAiciNCiTox denied that the course which he took last ycaT in the select committee pledged him to bring forward his previous resolution as a distinct motion on the present occasion . —Mr . Waukkn observed that only two constituencies had elected Jews ; and tlie law of the land- was not to Me altered on that account . If a constituency chose to elect a woman Qri luurjfi ) , or a minor , or a foreigner , it did not follow that the legislature was to admit them . Not a single Jew had petitioned for the admission of Jews to Parliament ; and ho " believed that public opinion is adverse to the change . The House tlien divided , when it was decided to disagree with the Lords' amendments by 2 G 3 to 150 . lord Jonx liL-ssrxr , moved that tho House disagree ¦ with the Lords' amendments to Clause 9 ; and the motion ¦ was carried .

      Lord John liurssRrx then moved the appointment of a committee to draw up reasons for disagreeing with the Loida' amendments ; the committee to consist of Lord Jolr a Russell , tlio Chancellor of the Exchequer , Sir John Pakington , Lord Stanley , Sir Fitzroy Kully , Lord Palmerston , ( Sir 6 . C- Lewis , Hir George Gn-y , Mr . Labonchcre , Sir James ( Jrahnm , jMt . Gladstone , Mr . Cardwell , Sir Richard Bethell , Mr . Bright , Mr . Milner Gibson , 11 v , Horaman , Mr . Thomas Diincombe , Mr . ¦ Ho adlnm , Mr . Iloobuclc , Mr . MoncriufF , TMr . Fitzgerald , Mr . Serjeant Dea s 3 " , and MY . Abel Smith . —Mr . Ddncomhu moved that the return for the City of London of Baron Kotihschild bo rend at tlie tuble .--Thc certificate of the CIctU

      of the Crown was read accordingly . —Mr . Di . 'ncomius then moved that Harou ttnthiwi do Rothschild be uppointcd a member of that committee . Tho House had a precedent for so acting . That u member of that i-louae , though ho had not boen sworn at the table could serve . on committee * , had boen decided , by -i » o votes against 117 ) in 17 J 5 . ~ Mr . Uih . wys seoo . uU'd tho motion . Tlio Hoxuo would thus flhow tho practical absurdity of a , Imv which allows a . low to discharge a portion of his duties as a member , and not tho whole of it—Aftor some desultory disctiasion , it was agreed ( at tlio surest ion or boiuc member * of Llio Government , nud ot Lord Pai . micuston ) that , tho motion ¦ ahould be adjourned to the following day . NKAV ZEALAND LOW . On tho motion for going into committee of . supplr , Sir JOHN l uttiAwsYcallod the attention of tho HoiTdo to passages in tho evidenco ( riven by one . of tho wHir-b ^ s

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      ( a Mr . Sewell ) before the New Zealand Loan ( 500 , 000 / . ) Guarantee Committee , and to compare the same with records of the proceedings of the New Zealand House of Assembly , in -which tlie witness took part ; also , to certain dealings ( by a Mi " . Mantell ) with the natives for the pale of their "lands , and to . the manner in whicli recent contracts made with them , with respect to schools and hospitals , . by a Government officer , have been carried into effect . Lord Stanley , in replying , said he was willing to admit that / unjustifiable transactions had , on many occasions , taken place with regard to the purchase of land from the aborigines . They had generally taken place , not in consequence , but in defiance ,, of the policy and

      wishes of tlie Government . When land is purchased from natives , it should be recollected that the valu . c depends , in & great measure , on what is afterwards done with . it by the purchaser ; and , ' therefore , it is not to be expected that a large sum should be given . But , with regard to the promise of schools and hospitals , although there was no doubt that Mr . Mantell held out , as he believed he was authorized to hold out , promises to the natives , yet he believed that nothing in the nature of a contract could be said to have been entered into , and for this plain reason , tha . t nowhere could he find the

      slightest approximation to a statement of what was the amount to be expended for these objects . It was quite clear that a general promise to provide hospital accommodation and schools , no fund being set aside for the purpose , could hardly be said to have assumed the definite form of a contract , although it might be an obligation in point of morality . But he must remind tlie lion . baronet that the power had been taken out of tlie hands of the Imperial Legislature . The moment the coutrol of the waste lands passed into the hands of tlie Colonial Legislature , that Legislature took upon itself all those obligations . After some further discussion , the motion was withdrawn .

