The Express.
London, England, 1848-07-26 00:00:00

no such pledge. They did whet was often done by the these colonies was not less than two millions steree—.
Secretary. of State for the Coloa'ma whenttn he removed a mafterwards we paid two
.millions a year for the chance of
person from a judicial or other , o , stating that getting purchuers for six millions
.a year of exports, oge._
although he felt bound to remove him there was hear.) Cut off the whole of this two millions a yea. i
nothing to preclude the crown from appointing penditure, and there would not be a diminutive in the al:
i
him again to some other situation is another mend for our exports to the extent of a single pound. oar;
colony. There might be local reasons to unfit him average of the last sixty years oar North American co'ore—,
for the particular piece he occupied, without any imputation in one way or another, had not coot us less than ain 'Mole.-
whatever being cast upon his character, conduct, or caps- year, or, in other wines, full 30 per cent.onoturhe ele,"
bilities to p his being appointed elsewhere. More thither. (Hear,hear.) On what principle did wet :tau, i
than that the judicial committee of the privy council had 9,000 troops there ? To protect our colonies from"' thee
not donee and he (Lord J. Russell) saw no reason for gum United States , If the colonies were loyal, they couldvery
toning the discretion of Lord Glenelg or Lord Ripon in not well protect themselvesthey were not foyal twice
having thought it necessary again to appoint Sir .1. Claridge. troops would not at all answer the purpow 41earb9er)
The only question that remained was, whether the House of Even suppose our North American colonies slid ja,,,e-
Commons should ask the crown so to appoint him, and on the United States, we should, in a commercial D 0.6-1
that question he had only to remark that they had quite of view at all events, be the better f ' -,-1.....
business enough to occupy their attention, without under- change. In that commercial point of view the Uniteda "teetaking to interfere wail the patronage of the crown. themselves were as much our celonies as ever, and beta--;
(" Hear, hear," and cries of " Divide.") colonies for the purpose than any of those we retained at
Mr. GOULBURN and 01r. UUQVULIST supported the such a heavy outlay. (Hear, hear.) In 1814 the decline
motion. value of our exports to the United States did not tell cohort
1. ster'tlesag.d
Sir J. HOGG admitted the ease was one of hardship, but of 8,000,0001. sterling, the whole expenditure throughoutithtlee
hoped the right hon. gentleman would not divide the union not exceeding 15,0001. tin the VIITI,US consular sate.
-
blishmenta. (Hear, hear.) As to emigration,
house.
Mr. HENLEY protested against judicial appointments Suites received every year more of our polopmootil,r,000•
••10U as ere,
teeing forced upon the crown by addresses of that house. grants than did all our own colonies put together. (Hear,
(Hear, hear). hear.) In the West Indies we kept up S force of 6,004 ~„-,,n--,
Mr. GLADSTONE replied, maintaining that sufficient at a cost of 613,0001., the civil and other expereliture .-,,e.-' I
had been said to justify Sir J. Claridge is believing that he the total expenditure to not less than 700,00111. per saorar—e
would be reappointed ; but, as the sense of the house was (hear, hear)—being 26 per cent. on the entire of our ixportsurs.agsinst it, he would not divide, thither, which exports, be it remembered, were every ,
Motion by leave withdrawn. decreasing. It would be well worth our while, in" hie
opinion, to give the West India colonist.
COLONIAL EXPENDITURE.
