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Ir . Hoksfaix obtained leave to bring in a bill to ke letters of credit transferable . Che remaining business having been disposed of , the use adjourned at twenty minutes past five o ' clock . Tkursday , June 24 < fc . THE SEIZURE OF THE REGINA CfflU , n the House ok Lords , the Earl of Malmesbury , iding to the former discussion on the seizure of the f ina Cceli and massacre of the crew by the negro grants on board , read a French official report of the isaction , and a letter from Captain Croft , of the tiope steamer , to Mr . Newnhain , the English Consul Monrovia , describing the circumstances under which Ethiope ; took possession of the Regina Coel ! when in
possession of the negroes - It appeared from Capi Croft ' s statement that he considered the negroes as ites , and that he claimed the vessel he rescued from n as a prize to the Ethiope . The French commander he Regina Cceli ( Simon ) , who escaped the massacre being on shore at the time of the outbreak , had never sight of his vessel , had made attempts to retake her \ t . the assistance of the local Militia and some forty ericans whom he had hired for the purpose , and had lly established a kind of blockade of the vessel by ins of row-boats . It was in this state of things that Ethiope , which had been sent for by Mr . Newnham , Consul , arrived and seized the Regina Coeli as a ; e , against the protest of Captain Simon , claiming 'age for so doing . The insurgent Africans subsetitly plundered the cargo of the ship , and dispersed on
re . The Regina Cceli was taken from the Ethiope two French ships of war . Lord Mnlmesbury added t Captain Simon . " protested against being saved , " or ig called on to pay salvage , as he had never lost it of bis ship ; and , under the circumstances , it was btful if any one had a right to take possession of —After some remarks by Lord Brougham and Earl ey ( who were both inclined to believe that the roes had been kidnapped , and , being virtually slaves , e justified in rising ) , the subject dropped , 'he order of the day for considering the report of reasons to be offered to the House of Commons for sting on the amendments to the Oaths * Diet ., ' was tponed till the following Thursday . —Lord B no ugham lidrew his Transfer of Rbat . Estate BiLt , hoping b some legislation on the subject would be possible t session . —Their Lordships then adjourned .
LONDON CORPORATION REGULATION BILL . it the morning sitting of the House of Commons , the motion for going into committee on this ^ bill , Rolt moved , as an amendment , that the bill be sent k to the select committee , with the petition of the poration of London , presented on the 28 th of last y , and that the Corporation of London be heard by ir counsel , agents , and witnesses , before the committee the allegations in such petition . He urged that the bill srfered with the rights of property , by taking away n the corporation , without compensation and without earing , dues which come within the strict definition " property . " A new and dangerous principle of
legison was introduced into the measure—a principle osed to reason , law , and precedent . —The amendment i seconded by Mr . Crawford . — -Sir Oeorgis Grey I that the arguments adduced by Mr . Rolt were ctly tlie same as those which had been directed inst the Municipal Corporations Act , which no one r desires to see repealed . The question raised by v could not be decided by a select committee . There ' e two courses open to him—either simply to move t the bill be committed that day three month ? , or , in imittee , to argue against the 56 th clause . Imtant concessions had been made , and , if the bill e deferred until next session , he ( Sir George ) uld hold himself absolved from his consent to them .
. Rolt l \ ad alleged that the Corporation had not been rd , - whereas there had been a full hearing of all mati before the Comtnission . — Mr . "Williams opposed the endmemt ; and Mr . Stuart Wortley suggested that 3 discussion might stand over , mid hoped that the Gonment would hold out some hope of an nrrangent being mnde with respect to the Corporation perty , —Mr . TVykeiiam Martin hoM that , if the end men t were carried , he should move as a further endment that the manufacturer *) of the metropolis I the adjoining districts be also heard by their counsel h reference to tlio coal duties . —Mr . WALroj-K said had no power to accede to Mr . "Wortley's suggestion ; ; he agreed with him that the case was one in which
rllament should deal leniently and liberally with the rporation . Ho also agreed with Sir George Grey it the issue raised by Mr . Rolt waa not one for a ; ct committee . —Sir Bknjamin Ham * , appealed to . Rolt < but without success ) to withdraw his amendiit . —Mr . Warren supported the amendment , and lounced the bill as one of " spoliation nnd conllsoa-» . " —Lord John Russkll and Mr . Laboucukris spoke linat the amendment , and Mr . Nonius opposed the I . The debate was then adjourned , and the sitting s suspended till six o'clock in the evening . JCDGMI 5 NTS ON MOUTGAGKS ( iHICLAND ) . On the reassembling of the House , Mr . S . B . Miller ted the Attorney-General for Ireland whether his aitiion had been called to the recent decisions in the
Courts of Queen ' s Bench and Common Pleas in Ireland , with respect to the defects in the form of the affidavits generally adopted for registering judgments on mortgages in Ireland ; and whether it was his intention to bring forward any legislative measure during the present session in consequence of such decisions . —Mr . Whitebidk remarked that this was a very delicate question , but he hoped to introduce a measure upon the subject during the present session .
