The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-18 00:00:00

TUALIAN COLONIES.

The blue book, containing the second part of the
papers relative to emigration, presented to parliament in
1847, is less painful in its details than that which related to
British Nortit America. Like it, predecessor, however, it is
disreputably fragmentary and incomplete; it is much id it
snamefully old ; and, on the whole, betrays much of the
same indolent pick-tooth spirit among ofSeials as No. I.
The solonits to which this folio relates are, New South
Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia. Van Die-
men's Land, and New Zealand are only incidentally noticed.
In statistical reports, the returns from South Australia
are most satisfactory. For this, however, the gentlemen now
in otlice are scarcely to be thanked. The system was introduced
by others, and still produces some good, though worked
atter their fainconl fashion. The reader may form some esti-
mate of the promptitude and vigour displayed in the home
departments of this service, front two meta Some of the
documents now fur the first time published, are dated as fez
back as the 16th of January, 1845. Surely these ought to
have been laid before parliament in 1846. Again, a certain
amount of " voluntary " or " spontaneous " emigration
(favourite court phrases of the Uolunial-office), is dwelt
upon with great complacency. Will it, be believed, that of
the 1,114 so called voluntary emigrants of 1844, about 800
sera not emigrants from the mother country, but simply
colonists shilling their place of abode to South Australia
from the neighbouring colonies ? The emigration commis-
sioners must be sorely pushed to make out an appearance of
doing something.
The most complete and interesting returns from Western
Luitralia relate to the juvenile culprits sent thither by
government. They are satisfactory in the extreme. They
&bow that the limited experiment has worked well in
Western Australia. This, we suppose, is the reason why
the Secretary of State for the Coloutes writes to the governor
of that colony, without reigning any reason, that " the
commissioners of Pentonville prison strongly object to the
removal of the exiles from that prison to Western Australia."
The following despatch from Mr. Hutt, while governor of
Western Australia, deserved more attention than it has met
with

Western Australia, Perth, 15th August, 1843.—My Lord, I have
the honour to lay before your lordship a series of resolutions lately
pearled by the majority of the legislative council of this colony. The
main and Indeed sole object of the mover and supporters of three re.
• solutions has been to declare their opmionof the noxious effects of the
system under which the sales of land are conducted in Australis, and
to record their steady adherence to the resolutions passed by the
ouncll in December, 1042, which accouipviied my despatch, No. 5,
of Sib Jan., 1041. Of these I now enclose a copy, having been ear.
neatly solicited to request that your lordship may be pleamed to take
them again into conaulerstion.
My views ot the land question have been so fully explained at other
threat° the council, that I contented myself in the course of the die-
n-stion on this oeces on with declaring my dissent from both sets of
-esolutions, and wi.h Bually entering a abort protest against them in
the minutes. The advocate-general, Mr. Moore, whose opinion coin-
cides to some extent with my own, elec. entered a protest, a copy of
whim is herewith Innanmittntl.
. . . . .

ll; settle;;lporrrTil7llll colony dad themselves in very diffi-
cult and straitened circumstaneth; they are all, without exception.
either framers or tiockholders ; and the population, receiving no ad-
dition to its numbers from a regular and continued imangration.
is not sufficient to relieve them from the yearly increasing produce
which they may Dave to dispose of, and upon the sale and polite of
u .fich their prospects and advancement depend. The non.arrival of
treah capitulate and labourers is ascribed by many to the operation of
tho "imperial Act, I aid Li of Victoria, chap. 3b, for regulating the
sale of waste lands belonging le the crown in the Australian colonies,"
particularly to that part id it which tines so high an upset price es
Oita per acre upon the land. I differ from them because I think I can
discern several causes abundantly adequate to account for the manner
in which Western Australia has been overlooked and neglected by im-
migrants, without let ing the whole, or even a small portion of
the blame upon the obnoxious act. Still it cannot be denied that this
act has hitherto proved totally inoperative in this colony. Only &St
have born received tor the purchase et land since the introduction of
the system of sate established here by it, and I fully anticipito that
years mist elapse before any considerable quantity of laud can be
disposed of under the proviaious of this act, unless some remarkable
change lakes place in the circumstances of the country. The position
of Western Australia, in this rennet, IF az anomalous one, and es
such I would wish to bring it ander your lordship's make, for if I
am correct it may perhaps be possible, without very materially
affecting the principles of the act, so to moslify some of its pro-
visions as to make them more immediately suitable to the state of
things here.