Sir W. MOLESWOIiTI.I rose to bring forward the fol- on condition of their becoming indi pendent boots. It would
lowing motion : " That it is the opinion of this house that effect a saving of full 350,000/ per annum to this comp,
the colonial expenditure of the British empire demands in- In our Australian
colonies, including New Zeeland, we ee'
quiry, with a view to its reduction ; and that, to ac- pended in military outlay 270,0001. per annum, and in Wm.
complish this object, and to secure greater content- items fully 30,0001. more, the declared vilue ot our exports to
ment and prosperity to the colonists, they ought to be invested these colonies not exceeding one million sterling ;so thee
with large power' for the administration of theirlotal affairs." here again our expenditure amounted to 30 per cent. on oar
He maintained, and was prepared to show, that that redue- exports. By reducing our military estelash.aeuts in these
tion might take place without detriment to the interests of colonies within reasonable limits, we should save another
the empire, and with advantage to the government of the million per annum. As to the purely commerci il colonies,
colonies, rendering tneir resources more useful and their in- if they were entrusted with their just ri,zht or „If eeeee
habitants more attached to the British empire. In speaking meet, they need cost us nothing at all ; and here would be
of the colonies, he alluded to those only which were under effected an enormous annual saving. At present scarcely say
the jurisdiction of the Colonial-office. They embraced an thing could be worse than the system ot their envernment by
area of between 4,000,000 and 5,000.000 of square miles, the Colonial-office. As to money matter-,he had lecrore him a
about 1,000,000 of which were divided into forty differeet co treasury minute of June 16,in whieb my lortiF COMpiamett very
lonies, having separate governments, and 6,000,000 of inha- emphatically of the delay, on the part of the Colonialeeffin,
bitants, one half of whom only were of European origin ; in the auditing of the colonial accounts, specifying, among
their expenditure amounts to about 8,000,0001. annually, one other glaring instances, that the accounts of Mauritius were
halt being defrayed by the colonies, and the other by Great in arrear 10 yearn, those of the Cape of Sheol Hope 8, these
Britain. That portion defrayed by Great Britain was under of Ceylon 6; the arrears, as to the other colonies, rangiest
four different heads—military, naval, civil, and ex- from 4to 5 years. (Hear, hear.) The hon. member pro
-
Unordinary. The military expenditure in 1832, was ceeded to show that the rate of expenditure in the cross
1,700,0001. ; in 1843, it was 2,600,000/ ; and, at present, colonies was infinitely more than the expenditure in the
it could not be leas, having in our colonies about 42,000 colonies which, more or less, administered their own interne!
troops, for which alone we should have to v0te0,600,0001. ;so affair' by the means of representative assemblies. Omitting
that he thought he under-estimated the present military east from his calculation Ceylon—as not properly a colony—the
in saying it was only 2,500,0001. They had 255 ships in military stations on the West Coast of Africa, and the
commission, and taking 40 of them, with a complement of lonian States, he found that the rate of expenditure in the
8,000 men, SS required for the colonies, the naval expense tot mer class of colonies was on the average' half len than
must be at least 700,0001.. to which must be added the cost that of the latter class. The population of the
of naval establishments and works, and freights, and expense colonies with representative assemblies was 2,580,000,
of reliefs, raising that sum to more than 1,000,0001. The and the expenditure upon them 1,930,0001., being
civil expenditure annually voted in the miscellaneous esti. at the rate of Its. Ild. per head per annum
mates consisted of a great variety of item, and amounted to The population of the colonies without represea-
-300,0001. ; and the extraordinary expenditure made up of tative assemblies was 820,000, and the expenditure
such charges as for relief to sufferers, money lent to South 1,420,0001.. being at the rate of 11. 14s. e head; or lit. 7d.
Australia, and promised to be lent to the West Indies, inieht at more then in the other elms of colonies. (H, or, hear.) In
the lowest calculation be put down at 200,0801., making the North American colonies the rate of expeethture was the
altogether 4,000,0001., which, however, was much under the lowest, for there was the greatest amount of selegovernment.