COMMISSIONEKS FOR EXHIBITION OF 1851 Bill ,. On the order for considering this "bill as amended , a discussion arose upon an amendment moved by Mr . Wilson with reference to a plot of land of twelve acres over which he thought the Government should retain a control , for its appropriation to public purposes not connected with science or art . This amendment , however , was ultimately negatived on a division , by 126 to 81 , and the bill was ordered for the third reading .
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ( NO- 3 ) BILTv-Lord Stanley moved the second reading of this bill , and observed that , the general principles of the bill having been already sanctioned by Parliament , the details would be more appropriately discussed in committee . " The Government proposed to accept the number of members of the council which was affirmed I > y the committee the other day , namely , fiftee * n . The ¦ p resent number of those engaged in . the analogous position was eighteen , and though it would be very easy at any future time to reduce the number proposed , if necessary , it would not be consistent for them , if they reduced the number from eighteen to a much smaller number , to reverse that decision by increasing the
number . It was proposed that seven out of the fifteen members of the council should be elected by the Court of Directors , out of those who were or had been of their own body . In this the Government were carrying out si precedent laid down in the Act of 1853 , and considering the inconvenience of working neav machinery -with new men at the same time , the House would feel that it "was desirable that in the council there should be a considerable portion of those who at present administer the affairs of India . He proposed that the process of election in this case should follow nomination ; that the election should take place within thirty days after the passing of the Act ; and that the nomination should take place within fourteen davs ; so that it vvonld be
left to the discretion , of the Crown to see whether any others from the same body should be selected as nominees of the Crown . This provision would also meet the objection to placing so large an increase as fifteen new offices in the hands of the Crown . The patronage would be divided between the Crown and the Company . Vacancies , it . was proposed , should be filled up alternately by the Crown and the Company . It was proposed that the council should sit for life . There were objections to a life tenure of the office ; but the Government thought the balance of advantages was in its favour . . In order to avoid the evil of having very aged members in the council , it was proposed that , after ten years' service on a salary of 1200 J-, there should be
a retiring pension of 500 ? . ; after . fifteen years service , a retiring pension of 800 / . And this pension should be a matter not of favour but of right . The Government thought the business of Leadenhall-stTeet and Cannonrow should be amalgamated ; that the whole should be divided into six departments , with two members of the council and a secretary to each , from whom alterations of policy should be suggested , and from whom all correspondence should go to the Minister . In committee he should , supply an omission in the bill by proposing a clause providing that the council should inset nt least once a w « ek . ( Hear , hear . " ) The question had been put , how far would the council act as a check on the Minister . The council would have a moral control onlv : the
Minister would act as now independently ; but the council might state their reasons for their recommendations , and call on the Minister to state his reasons in writing . As to the Indian army , the Government proposed that the civil service should remain open to competition ( hear , hear ) , nnd they proposed to open to competition the scientific and engineering bxanchea . ( Hear , hear . ) As to the remaining cadctships , they proposed to give-one tenth to sons of Indian officer . *! , and , us to the other nine-tenths , they proposed to continue , for the present , the existing system . They proposed that the reorganization of the Indian army should be referred to a commission of twelve , consisting of three members from the Indian army , three from the Queen ' s
army who had served in India , three civil gentlemen of eminence ia public life , nnd the other three to be those official persons who were principally concerned with this matter—the Commander-in-Chief , the Secretay of Stute for War , and tho President of the Board of Control . Among tho matters to be referred to them would be the proportion of Indians to Europeans , the question whether the Kuropcnn army should bo local or general , whether exchange from one branch to another was possible , and generally when mid how tho transfer of the Company ' s army to the Crown should bo made . Pending that inquiry , it was not his wish to anticipate the result . Another clause in the bill proposed to invest tho Governordenernl of India with tho appointment of his own council . This waa by some regarded with grcnt jealousy , and the
Government held themselves free to alter this , if the judgment of the House should be against the clanse . As to finances , he had heard nothing , read nothing-, which had led him to believe that those whose fortunes depend on . the security of Indian finance would , have their security in the slightest degree diminished . There was a provision in the bill to send out a commission to investigate the financial state of India . He believed this to be necessary ; but , as it had excited great opposition , he would withdraw the clause , and consult with the Governor-General as to how the investigation could
best be made . In conclusion , Lord Stanley remarked that , after all , the main administration of Indian affairs is in India , and that any such bill as that they were discussing is only a bill to provide better nuichinery for the control of the Indian Government . Therefore , he did not pretend to say that this measure would remove all abuses and grievances which have been complained of in connexion -with India , but he had proposed to create a substitute for a provisional form of Government—a Government carried on by a commercial . company which has ceased to be occupied with commerce .
