The Press. — London, England, 1858-04-10 00:00:00

342 but also from his warmest and most fast friends, who deem it inconsistent with the principles of the Constitution that paid ser vants of the Crown—and that the members of the new Council will become the moment the transfer of government is complete—shluld he subject to election by Parliamentary consti tuencies. Lord PALMERSTON, in whom age and a political career of more than half a century have converted natural quickness into prat tised astuteness, has not permitted these phe nomena to escape him, and he thinks evidently that they present to him an oppor tunity of taking a stand upon a Conserva tive position, and of avenging himself, by a show of constitutional principles, upon the Radical Party, by whose support, alternated with that of the present Govern ment, he maintained himself till that day of last defeat, when there was no China to give him cheaply the chance of a claptrap appeal to the British Lion—and he hopes, probably, by presenting himself in a new phase of political management, to wipe out the recollection of his gross and reckless prostitution of the patronage of the Crown in almost every imaginable department, his be trayal of the highest duties of his trust in the transactions with France and with Naples, and to return to the post of Piime Minister, with Mr. VkRNON SMITH as Secretary of State for India, Lord CLARENDON as Foreign Secre tary, and Lord CLANRICARDE as the general adviser and overlooker of the cards of the Cabinet. With this view Lord PALMERSTON intends to proceed with his Bill and to pit it against that which Mr DISRAELI has laid upon the table. He hopes, of course, to place Lord DERBY in a minority, and to compel either a resignation or a dissolution—the latter, a step which, however justifiable it would be constitutionally, would, as Lord PALMERSTON is aware, be anything but popular at the present moment. It rests with the Independent Members of the House of Commons to decide whether they will permit this palpable game to be played with a chance of success, at the expense of the business of the country, at the expense of its dignity and position in the eyes of Europe, and in reversal of their own solemn vote of only a few weeks ago. Putting the 12th clause aside, which stands by itself, unaffected by any other enactment in the Bill, we have no hesi tation in saying that the measure of Lord DERBY'S Cabinet makes far better and far more complete provision for the future govern. ment of India than that of Lord PALMERSTON. The Council of Lord DERBY, in the instance of its first nine members, has, with a wise prin ciple of organization, been assimilated in con stitution to that which aids upon the spot the Governor• General at Calcutta, the qualifica tions being as nearly as possible the same, with the important addition of an ex-political Resident at the Court of a Native Prince ; while the remainder, provided for under the 11th clause, are elected in a manner which, while it involves no infringement of Royal Prerogative, embodies in the Council the pith of the old East India Company, and will aid at the same time, we confidently hope, in giving to private capital and corporate enter prise an Indian tendency, and thus relieve Indian Revenue from the heavy drain which Public Works have for so many years imposed upon it. The Council of Lord PALMERSTON consists of eight members, all to be nominated by the Crown, and under no other restriction than that imposed by a condition that • each shall have been either an East India• Director, or ten years in India in the service of the Crown or of the Company, or resident in the country for fifteen years. Does anybody be lieve that such a Council is meant to be a working machine; is it not made with an evi dent view to its falling into decay and desuetude ; and is it not manifestly a mere sham concession to what is conceived to he a popular feeling? We cannot believe that the House of Commons will permit itself to be taken in by it, or that they can be induced to forget or to ignore the ability and promptness in the transaction of business which the mem bers of Lord DERBY'S Government have already exhibited. The India Bill of Mr. Difilt,LHlJ may require pruning; but it is THE PRESS, APRIL 10, 1858. capable of being pruned without affecting its vitality or its power to take root and bear fruit. Touch Lord PAL3leesroN's in the way of amendment, and it falls to pieces. VANCOUVER'S ISLAND. ON the 30th of May, 1859, a now and impor tant colony will be added, or rather restored, to the dominion of the British Crown. This colony is Vancouver's Island, which was made over to the Hudson's Bay Company in 1819, but of which it is the intention of her Ma jesty's Government to advise the repurchase, at the expiration of the Company's present trading license on the date above mentioned. This repurchase will be effected in pursuance of the recommendation of a Committee of the House of Commons, which reported " that it " will be proper to terminate the connection " of the Hudson's Bay Company with Van " couver's Island as soon as it can conve " niently be done, as the best means of favour " ing the development of the great natural " resources of that important colony." There can be no doubt that Parliament will sanction this step; and we therefore take this early opportunity of directing the attention of in tending emigrants to this new and profitable field for settlement. Vancouver's Island is a long and narrow island on the west coast of North America, extending in a direction from S.E. 48 deg. 24 min. to N.W. 60 deg. 3 min. N. lat., and be tween 122 deg. and 129 deg. W. long. In length it measures about 230 miles, and is breadth from 40 to 50 miles. Its climate very much resembles the climate of England, though perhaps in winter it is not so cold, while in summer it is somewhat hotter. The island is very thickly wooded, chiefly with oak and fir of magnificent growth, and beech and maple in less abundance. Among the woods are interspersed extensive plots of prairie ground of the most fertile character. The soil is excellent, capable of producing all the crops that can be grown in this country ; the yield of wheat is from twenty-five to forty bushels