real expenditure by Great Britain on account of her colonies; There the population, in 1815, being 1,700,000, the exrendi-
while the declared value of our exports only amounted to tore was 1,134,0001,, or 13s. 4d. per head, and taking into
9,000,0001., 1,000,0001. of which was an export trade to account that half a million of the sum was a special amount
Gibraltar ter smuggling into Spain. So that our expendi- raised by loan for public works, the expenditure in point of
tore amounted to Os. for every 11. worth of goods we ex- fact was only Os. per head, and even this amount was
ported. (Hear, hear.) Now colonies ought to be useful for thirty per cent. higher than the expenditure ix
political or commercial objects, and witk that view were the United States. The difference arose in meet
sometimes employed as military stations. But he would ask measure from the enormously horsy salaries pale in
what we derived from our military colonial stations? They our colonies to the higher functionaries, who received
were said to be necessary for purposes of aggression. But in three or four times more than the lame clam of functionaries
periods of war they might prove a source of weakness, in- received in the United States. The Governor eif Canada, for
stead of strength, as they would oblige us to scatter example, superintending a population of 1,200,000, received
when we ought to concentrate our forces (hear, 7,0001. per annum, while the President of the United Stake
hear) and in the case of a serious struggle we had only 5,0001. per annum; the Governor of New York,
might be compelled to abandon them to their fate. Pass- with a population of '2,600,000, receiving 8001. per annum
ing over Gibraltar end Malta, he would ask where was the The Chief Justices of Upper and Lower Canada had 1,5001. a
necessity of protecting the lonian States with 2,500 troops, at year each ; the Chancellor and Chief Justices of New York
a cost of 130,0001 , that sum being eomething more than the had 8001. a year each. The l'uisne Judges of Canada had
value of our exports to those states? (Hear, hear.) In 1,0001. a year each; and of New York, 2001. a year each;
1842 they were 122,5001. in artier with this country ; and he the Governor of Nova Scotia had 3,500/. a year; the Gown
doubted not that, instead of diminishing, it had since in- nor! of New Brunswick and Newfoundland had 3,0001. a
messed, while we were this year to be called upon to vote year each; while the Governor of Massachusetba with a mach
12,0001. to cemplete the fortifications. Bermuda, another huger population, had only 5001. a year. The same rate of
military station, expended since the peace 600,0001. upon lavish expenditure prevailed in our other colonies : there
military and naval works ; and to complete the fortifications were the Governors of Mauritius and Ceylon
we must expend 260,0001. more. St. Helena cost with their 7,0001. a year each ,• the Geeneor
us 40,0001. a year. Our colonies on the coact of Jamaica with 6,5001. • year; the Governors of
of Africa cast 52,0001. a year; while we spent at Gibraltar, Malta, &ea with their 5,000/. c year a piece, and
least 500,0001. a year in vain attempts to sup- so on ; while, if the colonies had to make the appointments,
pros the slave trade. He could not avoid recommending they would select much better men than the present avenge
the house to dispense with their military stations on the for a fourth of the cost. (Hear, hear.) In the West Indies,
coast of Africa. Then there was the Cape of Good Hope, Jamaica, the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands, with
larger in extent than the whole of the United Kingdom, the exception of St. Lucia, and Bahamas, with emulation of
rendered particularly remarkable of late by the Kaffir war— 700,000, had en expecditure of 4.50,0001., or 125.10 d. a head,
the fourth war within the last twelve years ; one which the rate of Jamaica being 133. Compare these with St.
formed • strange instance of the little influence exercised by Lucia, Honduras, Trinidad, and British Guiana, with
the Colonial-office over a elistantcolony—(kear, hear)—whice a population of 190,000, and an expenditure (exclusive
cost this country 1,100,0001., and which would in all pro- of immigration) of 284,0001., being at the rate of 11.95.,
bability cost us 800,0001. or 900,0001. more. When Sir or twice that of colonies with representative assemblies.
