§ MR. BRIGHTI wish, Sir, to ask the Secretary to the Board of Control a question with respect to a Proclamation which has been issued by the Governor General of India—a copy of which document, or what purports to be a copy, appeared in some of the newspapers of this morning. It seems that this Proclamation contains a provision by which the Governor General reserves the lands of certain Rajahs and Zemindars to them in consideration of their general fidelity to English rule; but that he at the same time proposes to confiscate the soil of the kingdom of Oude generally, leaving it to be disposed of hereafter as the Governor General may deem fit. Now, what I am anxious to know is whether the particular provision to which I have referred has been inserted in the Proclamation in accordance with instructions sent out by the Government in England; if not, whether the Government have since issued any directions in reference to it, and what steps generally they propose to take in its regard. I hope the hon. Gentleman will give a full and distinct answer to the questions which I have put to him upon this important subject.
§ MR. BAILLIESir, Her Majesty's Government received about three weeks ago a despatch from Lord Canning containing the Proclamation which he stated it was his intention to issue as soon as Her Majesty's troops should have obtained possession of Lucknow. That I believe is the Proclamation to which the hon. Gentleman refers, and I have, I may add, seen in The Times a copy of the Proclamation which corresponds with that received by Her Majesty's Government in all respects, with the exception of a single paragraph, which I believe was subsequently added. The Proclamation was, of course, taken into consideration by Her Majesty's Government as soon as it was received, and a Despatch was written, expressing the views 181 and opinions with respect to it which the Government entertained. That Despatch as well as the Proclamation itself there can be no objection to lay upon the table of the House, and I may add that the Proclamation was not made in consequence of any instructions which were sent out to the Governor General from this country.
§ MR. BRIGHTI hope, Sir, the Government will be good enough to inform the House what the general tenour is of the Despatch which the hon. Gentleman has mentioned, in order that the decision of Her Majesty's Ministers upon this subject may as soon as possible go forth to the country.
THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER; Sir, a copy of the Despatch will, of course, as my hon. Friend the Secretary to the Board of Control, has stated, be laid upon the Table of the House. I think it, however, right to take this opportunity of stating that when we received notice of this intended Proclamation we took the subject at once into our consideration, and the result was that we sent out a Despatch to the Governor General of India, disapproving the policy which he indicated in every sense.