The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-10 00:00:00

THE COLONIAL SECRETARYSHIP.

The Earl of DERBY said he shsald be very sorry if the
Tomblin he woe abut to pat to the government should
ease ray erabesaimett in the completion of their minis.
venial eemimgenemb; bat the subject was one of so much
importable, sad the negl•ct of it must cause so much public
isesevenkmee, and that public isconvenionce mast so
wadi imams I by day during the oontleaanoe of the
peseest Mahe et May, that he should not fool justified in
set (Mai bar ibleete. government an opportunity for
explanation. He need not naiad their lordships of the
unasnal eirramseemeim ender which the noble lord now at
the bead oldie miesiel depeelawat bed seeepted the duties
of that eMea. He seed set 14111111111 ii 11111 M lint that noble
lord bad mangled a seen lopertems Edwin ea which he
had set out Mon thie essawy. Whoa the eseession of some
of the most imigailest emembees el the goverment rendered
the re- essetrwillea eta» t abeolutoly necessary,
the noble lend (Lag I. ) was, he believed, asked
by elsetrie hieing& whither he would accept the oleos of
Colonial Seastaly, gad by the sae rapid means of com-
munication the ailbe Bort intimated has consent. Ho had

no wish to en.gimin of the noble lord's net having re-
turned home Wile Ys aseeptanee of that oSoe. On the
contrary, he thew& that his titleg up his mission might
bays led to great public ineonvenience—(bear, bear)--end
that it was quite just and proper that no delay ihotald take
place in his proceeding to Vienna and performing his
task. (Hear, hear.) But the question whether his amp-
tense of the ;Mee of Secretary of State for the Colonies
was or was not justifiable mast depend on the pro-
bable duration of the noble lord's mission. (Hear,
hear.) He knew that, technically and formally, every
Secretary of State could perform the functions end
duties of every other Secretary of State. (Hear, bear.)
But, although for a certain period the ordinary routine of
business belonging to one Secretary of State could be ad-
ministered by another, yet it wee quit* obvious, looking at
the great weight of important business which premed upon
each of the three departments, that an like a length-
ened junction of offices must be at w th great lime-
venison to the public service. S. aresh bed that beet felt
to be the case that when the pesehet we emeeedeed it was
found necessary to divide the wise et secretary of State for
the Colonies into two office., or, rather, to withdraw itnia it
the business connected with was. He believed there wean°
minister whoa, presence in this country was more necessary,
and whose baskets could be lON easily performed by any
of his eollearses, then the heal of the colonial department,
be:ause there was no other minister whose business was so
separate from that of his colleagues, and co one with regard
to whom the general knowledge of the duties of his
°filet was so much confined to the minister himself. He