Henry Pottinger came to the colony he was astonished at And there again the:salaries of the higher functionaries
the proofs he found of the enormous expenditure that had were excessive : there were twelve governors andlieutenent
been committed, of the monstrous peculation that had been governors, with 29,000/. a year. At the Cope and Mauritivi
perpetrated, and peculation in which there was reason to there was a population of about 160,000. These being mown
believe men of very high station had been implicated. colonies the rate of expenditure was about the same as the
(Hear, hear.) As an example of the reckless expenditure crown colonies in the West Indies, 11. is.
a he
Govead. T
he would mention, that a party of colonists settled in a Governor of Mauritius receives 7,0001. a year ; rnor of
frontier village had been receiving rations, &c., from the the Cape 5,0001. (Hear, hear.) It might be said, that
government to the extent of not lees than 2,000/. per annum, the rate of expenditure was higher in the moan colonies
on the pretext that they served as a sort of out-post. What because they were more thinly inhabited ; but the mesa
had the renewal of the Kaffir war been owing o? Simply colonies of Mauritius were four times as thickly inhabited
to the circumstance that 20 oxen having been stolen by some as Jamaica, yet the rate of expediture at Jamaica was
natives, although immediate restitution was made half less than that of Mauritius. (Hear, hear.)
of 16 of them, the governor chose to say he was Now, with respect to the Australian colcnies, he found that
not content with this restitution, but must proceed only one of them—New South Wales was the orly me,
to punish the whole nation to which the robbers belonged. which had a legislative assembly; and tee consequence
The war which proceeded was conducted on principles the wag that a reduction had taken place in the expeaditum of
least likely to bring it to a satisfactory Wye, the troops em- that colony immediately after the constitution had been
ployed being partly old peninsular soldiers, whouy =ace granted to it. From the years 1841 to 1845 the expenditam
customed to the sort of warfare, and partly of bees", dra- had averaged about 31. 45. per head on the whole popalatioa
g- one, armed with heavy rifles which, once discharged, they of New South Wales. In the year 1846, one twelvemonth
could scarcely menage to reload without dismounting, and after the legislative assembly had begun to sit
the expenditure
it was not until recovese was had, by the new governor, to was reduced to 11. Bs. per head, or less. than half what it had
Let him compare the ex nditure of New
native fours, officered by young and dashing British officers, been previcusly. pe
that success was accomplished. When Sir H. Smith arrived South Wales with that of the kindred eileuy of Van Die.
to replace Sir H. Pottinger he found the struggle termi- wen's Land, where it amounted to 41. fa. .
Neils
natcd, and all the new governor did was to make the native 1881, a sum three times greater than in
chiefs kiln his feet, and to add to our possessions some 40,000 South Wales after the legislative assembly was established
square miles of territory, of as barren and useless land, to This excessive exrenditure occasioned the greatest discontent
use the surveyor's phrase, as was to be found on the at Van Diemen's Land, and it caused excessive tandem
earth's crust. 'lbis splendid result of a war, which origi- The colonists themselves were of opinion that this Unfelt
rated in a removed axe and two stolen cows, had cost was illegal, and one of the judges there had been recently re
this country twe millions of money. (Hear. hear.) As to moved from his post for having declared the se taxes illegal.
the Colonial-office here, the probabilities were, that while (" No, no.") The hon. member then i ntered into • state
the struggle was going on they knew nothing at all about it, ment of the proceedings of the Colonial-office with respect to
the noble lord at the head of the department being, very asserting the right of the crown to royalties on the prods*
possibly, more surprised than anybody else when the bill of of mines situated in the Australian colonies, which proceed.
