THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR | said, although it might be inconvenient THE COLONIES (Sir HENRY HOLLAND) to the House, and to hon. Members who (Hampstead): If possession is taken it wished to take part in the discussion, to becomes a British Possession. press the Amendment, he did want to state the reasons why he made this protest. They were now far advanced in the month of September. Last year this matter was taken into consideration on the 21st of June, the year before on the 6th of August; and he would suggest to the House that it was not worthy of them to leave to the last moment of the Session the sole opportunity afforded to Parliament in any way of taking into consideration the grievances of the 200,000,000 of people over whom we claimed to rule. If we had claimed to rule over them as a despotism he could have understood it. They were cynically told by the noble Lord the Member for South Paddington (Lord Randolph Churchill) that in India there was no public opinion, and no power of the Press

SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL: The real difference between us is as to the word "possession." I say that "possession" means "possession," and that "occupied," in the old Act, means "occupied." The Secretary of State for the Colonies, on the other hand, uses the word "declared," and says that "possession" is anything that Her Majesty has "declared" to be possession, say, by the hoisting of a flag, or by some act of that nature. The right hon. Gentleman contends that declaring territory to be British territory amounts to, or is equivalent to, taking possession or occupation. I rely on the English language. I say that "possession" means "possession," and that "occupation" means "occupation," and that merely declaring unknown territory to be a British possession does not make it a British possession. The former Act only enabled you to deal with “ possessions" occupied by British settlers. That is the plain meaning of the former Act. I cannot be satisfied by the opinion of the Law Officers. I think this clause is an enormous extension of the previous Act. It extends that Act by enabling Her Majesty to make rules and regulations not only for bond fide Settlements, but for vast territories of which no actual possession has been taken, but on some corner of which our flag has been hoisted.

That is an enormous extension of the powers given to the Government by the former Act, and it is one against which I must protest. Clause agreed to.

Remaining Clauses and Schedule agreed to.

Bill reported; as amended, to be considered To-morrow.

INDIA-EAST INDIA (REVENUE AC-
COUNTS)-THE ANNUAL FINANCIAL
STATEMENT.

COMMITTEE.

Order for Committee read. MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton), in rising to move

"That this House regrets that the only occasion afforded for submitting to its consideration any statement of the wishes or grievances of the Natives of India should be postponed to so late a period of the Session as to prevent fair consideration of such wishes and grievances,"

India you have no public opinion to speak ofyou have no power of the Press. You have hardly any trammels upon the Government of any sort or kind.”—(3 Hansard, [300] 1302.) This was only an additional reason why he submitted it was disgraceful that the question should be taken as the eighth order of the day in an empty House on one of the last days of the Session. It was by no means certain that the Secrethe means of exercising, any real control tary of State for India exercised, or had over Indian affairs. If as he was bound to assume-the answers given in this

"In India it is not as it is in England. In

House from time to time on Indian questions were founded on information furnished by the Viceroy, then it was clear that the subordinates of the Vice

roy were reticent to a degree that was utterly misleading to this House, and probably equally misleading to the Secretary of State. The Indian papers hon. Gentleman the Under Secretary of nearly all agreed in representing the State for India (Sir John Gorst) as utterly ignorant of the affairs of our Eastern Empire, and although doubtless they were wrong to entertain that belief, it remained true either that officials in India did not communicate to their superiors at home many matters of moment, or that the facts were withheld from this House. The Natives of India believed they had a serious array of grievances, which they

thought ought to be considered by the House. At two National Conferences, the last of which they held in Calcutta last December, they were full of loyal expressions. They regarded British rule as giving them opportunities for progress which Native rule would deny to them; indeed, the President of the Congress pointed out

"How impracticable any such representative and all class and creed embracing meeting would have been under any previous régime,

culty that stood in the way of Civil Service employment. Dr. Rajendralála Mitra said

"The question is, that we should send our children, at the age of 16, 5,000 miles away for three years together for the purpose of passing an examination of the strictest possible kind. The odds are against them, the prizes are few, and the blanks numerous, and the risks of sojourn by youths without guardians in a large Metropolis, teeming with temptation,

