The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-25 00:00:00

governor. The governor bad a doultle vote, and therefore
ea every government question is was sure of • majority
That wee the court in which ordinances were
prepend, tbsestablidtments fixed, and the general legislation
of tae colony carried on. But the court of policy had no
power to provide the means. For that, Mentors, they
woes oed to have recur-s to the combined court, where
okaa areabere were is a majority over the official,
and where, eansequ-ntly, the colony had • majority. 'eke
estimates of 1847 were opposed by the combined court.
The adduce which had been sent hones showed that i•
Da:omega 1847, when the tSinallttt for 1848 were introduced
the elected members submitted a most respectful application
to the governor, prayieg that in consequence of the &grimed
state of the colony tksy might be alleged to reduce all lan-
Tile above 2,500 dollar. 2-, per cent. It preyed further
that the application might be sent home to Loed Grey for
his 'elution, which that noble lord decidedly refused. Be-
tenth, answer arrived,Governor Light hail pressed through
the estimates in April, although he had agreed to pos:-
pone teem geed us 15.11 of May. He not only brought
In the nitrate' before the time he bad eget. d
to, but decided every one of them by his casting
vets It was of no avail, however, because they could not
be pared without the sanction of the combined court. He
tar. Hume) comp:ained here of great breach of faith aerie et
ake frwerror. When the colooists agreed to the civil list
011841 they did 93 on the condition that facilities for obtain-
ing labour, and for paying for that labour, should be pro-
vided. The colony was promised an immigration ordon•
nano, and assistance in bringiag in labour from whatever
quern it might be necessary is obtain it, together with •
nem% law to keep the labourers in order. Bat
they bad had neither the immigration ordonnance,
nor was there a vagrant law passed until 1844.
When, in 1514, they granted the civil list until 1854, they
had the rotection of the British markets for their produce,-
they had thee every noonto believe that protection would
continue, and that it would enable them to pay the civil
list they bad agreed to. They found. however, that with-
out the assistants they had been promie-d, they could not
do so, and they asked for a reduction in the amount ; but
although slavery was abolished, and the apprenticeship sys-
tem removed, and notwithstanding that they bad been de-
rived of protection in the British market, the lacrosse
civil list was insisted upon. He did not blame parliament
for abolishing protectioe, though, as he insisted et the time,
he thought it should have been done gradually, and accom-
panied by ineautes for enabling the e ilonists to procure
labour at a retemostse rate. for cultivating/ their estates. In
his opinion Lord Grey, in refining to allow such • reduction
as would meet the redacted means of the colony, was highly
saleable. Lord Om alleged that, by the agreement of
1841, the colony agreed to continue the payment of the
civil lie as it then stood until 1854. True, they did so: but
an anigrition ordoneance and a civil list ordonnance were
rat the same time. These were approved by the ens
etddc nee, and were together legal ; but they were re-
jetted by the Colonial-office. The consequence was, the
Court of Policy had to mulct another callow/nee • and that
ordoanance under which the civil list was payable had
received the sanction of the combined coart, and there-
fore was, according to the opinion of the law of-
ficers of tee crown, mere was:e Piper. (Hear, ben)
Lord Grey said it was unfair that thew who
lock office in the colony under certain arrangements as to
salary should afterwards have tent gaieties reduced ; but the
colonist replied that Lord Grey was wrong, inasmuch as the
original ordoanance oflB4l,which was sanctioned by the own-
bleed court, and under which the civil list was made, was to
have force only until 1547, and beyond that time the officers
could have no claim. It was important to know that when
Governor Walker, having fell power, brought the combined
court together, their fest vote was the civil list, but reducing
it from 30,0001. to 28,0001. ; but Governfg Walker said, " 11
you reduce at all we cannot proceed." The vote nevertheless
passed, and was as complete as any vote could be; and
Governor Walker then told, "I cannot allow you to go any
further," and locked the doors and suspended the sittings of
the court altogether until Governor Buhl,. arrived. With
what instructions Governor Barkly was sent out it did not
appear ; in short, it would gem rather that he was
sent oat without any instructions whatsoever. Governor
Barkly would not say what he would do in regard to the
civil list, and the other votes were proceeded with. One of
the elected members inquired of Governor Barkly how the
salaries were to be paid, the civil list having been voted for a
quarter of a year only, god no grant having been made for
this purpose by the British House of Commone. It then
appeared that the money had been yak' n from the colonial
chest; and the members of the Combined Court, believing
that it had been applied without their autoority, protested,
asserting in the protest that the governor, is paying the
salaries from that source, without • vote of the Combined
Court, had acted illegally. Governor Darkly would
not allow that protest to be entered, nor would he
permit the discussion upon it to proceed, but ordered
the doors to be chat. Of this the colony most properly com-
plained, and appealed to the imperial legislature. The sup-
plies of course then stopped altogether, and some money
need under an old customs act, was taken and devoted to
the payment of the salaries.and now an ordonnance had been
brought in by Governer Barkly by which he penned to
reform the nun of policy, by extending the suffrage. To
an extension of the soli/one there could be no objection, bat
there was considerable objection to the mode in which tee
ntension was in that rose proposed to be carried out, and by
which it was intended so to ex the qualifications as to obtain
a majority of tee elected members for the government, in
cedar to carry through the estimates, which, since December,
1847, bad remained aimed. As the law now stood, ac-
cording to the government law authorities, the public officer
on the lit of January every year, called for • list of all par-
ties who assessed themselves to the required amount,
such amsement being the qualification to vote ; but
Gnome Barkley insisted that not only should
ths asseginint he made, but the amount paid
Defers the party should be entitled to vote. The elected
members complained that they had no objection to the pro-
peed change, but they said, let the change be complete—let
as get rid of our present institutiens, and let us have a regu-
larly elected assembly constituted. Every one of the elected
members had protested against the injustice of the partial
charge proposal by the governor, es well as against the eon-
Cooed illegality of paying money without the sanction of the
only authority wto could legally vote I i:her ways and means
or supplies. It would appear that the government knowirg
their own strength were determined to take advantage of the
weakness of the colonists and to tyranniat over them. Under
these circumstances he thought the time had come when the
Lute of Commons might ['While called upon to declare the
nein embodied in the two paragraphs of his motion.
