The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-12-09 00:00:00

OUR COLONIE3.

I Thla was the subject of an intereatine pater reel
by Mr. Kerridge_ before the member, of the Da mting
Society at the Working Men', Cub on Friday sun-
lay. Attu a few proliminary remark. Mr. Kerriage
to say :—la Europe our colonies are but
ICratdtitle arise. from the fact that the natious of
Europe are nearer to as in civilisation lb., the other
nations of the wail, and that they bath i.ager been
In that condition I. Europe, then, we have tb•
11181. Island of Hisligothad In the North Sea, three
mile' in circumference, with • population of 2,000,
exporting lobsters and figti ; a pleasant summer react
for the people from saiitera counties, but altogether
• place of little importance, but just oas little help t
England's greatness. Theta Gibraltar, exporting a
few cigars and oranges, bat bigiag_of immense imp et•
MOO. NI being the '' key" to the Mediterranean. The
population Le 25,000. Next we come to Mats, an
island containing 93 square miles and 1,500.000
inhabitant', 6:potting cotton and fruits and booth of
sgsatioreatoi.mitrtamia viery"etursoallyoufrortiMesii", raerarnwithnatTle
aid of our navy tioui•l waved oily rale the attack.
of any mason. C. prat, also in the Medlerreneso,
is • prseemane of Enamel hardy Ay-rains the name
of cilocy. It is an also I of 150,000 inhabitant.,
recently acqu red, so you han, trotO 'Turkey, and .if
questhiaable bap etanos. Belied In the
Msdilor-
ramen, I think we iney as wed ominous our aunts.—
psis through ta• Sues (joos', Red S a, and we thali
come to Alon—a polio uld in Arab • about 35 square
and • population ef 50 000; on• of oar most
Important coaling st alma, • pious of 0 mei arable
stryetn, add watch I modes Is about to be isoressid
by the expenditure of several hundred thousand
pounds, se the G •vernmeat beg rodeos), voted a
large sum of mons: to Manses the strength of the
and our other coaling statioos. I Omit we stall all
admit tbst the eminent. being well spent. Ades I.
aeo of aossaythe importathe as • trading oentre.
Parise acne the lodise Owen we Pone to Ceylon,
an Woad of 24,000 equate miles, with • population of
• million. from which we miss most .1 the ooffiess
we us*, as well as erannantoo and preicious stoma.
This island, al you see, Is situated to the Swab of
India, and, although only seven degrees north of the
equator, two climate W lees eXtrerll4l than that of
ladle, and coasthoontly more suited to Europeans.
Next in tun we owns to India, and bye we bare
one of the most Important, if not the moot important,
of our ooloaien If it oan be recognised as • eoloity ; at
any rate it bas added inures to England'a glory and
searneralal prosperity than nay other of our 00100ke
or poseserioes, li. exteot le 1,200,000 square mile.,
with • population of 240,000,000, being nearly 10
times as big an England and the population eight
times, Lae year Its import. amounted to the
eaormosta sum of 00,000,000, and wheel we remember
that most of Rd* elongated of Ed:gluts math( ecitareoi
goods, we can readily see of wily great importance
this immense country is to us; besides we get from
India cotton, wool, ellk, rioe, ooffee, tee, sugar, peppy
gums, spices, diamonds, (old, and silver. The whale
of these large exports last year amounted to ore.
