The Express.
London, England, 1849-03-28 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY,

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TuEanAy, Hawn 27.
The lirzagis took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BVSINES&
REPORTS CONSIDERED.—Argyll Canal (Abandonment of tin. I
dertaidniS ka.); North Western Railway (eateasion of Lancaster
breach, abandonment et Witham Leads branch, New.ioad to Settle
Mathis, extensional dm to purchased lands and construe:Sim el
works) ; Bills.
WHIN MINNA
—JERED.—Mdthry; Maine Mutiny;
001011 TEE.—Primmer' RMOTIII anima) M.
parerwria.—ft Mr. non, hem the ome at Good How Mr.
=con South Andras' Sir E. StrITOMy tea thoSitoog
teddy ; Mr. DISRAELI, ken ea hterldeol pe
010551 Mors; Mr. ADDERLET, *am New isehol;
sr the latrassa of markt. into them estartlas.
110T113111 0..111011014.—N0r.. Scam.—Mr. DfWIQJ, ca as
ohltt day. Y pewooe a whim to mm Wheillonto settees .llesdo. re.
Atios to sheered M. Vtibbiebb sot six=Slithe mem la
*ash the alphistrotke et the proOmee
Autainseer—Mr. STAPPMD, lOW pert at larall. 02011-
TIMOR maw for leave to bring in aim rephitlng the boors cd
woes Is trbeAesest at eight.
Thom tam taans.—Mr. READLAM. on *future day, to wove
for hare to Wats a dB on this subject.
DUBLIN CONSOLIDATION IMPROVEMBNT,
WATBZWORKS, AND SEWERS BILL.
Oa the modes felt the second reading of this bill,
Mr. T. O'BRIEN moved as an amendment that it be read I
a snood time that day six months.
Ss J. Y. BULLER snowed that all thew Dahlia bills
UMW bo withdrawn, and that the Juana ahead be taken
up try peassioat.
Mr W. 1103 ORVILLE said the bias had been a lons
One Won ths lone, and had lod to peat dilbreacie of
ghats. TM Lard Lint/mast had en& to Wag the an
Insike psalm ha Dublin to an agreement, end it was Mimi
gbh I'M wssll have been accomplished. The Chinn, of
thaaratat mei a large portion of the Johanna . won of
tbM he masa corporation did not fairly repromat
2111111 a gat a the proposed arrangement was that
lbe corgasatiqp should be dissolved, the wards row
MIRA is& .the body famed in the sun way as
the anatty* earperations °titbit sistalTshouLOrd Mr!
221 two other ialboatisl randoess arporation lad
3Clto this anassmost; sad he hod ore this, fibs
a etao that dm mast had been
A doubling Ilsom Dalin had, howner, dant =liet
WEN ansosadas hat peat of the artimgements mai ast be
gasephd; as bai now to anassaies that me sproussat
taistrna,zzymtho. h.,-, to
ad the ohmage of Commensulailti
eanisostles, what ma hest to bed rs for the Wash of
So annyeve. Ia isesolosse vith the ressmaseshase
et Os boo. henget Ws J. T. MiUm), ho wa sew im-
pose to harass, a matoreiter tbe purpose ho hod andel
IA This wasla WHY earanal some $3l tho gonesmont
adept hat the eirisametense seasaded it. It woad be-
Isseemmy to _opply to the strafing orders commities hr
lon' to Waimea he WI, whisk he hoped would ho gem.
rely aneptate to he sWeees et Dahlia, and taW *
osooltirbelosided woad be the men a bealinee
issa&
hem Asa prdiminly to their
UM hi, lbe ounnassat should require Siam Om' with.
drawal or the regeotion of negotiate bills now helm Vie
brass. (Rear, Mar.)
Mr. GROGAN rejoieed to hear the determinating one
to by the government. Owls/ to the stroog pea=
provallog in Dublin, it was almost impossible to RIO
any mestere which should ave genial satisiseliss. •
only object wee to get a good bill; gad with the aka el se-
he
curing that, would sines% that any Mahn
tairi
ha three bills now before the house should be=
the right boa. baronet had introduced his miser.