In the first establiehment Of this colony land was granted in liberal
quantities to those who Introduced labour and capital &pi:ignoble to
tne purposes of productive industry,• measure completely at variance,
in its consequences, with that which ia now sought to be put in force,
inasmuch as such Large tracts of land have come into the possession
of private individuals, that they are enabled to sell below almost any
price which may be axed upon by the government. In addition to
which, the privilege conferred upon the earliest grantees of
surrendering a part of the lands already assigned, and of acquiring
other lands in exchange, has garnished the means of procuring land
from the government to a hrge amount, without tee necessity of
a money payment. Pince the beginning of the year 1843, in which
rear the Land 0-les Act came into cis' onion, whilst, sal have before
1 . ta led, 65 acre. only have been a it for in cash, 17,292
I representing 11,2991., have been pi:tanned by remission tickets; and
I though the existence of these tickets is a temporary evil, which will
leventually dime 'spear, yet they have had, and will contiar e to have,
considerable influence, in conjunction with the large private estates,
io preventing the sale of the crown lands, not only at the price deter-
mined by toe imperial statute, but at any money price whatsoever.
It would appear from this, that to the acts of the imperial
government a to be attributed the peculiar and critical post-
non in which this rolouy hat pre ent placed, and which most,
tor a hog time, preclude the inhohitants from deriving any Alvan,.
tau from the system establin :d by the act of parlaffiebt. It
us ovelees to exptct that available bade, w no her for labour or for
other metal purpose L willever be railed by the sale of crown lands,
wffilst r -47 utdiv.dnals hare the power of competing with and under-
sell' tg the noveanment. Under Herz eii tun.-I..ffies I would submit
.o your lordship. Is he•Jier some welLiegu' ... appication of the old
i Pk* of giving land for labour, in de Teninate quantities, might not
. he mom imitable than Ma. of moiler permeate. Ouch a course of
. proceeding is open te many objeesions, awl I propo. 2 it with great
Ilium' me, foe it is opposed to the rule which 1 should always wial.
to see observed in respect to immigration, that of making ti's
value of land regulate the supply of ...boat , out I have brought it
I forward man earedient, in the spec' it inc of Western Au.s.ra"e,
I whereby a 1 ossiia• chr ice may be offmiled of remedying e, ilia, el-
, ieultle..i, as a sori•ethiee which might . /IV ;MI ingiy acceptable to
• ee 'rag c nlarsere, sod would at ilia same time bolsi of- to the
. aon. as the promise of a s minty or capitallate sri labourers but
I which, *booth it to conceded, would require to be strictly saardad
age 'est atase. With 'hia view, I 11.41 far ter ascent ' • t. evils-
, (tete Webs he adopted similar to au,' which were Wooed by the
n7enl-guu ••11 for immigration in England, on the 12th Ottoteir, 1619,
a aa the additions :
1. That the boon should he limited to persona actually purchasing .
law. 2. a _at the emigrants foe whom bounty is awarded shall, be- I
.are quitting England, be inspected Pei semi, oed by the commission-
c of err eraron. 3. Itnt parties entit'-d .0 and claiming lawny !
.. m; Loam amending • al ton lAr t‘ni. on ti • &moor • 4 '^r '
I.'eb, by tie t our .v oar "•s ;: -8. may 1. entitle,' 'lee bounty ri
bahtlons would then he r ce-ly M accordance wi. a the understanait g
which rev entered into by her Majeety's dovemment with the Western
A tie q alt.., t emper.y."
the p-pers from New South Wales ai, routinelyy. meagre.
Indeedit seems the p.;neiple of the office to have its cone•
apondence and published documents, in respect of their bulk,
in an inver., ratio to she size std importance of the colony
they relate to. There are, however. some papers of rest im-
portr-ice, among which the two following despatches fenM
Ja -el Grey to Sir C. Fitzroy Sr. not the least interesting.