913,000 000. Sitaat• as most of it I. within the troplan
It is not, of oottriss, • great field for emigration, and
not • colony proper. 1. the north and at the loot of
the mountains the climate la c .ol and salubrious and
sot uusaisid to Europseas. We have seen that India
I. of very great importances to us, and I hiip• this will
always be both, in mind by our ministers, for I do
not look upon Italia as the most ware of our foreign
posiesegloss; A* is a rich jewel to whomsoever nay
poser her, and this facile very patent to the Cgs; of
Russia, who is year by year crseping.or I think I may
say striding, towards 's*: ooa flay, and it °showy oath be
forewarned and forearmed agalost his advance*, I
believe the day will come, and is not many years
distant. when Eogland's doanoion in India will be
challenged, and very likely overthrown by Rama. I
dare say this potion of miss is not very popular with
you, but I cannot help digressing • moineot from the
eabjert of my paper to say that if ilueele'.. growth Is
sot stopped by a ambination of European powers she
will not only mislay nod overthrow the poseeslions
of England and other °quilt/Ws in the 14,.,, but she will
have become so mighty thet as will bold the destiny
of European couutiiss In her head.. Teens is 0,
doubt our present Prime Mitosithr is • man of mitlity
intellect, but even be has hia wean's., led if
he exhibit. one weakness more than an then it a
with regard to the growth and deavor of Russia,
which he totally Ignores. And now, go Meson, 1
mint take you to ths most important I ..ur many
colonise, Australia, with an area of 2,930,000 spare
miles, or about 25 tanmes as tart. aa Mtge and. end •
Population approaching 3.000,11Q0 ; and here, geotic
men, we have • colonyproper, • continent, of such Jur
parlance that I must give you m ire particulars of thee
of the other plums we have passed, for this is, aa I
said, a colony proper, an hammy field for past.
present, and future emigration. Only 100 yaws ago
Australia was almost unknown I. 14ng11olimon.
About that Una the English Government resolved t
found • penal colooy on the ooatineint. and in 1787
the first emigrant dupla% England with 733 male aid
female convicts, in charge of 200 idfiare end bolder.
and 81 five entigthata. They aimed in Australia
early In 1788, leaded at Sydney Goon then wooled
and abounding with kangaroos. They took with them
• few horses and cows for stock purpose. ; on landing
boatel the liritah flag, and than lowlife I the Altera-
tion Colonies. Up till 1831 Australia was little more
than a convict estribllehintant, but since that time its
Progress she has made has no parallel in history.
The continent of Australia is divided into five
colonies, West Australia, the largest but least prole-
paean grew mineral wealth not yet
diva° ; :loath Australia, nut in sins, where the
fiaget wheat In the world I. grown, an 1 poisoning
very valuable sipper wines; Queesaland. • prosperous
pastoral and agricultural *Woo, ; New South Wales,
• pastoral and mining provisos, sed very prosperous;
and Victoria, the smallest in extent, but mat populous
and prosperous of the five. Meat preserving is an
Important Industry, and good wins in made in the
province. The exports of the whole of they Austra-
lian colonies amount to several millions of pkiunds per
annum—wool alone to newly 0,000.000- Mach gold
has been found in Australia, sad to this tact it owes
La • great measure Its rapid growth. Comparatively
young as these oolonies are they pewees many towns
that can vie with Eoropeas cities in the Importance
of their trade, their public building', and generally.
Melbourne, for Initanos, the ohlef port in Australis,
bas • population of 265,000, and Its street" and shops
are equal to those of London and it possesses& public
library of 100,000 edam's. Talmud% or Van
Diereen'a Land, to the South of Aneralia, is
• triangular-shaped island if 00.000 roars
miles, and • population of 112,000. The climate
Is very similar to ours in Wale pat of Hovland.
