§ The EARL of RIPONhaving laid certain Papers on the Table of the House,
§ The DUKE of RICHMONDrose, and said that he, for one, could entertain no other feeling than that of the deepest gratitude for the bravery and gallantry displayed by the British troops in the recent battles in India. He wished, however, to ask his noble Friend whether he was prepared to lay upon the Table any Papers which would show whether or not it was the opinion of Her Majesty's Government that hereafter a Governor General of India should accept a secondary office in the Indian army? He did not mean to cast any censure on Sir Henry Hardinge, who, as an old soldier, might naturally have wished to place himself in the thick of the fight; but he objected to a divided command of the army; and he thought that if Governors General were to accept secondary commands, that division of authority might some time or another become extremely prejudicial to the interests of the British Empire and the glory of our arms.
§ The EARL of RIPONsaid, that there could be no doubt that great inconvenience might arise from such a division of authority. Her Majesty's Government had not been aware of the arrangement until they had recently received a notification with respect to it from India. He could assure his noble Friend that the attention of Her Majesty's Government had been directed to the subject.