§ SIR HENRY WILLOUGHBYsaid, that in adverting to an answer given by the Secretary of State for India on the subject of the Indian Army on Friday evening, he would beg to ask, Whether the deliberations which the right hon. Baronet then spoke of were those of the old Council of India in England; and if so, whether they expressed any opinion contrary to the opinion of the Council in India as to the organization of the Local Army?
§ SIR CHARLES WOODsaid, he was glad that the question of the hon. Baronet had given him an opportunity of re-stating, the answer he had given to a similar question a few nights ago. It was quite true that the Report of the Commissioners upon the organization of the Indian Army had been referred to the Military Committee of the Indian Council, and their Report was among the papers laid upon the Table of the House. He had not taken the opinion of the Council of India collectively upon that Report. As he stated the other night, he had been in constant communication during the whole of the autumn, with almost every Member of the Indian Council upon the subject of the amalgamation of the Indian forces with the army of the Line, and he was well acquainted with their views. Whilst the question was pending before the Cabinet he did not think it desirable to take the opinion of the Council collectively, or to bring the subject before it in a formal shape—for two reasons. In the first place, he undoubtedly thought that he ought to remain unfettered by any discussion of the Council, in which he could hardly avoid taking a part in his discretion as a member of the Cabinet Council of the Empire, by whom the question must ultimately be determined; and, in the next place, no discussion of the Council could lead to any result, because no action could be taken upon it. It seemed to him very undesirable to bring the question before a body by whom action could not be taken, while if the decision of Her Majesty's Government had been in the other sense, no action would have been necessary. The day after the decision had been come to by Her Majesty's Government he stated it to the India Council, and proposed to them to take a formal step, which would give any of them who chose the opportunity of recording their dissent from the decision of 334 Her Majesty's Government. They thought at the time that it was too late for them to do so; and they declined to avail themselves of the opportunity. He was still of opinion that they might fairly and properly have done so, and he gave them the first proper opportunity in his power of dissenting from a decision of the Secretary of State in Council, to be taken by him consequent on the determination of the Government of the country. They said, at the same time, they wished it to be understood, as he knew before, that their opinions were adverse to the amalgamation. He had stated this to his colleagues in the Cabinet at the time, and he stated it to the House the other night; but in justice to the Indian Council he was glad to add that they expressed themselves perfectly ready to abide by the decision of Parliament and of Government, and that, however much they might be opposed to the measure, they would do their best to carry it out.