New Zealand, omelettes of thee, lalside,
known a• the North, South. anil Stewart,
is situete to the RE. of And:Alia about 1,200 miles,
and le about the s•me latitude south el Spain and
Italy is north of the equator, sad tit, climate, there-
fore, Is very beautiful and healthy. The Islands are
of an area of upwards of 100,000 spare milee—nearly
as large as England—sad the population 500,000, sad
this colas, Is deservedly a popular dell for English
emigration The Fiji felon Is. about 1,001 mile,
eorth of New Zealand, bolos' to England. rh•re
are about 200 of them. but, b•lne wlthla th• woody,
are unsuited to Earopeas occupation. The inter- •
wane of England with these has bad the effect of
abolishing oanalbalism, whirl 20 yeses ago was wilt* I
general. I must now take you to the American
oontlneet, and here In the north we shall find Canada,
the largest of our trilobite—the poor man's land, aa It
I, sometimes called, far hers, with health and strength,
In Retry and good habits, • poor mon may soon
beooms ladepeadent, and its shores befog only 2,000
miles from out., it Is more acosegible to the pl.r man
than the Mot ant ones we have Jost lef t. The dominion
of Canada is very large, but ease portions are not
habitable In Europeans. It le divided Into several
provinces—n idly, Ontario Manit la, North-West
Territory. British 0 dumbia, Nova Scotia, Prince
Edema Inland, and New Brunewick. The total arse
of Canada is upwerie of 3.000,000 squire mile., and
the population 4 00C,000, en the you ea the people
here have plenty of room, nearly • steam mile each,
whilst In Eagles 1 there are 400 people to the stows
mile. 'Pb. province of Manitoba offers great advantage,
to emigrants. The industries of Canals are chiefly
Is conaeotioe with agriculture. There is some mining.
much fishing, and hunting. Th• provinces are united
In • oonf•deratlon. presided over by • governor-general,
sad the whole of them are prosperous, and the people
well-ioing. Altogether, we have good reason I. be
proud of Canada. Ta the oast of °muds we have
the Island of Newfoundland, with an area of 40,000
square miles, and • population of swirly 200,0(10,
nearly all of whom sr* swaged or Interested la fish-
ing. the fisheries of Newfoundland Wag the most
erased's and valuable In the world. After • reference
IA the Wed Indies and the Falkland Used., Er.
Kerridge alluded to the &kith posesesions In Africa
—fleatbla, the gold asst. and Limy—and said thew
places belong to England, but very few Eaglishinen
are able to live in any of theta. but they are very um
fill, se they enable our marchaats to distribute English
cottons, and to draw off the prodnate of this part of
Africa. There is an international conksreace Wag
held in Berlin at this time with revere to tbe right.
of various nation' to this part of the African 006. t.
and I hope and believer that our hawses will be
looked altar by oar representative, Sir E. Ildet Mr.
Stanley, the greet Airiest explorer, looks up,n tide
itelstibwarbacd. or, et any rate. this mouth of th•
Ooseo, a little twitter down, as the glee of Cantral
Africa, but I think, now we hove ose foot solar into
Egypt—lf we keep it there—we should find the Nile
lisy • gat* second to none. Our possessions la
South Al rice ar• very extensive but for the Wet few
years several of than bar* been in • somewhat an-
settled state, and there is • great deal of commotion
there at the present time, so mach so that It is not
quits certain which are English ooloales and which
free, and se I think I bays kite You too lcng already,
I shall Oaks 61 vantage of Rile fact, sal ant particular; a
these colonies, merely atherting that this 4atith Afric•
Is a vast colony, pore and gliapie, with • healthy
climate, and shoat 3.000,001 population, and that It
is • leir field for the British emigrant I think, sir, I
hays named all our anksales and poossaloas of any
Importance, and that I have shows you that 'ragtime'
is a mg INDIN. The Lai I liays mostiasd soap

_
prise about on•-wiventh at the whole world, and lb.
I. DO* who iidiabit thew shout ooe.fiftli. I owe is,
sir, a greet Isw of uature—the eurvorai the fiyest—
and that law, applicaile a. it le s. the human rase ea
to lower organi•nts, bias plowed U. 1.. the pr.asl podti .1.
WO hold. end if we be se fit in the future a. we save
bean in the plat there in no fear but that Eligleud
wid 000tlnol teJ he In the future what she he. Ise,
In the poet, and what she I. Jw—the urAst
enlightened, the most free, •u.l the greateet urition to
the world.
A discurion afterwards taok place, Herr.. T. B.
Grows* (the chairmen). Wool. NI/hitting.
Mean, and Penton being the epsalpasa,