The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-29 00:00:00

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1880. ,„

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

In the ROUSE or LORDS, May 24, on the occasion of the
linging down of Her Majesty's reply to the Address,
The Earl of Carnarvon rose to say a few words on three
Points which were referred to in the Speech from the Throne
--viz., the confederation of the South African colonies, the
Maintenance of the supremacy of her Majesty over the Trans-
!aal, and the establishment in those colonies of institutions
.based on large and liberal principles of self-government. In
regard to the policy of confederation, it had been very much
assailed and had undergone great vicissitudes of fortune dur-
ing four or five years; but he still believed himself that such
would be found the best security for the development
and prosperity of the South African colonies, and also
th b-
e nest security against a recurrence of calamitous and ex•
Pensive wars, such as those in which we had reeently been
c.engaged. It was with much pleasure he saw in the Speech
zonl the Throne that it was Her Majesty's intention to
raintain her supremacy over the Transvaal, and he trusted
hat in reply to representations made through deputations or
other
would means his noble friend the Secretary for the Colonies
be firm in his language and give no en-
couragement to the Dutch settlers to suppose that there
Was
„ any uncertainty in that respect. He was antis-
Sat would not only be the wisest and soundest
selves.
'elleY, but the kindest policy towards those settlers them-
Lastly, it was stated in the Royal Speech that it
was intended to establish in the South African colonies in-
stitutions based on large and liberal principles of self-
P,,vernment. He had nothing whatever to say against that
.°P°aal ; but he took the liberty of suggesting to the
pr-Yernment that they should be cautious on two points.
trusted that they would bear in mind that the native
s'plilation far outnumbered the whites within the limits
a,
,abt_he Transvaal. Next, he hoped the Government would
.lish those institutions in such a manner and under
conditions that they might not be used hereafter as
Z.l.iever against the maintenance of the supremacy of the
ga.,:n in the Transvaal. The case of the lonian Islands
ll'gLit be borne in mind by way of caution. Yeais ago one
o._ the difficulties which was experienced there was that
whenever the Legislature of those islands was called to-
Feßier, the first thing proposed was the passing of a reso-
tn!'ion repudiating the supremacy of the Crown. He enter-
,,,tuned very little doubt of the future prosperity of the
ka•rabnsvaa' ; on one condition—that we were not in too great
"urrY to secure its complete settlement. First, there
°light not to be an immediate or very summary withdrawal
of the troops. Their withdrawal ought to be effected gra-
duall y and with the greatest caution. Otherwise, in the
cnre,sent temper of the colony, there would be a difficulty in
I.—,"nexion with the taxes. Secondly, every care ought to be
"Len to stop anything like the importation of arms into the
'"ansvaal. It was far easier to stop the importation of
than to disarm. Thirdly, every legitimate facility
1,3110u1d be given to the immigration of English colonists into
e Transvaal. Lastly, he hoped every effort would be made
;.,'Y our Government to keep up communication with the
;.'overnment of the Orange Free State, the President of which
!lad been most friendly to us during the Zulu war. (Hear,
near.)
f.,The Earl of•liimberley was not surprised that his noble
r`.efend approved the passage in the Speech from the Throne
beLrrin m g
to the confederation of the South African colonies,
date-ttsd ,e, it was his noble friend himself who had origi-
""e scheme of that confederation. It was one, top,
Parca:lll the whole had been approved by both parties in
kne:at.When the Act for the purpose was passed, and
t.el nothing which had occurred since to make us
"lend He must repeat, however, that when his noble
,Inatur„-i'mated that policy he thought he was rather pre-
doing so, and something might be said against
knit Ln which it had been introduced in South Africa;
&Iv Lng could be more unfortunate now than not to
lair chance. He knew that there were consider-
ancrumeulties in the way of bringing it into operation,
ob, that ranch patience would be required before that
R4edet was accomplished; but he was not without hopes of
Progress being soon made in that direction. He
eyed the present Cape Parliament was about to consider