Mr. S. HERBERT thought the only chases of getting a
good bill wss fa At
gnernment to take the matter ion
*dr own Mods. At the same time, he hoped that the three
bills new bane the house would not be kept in *Myna,
but be lideeted at once.
Mr. W. PATON rh
ooped that all no throe woad
be dealt with in e way.
Ids. REYNOLDS did not altogether wjeix of;tho gam;
Lepessob=theor zernmernest.
rellleemitdwrof
sa
pcsdss d
ska
adieus • they were elected by a large body of assubsals,
bat arit. by *AO ram psyen and they were therohn Ode
better than a self elowad bOdy. Nevatheless, they sue
el
dto ormsider themselves the boginaug, middle, and sada
wialsipsl respostability. (Laughter.) This holy, lawonr,
gm net approve the bill promised by ble boa. salsa
They Marna the ewers. ion With nto=es= the
inane of Dabber ; but this be Mr. ) At
the rue time, they proposed to ve to the reasidiei
rain an the powers ponnie by she peami
WV, sattPl that clioli"iiiNi taxa, whitiinito he Posed

• Bills.

eitastionr
After • few words from Mr. Rinsonne sad the Earl of
AZONDEL sad Brant, the gallery wee cleared kr a divi-
sion, but none took place, the amendment being agreed to.
DUBLIN CORPORATION WATERWORKS BILL.
Mr. REYNOLDS moved the mooed reading of this bill,
and odd he should preen it to a dion.
The Wee than divided.
1 - hiarthe St
second reading
Aging it
DUBLIN IMPROVEMENT BILL.
This bill was withdrawn.
Is reply to Mr. REYNOLDS,
sk W. SOMERVILLE stated that the government
geoid king in a t ill oa the "abject soots after Suter.
HIGHWAYS IN SOUTH WALES.
' In reply to a question by Vier:eon Eimer, as to the in-
tention d the government respecting the introduction of a
mused for the management of highways in South Wales,
Mr. C. LEWIS said that a biU had been introduced
=the smoke which included all the highways and
reads ia Ennd sad North Wales. South
Wales was net included in that bill, because it had bees
elindy dealt with by • separate act. If thaw bill which
hes Introduced received the sanction of parliament the
of Ilse* Wales would be assimilated to that of the other
ports of the kindest by a separate act. He would peeress
the second reading of the bill till Wednesday, April IS.
VANCOUVER'S ISLAND.
Mr. GLADSTONE wished to know from the hon. gen-
tleman opposite (Mr. Hawes) whether it was the intention
a ber Majesty's government to introduce during the pre-
ssed sears any bill for the pupae of adding to, or Uter-
i& my of the provisions of testier/ statutes having Ten-
ant* No territories of the Hudson's Hu Company in
Amnia, with a view of giving facilities to the roomette
of Or company, or of any settlement formed under it in
Vamoose's'. Island ; and if so whether stick bill would cer-
Oily be introduced at an early period.
Ma HAWKS said, tho only bill intended* be brought is
by the geurnmant war a bill about to be introduced into
the Hesse of Lords by the noble lord at the head of the eolo-
nial olleakthe object of which was to establish ones one&
enure in Vancouver's Island. At present thelaw nquired
that parsecs should be sent or trial to the courts in Candy,
bat as it would be impossible to carry out that act U Van-
couver's Island was coluiled, it was doomed Ressrary to
introduoe a bill for the purpose of withheld/to aura of
judicature in that Island. The bill for this purpose would
be introduced before Easter.
BURIALS IN LARGE TOWNS.
In reply to Viscount DUNCAN,
Sir G. GREY said, that the government had a bill in pre-
parities on this subject.
