The noble Marquess the other day fell into a slight error, if he will forgive me for saying so.  He said that the Government of India had used cautious and tentative words, indicating that it would be premature to decide at once this question of the Indian member until after further experience had been gained.  I think the noble Marquess must have lost his way in the mazes of that enormous Blue-book which, as he told us, caused him so much inconvenience, and added so much to his excess luggage during the Christmas holidays.  The despatch, as far as I can discover, is silent altogether on the topic of the Indian member of the Viceroy’s Council, and deals only with the Councils of Bombay and Madras and the proposed Councils for the Lieutenant-Governorships.

Perhaps I might be allowed to remind your Lordships of the Act of 1833—­certainly the most extensive and important measure of Indian government between Mr. Pitt’s famous Act of 1784, and Queen Victoria’s assumption of the government of India in 1858.  There is nothing more important than that Act.  It lays down in the broadest way possible the desire of Parliament that there should be no difference in appointing to offices in India between one race and another, and the covering despatch written by that memorable man, James Mill, wound up by saying that—­

    “For the future, fitness is to be the criterion of eligibility.”

I need not quote the famous paragraph in the Queen’s Proclamation of 1858.  Every Member of the House who takes an interest in India, knows that by heart.  Now, the noble Marquess says that his anxiety is that nothing shall be done to impair the efficiency of the Viceroy’s Council.  I share that anxiety with all my heart.  I hope the noble Marquess will do me the justice to remember that in these plans I have gone beyond the Government of India, in resolving that a permanent official majority shall remain in the Viceroy’s Council.  Lord MacDonnell said the other day:—­

    “I believe you cannot find any individual native gentleman who is
    enjoying general confidence, who would be able to give advice and
    assistance to the Governor-General in Council.”

Well, for that matter, it has been my lot twice to fill the not very exhilarating post of Chief Secretary for Ireland, and I do not believe I can truly say I ever met in Ireland a single individual native gentleman who “enjoyed general confidence.”  And yet I received at Dublin Castle most excellent and competent advice.  Therefore I am not much impressed by that argument.  The question is whether there is no one of the 300 millions of the population of India, who is competent to be the officially-constituted adviser of the Governor-General in Council in the administration of Indian affairs.  You make an Indian a judge of the High Court, and Indians have even been acting Chief Justices.  As to capacity, who can deny that they have distinguished themselves as administrators of native States, where a very full demand is made on their resources, intellectual and moral?  It is said that the presence of an Indian member would cause restraint in the language of discussion.  For a year and a half we have had two Indians on the Council of India, and we have none of us ever found the slightest restraint.