The Express.
London, England, 1849-06-20 00:00:00

thing about the system was, that they gave him (,le writer)
a salsry of 231. for keeping their accounts. Lird Grey bad ap-
pealed to two military officers who had been stationed at t.t
Red River, Major Griffiths and Col. Crofton, of whom, wi' h•
out imputing to them i Ltereatt el motives, be must observe that
that thoy had both been members of vtincil under the
Hudson's B I Company, and that one of ttem had bt come
still more intimately c.tonected with the company. At page
102, Col. Crofton pronounced the charge with respect to
ardent spirits to be utterly false, observing that heavy fines
were inflicted to prevent the use of tl em, that the com-
pany denied them to its CONN, ex uspt in c sea of illness,
and that a small quantity was allowed annually only at
Christmas, and on the occasion of a marriage.
The evider.ce of Colonel Crofton was wholly discrepant from
that of Major Griffiths, in 'elation to the distribution of
spirits among the natives ; the former gentleman stating that
under no circumstances whatever were spirits given, or sold,
to the natives; and the latter complaining that, in some
shape or other, a great quantity of spirits got into the hands
of the natives. Colonel Crofton again stated that the native
population had undergone no diminution under the 011112114C-
meat, or mismanagement, of the Hudson's Bay Company ;
wherea- it had been di'tinctly affirmed by competent autho.
cities that, since 1829, nine.tenths of the native popu-
lation bad disappeared. In contradiction to the 'silence
of Colonel Crofton, which porpotted that the religious in-
struction provided by the Hudson's Bay Company was of a
most ample anteater, the noble Ica quoted the Bishop of
Montreal's journal, to show that the company maintair ed,
for the religi..us instruction of their vast territory, only one
chaplain at Red River Settlement, there being none at all at
Hudson's Bay itself. (Hear, hear.) As to mini -narics the
number had been reduced from six in 1813 to two now ;

one of Mese being a native assistant; so that for the
spiritual instruction of their enormous poaseasions the com-
pany maintained only one regular clergyman and ore Wes.
leyan missionary. (Hear, hear.) As to education, not ore
farthing was given by the company to this purpose, it appear-
ing, from the statement of Sir George Simpson, that, of the
expense of educatie n in the company's territories, tout-fifths
were paid le, the Church Missionary Society, and the other
fifth hy the parents of the children educated. (Hear,
hear.) Under all these circamitacces, it appealed
to him manifest that the leading charges which had been
made again:et the company had not been d soroved,
many of them, on the contrary, having been clearly
substantiated. And he, therefore, contended Out the go-
vernment had not been justified in handing over so large
aid so important a poseraslon to the entire contra of a body
which had shown itself so little entitled to such confidence,
and which tad displ :yrd tendencies of so utterly an anti.
colonisation character. (Hear.) The noble lord, in arostration I
of the extent of tyranny to which the absolute rule of
the company was carried, and of the Venetian mem,
which they enflamed, inaltionci Coat Me. Dunn, one of
their officials, was compelled to burn a journal he
had kept during his residence in Vancouver's I-land,
before he was :permitted to leave the settlement.
The capital of the company was stated to be 400,0001.,
though, in feint of fact, the paid up capital
did rot tscted 83,0001.; but, sapposing it to be
400,000!., the whole am unt was L.vested in the fur trade.
There was nu proof in the •denuments la d liefore the house
that constitutional rights had been granted to the British in.
hate:tants of Vancouver's Island. Ile wee a firm advocate of
free institutions—(e ear, hear)—they were an essential, though
not the only element of success. It had been asserted that
t to Island of Vancouver was given to the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany because it was impmsiole to culouise it. Viewed under
every aspect, the arrangement made by Earl Grey was most
impolitic. Ie was only recently, by the Oregon treaty, that
Vancouver's Island bad been finally awarcea to England,
and the first thirst England elfd was to confer it upon an
anti colonising Company. The press had been univer-
vers ally and weinineusly opposed to the act of Lord G-ey,
anal so had the Chamber of Commerce of Mrochester, which
protested acainst Vancouver's Island being handed over
to the Hudson's 13 .3, Company for a rental of 7s. a-year.
He a meted that the regular official course had not been
poraued in this case. He lo.ked upon this grant as Mane-
laic and uejust, and believed that he was iustifi din avail-
ing himself of any step by means of which an investigation
of these matters might be arrived at. (Hear, hem)
Mr. HU was of opinion that the conduct of the colo-
nial stfi e in this matter de served a direct condem-
nation. Their conduct throughout had been most
irregular. lla did not at all blame the Hudson's
Bay Com?lnr, but he think that every ac-
tion of the C had been irrtaular and itnoraptr.
Oa the whole, this apptarea to him to be one of the most
unfortunate eircumit inns connected with celoni 'salon with
which he was acquainted. Instead of the Colonial-office
having made out their own ease they had left it to the par-
tite the and he foaled that either to ignorance, or
indolence, or interest that colony had been sacrificed. Ile
was sorry that her Majesty ha: been adv:sel to sanction this
vote. Ito thought that it Rat a case an whi:b a direct vat.
of censure should be peed upon the conduct of the noble
lord at the head of the colonies, and ho believed that if be
were enabled to poll the wheel country be should have Mu:-
tenths in favour of that vote.
Mr. Havons rem to reply, when it was obsolete" that
there were not 40 members present.
The gantry was then cleared, and thereLein: only 37
members present, the house adjourned at twenty-jive minutes
to nine.

THE DIVISION ON MR. HUME'S COUNTY RATE, &C.,
BILL.—Sir,-1 should feel mu it nbligett by your stating in
your urx• pup r that I p iirrd in favour of Mr. liume's
County RA'S :mil Bapeni!iture Bill with Mr. G nloard.
Apologising lir the tr Mile I give you, I am, &c., PRINE
PllTSE.—Buwot Park, June IS.