INTRODUCTION OF CONVICTS INTO THE CO-
, LONY OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
Mr. ADDERLEY said that, in moving for an address to
Ire Majesty to relieve one of her colonies from an affliction
which they deeply felt and "nosily resented, he ehOuld re-
vit that anything which he might teal it necessary to say
'Should be considered as in thealightest degree partaking of the
character of a personal attack. Nothing was further from
1 btu intention, in bringing forward a great grievance than to 4
involve in it blame to individuah. Be haply looked on the i
colonial department of the exectit:ve as the A B C of a. I
problem which was rapidly working to a comelusion—namaly, 1
the destruction of the colonies. Bat, at the mum time, be •
did net think that may maples or draw should stone the •
mambo of mosiabsse IR atWes absrdsvancoe. (Hear.) 1
W
Fee part, he bad the highest et the talent. of the I
shosial 'darter, sad be fully ad that he was actuated i
by a biglimindod desire to fulfil the oaf and carry out the I
object of his depaitmost. He was shad last the question t
be was new 'Misdating le the mho of the house might 4
war from the Met that it was brash' forward by one so •
Ode known Is emenexion with rub nalieete, or hm the 1
oubilfal nide 011ie dealing with it; bears the subject I
1 INS ONO whisk night to stand on its own merits, and should
fret sized mg with others which had only a collateral •
spin ils. However, he was so far fitted
I=Nftess • the 'abject, hat he war quits ashant- ,
by say pectleete,totally uafettand by whathad pushy. 4
the present case, at lust, the colonies would acknowledge 4
lithat they were not indebted to party spirit for the chance of i
ars board in the lame. He spoke of that large and grow-
terfalaut in the empire, one the part of those who were i
waiting tees how this country would fulfil, at 4
1 Wastes; be peat destiny—and ia no respect was it i
them ia tersitals its great colonel empire—whether i
111',..,:a It its is the panel ot growing nation—
whether it would treat atheism se children or aa slaves— I
whither it would suture them co des/rade them—whether 1
it Wald perfect their youthful growth for the future, or •
stunt the growth by Infecting their At with the
weal earn.- a
•
time of its own deempitude. He he Ir
consult the patinae of, the bates sod interest el the
quallen by shortly rides the um be bed; to make. •
Hie sass was *o—But Osen bakes &sided es a sew ea- I
k @soviet dissWe, soda
that sapielment
thhertation of useless to New Seth Weak with Margent et the legislative council of thee:dew, and was
mew theminteratrriiitortatot the
only
witialiotts
tre fig of the !
skidelli SWIM reremonstrances, of the ',ban gelenzatille 1
eg
womb' me stop to estimate the vase of the asomene ad
hustbs mama of New South Wain, bet fhb lis might I
=that It was obtained on the snare dist for every
a fres emigrant should also be sent et The base •
path el the astract wee Raver curial out. The ohm
W the ash* without the free andsrants, and be mut mg
they donna tbe treatment they hafreosived the
the peva% es such despicable terms. Meth) air=
herr has Issue to imegthe tbe degree of diementeth width
the yahoo sashed in the colony, treadsfoalthat is bed se
sees feud riproseion in that WNW doe* tiao manor
apriess width the celoniel gevatheest therm fre ea
suatiodios of public °pries in 611 seissy. He either-
sisal thei the justthratioa im this toesselhot an the pot at
the sails lord was stirthai is they MI -given a smirk
sum of messy to soodase the Liz war. they bad a right
,to demariesies return dun the ahoy. He appealed to
bane DOW the ht2sisit Imam *sir dogemilmais In
oak a messer ; he with the Nudes et Westin
meat aim for pupas @Allis
open it in. the flat boamse ;be tesTrtealit
sostrit hie mien esti oeseseress of the noble
bah lAA, amen in toselles. e a=ito e their love
el lenthr, be magesisithellimir love of - sal Omagh
As te Ms Male* Walla that die mull =L.
:nigWe sloth teem the mg,' et her
dem. ittAttme hair ~dash bed lona cow
bf . B. we deslieue that tide
gashes shaMeliMestatriZme a qualm =of alesiel
aimed **St amid be hops teem the
et sermelery puslimestealikelis waled to the
des
asi to them, In S who mime haburiled in the w-
rath valley et the semmay, mot to this uas-
hes whit that et she gbilissephy of y '..ms' vat. qHe
that the tecoirarilese might not be orlolead,
Illigat which he te being peembesty 'beton the
bum elaseld be lambi am* fr es theithatal spired*.