Dow ing.ffireet, July :a. 1847.—ffir,—It haa breo nage, ted to roe
that great advent- th would is obably arise from the aslop.ien in Neer
South WU, : , 7 .. C., manure whieb •voni • able the deposit,. its I
•• r-- .n i: a - vii.L. tanks in Net minty to apply the amount of
aura del. ts n.i. .raarr 1 of e• OS 1 ads. Sofia as I can judge, the
• e -g• ten is well founded, sea '1- . beta, exempt from any legal et
t: thniewl diff.v..y.
khr ezawp.e, it aught, I apprehend, be Matted by the local IsSio-

lature, that any depositor in the urines banks might, by a declare-
Uon to be Made by him for the purvey, render his dep.:rite retues-
able in the foam of credits to be allow, d to Lim in the future purchase
of crown lands, and in that form only. Uf all deposit made on such
Lunn, accounts might be kept at the seeing, banks, as in prevent.
hut any money so deposited might immediately he transferred
to the land fund, and until the depositor was able to effect a purchaea
of the requisite amount, the land thud might, by the authority of the
executive government, be charged with interest on the sums so tram-
leered to that lurid. To reduce depositors to prefer this mode of in.
vesting their easing" to may other, the rate ef interest so tc bechlrged
on the land fund might be higher by perhaps one per cent. than the
rate allowed by law on other deposits. Nor would this be an unrea-
sonable or • gt atm tous boon ; for so the money would be applicable,
without delay, to the intro tucti n of immigrants ham this kingdom,
the public at large would derive from the operation an immediate be-
nefit, sufficient to ooro•teneitc for the mat of thus inducing depositor*
to devote their money • this object.
If any large number of depositors should adopt inch terms, the ac-
cumulated fund would probably become, ere long, very conelderable.
The effect would be, both to enable many of the moot diligent and
thrifty of the uhlbitants tot eer ile graduall y landholders sin t heir own
r.ght, and to make a great and early addition to the number of the
cool:venture for the wages of manual labour.
To such depositors might of course be also held out the same in-
ducement to devote their savings to the purchase of erowu lands,
which is held out to capitalist In gerund, that is, the right of acted-
eating (subject to the sanction of the colonial land and emigration
euessithatorrere) the emigrant, to the expense of w hme voyage to the
1010.7 their saving, should be applied. In the exercise of that right,
the &condone would of ouurse, in general nomina.e their own nean st
kindred in lei. counts y; a choice on every account desirable, if such
kindred should be of the required sees, and purees the requisitequati-
fleation.. In another desteitch of this date I have given you imbue-
teens for adopting an arrangement by which great facilities will to
given to settlers In New South Wales, who may wish to remit money
to amist Mende left in this country to emigrate. The operation of
the messum +Mien I have now suggested, will be greatly amebae.' by
that arrangement.
You will consult the executive runnel) of New South Wales on this
subject, and you will adopt whatever may appear to them and to
yourself .lie mast aided steps for giving practical effect to these
suggestions, t..aring of nurse steadily In mind, that, 'abject to the
condiuer t ertecr.hed by the Constitutional Act for the Government
of New South Wake, her Majesty's government a. a bcuud to rotes
la their own hands 'hose powers of appropriating the proceeds of the
land revenue, for the due exercise of which pasha:nein his rendered
them reeponsible.
Downingetreet, ISt Dee., 1147.—Sir,—In my despatch, No. 212,
of the Nell of August last, I informed you that, in escordanc with
rear recoomiendanon, her Majesty's government had determined
Immediately to recommence sending emigrants to New South Wales
en extent equal to live thousand adults, calculated ex.
°ceding to the Peurengered Act ; and for the purport, of
defraying the elemv of doing so, I authorised you us raise
100,0001. on the credit of the crown revenues, onc.half to be hemmed
by debentures on that revenue in the Sydney or northern division of
the colony, and the other halloo the same revenue in the Fort Phillip
d meson.
. .