      THE Alt-Ml ' . General Codkisgtox , previous to the House going into Committee of Supply , called attention to cortaiu defects in the management of the army . Our forces are to consist of 200 , 000 men , and for this we must have large recruiting establishments , a-3 the supply of men must-be between twenty and thirty thousand a year . Tlie manner-in which recruiting is carried on is " disgraceful , and recent regulations have tended to prevent

      the enlistment of men from agricultural districts . Kegiments should be named'from towns , and be recruited from the neighbourhood of those towns : there would then be no difficulty in inducing men to' join the service . The military train should be kept to its original purpose , and should be stationed in tlie vicinity of Aldershot . xVnothcr point to which he wished to draw attention was , that . English officers in the Ionian Islands have to pay duty on the wine they drink ; and he hoped the Government would take the matter into consideration .

      Mr . JMoxskll , referring to an explanation given by the Secretary for War on a previous occasion , stated that the income of the Carshalton Academy is 5000 / . a year , and the expenditure 1 -ioOO / ., so that at present there is no charge upon the State for this establishment . But , if they stopped admission to the Academy , the number of students would gradually decrease , and the State would l > e called upon to contribute ' to the expenses . Perfect faith would be kept ivitli the studen t , if , without charging the country with their education , the Government allowed them , after passing a certain examination , to enter the academy at Woolwich , lie appealed to the Secretary for War to take into consideration tlie expediency of building an additional barrack in connexion with the Military College at Woolwich , in order thnt the young men might not be compelled to sleep several in one bed .

      General Peel said that he had given great consideration to -the subject of recruiting , and , with respect to Mr . Moiiscll ' s suggestions , ho promised to pay every attention to the subjects involved , lie then made some statements with reference to . the Army Estimates . Before the Indian mutiny "broke out , tho military force consisted of 157 , 000 men , of whom ; 30 , 000 were on service in India , Tho present force'is 223 , 000 men , showing an increase of ( JO . OOil within the year . To supply the augmentation already arranged , and to fill up the loss from en * n allies , Ac , at le .-ist 5 l ) , 000 recruits niusL bo provided during tho current twelvemonth . lie apprehended no dilUeulty , however , in oMniiiing this number , largo na it . was , since not Tower than -18 , 000 men had been enlisted within tlio lust eight months .

      After . some further discussion , the House went into ConnniUoi- of Supply on tho Army Estimates , when various votes were agreed to , and the Chairman was ordered to report progivs * . The House , having resumed , next wont into Committal of W / iys and Ateanw , and voted 11 , 000 , 000 / . out of the Consolidated Fund for the isorvieo of the country . imhnok F . mv . \ ito \ s i . sr ,. un > loan . The lloune then went into Committee upon this . sub ject , mid Lord Ktani . v . v moved a resolution , granting the tfuunmtee of thin country to u loan not exceeding 100 , ( KMI / 1 , a ( , lour per cent . —The motion was agreed uT and tho House resinned . ° cni ; u-iKA-isi : lixiK act -ammnumknt . Lord John Mannkkm moved for leave to bring in a

      bill to amend the Act of tlie 9 & 10 Viet ., cap . 39 , relative to Chelsea-bridge . The object of the bill is , that , -when .. the sum borrowed from the Exchequer Loan Commissioners has been returned , the toll on the bridge shall cease . . The Houss adjourned at a , few minutes after one o ' clock

      Tuesday , Ufay VLth . In -the House of Lords , the Royal assent was given by commission to several bills . LORD CAXXING ' S PROCLAMATION " . —RESIGNATION OP LORI > iSLLEXBOROUGir . The Marquis of Lassdowxe corrected an error into which he had fallen on the previous night with reference to the note received by Mr . Ternon Smith from Lord Canning .. What he should have stated -svas that JLr . Vernori Smith had observed that there was no use

      showing tlie letter after the censure on the Proclamation had gone out . He wished , to add s in answer to any question that might naturally be asked on the subject , that no communication whatever from Lord Canning had been received by Mr . "Vernorr Smith since that to'which he had already alluded . That letter was almost wholly a private letter , and contained only one paragraph of public interest , expressing Lord Canning ' s annoyance that the pressure of public business prevented his giving a full explanation of his Proclamation .