He said this, net bemuse be of Isi es swede the question
of esessdroy s. as, le ems wan to admit, for the
sake el eigumeo- t, that hie aloha us ant sat to the Cape
would be at the Isms duo add to the selesias es servants,
mad wail De a Neel Maims, to this wasetry. He would
Oa side that it the airebes at the Caps
owed to re.
meert rate, hie argument wank! fah lie the grosnegsmid that if
the p,emment cashed eat the asemenra in eot to all the
whisks the great phut et Ms ore w fail. Hav-
img simitted Stu Sees mile. to raise the quad=
et seethathy punishments eienli le te Rath beside the
quotilmo. (Hem) He them& they Oahe deal with the
ashat osestien, ma a quids. to
the col*.
sir. MI thueght tbsy shed& p Meer ioto the social
asses chime, and saisalms to Nimes the number of their
eishoth lather than viewthe irealthemt of their mulcts in
sum:alms with the selemhe. Es wadi now pocued to
peers his Megalith the Cetera Doprotarat—
sumely, *et bed sow he tie fiat doe sestesseicts to
the Caps, meA they bad Awe es apilmet the IMOt.
dna.. aft, He woad dos_ Awes that the C ape,
se sii theirwires, had the most sloth is this mod
ll* hli rested to game *0 aids tet all—
this transothes Nile noble was not
zajwity il Oat boas, it would be a
1 alai "Md. If die thitherath policy of the noble
, ,Ile lave theft thought. It secreary to pram the
Ffeat that isms Wesenuoitat essmed to estet with
I mud le hem the thet limit some Majous_ the some a-
phis boys bees sate
_th es birth in Table Bay by •
pidiamthregie ossirly is Ms iswiln. Although this was

UM a sending out of convicts, the eolosists at the Cape
migeogly rensoassrated egoism it, end the plat was erne a
Wail. Ms. torreepohleam edn& took paw Wilms two
sammadee sodgetarbe 'of state and Mr. Moutsga• re-
zZit the thapitereent of pewee eureka is the
. ti labour gangs,• might - Jibe give riga to
the that the convict system existed
t onetimeat the Cape; but that was not the
fact. . .Conviete Imo now sent out far the filet time.
But that wee not all. It weagersisted is against the remon-
strances of the coloaiMa. Nor was that all, for by a most in-
puking exaggeration_ of insult, simultaneously with the an-
aouncement of the pi* a gentleman was sent out, by way of
• curious pathological experiment,
sations which it would produce in the colony. There was
little doubt let on that rine ; for the largest meeting that.
ever assembled in Cape Town met for the parpoce of remon-
strating whist it. (Hem, hear.) He had caked for papers
ea this point which vete .in this country for the lad two
moons, but he was told they never existed. (Hear, hear.)
He was now referring to the communication of the governor.
He asked for the communication over and over again, but
he could not get it. Hs viably might have iled
the document A, when its real name was B, and there-
fore he was told that it never existed. (Hear, bear.)
At one of the largest meetings ever known in the colony a
number of reeolutioos were unanimously adopted. In these
it was declared that the measure of the government deeply
effected the eltaracter of the colony ; that it would prove ex-
ceediegly dangerous to the lives and property of the inhabi-
tants, and retard their improvement, and would also deter
emigrants of pod character from going out ; that there
were native tribes on the borders which would render the
measure highly dangerous ; and that the colonies adhered
therefore to the determination expressed by them in 1842 to
remooerate agairst what was contemplated. Tho.mosting
fatale'. suggested that if any convicts 'hand arrive before
her Majesty's pleasure bad been ascertained, they should be
kept on hoard transports ; and they came to a wianionous
resolution not to employ a single convict. The Caps of
Good Hope had never, they said, fern its first settlement,
received from Europe ore any portion of ita popula-
tion from prisms or petal establishmees, but on the wo-
man. had always required evidence of good chaster as a
condition of residence. They stressed surprise that her
Majesty's Secretary of State should thee deal with their
most vital interests without communicating wish the legisla-
tive council of the colony,. and in direct opposition to the
opinion of the governor himself, who sympathised in their
remonstrance ; and they hoped that whet ques-
tions of purely domestic policy affective( -the in-
habitants of the colony came under consideration
in future, what was contemplated would be communicated to
her Majesty's loyal subjects, through the einistitutiosial than
nob, before it was finally resolved upon. That was the se-
cond document. The third was a memorial of the colonists
kthe governor himsel which they apeed to his well-
own sympathy withtheir remonstrancp which
e wich he nand
lame reed to the house. One might have thought that the
Teeeption of three such communications would have produced
Noe influence on the colonial minister. No sash thing.