When I wrote that devpsteh I was much Inclined to believe that a
larger sum than you had suggested might with great advantage to
the colony be raised for the pupae of emigration, and the further
amounts which have slated reached me as to the urgency of the want
of labour in New South Walm, have removed any doubts I enter-
Uinta, and have convulsed me that, in order effectually to supply
this must, the expenditure you contemplated ought to be very con-
siderably Increased. 1 have also been led to conclude, from the in-
formation 1 have received from various quarters, that the amount of
money necemary to meet such increased expenditure might
be raised within the colony itself, is a manner not only anobjem
tlonsble, but which would be attended with some collateral
advantage.. The measure, which I would fur this purt,mc suggest
for the consideration of yourself and of the legislative council, is tito
creation of a funded debt to a moderate amount. By an act of the
c denial legislature, authority might be given for raising in the vent
three or four years a capital sum or 200,04551. or 200,00111. by the sale
of stock, the interest au which should be the nest charge upon the
colonial revenue after those to which it is rendered subject by the
act of parliament constituting the existing legislature. Such a
measure I regard as likely to prove advantageous to the colony,
not merely on account of the urgent and repeated representations
which have been addressed to me us to the want of labour, hut, also,
bout.e there seems to be good reason to believe that money might
thus be raised upon very favourable terms, and that New South Wades
has now resoled to a stage in the increase of its wealth and
population in which the want of mime such net tins for the secure
vestment of money as are afforded by the politic lands of this country
is beginning babe seriously felt.
mars is in every civilised country, as there certainly is In New
South Wales, much money belonging to parties to whom it is an orb.
lett not mesely of individual, but or general interut, to afford factii-
um for Its swore investment. This applies particularly to the moray
or chariuble somatic% of benefit clubs, and 05 samags banks, twat de-
posited by suitors in the supreme court, or belonging to widows,
orphan, and others incapable of managing them own affairs. Ihe
(mamma of a moderate funded debt affords the means of investing all
property of this description with a degree of convenience and secu-
rity not other.. &Mutable. The safety, the faciitty, and the promo.
titu 'c with 'Mitch stock forming part of such • funded debt can be
Utusaferred, render it also eminently adapted for commercial par-
po.es. For the sake of there advantages, so long as troth is Inviolably
kept with the public creditor, a permanent debt, sanctum d by
the legislature, is likely to bear a nigher value in the market than
either the oldigatiou of individuals or securities of the deecripuoa of
the el • aunts hitherto Meucci in New heath Wales ; in other words,
money raised by the creation of a funded debt would probably be
obtained upon the best terms for the colony.
lam well aware that a strong and, upon the whole, a jut object.
Con Is entertained to the practice ant promaiog for public cumulous,
not out of imome, but by loans, the interest of which lacsines •
borthen uppon succeeding generations. It is no doubt a practice ex-
ceedingly table to abuse, arid one to which rectum. ought only to be
had with the greatest mutton and forbearance; but wimp the object
for which money is to be raised is not unproductive but produc-
tive expenditure, the danger of abuse, and of ultimate in-
convenience ariatng from the contracnon of a publ:s debt,
is very greatl diminished, and in the present instarce, •
as there ma be no reasonable doubt that an addition to the popu-
lation of New South Wales, of the kind which is contemplated, by
affording an additional supply of labour, which is so urgcnUy wanted,
would immediately increase the produetars volt or and wealth of the
community, it may be safely calculated. that no oppressive bulimia
would bc thrown upon the agony by rataing for this purpose a loan
to the extent I have suggested. I should confidently expect that the
mionial revenue, arising as it does mainly from doom on uncles of
general consumption, could not tall to be mares.. by the continuance
of immigration to an extent more than sutticieut to meet the charge
which would arias. from Internet upon the debt.
For the remora adverted to in the latter part of my despatch of
the 3eth August, it would be of importance to the colony that the
loan rhould be raised is securities,, bearing as nearly as may be pos-
sible the market rate of Interest at the time they are issued. Assuming
the market rate of intereat at the time to be 6 per cent, it would is the
first Instance be precisely the time to the colony whether Ore bonds of
100 f. were disposed of at par, bearing that rate of intermit, or who.
Cher, on the contrary, six bonds, also nominally for 100. each,
bearing interest at the rats of eve per cent. were .Id at 5001. in
money. In either case there would be paid into the colonial tremor,
a sum of Stag., for which 301. of interest would annually be payable;
but there would be this very material difference, that by udoptiag the
first of tbese plans, when the time arrived at which the bonds were
made redeemable, either onc-sixth of the capital would be saved in
paying them off, or if this should not be found desirable, the interest
upon them might be redeemed whenever there might occur that fall
In the value of money which usually takes place in the progress of
society.
