§ Sir R. H. Inglissaid, that pursuant to the notice he had given, he wished to put a few questions to his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Control relating to the part alleged to have been taken in certain idolatrous ceremonies, by some of the East-India Company's servants in India. The House was aware that very great anxiety existed in this country, as well as in India, on the connexion of the company with some of the idolatrous ceremonies of the natives. His right hon. Friend had, on a former occasion, when he had put a question to him on this subject, quoted an extract of a despatch from Lord Auckland, the governor, in which it was stated, that the system under the despatch sent out in 1838 was working steadily and safely. Now his first question to his right hon. Friend was, whether he would have any objection to lay before the House a copy of the despatch of which he had read a part? His right hon. Friend had stated, that that document was half-public and half-private, but, such as it was, would he produce it among the other documents to be laid before the House? His next question was whether from any documents, public, or private, he could state to the House that the system under the despatch of 1838 worked well, and whether any substantial relief had been given from the grievances under which any of her Majesty's subjects had laboured under the system which the despatch of 1838 was intended to correct? His next question was, whether any one single measure of the directors or of the General Government of India had been adopted to carry out, as far as the Madras Presidency was concerned, the despatch of 1838, which despatch was itself a carrying out of the despatch sent out by the directors in 1833?—His next question was, whether 272 his right hon. Friend felt himself at liberty to slate to the House that any one grievance under which the Christian soldiers, or the civil servants of the company had laboured with respect to the attendance of the idolatrous ceremonies of the natives had been removed, particularly as related to the Presidency of Madras; and if his right hon. Friend could not give the House any satisfactory statement on that head, as he believed he could not, whether he could give a promise that such measures should be adopted between this and next Session, as should enable him to state by that time that the grievances complained of had been redressed?
§ Sir J. C. Hobhousebegged, in reply to the questions of his hon. Friend, to say, in the first place, that he had no objection to the production of the extract from the letter of Lord Auckland, which he had read on the 27th of July last. It was true, that that letter was partly private and partly public; but still he had no objection to its production. Before he replied to the other questions put by his hon. Friend he wished to state, that the papers which had been moved for on this subject towards the end of the last Session, and which would give his hon. Friend much more information respecting it than he now seemed to possess, had not been laid on the Table of the House, before the close of the Session. He would take an opportunity, before the House rose that evening, lo move for the production forthwith of the papers moved for last Session, to which would be added other documents which, he trusted, the House and his hon. Friend would find satisfactory. As to the question whether he could take upon himself to say, that anything had been done as to the settlement of this unfortunate question, for so he would call it, he had the pleasure of being able to say, that he considered what had been done in all the presidencies with one exception, to put an end to all connexion between the company's civil or military servants and any of the religious ceremonies of the natives, had been most satisfactory. In Bengal, the pilgrim tax had been abolished at Allahabad, Gya, and Juggernaut, and some of the documents which he should move for would show that in the Presidency of Bombay the civil officers of the company had been removed from any attendance at or connexion with the temples, and with the exception of the Presidency of Madras, there 273 was nothing which could be complained of in carrying out the dispatch of 1838. Since the subject was last mentioned he had seen the instructions sent from the General Government of India lo the Presidency of Madras with respect to carrying out the instructions contained in the directors' despatch of 1838, and from those he had hopes that, the next accounts from Madras would be also satisfactory on that head, for it would appear, that, according to the steps taken by the General Government, Madras would not be found behind hand in carrying out the intentions of the directors in their despatch of 1838. At the same time he felt it due to his noble Friend (Lord Elphinstone) the Governor of Madras, to state his firm belief that the not carrying out the dispatch arose from a misunderstanding of the instructions of the General Government or of the Government at ' home, but the Government had since given instructions on the matter so distinct that there could be no ground for any further mistake with respect to it. He would now say a word as to the attendance of any of the company's civil or military servants at any part of the worship of the Hindoos, or of any of the religious ceremonies of the Mahomedans. On this subject be would refer his hon. Friend to the despatch of 1838, which was a carrying out of that of 1833, in which it was laid down that none of the company's Christian servants, civil or military, should be compelled to attend at any of the Hindoo festivals not consonant with the principles of the Christian religion; nor should any Hindoo troops be required to attend at the religious ceremonies of the Mahomedans or Mahomedans at those of the Hindoos. So that there was to be no compulsory attendance at any religious ceremony in any case, by which pain could be given to the most delicate conscience. Full instructions to this effect had been sent to the Governments of each presidency. His hon. Friend had asked whether those instructions had been acted upon in every case? He could not answer that question, but this he could state, that be had not heard of any violation of that order, and of this he was sure, that if the Court of Directors or the Board of Control were informed of any such violation, they would take such immediate steps as would prevent its recurrence. But let it be understood that there was a great difference between having the company's troops 274 drawn up as a mark of respect to a native prince and the attendance of those troops at the Hindoo temples, or accompanying the procession with their bands. He had heard from a private source, from a private letter, that troops had attended a Hindoo procession under pretence of doing honour to a native prince, but he had heard no official complaint on the subject, or had he heard of any compulsory attendance of any troops in the company's service at any of the religious ceremonies of the natives. He had heard of some disturbance which took place between a native cavalry and an infantry regiment at Madras, but had not heard the cause. He would, however, make inquiries on the subject. In conclusion, he would repeat, that if any violation of the directions of the General Government or of the Home Government should become known, immediate steps would be taken to prevent a recurrence of the offence; and be would lay any papers that related to the subject on the table of the House.
§ Subject dropped.