did not altogether concur in an axiom which had, he rot&
lined, been laid down by a right hon. and learned goads.
man who performed, for many ye%re, with great mimes
the duties of the Under Secretary of the Colonies, aim*.
that "cabinets hate colonies"—(laughter—but, having
acquired some knowledge of the business of the colonial
&penmen., he might appeal, palm', to more than one
noble lord who was is a similar 'Now im whether of all
the basin-sa wt.ich was brought before the cabinet there
was not the greatest difficulty in obtaining foe
colonial bu'ineu a very small portion of that small part of
their time which minium could spare for the cousideraUot
of subjects net immediately connected with their several do.
potatenta—(hear, hear)—and for this reason, that than
were always before parliament matters of more direct in-
terest (as was understood) to those who composed the
cabinet. Therefore, practically the business of the colonial
department was more exclusively in the hands of the head of
that department than could be said to be the case with ro
gand to either of the other departments, and consequently
the absence of the Colonial Secretary must be especially in-
convenient. (Hear, hear.) He was told that is eon-
sequence of the absence of the noble lord the
duties of Colonial Secretary had been undertakes
for • time by a right honourable gentleman
of very great and well-known ability, but who aee Iliad
the office of Secretary of State for the Home Demelment.
He (the Earl of Derby) knew something of the duties ell
that department, and he knew that, without being aide-
lately overwhelming, they were quite sufficient to comp
the attention of any one minister. (Hear, hear.) He dal 4
IlialMeao to deny that there were differest modes of doing I
%Weems. (Laughter.) One mode was to do nothing and 4
leave everything in &near, and he could imagine a Sam-
tory of Stets making his berth very easy ; bat for a genie- 4
man who was desirous of discharging his duty, se be was ;
sure the right hon. gentleman (Sir G. Orey) was, the boss{.
near of the Home-office was quite sufficient. Moreover, it i
was a subject of regret that tbe right hon. gentleman was
sot in the strongest health, and, on the ground of ill-health,
was supposed to be rather desirous than otherwise of retiring I
from public life. But were he the strongest man in England—
had be the stroegestmind and the strongest body—it would
be absolutely impetellt• Mt, for any lingtheaed period, he
Meld be able to embargo the duties of Home Secretary
and of Osioaial tkeseenry. sad at the mats time to give his 1
attendees" is yedissent. (Hear, hear.) Well, now, of
coulee all this tsised upon the question of time. (" Hear,
hear," from the Ministerial besthes.) If the noble lord's
abseil*, from this country was likely to be of very short
duration, of Min the inconvenience would be propor-
tionately los. (leer, hear.) He must observe, however, with
regard to esienial tonsisess, that at that moment there were
several impotent imetioas absulatel in abeyance, is cease-
gene* of the abeines of the Ceissial Seeretaiv. Re did not
rein to the immemelemee Omy\ the matter was one of
emiderablebepeteme, of the &day which there was in
ermine to a esednelem with rind Mam answer to, or are
kesetledgment el, the sarione 'Sea of military service
which had been mesived from ems of the coloniee—(bear,
bear)—thengh b eteatibeerved the Ober night by a member
of the goverment that that was a question which must
await the wefts of the Mould esixesszy. But at that
moment he bed la bis paseresiee • West giving an aceoliat
of matters which ought to sew the peOset midsty to the
government, having reforms to the mailltiem of the "May
of Victoria. (Hear, hear.) Tbe OM if Illiat eelsay at the
present moment arose partly Gem lbe miamme . about the
gold licenses, and partly from the seater of pm eadiag
by the Colonial-office with regard to the einteeel of wa-
vier from one colony to another ' • mad he appealed to
their lordships whether these were not MOM which ye.
'faired the immediate attention of the fiwaseizy of Stets for
the Colonies. (Hear, hear.) Again, at the Caps of Good
Hope they were threatened with a renewal of the Care war,
aid there was so Secretary of State inept the Home Se-
cretary, to give hie attention to the subject. Further, the
Australian colonies had seat hems their eionstitutiosa,
and these were now awaiting the acceptance or
rejection of the Colonial Minister, pending whose
1 absence the matter was entirely in abeyance. Every
day individuals connected with the colonies,and
deeply interested in their welfare, were sousing from the
✓ometest parts of the world, fur the special purpose of eon-
tamiestiag with the Colonial Minister upon matters ni-
Fi.t to themselves and to the community to which they
Their time was limited, set they would be con-
r
son return. to They found the Colonial Secretary
Meat ; they found so under colonial secretary even ap-
pended, and they would be obliged to return, after having
come, perhaps, from tbeAntipodes.without having had as op-
=ity of laying before the Colonial Secretary of State
utters in which they were so much ononmed. Again,
window of deep interest were constantly analog in
dm Hems of Lords se the House a Comma on which
It wee secereary to put questions to the =Liner specially
charred with the &Need the colonial department. In this
state of things, there was so *plenal secretary in either
house. No wider-nentary, be believed, had been ap-
point'', up to that moment ; and, even if an under-
secretary could discharge the duties of his principal, there
still remained the difficulty, that the appointment depended
on a noble lord who was at Vienna. Now, as he had ob.
envoi before, the inconvenience of this state of ilia's,
great as it undoubtedly was, bra to be measured by time ;
it defended on the probable duration of the absence of the
sable lord ; and he did not know that he should have
brought the question before their lordships if he had sot
heard, about a fortnight after the noble lord left this
country, that preparations were being made for the re-
moval of the when of the noble lord's family to Vies**, in-
cluding some very ponegebildren, who were, he understood,
to travel so leisure, that seven days were to he occupied
is travelling. That appeared to indicate no speedy return
to this country, bat, ea the contrary, • somewhat lengthy
Way In Vireos. Me meibesed he hoped that swab would be
the ease. Tbe gable Imes stay mod be lisethy, noises
*On was an abeelelemptere of the ii,,, isms patting
• positive tenelhatilles to the begs of poen. la
that case Om Meld, of seam, be Mb(sg to
Mak the mile bed very Ire et Vienna; but
the nebio lewd% Ihesily arreegsmusts certaialy did not
=„ „a=. expectation et •weedy terinutatioa of
Itiddi be (the aid et Derby) thwerely
betel as how lb. AIM ig Tomb, ISM to BuoPe•