      The Earl of Dekby said the explanation given by the noble Marquis made a great difference in the circumstances of the case ; because it appeared that , if the contents of . this note had been communicated to LoTd Ellenborough , as they might have been , on the 19 th . of April , they would , have been in ample time to produce an effect ou his noble friend ' s mind before" the answer to the Proclamation was sent out . Tlie . "Proclamation was dated the 19 th of April , and was sent out on the 26 th ; consequently , if Mr . Vernon Smith had communicated to the Board of Control the contents of Lord Canning's note , tlie object contemplated by Lord Canning-would have been attained , and Lord Ellenborough would . not have sent out to Iudia a preaiature condemnation of tlie Proclamation , lie was unwilling to impute improper motives to Mr . Ternon Smith ; but tlie course adopted by-In ni was not ' that which ... should lie pursued by an ex-jMinister towards his successor .

      Earl Granvixi , e explained that , on tlie return of Mr . Vernon Smith from Ireland , where he was attending the marriage of his son , he found , this private letter awaiting-him ; but could he suppose that immediately after the receipt of the Proclamation , one of the strong-est censures that could be expressed would be sent out to the Governor-General ? The Earl of Ellenborougfi said that the letter enclosing the Proclamation was received on the 12 tli of April ; the ans-wer was not -written-until the 18 th ; it was dated on tlie 19 th , and it was not sent out until the 2 Gtli . " There was , therefore , ample time for consideration , and the more he reflected on it the stronger lie felt to be the necessity of sending out the answer . He -was

      not accused for writing the letter , nor had he heard any one defend the confiscation of the proprietary rights ; the only question raised was—wns it or was it not right to publish that letter ? ( Hear , Jiea-r . ) As far as he understood , the resolutions to be moved on Prida y related to that subject only . The publication of the " letter was wholly his acr , and he took upon himself tlie entire responsibility . Some time before , lie had written a secret letter to the Governor-General , in contemplation of the eaptnro Of Lucknow , in which he directed him to temper justice " with generosity , and to establish an amnesty and tho ordinary administration of the law as soon as possible . He apprehended that obstructions would be offered to the Governor-General , in the execution of those orders

      tho subordinate officers , maddened by the scenes they had wiln-essed ; and h-e told the Governor-General to persevere in-what ho thought was right , and that he should have tlie unqualified support of the 'Government . Soon niter that letter was sent out , he received this Proclamation , inflicting confiscation , and Framed in direct contradiction of the principles of his letter . Tho-principle of confiscating the entire proprietary rights of the people of India was not clemency—it was not amnesty ; it was persecution after defeat ; it -was contrary to every principle In id down in the letter he had written ; it -was contrary to the feelings of the Government ; and he fell it to be his duty to express tis he had done his sentiments respecting it . Ho should have been unworthv oi

      a seat in thnt House if he had acted otherwise . " The letter was u message of peace to the people of India , and it would give convolution to those who arc living in fear -of . retribution . Probably , he ought to havo obtained tlie ( junction of his colleagues to the publication of tlu > lotter ; hut lie had not clone so , and therefore it was absurd to mulcts tho Government generally responsible for tho act . liu w » s alono accountable for the publication , u Tlie ({ iiustiou would be viewed vory riiJfrrenlly in this country , aud in India . In this country it , is a «| iKislion between one parly und another ; but in India it would bo nndortitood U > bo a taiustion between tho conflicting principles of uuiilLswiliou aiul cliuncnoy . Jl <; felt tjatixlitid Hint , nworriiii ^ - u , s the decision uf thn t . and uf the other ll ' ouso of Purlianicnt , iudinod to tho onu or the olhor of tliosu [ iriuoipLua , there would bu sown broadcast tlnougliwnt India Lho soud . s of porjiotual war , or there would ha given to the pooplo of 1 . 1 ml country und of . England the bonus of purimmenl rcconciliatiou and

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      Ko . 425 , May 15 , 1858 . 1 TIE < LEADEE . 459

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), May 15, 1858, page 459, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2242/page/3/