I will not trouble the House by going through the history of the course of the proceedings—­that will be found in the Papers.  I believe the House will be satisfied, just as I am satisfied, with the candour and patience that have been bestowed on the preparation of the scheme in India, and I hope I may add it has been treated with equal patience and candour here; and the end of it is that, though some points of difference arose, though the Government of India agreed to drop certain points of their scheme—­the Advisory Councils, for example—­on the whole there was remarkable agreement between the Government of India and myself as to the best way of dealing with these proceedings as to Legislative Councils.  I will enumerate the points very shortly, and though I am afraid it may be tedious, I hope your Lordships will not find the tedium unbearable, because, after all, what you are beginning to consider to-day, is the turning over of a fresh leaf in the history of British responsibility to India.  There are only a handful of distinguished members of this House who understand the details of Indian Administration, but I will explain them as shortly as I can.

This is a list of the powers which we shall have to acquire from Parliament when we bring in a Bill.  I may say that we do not propose to bring in a Bill this session.  That would be idle.  I propose to bring in a Bill next year.  This is the first power we shall come to Parliament for.  At present the maximum and minimum numbers of Legislative Councils are fixed by statute.  We shall come to Parliament to authorise an increase in the numbers of those Councils, both the Viceroy’s Council and the Provincial Councils.  Secondly, the members are now nominated by the head of the Government, either the Viceroy or the Lieutenant-Governor.  No election takes place in the strict sense of the term.  The nearest approach to it is the nomination by the Viceroy, upon the recommendation of a majority of voters of certain public bodies.  We do not propose to ask Parliament to abolish nomination.  We do propose to ask Parliament, in a very definite way, to introduce election working alongside of nomination with a view to the aim admitted in all previous schemes, including that of the noble Marquess opposite—­the due representation of the different classes of the community.  Third.  The Indian Councils Act of 1892 forbids—­and this is no doubt a most important prohibition—­either resolutions or divisions of the Council in financial discussions.  We shall ask Parliament to repeal this prohibition.  Fourth.  We shall propose to invest legislative Councils with power to discuss matters of public and general importance, and to pass recommendations or resolutions to the Indian Government.  That Government will deal with them as carefully, or as carelessly, as they think fit—­just as a Government does here.  Fifth.  To extend the power that at present exists, to appoint a Member of the Council to preside.  Sixth.  Bombay