Oa the 16th of February the noble lord announced that he
had carried his measure into effect, utterly diereguding the
indignation which it must excite, and feeling, perhaps, that
if there were not miles enough of nto diesipate the
oomplaints of the colonists there wu ate ast strength enough
to stifle them. He, for one, would not consent to vote a
shilling to quell the spirit which such a proceeding was cal-
culated to rouse. He would now prove that this colony had
special grounds for claiming the right to remonstrate against
an Whalen of this kind. The colony of the Cape of Good
Hope was an old and most respectable Dutch settlemen.. It
originated similarly to, and almost simultaneously with, the
emigrations to New England i and by a singular coincidence
it received an infusion of a similar character to that which
was ezherieneed in New England through the revocation of
the edict of Nantes, when a largo body of French protestant
refugees—persona of intelligent minds, industrious habits,
and austere morale, joined themselves to the colonists, and
he believed that to this day many of the colonists retained
muck of their original character, contrasting strongly with
some money-tusking settlements which were devoted almost
exclusively to material interests. The regulation which re-
quired certificates of good character in the case of strangers
resembled some of the laws of New England, and though
that regulation might provoke a sneer, it certainly proved
the existence of sensitive minds and of • moral and
religious tone in the community, which ought to be
respected and not outraged. There were other
Pounds on which the Cape ought not to be experi-
mented upon es a penal colony. The colonise mentioned
the neighbourhood of barbarous tribes—a bad neigh-
bourhood for convicts, as all experience proved
ma—and th
ice
peculiar features of the country.country.„ hich ke an
vasion of convictsbear &large proportion to thewholecommu.
nity. They stated their own unfitness for the experiment
most happily by saying that they were not prepared with
gaols to remove the contamination of convicts. lie would
now proceed to prove that the sanctioning of this musses
on the part of the house would be a rearrgrade move-
ment. There were two theories of coloniaation ;
one, that oath dependency was a mere slave and
utensil ;lithe mother country, the other that it was the off-
spring and child of the mother country, and es such worthy
of the parent's care. The colonists of the Cape of Good
Hope, like those who went out with Lord Baltimore and
with Penn, could claim our sympathy on amount of simi-
larity of language, of religion, and of origin. De Tocqueville
had observed, with his usual sagacity, that all our colonies
had flourished or declined in proportion to the liberality or
illiberality of the terms of their first establishment ; end
this country had shown its desire to rise to • higher
system of colonisattim in the eases of Port Phillip
and New Zealand. This comae, had formerly tried the
patience of the Americans in the same way as it was now
trying that of the Cape of Good Hope. The parental inte-
rests were alone thought of; the filiel ream:erases was dis-
regarded. The Cape of Good Hope was not, perhaps, strong
enough to emancipate itself as America did, and the noble
lord might use the difference in that respect, if he pleased,
.V way epalliative for what he was doing. America emu-
reed heresies she said, " I am willing to be year child,
lag I am too sensible to be year slave ;' and when
she had @errata from England, we set to work to
establish elsewhere the convict cesepcola which she refined
any looser to supply. Carlyle had related with fitting dis-
gust, that when Louis XV. found that all remedies
failed to cure the diseases which he hid contracted by his
I
vices, he resorted to the most selfish and brutal expedient
ever heard of. Finding that be could not restore health to
his vitiated body by ordinary Means, he had recourse to
virgin purity in order to secure his object. Mutate amine,
de to fabula norresr. It might be said, "What are we to
do to carry out Oar system of punishments ?" He was not
in Ole slightest degree discemiag the questionof transportation;
but he must say, that by sanotiosing the noble lord's measure
they would be adopting to the full extent a debasing systek
of colonisation. (Hear, hear.) Before they did that let
them count the cost. If they meant to make their colonists
slaves they might consistently treat them as slaves ; but in
that case they might bps to keep them altogether. (Hear,
hear.) A generous mode of treating the colonists would, he
believed, in the end prove the cheapest. It they were to
adopt this plan let them adopt it impartially._ Let them not
select a week colony, but let Cana&, the Teem Indies, or
New Zealand, be subjected to the infliction. Now,
what did the noble lord assign as • justification for
this measure ? He said that the government had
' If
certain sum on the Rider war, and it was, there-
right that they should avail themselves of the Cape.
