"حياة ومراسلات اللواء السير جون مالكوم، قائد فرسان وسام الطُهر، المبعوث السابق إلى بلاد فارس وحاكم بومباي؛ من رسائل ومذكرات غير منشورة. في مجلّدين. المجلد II." [‎٥‎٦‎١] (٦٥٤/٥٧٨)

MALCOLM IN PAELIAMENT.
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respectable position in the House of Commons, but only
by confining his discourses almost entirely to Indian
affairs. There is no assembly in the world, in which
a special practical knowledge of any important sub
ject is more respected than in the British Parlia
ment—none in which a man who speaks, because he
has a special vocation to speak on a certain theme,
is more secure of being listened to with attention.
But as soon as the member so qualified travels out
of his speciality, and without parliamentary training
and experience takes part in debates relating to affairs
on which he has no particular vocation to speak, he
loses the influence which he would otherwise acquire,
and, perhaps, is not listened to even when he has a
right to be heard. Sir John Malcolm would have been
listened to, with the greatest possible attention, and his
words would have influenced the opinions of his auditors,
on any question of Indian government; but it was his
misfortune to commence his Parliamentary career not
only as an opponent of the Reform Bill, but as a repre
sentative of one of those very boroughs which it was
proposed to disfranchise. His first efforts as a public
speaker were, unfortunately, made in defence of close
boroughs in general, and the borough of Launceston in
particular. The very best use, to which such boroughs
could be put, was the introduction to Parliament of men
like Malcolm, whose antecedents prevented them from
acquiring local interest through the ordinary means of
property and residence in a certain place, and association
with a certain people. It was, doubtless, desirable, espe
cially in that juncture, that such men should sit in Par
liament, and it was better that a seat should be obtained
through the influence of one than by the corruption of
many. Malcolm believed that the Reform Bill would be
injurious to India, because, whilst it did not propose to
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