Mr . Bright said he did not rise to oppose the bill , which , if there were a division , he should support ; but he could not but think there were many imperfections in it , and he hoped that , unless it were materially altered , the bill would be superseded five years hence as the bill of 1 ^ 53 was then being . What were the changes required in the administration of our Indian Empire ? What i 3 the condition of the people of India ? The greater number of them , fire in a state of extreme impoverishment , dejection , and s * uttering . Industry is neglected , and perjury prevails in the courts of justice . Public works have been neglected , ; nid there are more roads in a single English county than « au be found in the . whole of India . The city of Manchester has spent a
larger sum in supplying the inhabitants with water , than the East India Company have spent in foui-teen years on public works of every kind throughout their vast dominions . " Was there any better test of a Government than the state of its finances ? and yet going b ; . ck through all the pages of Mill , they would find that the normal condition of the Indian Government had beeu : a condition of deficit and bankruptcy . If that .. . were so , he contended that the Government which ruled India was a bad Government * It had cost more to govern India than the Government had beun able to extort from the people by any system of taxation . It rost more than thirty millions a . year to govern that country . The gross revenue was about thirty millions . They got all
th ^ y could fro m the population , but it was not enough for the purpose , and they had to borrow tVoiii them and others to carry on the government . There were always deficits to be made good by loans . The debt amounted to sixty millions sterling , and was constantly increasing ; and , while it was increasing , their credit was failing , i > artly because they had noc treated the creditors on one or two occasions very honourably ( bear , hear ") , but chiefly on account of the calamities which had happened . The gross revenue was thirty millions ; but , exclusive of the opium revenue , he had set it down at twenty-five millioni =. Let not the House compare that revenue with the sixty millions revenue raised in England ; for twelve days of a man's
labour in India was only equal to one in England . If a given sum , say twenty-five millions , were ex . pended in purchasing labour , it would purchase as much ad three hundred millions sterling would purchase in England . The taxation in India had been oppressive ; a . nd the Government which had imposed that taxation , and had not been able to rule that country , should be put uu end to at once and for ever . How had this great expenditure been incurred ? The extravagance of the Government of India was notorious to all who had ever examined its affairs . Ho believed there was not a service , under tho sun which had been paid at so high it rate aa the exclusive civil service of tho East India <' ompany . " ( Hear , hear . ) The Governor-General , ruling' over
an empire to wlncli those of the Knipt-iors of France nnd Itusnia were Imt as province ? , is almost absolute . Practically , there is next to no control over him . Mr . Bright added that , if ho were a Minister , " lie would propose that there should be five presidencies , or , pcrlinpa , six , each governed as an 'independent state . Each governor of a presidency should have a council , and ho would have that council open . The Government should not be u Government only for civil servants and military establishment *) , but one in which the natives should be allowed to take part . " Within the lust thirty years , the conduct of Englishmen in India to the natives had altered very much for tho woivo . lu a
rceent lotter to the- Times , Mr . Uussell mentioned having eeen in a mosque a nutive lying badly wounded on a rtinnll bedstead , with a woman seated by him iu deep jiflliction . The man was a servant of ono of' our officers , and had been beaten by liiin , for some oflbneo , within tin ace of his life . Another . servant hud been beaten at the unino time ; uml Mr- KuhhoII regrets the frequency of these act * of severity . Mr . llright added , that he did ; not wish to harp on tho subject of atrocities , because , in a war such as tlint now riigiiitf , lamentable excesses were certain to he committed on both aidea . If ho could have l > ia own way , lie would offer a general nmneatr , and would hold <> ut tin nseur-
Untitled Article
No . , June 26 , 1858 . ] T H E L E A D E R . 605
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), June 26, 1858, page 605, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2248/page/5/
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