per acre, and the crops of potatoes, oats, and barley are equally good. The mine ral wealth of the island is enormous ; besides iron, copper, and gold, there is abundance of excellent coal, " very like the West Riding of " Yorkshire coal," says the Hon. C. W. Fizz WILLIAM, in his evidence before the Parliamen tary Committee. And, in addition to these internal richcs, the surrounding waters teem with fish in such enormous quantities that "no one who has not seen them," says the same authority, " can possibly credit the value "and extent of the fisheries." The island is inhabited by a mild and inoffensive race of Indians, who show a great disposition to work, and, notwithstanding their fish diet, display considerable intelligence and capability of improvement. In proof of their pacific cha racter, we may mention that though they number eighteen or twenty thousand, the few white men (some 250 or 300) on the island "have never had much trouble from them," according to the statement of Mr. COOPER, who has resided there for six years. And to terminate this enumeration of the advantages of the colony, it possesses one of the finest harbours in the world, besides numerous smaller havens. Considering it in a political point of view, the Right Hon. E. Emacz says, in his evidence before the Committee : I think it should not only be on the ordinary system of English colonies, but that it should be the principal station of our naval force in the Pacific. It is an island in which there is every kind of timber fit for naval pur poses. It is the only good harbour to the northward of San Francisco, as far north as Sitka, the Russian settle. ment. There is coal enough in the island for your whole navy. The climate is wholesome, very like that of Eng land. The coasts abound with fish of every description. In short, there is every advantage in the Island of Van couver to make it one of the first colonies and best settlements of England. It will doubtless create surprise that a eountry so highly favoured should not ere this have been colonized and turned to aenunt. But two causes have combined to turn away the tide of emigration from its coasts : first, its proximity to California, and, secondly, its administration by the Hudson's Bay Com pany. Distant only three days' journey from San Francisco, the attractions of the gold fields led many to remain there instead of continuing their voyage ; while others, who were anxious to escape from the lawlessness and turmoil of the diggings, were deterred from removing to Vancouver's Island by the fact that it was under the government of a trading company, whose interest it was to dis courage independent settlers and to hamper private enterprise. But now that the gold fever has somewhat subsided, and men have learned by hard ex perience that nugget-hunting is at best a pro. carious trade, there can be no doubt that, as soon as it is taken under the dominion of the Crown, Vancouver's Island will be rapidly peopled. " There are hundreds of persons." says Mr. COOPER, " in California who would "•gladly settle in Vancouver's Island if it wero " a British colony." And, indeed, it is not surprising that men should be anxious to ex change the wild excitement of gold-seeking for the quieter pursuits of ordinary commerce and agriculture, and to substitute for the un certain protection of a Vigilance Committee the reliable safeguard of British government. But whether Vancouver's Island be peopled by emigrants from this country or by fugitives from California and the Western States, her progress must be rapid and her prosperity secure. Not only does she offer the best sta tion for the Pacific fleet, but the whalers of the North Pacific would find it more convenient to winter in her harbours than at the Sand wich Islands, or even San Francisco. The in habitants of the Washington territory on the mainland would come to her markets for sup plies, and a large trade would at once be estab• lished with the Russian territories at .Sitka, and the further north. With the four great staple commodities of timber, corn, coal, and fish, she could supply the whole Pacific. For furnishing the first of these articles, she would have greater facilities than those possessed by the Puget Sound Company, on the mainland opposite her coasts, which during the year 1858 shipped 5,200,000 feet of timber to Aus tralia, China, South America, and the Sand wich Islands. In addition to her own growth of corn, she could obtain almost unlimited supplies from the mainland, for which Europe and Australia would alike afford a ready mar ket. For her coal there would be an inex haustible demand. Even now American ships go to the mines at Namino for supplies ; and such are the facilities for shipment that vessels of five hundred tons burden can come within forty yards of the mouth of the pit. And with regard to her fisheries, many thou sand barrels of salted salmon are now an nually sent from her shores by the Hudson' s Bay Company to their depot at the Sandwich Isis nds ; and the trade both in salmon and in herrings might be indefinitely extended : We say nothing of her becoming a ship-building country, though the numerous creeks on her east coast offer great advantages for that pur pose ; nor do we speculate on her opening up other branches of trade than those we have mentioned. A glance at the position of the island on the map, and the mere enumeration of its natural resources, will be enough to con vince every one of its bright prospects as a colony, and of its importance as a dependency of the British Crown. Into the political questions which are con nected with making a settlement in that quarter it is not necessary here to enter. Our only object is to call the attention of the •overnment and the country to the approach ing addition of this valuable island to the number of our colonies. We will merely, in conclusion, express our hope that its transfer from the Hudson's Bay Company to the Crown will be complete ; and that, by the appoint ment of an entirely new staff of officers, the island may obtain a Governor who is not also a factor, and a Chief Justice who does not combine with his high office the humbler but more lucrative position of superintendent of the coal-mines. II