The hon. member concluded by moving :
That It appears by the evi lence taken before the select coinwittee
on litavn Guano, that that government has been carried on for the
loot ten yetf• in amp...Rion to the espressed views and °pistons of
toe Kelm meat, t 9 at the colonial legislature, and that the supplies
▪ snip..°4 in the colony by continued opposition, to the great
injury of the colony. 'that this house Ina opinion that the time has
arrived whet the public expenditure of the colony should t. reduced
se desired by the col.sais.s; and also for the establish= nt of a re.
eprisibie local govirnment. which should have full power to decide
on Welted awl nature of their establishments, and to provide the
warns for payAg the same.

Mr. H. BAILLIB said the hon. member for Montrose
had brought the report of the committee on British Gals=
ardor consiieration on two grounds : first, because the in-
habitants of that colony, confiding in the justice of the
British parliament, had tapered a &aim that their dispute
should be deci led by the imperial legislature; and, secondly,
brume, having the misfortune to differ with the majority
of the committee with respect to the nature of the
report which, in accordance with the evidence, it was
deemed to be the duty of that committee to sub-
mit to the house, it was thought just and reason-
able that the whole case should be fairly stated, and
laid before that tribunal to which the inhabitants had ex-
pressed a desire that it ahould be refined. The hon. mem-
ber for Montresa was if opinion, and he (Mr. Baillie)
agreed with him, that the committee had omitted to notice
In their repor some of the most important pests of the evi-
dence laid before them ; and if • committee of that house,
so appoiattd to inquire into the erievance of • colony,
emitted to antics the evils and shoes which were proved
Is tale the Colonial-office would then naturally have a
iht to assume that the silence of the committee on those
paints wit a tacit spproval of the aim*, of polity
Idiot° pursued, and the result would be that
no
impartment would take place either i Itche government
el that coloay or in any of our colonies. was, therefore,
ea behalf not only of British Guiana, hut of all other colonies,
that he breed leave to direct attention to some of those
*Diets of the evidence which had bete omitted to be noticed
by the committee. He (Mr. Baillie) had submitted •
renelatioa to the committee, very similar to the first
of the one now proposed by Mr. Home,
part
notwithstanding Sir Henry kght's evidence,
the committee had not thouht fit to pronounce upon the
subject. (Hear, keel.) There was another grievants*
which the cols nista had a right to complain of, touching the
conduct of the Governor, for when the apprenticeship sys-
tem had been abolished the governor refused to allow any
laws to be pared in the coney for the regulation of labour ;
be refused to allow esetreets to be amide for labour for a
longer period thaa thirty days, under the pretest that it
would be contrary to the liberty of the subject. Is gone-
quince of that refuel the inhabitants met together
✓id passed certain rules and regulations, which
were perfectly fair, but these rules were ob-
jected to by the neuron; they were denounced
y the governor, aid he instructed the police magistrates not
to enforce them. The result west, that the negroes were
triumphant and the planters were compelled to succumb;
and, in short, all the rule and misery which occurred in the
colony were traceable to this sort of mutest upon the part of
the governor. (Hear, hear.) He new came to the question
of the civil te In the year 1839, %Tenor Light wrote a
despatch to the Colonial-office, requesting that his salary
might be increased from 3,001. to 8,0001. per annum, and
e'eo the salaries of other officers, and upon these therms
grounds—first, the great and increasing prosperity of the
colony, and neat, the rest cost of living in British Guiana,
the high prim of ell the necessaries of life there as compered
with the island of Antigua, where he had previously been.
That despatch wee favourably received, and the governor
was instructed to demand the increase from the court of
policy. 'the court violently objected to the demand ; they
refused the propelition, and the supplies were stopped,
and the governor immediately adjourned the court
asse die. Now, about that time an idea prevailed
that emigration would as,, the colony from ruin,
and the ernetement at home instructed Sir
Henry MiLsod that if the court granted an increased
civil list, they should receive an emigration ordinance.
The result of that loth action was that Sir Henry MiLeod
was enabled to pass an increased civil list, and also an emi-
gration ordinance. In the year 1844, after repeated remorc,
streams, the government assented to • loan advance, and by
this means they neared the voting of a civil list fir a period
of fourteen yea.s. He thought this most unseemly Pendent
ire the part of the government, and he proposed a genebt-
bon in committee to that effect, but it was not ameba' M
(Hear.) He now came to the close of the year 1811,
when, in consequence of the reduced prices of colosial