If justification were sufficient, how had it boon carried
eat? In a despatch sent out to New South Wales the noble
haul the Secretary for the Colonies had instructed the go
1 mast of that colonyw to employ
748 f a similar argument—to lay,
la dbl... " We ha spent • great dral on the be or
Pik red Hide therefore only right that youadi shngould
use Ow espotes." First, convicts were seat to create •
amemity Isr a gaol, sod then the gaol was used as a plea for
twain convicts. (Laughter.) In like meaner it was
the keliff of the mother country which created
I the =ass war, and then the ripeness of that war
msztedig es an teems for sending out convicts. It re-
the saes of a landlord claiming compensation from
his tenant for damage dente by his game to the tensat's pro-
perty. (Laughter.) In a despatch to Sir Henry Pottinger,
the noble lord himself described the war as a Molest to be
lamented, involving • Md. destruction of privaMproperty,
an interruption of the proceed puisaits of the colonises, and
all the lamentable disasters indolent to • war Irish a bar-
barous people. It was heed], to be wondered at that, after a
war of that dander, the Weabar should have claimed cm-
Cr, and that Match's should have been supported by
illeadaser ; and thesis% Lord Grey, in his •reply,
would sot admit the slain, he never thought of putting in a
claim on the Mbar side. That bad occurred sines. He ap-
pealed to hos. madams opposite, whether the Iscrilicaties
est up was not En mese ingsaleas One ever heed eL He
drab, believed that there was searoslyeac hasnlentionem
en the treasury-Mash who wield sot Wilt to Mid edema
he tech en enema% and that the mile niplealicastapt leel
his blood rising at the thought that 'the govilmegat had
been mole remeasible Ise that whisk 'woe so
of the (maple of this esaatry. He felt -
whet he appealed to the seam of the house crae
Onee-feerthe of the house would be with him.,-lie
epathy mere thaatesseelt WWouldGut be could, tram.
pert • few hen.i I. the Cape! (Greif laughter.)
earatts mince demiessarengs. rent„.
Ors gees east mita subsets i
Let Ma. members place themselves for ere- menteat li
the potties ot thine colonhts. Let them cceadve of a
tartars wens that that of Tantalus. It was *ld of men in-
spited with the seatimente of English freedom unable to get
their grim:sem heard, their complaints unheeded, while
they were main themaelves ming the tombs of frustrated
esergire. Did Uri house wish the government of the Cape
to be regulated by public opinion 1 If so, let them not
ea public opinion err:tend in the colony. (liens,
reirals as
Re looked to the public opinion of that house. He
to Ma. membe whether they would save • colo-
Zka members isadaister, and lose a colonial empire; whether they
Timid sauctan en absolute tyranny, which, without a mo-
tion like that of which he lad given Reties, would never
naive a cheek, sad suffer a system to continue which would
eat as a canon tote the vitals even of the mother country.
The words of the motion were quaint, and •ht Marshes
provoke • sneer; bat he had adopted them hesrges they
wore employed by the colonists themagme. The be.. nen-
her Jima maned :
net en bumble Wren be preennled teller tlf. lgsrlegrikat
bar maw/ en le weeks* elereo. eat et itimee the
bonesellepdleantimelvelltee ether ette Nis reereforaa
aria~ Weir that Ili blew% impsairotei NAM Rif b. Noma
lie lieweeeesidlletien d big nide • imeleelo for the sow
*eel MEIN" el the mar restr, awhile es prison" free
tai sir Win et Oiler et tam.