tresolution in reference to the matter, and that it would
nne Proposed that there should be a conference of the colonies
the subject. His noble friend did not dissent from the
Proposition that the whole question of the South Africhn
-.es was one of great difficulty and complexity, and for
~,sell he could not say that since the time when lie before
cife..l the seals of the Colonial Office its difficulties' had
`aiMillished. The annexation of the Transvaal had brought
lotit its own difficulty, and with regard to that he had
l,,WaYs endeavoured to do full justice to his noble friend,
ire Earl of Carnarvon), because he had no doubt that
noble friend had received intelligence which he
seiled on that the Dutch settlers were favourable to
ft.
take That idea had, however, turned out to be a mis-
illisat e. It was easy to be wise after the event, and he
ex was
his opinion that as matters now appeared it
vw:ati. lcl have been better if we had not annexed the Trans-
ch l
so
ie did not think the Dutch settlers could have
them, and much since Sir Theophilus Shepstone was among
becausr id they were said to be favourable to annexation,
tow .t was clear that the great majority of them were
Should annex the ri,..,„ans,,,aa. He was,
So again' it the question was not now whether we
as he had said, in-
clined to think it Would have been better if we had not
antexed it ; but assurances having been given to the native
the communication having P,Opulation that they would be under the British Crown, and
that g been Blade to the Dutch settlers
there was no intention to abandon the annexation, it
Would not be desirable now to recede. There was a still
I_3lFonger reason than that for not receding. It was impos-
;We to say what calamities such a step as receding might
fi
inet cause to the native population. It would be la-
ntable if, after the expenditure of so much blood
3
a,s;tiod treasure to restore peace in South Africa, there
14
_llll uldaber be recurrences of internecine struggles. The
tie, T of the natives in the Transvaal was 800,000, and that
l,,:119, whites only 60,000. Didlculties between the Zulus and
111 frontier tribes would again arise, and looking, as they
e 'lst, to South Africa as a whole, the Government, after a
.refal consideration of the qustion, came to the conclusion
Isoat they must have it understood that we could not relin-
-41811 the Transvaal. Nothing could be more unfortunate
'lan uncertainty in respect of such a matter. We must
tt,,nrB,lle a stlady course, and he hoped that those who
hs'".... an interest in this question would remember
in respect of no quarter were patience and for-
-Aratice more necessary than in . respect of South
(Hesr
.hear.) Complaints might be made of the
7s(bli,ites svith some e reason. They might make mistakes;
having regard to their small number and bearing in
certain
that they were on the scene, we must allow them a 1
time
eain amount of liberty. As to disarmament, when some
be ag? he asked under what authority that was ordered,
asnformed that it was not by the High Commissioner,
xi
est 0 under the Peace Pres rvation Act passed under the
ositix.iiisibilitY of the Cape° Ministry. When he assumed
iect, all was thinking of offering
for the he inquiredwhether this •
di, is vi
some advice on the sub-
as an appropriate time
or it had
air arnent ; but he found that the proclamation
and that theeY been issued two or three weeks before,
to in
011ietiy. lie Process of disarmament had been going on
terfere
confidential' of
thought it would have been unwise
Whatever the advice he might have given
thought Y
hat other circumstances. He therefore
, as ihn„rigli, to intimate to the Cape Ministry,
riettd as to t
he were
f would not . acting on their own responsibility,
Interfere He concurred with. his noble
tinna with he desirability of being on friendly rela-
had shown tne n
-range Free State, the President of which
be the Jiinaself to be very friendly towards us. It would
Partiallyr of the Government to hold the balance im-
PoPUlat etween the races, and while protecting the native
s lons to remember that the white colonists had also
sof the war
~`.4_linca on our consideration. Whatever might have been
, the colonists had shown themselves
I,!_auY and vigorous to protect their own territory, and he
rPed that in times of pee Tc they would be able to successfully
9:Leal with their own affairs.He believed that the scheme
that there
tonfederation already contemplated would succeed, and
would hereafter be a still larger scheme which
Would Include the whole of the South African colonies, if
the Orange Free State, in one confederation. (Hear,
sues,c)