are most serious. Parents must be foolhardy

Hindu and every Mohammedan gentleman has

indeed who, in the face of these facts, will Hindu or Mohammedan; and asserted that it venture to send their children to England at was under British rule, and British rule alone, the age of 16. But suppose the age is raised that such a national gathering was possible." by two years. Would that satisfy all your demand? I say, nay. For the service of one's But they looked, at the same time, for country, in no part of the world is a person the removal of some of those hardships cailed away from his native land to pass an under which they suffered. The serious examination. Canada is under the British Government. But her Majesty the Queen Emdeclaration was made that among the press does not require that every French subIndian population there was continually-ject there shall go to England to pass an increasing poverty. They wished for examination before being admitted into the representative institutions; and though Canadian Service. Nothing of the kind is rethat subject was too large and too wide quired in the Cape Colonies, nor in Australia, nor in Ceylon. And what is true of them is to be discussed before empty Benches, true of any other country which is a foreign and at that period, he was prepared to dependency. Why then should the case be maintain that so long as Parliament different in India alone? The rule here is denied India representative institutions, that no man should be allowed to serve the so long did it become the special duty of await him in England, without having to excountry without running the great risks which Parliament to examine most carefully patriate himself for three years, and come home into the grievances of the country, and to be excluded from caste. This is a great griev give the people there no cause of comance too, and it is one regarding which every plaint that consideration of subjects of a right to make a strong protest.' importance to them had been avoided. The people of India complained that the He (Mr. Bradlaugh) did not intend to expenditure for which the Government press further quotations of the same of India was responsible was wasteful character from the speeches made at and extravagant, and they pointed to Congress; but he would urge that it the fact that whereas in the period be- was not upon our military domination tween 1875 and 1879 the average annual of India that we ought to rest, or try to expenditure was 56,800,000 of tens of rest, in the future. Our rule ought to rupees, in 1885 it was 71,077,127 of be secure by attracting the willing cotens of rupees, and it now amounted to operation of the Indian people. There 77,443,500 of tens of rupees. They also could be no object in making the Natives pointed to the fact that in the same cross the ocean, losing caste and inperiod the debt of India had grown curring risk to health, if we wished to immensely, being in 1885 £173,752,206, interest the Indian people in our rule by an increase of about £83,000,000. An- affording them Civil Service employment. other matter about which they com- In the evidence taken before the Indian plain bitterly was that they were de- Public Services Commission-admirable barred from filling positions which they service on which was being rendered by were competent to fill, but which were Sir Charles Turner-there was to be at present occupied exclusively by found case after case of the grossest Europeans. They alleged that we had injustice in every Department. Could wilfully and deliberately broken the they wonder that when it came to a pledges we had made to them, and he question of cost the Natives saidwas bound to say there was some ground for the complaint they made. He would take the statement of the President of the Conference to which he had alluded, as showing the Native view of the diffi

Why do you put us to this cost when in many Departments our own men could do the work better and cheaper?" It was only in the lowest class of executive offices that the Natives were

allowed to have any employment at all. | neering, who all passed from Indian In the Departments where they were Colleges, and though fully qualified employed they did their work satis- were utterly unable to obtain employfactorily. He hoped the right hon. ment because excluded by Europeans. Gentleman the First Lord of the Trea- With regard to Burmah, the hon. Memsury (Mr. W. H. Smith) would take ber said he did not intend to now resome means to have the Indian State- discuss the annexation of Upper Burmah, ment made at some earlier period of the though he was opposed to it. Having Session next year, so that it should not taken the country, we ought to act be the farce that it was to-day in being honestly towards it; but he maintained discussed before empty Benches, and so that we had not been acting honestly to that the discussion should be creditable Burmah, to the Indian people, or to the to a great nation governing 200,000,000 British taxpayer. He was going to human beings. The Natives complained suggest to that House that, so far as that we had broken the express promises they were able to judge from the Papers as to employment made in the Procla- before them, and-what was equally mation, repeated in our Statutes, and eloquent-the information which was reiterated in the Regulations made by withheld, they were not acting honestly the Secretary of State in Council. Wit-in regard to Burmah. A statement had nesses proved that in the Education Department services paid for to Europeans at 1,200 to 1,500 rupees per month would be equally well rendered by Natives at 70 rupees per month. Evidence was given that European Inspectors and Assistant Superintendents were in many cases failures, and

"That many of the best Inspectors, who happened to be Natives of India, had left the force from disgust at their treatment."

appeared in The Times the other day with reference to the sale of lands in Burmah. It was alleged-and he believed it to be true-that the responsible officer in Burmah had sold land to British officials at a price much less than 1-100th part of its value, and it was sold privately, without any opportunity for competition. He suggested there ought to be no sale of land to any British official whatever until the matter In the Registration Department it was had been submitted to the Secretary of shown that appointments were made to State at home. If the statements in the superior posts of persons of British birth, Indian Press had any colour of truth whose only qualifications appeared to be in them, there were gentlemen who that they were poor relations of high had had comparatively large pieces officials. In the Telegraph Department of land at prices absolutely ridithere appeared to be a perfectly mon- culous. He could understand that strous excess of Assistant Superinten- we wanted to colonize Burmah with dents, nearly all British. In the Police persons dependent upon us; but the corDepartment a class of gentlemen In- ruption which appeared to be raging spectors was created in 1880, all in that country at present ought to be British, though the evidence showed checked in the manner he had sugthat the Eurasians, Natives, and gested. He would therefore suggest Mohammedans made excellent detec- that no private sales of land or other tive officers, and were fitted in every beneficial concessions ought to be perway for higher posts. Major Drever mitted to any person whatever without advocated the promotion of deserving the previous sanction of the Secretary of Inspectors, irrespective of colour or caste, State for India, on a special report to be to posts now occupied by a favoured made to him of all circumstances consection-and for this he met with the re- nected with each proposed sale. The sentment of the Government. In the question of the teak forests had already Public Works Department promotion is been noticed by the Viceroy, who menalleged to be by favouritism, and to the tioned that the circumstances connected almost entire exclusion of Eurasians with the leases held by the Bombay and Natives from higher posts. Turn- Trading Corporation were very unsatising to the engineering employment, factory. It was this Company which, there were a large number of Natives more than any other influence, had inwho have properly qualified as Assistant volved us in the Burmese War. He Engineers, Licentiates of Civil Engi- recommended that no new lease or conneering, and Bachelors of Civil Engi-tract should be made with the Bombay VOL. CCCXXI. [THIRD SERIES.]

D