Ilk G. GREY mall
if
the bra. Ira thst he
bad bra much esimahat if be had hum bra a
awe abbot at Ire lams of this reties co at the subject
whisk lab latielard. He fully admitted the importance
et*, saided, nil he emennal in of the hen, gentle-
Melee remarks la seferenes le . It was his duty,
beaver, to worn the home of dr orreatalaets which might
malt km a rash, hasty, mad Ilbeemliered adoption of the re-

211111tiened ?
Mr. ADDERLET said he meant the memorials.
Sir G. GREY used the hon. gentleman must be aware
that his hou. friend (Mr. Hawes) could not produce extracts
from newspapers. (Hear. hear.) lie could only produce
what had been received 'officially from the governor of the
colony. (Heir, hear.) reeling that, if transportation were
to be continued, they should look not only to their own con-
venience, but also to the ceneenience of the colonise, his
noble friend addressed a circular to the governors of the va-
rious oolonies,requeting them respectively to report the opi-
nions of the inhabitaste on the subject, and to state
whether they were willing to receive convicts who might
obtain employment, the government being desirous not to
take any step in the matter without first conciliate the
colonists themselves. The hon. gentleman sa4 that not
only did not the noble lord consult the in
of the
Cape, but he persevered and persisted in sending out con-
victs. Now he would make this admission to the hon.
gentleman, that, after sending this circular letter,
his noble friend did, under peculiar circumstances,
wi ngthout waiti tor an answer from the Governed
of the Ceps of Good Hope, direct that a ship I
should proceed from Bermuda to that colony. But his
noble friend had not persisted in sending convicts subse-
qnently to the receipt of the remonstrance to which the hon.
gentleman had referred. All the arrangements were mad.
before the remonstrance was received, and he (Sir G. Grey)
was not at all disposed to uy that his noble friend would be I
prepared to persist, in opposition to a decided expression of
opinion on the part of the colonists. lie had felt it his duty
to consult the colonists, in order to ascertain their opinion.
He would shortly state the circumstances under which the
ship referred to lead been ordered to carry certain convicts
from Bermuda to the Cope. He had explained en • 'recent
occasion *every great difficulties which had impeded of late
the carrying out the system of transportation, qui.• indepen-
...tinily of the temporary suspension of transpntation to an
Diemen's Land. The pecular circumstances of Ireland
during the past two years had eccasioned a large
incr.ase in the number of transportations from that coun-
try, for whereas the ge of transportations from
Ireland previously had not exceeded 600 per annum.
the number in 1847 reached 2,698 ; the returns for 1848
were not yet made. lie had been placed in peculiar embar-
rassment by the remonstrances made to him, not only by the
Colonial-office, but by the colonies, against the transmission
of convicts to those colonies; to which the only answer he
could make was, that as logs as transportation remained a
portion ot the law of the laningd; aid so long as men were trans-
ported, the minister fill he filled must
as a matter of course wad these convicts somewhere. Ile
hid received also ninon • tranoes from the Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland and from individual Irish members, stating that the
gaols in Ireland were overcrowded in coneequence of the
number of convicts lately sentenced. He had en-
deavoured to remedy the evil ft' j hettblishing depots in
various pl.ces, of which that at Spice Island would
shortly be in a condition to hold 1,400 convicts, while
several others in different districts would contain an
aggregate of 2,000 more. The house would recollect
that two years ago an act was passed, permitting Irish con-
victs, as well as convicts from Great Britain, to be sent to
Bermuda and Gibraltar. In pursuance of this act, 700
Irish convicts bad been sent in 1847 to Bermuda. On the
22nd of June, 1848, Captain Elliott, the governor of Ber-
muda, wrote to Earl Grey, entreating the companionate
consideration of the government for the case of • certain
amber of the Irish printers transported to that island.
Cep. Elliott pointed out theta( the 700 cleaving forwanledby
the Medway and Bengaline, a large number were
who had, under the peculiar cireumnances of Irelandat the
tithe, been sentenced for steeling.food to save themselves
from starving, or for politico-agranan offences committed to
a gnat extent under the inflammatory incitements of syste-
matic agitators. Many of these convicts it was stated were
mere boys, and the greeter portion of them poisons who ex-
hibited no innate depravity, but on the contrary, a disposi-
tea to conduct themselves well. Capt. Elliott proposed tat
be should be empowered to appoint a committee with power
ea select so many of these convicts as should appear entitled
Ilto the comparative indulgence of being conveyed from Ber-
Enda. on tickets °Heave, to Van Diemen's Land and elsewhere.