The Motion was then agreed to.
karl de la Warr introduced and moved the first reading of
a Bill relative to the liability of employers for compensation
tor ihillries to their servants. The noble earl said it was
-„lllbstentially the same as the Bill he introduced in the last
rarliarnent.
The Lord Chancellor said the Government had adopted
either wholly or substantially Mr. Brassey's Bill on this
2,4hleet, and had already introduced it in the House of
001mons. He therefore trusted that his noble friend would
tot think it necessary to proceed further than the first
reading of his Bill till that of the Government came up to
their lordships—House.
Earl De La Warr expressed himself ready to act on the
noble and learned lord's suggestion.
The Bill was then read a first time.
In reply to Lord Houghton, who asked the First Lord of
the Admiralty whether he intended to appoint a naval com-
mission to inquire into the seaworthiness of the training-ship
Atalanta,
Lord Northbrook said he regretted that the naval mem-
bers of the Board of Admiralty saw no hope whatever of the
Isafety of the Atalanta, whose fate, on account of those on
board of her, all their lordships must deeply deplore. (Hear,
bear.) It had been proved, from a careful examination from
More than 40 logs of merchant vessels, that a terrific gale ex-
tended over many hundred miles of the Atlantic between the
4th and 16th of February. That was very clearly shown in a
chart prepared by the hydrographer, a copy of which
'would be placed in the library. Not less than 18 homeward-
:bound vessels from the United States, the Gulf of Mexico,
4_U:td West India ports had not arrived, most of which it was
!eared must have perished in the gale. A Norwegian
Itli 4arque—the Caspaei—passed the latitude of Bermuda on
ard of February, and on the 12th was dismasted,
hthrown rm her bearn-ends, and only saved by her cargo
st'ving beell cotton. Her track was marked on the chart.
,rthe Atalanta left Bermuda on January 31 they might
3sausne that she had the same winds and weather as the
&Vie. and would therefore on the 12th have been about
Miles to the eastward of her, and exposed to the same
h trine gale. Had the talanta passed through that gale un-
tiZrt they could trace her further course homeward day by
dj, as they knew that westerly winds prevailed for some
EYetill:fetertthnegalf th
e,
ewhichchanwnoeuld have brought the Atalanta
nrace o
1 by the 20th of February. Had
_
dismasted on the 12th or lath, she would have
Jury masts and have been driven homewards even
evee,,
`ndrlj a; small amount of canvas a few days later. Had she
beeotcel„ about as a helpless wreck, she would still have
istaa,"..,en to the eastward, and would in any eircum-
found—, ostye Paseod
i a part of the ocean which they
Was cover
111 n format iolerobtained from various ships' logs
an, _ ed with shippieg during the moths of February
n
-march. Another chart had been prepared to show
Portion of the
wz!..h steamships Atlantie which was literally covered
and sailing ships passing to and fro,
and through which it would scarcely be possible for
P. diseded ship to drift witho n. The late
Board of Admiralty had in . bean see
a ufested the greatest anxiety
in the matter, and had taken
" ry measure that could
he adopted to save or ascertaienite at
and, as he had alreadYstated, the naval members of the
fate of the vessel,
Present Board had arrived at the conclusion that there was
40 hope. He Peed hardly say that the relatives of all
those who had perished had the fullest sympathy of the
Government and a their lordships' House. (Rear, hear.)
If there had been Any survivors the course would have
been to appoint a court-martial. As they were not following
precedent, the Government had decided to appoint a
committee. That committee would be presided over
by Admiral Ryder, Commander-in-Chief, Poitarnouth.
and the other members wonld be Vice-Admiral Ran-
C. 8., Mr. H. C. Itothery, Wreck Commissioner,
staff Captain Batt, R.N., and Mr, Bernard Weymouth,
aecretary and late chief surveyor to Lloyd's Register
()i British and Foreign Shipping. The committee would be
instructed to report their opinion as to the stebilitv. sea-
worthiness, and efficiency of the ship; also whether he was
all respects equipped and manned so as to fit her for the
frervice on which she was employed. The evidence would
be taken publicly, as in the case of a court-martial. They
had communicated with the late First loid of the Admiralty
on the subject, and he had expressed his approval of the
aPPointment of the committee. (Hear.)
Viscotuit Sidmouth believed it to be the opinion of naval
ra. en that a sailing vessel was the proper kind of one for train-
oig lads in, and that the accident that had occurred in this
ease was one which might have happened to any good ship.
It was almost impossible that such a shin as the Atalanta
could capsize.
Their Lordships adjourned at a quarter-past six o'clock.
Its the Hornow ColiSIONs, Mr. Labouchere gave notice of
his intention to bring in a Bill to amend the law relating to
0 , aths and Affirmations-
• In reply to Mr. J. Howard, Mr. Mnndella said: I may say
cni the part of the Government that there is no intention to
repeal the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, 1878, or any
Part thereof. That Act was greatly modified in its progress
to this House, and the compromise arrived at appears
0 have given general satiefaction. The Government have no
desire or intention to diminish the safeguards against foreign
"htagion. (Cheers.)
In answez to Mr. Standleld, Mr. Glfulstone said it was the
intention of the Government to take steps for the reappoint-
ble„,..nt of the committee on the Contagious Diseases Act
k "'omen) which sat towards the close of the last Farlia-
Zaeut.

Sir NV.
_.
Lawson, amid loud cheers from below the gang-
IlaY, gave notice that he would move en Address to the
queen praying for the recall of Sir B. Frere.
Some thirty-six questions, occupying the House until half-
Mvgiclock, were addressed to various members of the
t.
thien=er t° Lord Lf. Lennox, Mr. Shaw-Lefevre informed
that the loss of the A taiania walabout to be in-
-117-4,1nt0 by a committee consisting of Admiral Ryder,
3VW, 1ta13401
.h, Staff Captain Batt, Mr. Rothery, the
Mr• and Air. Waymbuth, thb setretary for