This brought up Sir S. Northcote, who informed the House
that the measure "was neither more nor less than a direction given by her Majesty for the moving of a portion of her forces from one part of her Empire to another "—an assertion which would justify the Crown in ordering the Life Guards to charge the riders in Rotten Row—and that it was not the intention of the Government to let the secret escape so soon. It would have been inconvenient to mention the decision, because transport had to be collected in India—a mere excuse, as the announcement would have brought ships hurrying for the service from all ports in Asia. As to the Act under which the troops would serve, it was the Indian Mutiny Act, which operates—as he on a subsequent day explained—beyond Charter limits ; and as to expense, the cost would, of course, be borne by the British Treasury, after a vote of Parliament. The troops could not be brought into England, however, without a previous vote of Parliament, be- cause of the Bill of Rights, one clause of which was passed to pre- vent this very constitutional danger. The answer did not satisfy, even Tories, Mr. Newdegate rising to state that he thought the active exercise of the constitutional control by the House of Com- mons over the Executive was gravely imperilled by the measure.