Earl Grey having consulted him (Sir G. Grey) on the sub-
ject of this suggestion, he concurred with his noble friend in
thinking that to the cases indicated the indulgence sought
might
not only safely but advantsgeously be extended.
Gan letterswhith came from B•711111(111 shortly afterwards,
thentod more clearly that many of the Irish convicts were
nere youths, not to be considered fit otjects to be mixed
lup with the ordinary convict population. Twelve of them
for example were under 16 years of. age, and there was one,
a boy of 13, who had been sentenid to transportation for
16 y oars for eitespetealing. (Hear, hear.) These lads Capt.
Elliott bad ordered to be kept separate from the rest of the pet-
and not to be allowed to work in gangs with them.
Capt. Elliott,* pursuance of his instructions, appointed a
committee, whith selected a certain number of sonnets from
the particular class of prisoners indicated in the first in-
stance, adding to these a certain number of other woven,
whose combat • since their arrival in the Wand had been
good, and win, le common with the others, seemed well
adapted for making the contemplated experiment in ea
manner the least offensive to the feelings of the colonists,
and the molt beneficial to the convict' themselves. Pre-
vious to the departure of the convicts a selected,
the governor receind a communication from the Rev. Mr.
Kennedy, the Roman catholic chaplain to the Irish eon-
wins, requesting that nine oases specially recommended by
him might be added to the number already selected, and
this request wee complied with. It might be a satisfaction
Ito those who feared that a mond taint would be inflicted en
the Cape by the introduction of these men into the colony,
lo iseen the statement of Mr. Kennedy in relation to the
persons recommended by him. " Dave every reason to be-
have " said the rev. gentleman, that these men will be
neod.sted faithful subjects of the queen and valuable mem-
hen if society, in the plate whither they are about to he
Met. The prisoners lately sent here, and to whom year
indulgence applies, were sentenced under peculiar circus-
stansea, for ateelinii food in a state of famine, and for political
ethane sommitted under the instigation of other people."
(Hear, hew.) He (Sir G. Grey) did not read this extract
with any eke of extenuating the actual offences of the con-
victs in rination ; it was possible that under the peculiar
eireassumosa of Ireland at the time, these sentenced ware
pen memo than they might have beenunder
tsary. eisemsestanoes ; lint to have placed them at
liberty would have produced an impression of the impu-
nity of ease which the government could not consistently
with its manifest duty encourage. (Hear, hear.) Then
wee the .hitherto send them ; and, upon a re-
ins al ali-tbe abonthenose el tke ease, it had been deemed
most expedients transmit them to the Cape, the convicts so
tneenitted being all of them men mining within the de-
scription to which he Withered ; and he trusted that there-
salt wouldbewholly toremovelbess—he must call them nag-
gerated--appreheasion *bleb the seknists appeared to enter-
tain. on the subjeet. Iskondasthisyled been, and judiciously
dbtributed over the ere Malan oontrol,he Weeny
hope that omelets tht they tedithselly were, they would
grove themselves vet assunkin to the colony. (Hear,
leer.) One other smith not exactly, perhaps, coming under
the general delieiteny had eke beet fuwarded to the Cape,
for this reason, that his beet& was each as not to enable him
to remain in Beranek eamistently with the preservation of
his life—be referred to John Mitchel. It was doubtful,
, however, hem the latest amounts of his health, whether he
I would melt the Cape alive. As to future arrangements,
MA Grey wan in no degree desirous of acting counter to the
resawastrasom of the Cape colonists on the subject, shouldthey, on rethelien, and after expellees* had of the convicts
already tramthiterd to the Cape, renew those remonstrances.
(Hear, hear.) Earl Grey had never entertained any desire
M nem the entinuanee of the system in the Cape, against
the entinuod feelicgofthe colonists. (Hear, hear.) It would,
inked, sisarly be not worth while to make the attempt, at
the manse of a content dispute with a colony ',respectably
naap:sed as that of the Cape. While disposed, however,