MR. EWARTrose to put a Question to the Secretary of State for India as to establishing improved Local Legislative Councils in India. He complained that there was too much centralization in the administration of India. The number of Englishmen who were settled, both among the hills and upon the great plateaux, such as that of Mysore, was rapidly increasing, and, considering how greatly they contributed, and must in the future contribute, to the prosperity of India, and what valuable assistance they rendered to the Government in suppressing the recent mutiny, it was desirable that they should be represented in these local Councils. Nor ought the Natives to be excluded from them. It was on all hands admitted that it was most desirable that the Natives should be encouraged to local action, and he knew of no greater encouragement which could be held out to them than the admission of representatives from their body to these Councils. In Ceylon the introduction of British settlers and of Natives into the Legislative Council had had most beneficial results, and he could not but think that it was desirable to extend the same system to India. The hon. Gentleman concluded by asking the right hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for India, whether any measures would be adopted by Her Majesty's Government for giving improved Local Legislative Councils to India, of which British settlers, as well as Natives of India may, to a certain extent be members, in conformity with the Recommendation of the Select Committee which lately considered the subject of British Settlement in India?
§ SIR CHARLES WOODsaid, that it was impossible to overrate the importance of the subject introduced by his hon. Friend; but that importance was almost equalled by its difficulty. The recommendation of the Select Committee over which the hon. Gentleman presided was that some Native as well as an English element should be introduced into the Legislative Council at Calcutta, and not that Legislative Councils should be established in other parts of India. Lately, however, the tendency of opinion had been in favour of constituting Councils in different districts of the country, rather than adding to the 475 Legislative Council at Calcutta. The question had occupied the attention, not only of himself and the Indian Council, but also of the noble Lord who preceded him in office; he had communicated with the Governor General upon the subject, and he expected, if not by the next mail, at least very shortly, to receive a communication from him. Until he had done so, he should be sorry to express any opinion upon the question. He entirely agreed with his hon. Friend as to the desirability of employing the Natives in offices of Government— indeed, both in Oude and in the Punjab, Lord Canning had given to the Native chiefs large powers, both fiscal and magisterial, which they had administered, not only with great advantage, but also with a degree of impartiality which might hardly have been expected. This, however, was a very different thing from taking part in the deliberations of a Legislative Council. It would obviously be impossible to bring Natives from distant parts of India, who did not understand English, and spoke half a dozen different languages, to the Legislative Council at Calcutta, and the educated Natives of that city no more represented the inhabitants of the upper parts of India than persons who were sent out from this country. What might be done with local Councils was quite another question, because the smaller the area the less were the difficulties in the way; but he must remind his hon. Friend that the experience of Ceylon, which was hardly more extensive than a large collectorate in India, did not afford any fair example or precedent for what might be done in so large a district as one of the Presidencies of the latter country. This subject had occupied, and would continue to occupy, his attention, and, probably, in the course of the Session, he might have to introduce some measure in regard to it; but at present he must decline to express any further opinion.