§ MR. CAINE (Bradford, E.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether Sir David Barbour's term of service as Finance Minister of India comes to an end shortly; and, if so, whether the Secretary of State has taken into consideration the advisability of appointing a financier from this country to the post; whether, if the Secretary of State proposes to appoint a British financier, any change will be made in the Viceroy's Council, seeing that, under the Act of 1862, only two members of that Council can be appointed from England, and the offices of Military Member and Law Member are now filled from this country; and whether the Secretary of State will act upon a proposition which the late Lord Mayo 431 wished to carry out during his Vice-royalty—namely, that of appointing a Native Indian lawyer of eminence Law Member to the Council, and thus provide an opportunity for the appointment of a Finance Minister from England?
§ *THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. GEORGE RUSSELL,.) North Beds(1.) Sir David Barbour will complete five years' service as a Member of the Governor General's Council on the 26th November, 1893. (2.) The Secretary of State does not think it desirable to alter the law (Act 24 & 25 Vic. c. 67, Section 3) by which it is provided that only two Members of the Council (of whom one must be a barrister) can be selected from persons who have not rendered at least ten years' service under the Government in India; and as there are at present two such Members—namely, Sir Alexander Miller and Lieutenant General Bracken-bury, he is unable to consider the advisability of appointing a financier from this country to succeed Sir David Barbour. (3.) There is no prospect of a vacancy in the appointment of Legal Member of Council, as Sir Alexander Miller's appointment will not expire till April, 1896.