We have dealt at length elsewhere with the Indian Councils
Bill, but must find space to say here that in the two days' debate in the House of Lords the weight of authority was very strongly against the placing of natives of India on the Viceroy's Council. Lord Lansdowne and Lord Curzon, as ex- Viceroys, and Lord Macdonnell, as an ex-Indian official of high standing, made specially impressive protests against the pro- posal. Lord Cromer, who, it may be remembered, before his Egyptian career had a large experience of Indian administra- tion, first as private secretary to the Viceroy, and next as Financial Member of Council, though he gave a qualified approval to the scheme, is, we should gather from his speech, by no means enthusiastic in its favour. At any rate, he was anxious that Parliament should have an opportunity of seeing the whole scheme in detail before it was finally adopted.
