§ THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLEbegged leave to ask some questions of the noble Earl at the head of the Government with respect to the honours which were to be conferred on the gallant army now serving in India. He would not meddle with a subject of that kind, which affected the rights of the Crown, if it had not already been announced in both Houses of Parliament that such honours were to be bestowed. It had been stated some four or five months ago that it was the intention of the Crown to confer a medal on those soldiers who had served in the recent campaigns in India, and to give clasps to the men who had been engaged in the siege of Delhi and in the relief of the garrison of Lucknow, which had taken place last autumn. He had been informed that the die for those medals had already been approved of by the Crown. He wished to know whether that was so, and whether it was likely that the medals would soon be conferred. It should be remembered that every day some of those gallant men were losing their lives, and that the survivors were naturally anxious to receive the distinction at the earliest possible moment. He wished, further, to take that opportunity of asking whether it was intended that clasps should be granted for the capture of Lucknow in the spring of the present year?
§ THE EARL OF DERBYsaid, he was quite prepared to admit that no unnecessary delay ought to take place in bestowing those honours. With respect to the time at which the medals would be issued, he had to state that the die had already been seen and approved of by Her Majesty; that the lists of the men who were entitled to the distinction had already been ordered to be sent from India, and he was informed that by the time those lists were received the medals and clasps would be ready for distribution. In reply to the second question of the noble Duke, he had to say, that clasps would be given not only for the defence of Lucknow, but for each of the reliefs of the garrison last summer and autumn, and for the capture of that city in the spring of the present year.
LORD CAMPBELLsaid, he had no distrust in the noble Earl at the head of the Government, but their Lordships would, no doubt, be glad to know when the national 912 expectation would be fulfilled, by some signal mark of the favour of the Crown being conferred upon Sir Colin Campbell.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYmust remind their Lordships that two months ago he had announced that Her Majesty had been graciously pleased to command that Sir Colin Campbell should be called to a seat in their Lordships' House. The only reason why there had been no notification in the Gazette of that honour was, that before the patent was issued it was necessary to communicate with Sir Colin Campbell, in order that he might signify by what title he desired to be called to the Peerage. Some communication with Sir Colin Campbell was all the more necessary, as he need not remind his noble and learned Friend that there was already one Lord Campbell in the House.
LORD CAMPBELLsaid, that the commander of the forces in India might be called Lord Campbell of Lucknow or Bengal.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYsaid, that perhaps the noble Viscount would do him the honour to recollect that when the Vote of Thanks was before their Lordships early in the Session he had specially directed attention to the gallant conduct of Sir John Inglis. There was no more remarkable event in modern history than the gallant defence of Lucknow by Sir John Inglis. He should not, on the present occasion, enter upon the question as to what honours should be conferred by the Crown. Nothing could be more prejudicial to the public interest than for that or the other House to compare the merits of individuals in the service of the Crown with respect to those honours which the Crown alone had the right to confer. He hoped, therefore, their Lordships would not encourage the practice which had been growing up of interfering with the prerogative of the Crown in these matters, and would not suppose that the Crown was not fit to judge of the worth of the services of individuals and of the proper rewards for them.