Mr. Goschen on Monday brought up the subject of a
gold coinage for India, in the form of a request that the Government wonld promise not to alter the regulations affecting currency in India before Parliament had discussed any proposed changes. Sir Stafford Northcote, in reply, refused to give the required pledge, inasmuch as the Indian Coinage Act vested full power over the matter in the Governor-General in Council; but pro- mised that if any large change were adopted " while Parliament was sitting," the House of Commons should have an oppor- tunity of discussing it before it was finally settled. The words we have quoted are rather ominous. They look as if the immense and wild project of introducing a gold coinage into India were seriously entertained at the India Office; as also, we may remark, does Lord Cranbrook's reply to the Manchester deputation about the Indian duties on piece goods. He dwelt upon the losses caused to the Government by the exchange, as if alarm were increasing in the India Office. It is hardly conceivable that the Council should approve such a plan, but they may not -be able. without Lord Cranbrook's consent, to arrest Lord Lytton in the exercise of a statutory power.
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