Sash being some of the remarks of • general nature which have oc-
curred to me, the following are the conditions upon which, on behalf
of the crown, pop would beet liberty to assent to any bill which the
legislature might pass on the present subject :—First, that too sum
to be raised, in addition to the loan of 100,00.4. already authorised to
be borrowed on the faith of the crown revenue, should not for the pre-
sent exceed 200,000 f., to be paid 'by isiatalments, spread over a period
id two or three years; secondly, that the interest an this latter debt
Would be the Mat charge on the general revenue after thus charges
to which It is already subject by act of parliament; thirdly, that
the principal of the debt should not admit of being paid off
until after some definite period, as, for example, 12 or II years, and
should alter wards be redeemable only at the option of the govern-
ment ; fourthly, that the proceeds of the loan should be strictly appro-
priated to promoting the Immigration of persona of the industrious
classes from the United Kingdom; and fifthly, that, bearing in mead
the probability of a future separation of the northern from the
southern districts of the colony, a 'emirate account should be kept of
the expeng dare incurred from immigration into each, in order that
the debt may eventually be divided between them in the same
proportion.
Should the legislature of New South Wales be disposed to adopt the
suggestions I have now thrown out, I should recommend that com-
missioners should be appointed by an act to be pulsed for that pur-
pose, with authority to negotiate the proposed loam. For the emigres
Con of the next year, the loan which I have already directed you to
ream upon the credit of the crown revenue, will be sufficient to pro-
vide; It therefore would not be necessary that the first inataltuenta
of the new loan should ho made payable at an earlier period than
towards the close of the year 180, and Would then continue to be
paid at such intervals as might be likely to meet the payments
which would from time to time become duo for onwards
sent out It would probably be convenient, if an arranges.
merit could be made, wiring the comminsioners some dacretkoary
power as to the times when the different inatalments of the loan
should be culled for, and the Interest upon them should commence,
since it is almost impossible to foresee at what rat it may be pinch.
cable to obtain emigrants of the description required by the colony,
Hitherto, I ant happy to and that the anipranta selected and dna-
patched by the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioner. hove
given great satisfaction to the Inhabitants of those colonies, to libel
of late }care they have been sent; and the last accounts Moos South
Australia, of the manner in which the emigrants who had recently
arrived there had at once found employment, are particularly
gratifying, as abutting that the commissioners had performed with
great discretion the task of selection which has been entrusted to
them. They otlonn me, however, that the supply of really elipele
' , that is, of those of Um proper age, and possessing the re.
q=tsealth and knowledge of some useful description of labour, is
limited, sad that with the demand for emigrants which in now In.
messing, not only for the different Australian colonies, but also fur the
Cape of Good Hope and New Zealand, it is doubtful whether the re.
tamale number will be obtainable. I have instroeted them to teed
to despatch emigrant ships to New South Wide-sin as rapidity:cession
as may be possible, without lowering the standard of the qualifies.
Cons they have hitherto required from the candidates for a tree can.
Trounce to Australia, but that they are not, for the sake of obtaining
a greater number, to accept emigrants of a less useful description. '
Considering the heavy oast to the colonies of the conveyance of mi. •
grants to Australia, I am not of opinion that any should be sent but
such as are really qualified Wbe useful labourers, either in agnoul-
tare, or in some ordinary mechanical employment.
In conclusion, I have to chserve, that entertaining little doubt
from all the accounts which hes c reached me of the prevailing
opinion of the intatitants of New South Wei' test the principle
of the measure will be adopted by the legislative council, I shall
Vac an early opportunity o. transmitting to you suc't farther in-
formation as may appear to roe to be Cal. aced to assist that
body to Its delliemUons on tl b t mole of carrying this design
into effect, so as to render it productive of the largest
amount of benefit +t the eolor.c, • :th the lea_. risk of alms or
inconvenience. With .bat view I shit" request the Lords of the
treasury to favour me with the obsercatisns which the uperienCe
gained in comractlng leo is in this - ittntry may gamut, as to the
arrangements which it will be exp.:ant to make in et:sada:tine an
affair of the Atone dr .c.pUon in New south Wales.
For the meantime we leave these documents to tell their
own tale ; but we will embrace an earls oppot ...mity to offer
some comments on them.