coats was presented to him. (Hear, hear.) The war was iags he asserted were highly unjust, oppressive, and cons
at en end now, indeed, but tho house might be sure that, to good .with. With respect to the colony of New Zee sr'
unless some effectual measures interposed, • similar war he was unable to state what the amount of mete
would be got up again before many years had expired, for diture per head was, but it must be very greet,
the Cape Town people admired the sort of thing vastly, as the military proceedings there had been very et•
in consequence of the active exnditure upon it, by which pensive ; and what with an imbecile governor, et
they so largely benefited. (Hearpe, hear ) Now his(Sir W. incendiary bishop, a faithless colonial sec.etary, and
biolesworth's) proposition woe, to withdraw at all events a discontented set of colonist., that se'tlement was at presenthe
the great bulk of the troops from this colony, and in a most unsatisfactoryunsatisfactorystate. Hadid not mean by what
to leave the colonists to protect themselves, which they could stated to cast any blame upon the individuals who ad-
very will do, the more especially, that under such Mecum- ministered tae affairs in the Colonial-office. The ay:to:swot
stances, they would take good care not to provoke hostilities. to blame, and not the men; and it was the system alone
(Hear, hear.) If a military Motion murt he maintained which merited, and which should receive his blame and dee
at the Cape, 1,000 soldiers wield be amply sufficient for the respect. Indeed, if he turned back to the proceedings of
purpose ; but he thought that emigrants would serve the co- former sessions of parliament, he could cite the opinions of
bony and the mother country much better than troops. Emi- the hon.and learned member for Lielvard, and of the present
grants might be conveyed to the Cape at the cost of 101. per Earl Grey, the colonial secretary, as hilly bearing him out in
head, while every soldier kept there cost this country 601, his di scriptien of the manifold veils of the system ob-
per annum, so that if the money spent upon them were laid served of goveraing the colonies. The ambition of
out in emigration the colony would receive 9,000 new Mtn. the Colonishottice was no less glaring than its incapacity.
bitants every year, who would be a far more efficient protec- The authorities there pretended to be able to govern poems-
teetion than the 1,500 soldiers could afford. (Hear, hear.) 'ion, ranging between tne arctic and antarctic
!poles—they
The Mauritius was to be regarded at once as a arm. exercised authority over colonies which wire! at the ihstance
mercial colony and as a military station. There of • twelvemonth's veyage from the oof heir authorise.
the expenditure was 28.5,0001. per annum, while and it was notorious that one letter had scarcely teen de-
the total of our exports thither did not exceed 92,000/. The patched from Downing-etreet, cre a change in the einem-
expenditune, in fact, was far more than be had stated for stances of the colony to which u'
was addreesea, compelled the
there were to be additional troops placed en the station, and colonial secretary to write another diametrically opposed to
150,0001, were to be expended, it aupeared, on the improve- it, and thus Lary
to
on from year to y, ar, the orders and
ment of our defences. Yet here. as at the Cape, 1,000 sot. recommendations of the home authorities being elike ne-
drectierattiwoottultdre
ianswertit
institution
tlnegitteitinuantte
tp.outrprned,e
nth:lite:
own protection. Colon was neitner a military station nor a received them, the colonists themselves being disgusted
rtewdtatnedtdddespreittedised,b"y tdhedilteogibeelayedtivebyintstiecre.liglimeserntoots:hwohm.
commercial colony, but came rather under the
would Indian and alienated by the gross ignorance ihsplavthose who
possessions! Indeed it seemed to him that it be far assumed the right of directing their affairs. Now, if it
better to transfer it altogether to the East India Company, were expedient to entrust such multifarioas and important
glotnhist.eir tghlece
and to Save the cost, which at present amounted to 110,0001. duties as those of colonial secretary to any single individuel,
per annum in military.expenOtture, besides 70,000/. per an- that person ought to be possessed not only of a vast amount
N, did these qualtheat oions charge-
num paid by the colonists; the whole of our exports thither of knowledge, but also,
hewh ugh to be a man f. great cape-
not exceeding 240,0001, Upon Hong-Kong this year he rience and sagacity.
found that 04,519/. had been voted—a small sum in compari. tense the individuals who bad of late years etesided over the.
vernment bad begun very promisingly with the governor of a colonial secretary that which WU foIICAWNI its selecting t',..
son svith what this station would very noon cost. The of
Colonial-office ? Was the rule he laid eiown ter the chice. re.
this new station, who was to he paid noesss a sum than functionary ?
6,0001. per annum. (Hear, hear.) Altoge, our expeedi. no such rule had ever been laid down—much lesseamee h
ture within the Chinese and Indian seas did not fall short of The colonial secretary was generally chosen for expedeentele
(Hem, and a laugh.) /lowa. of °pollen.
.tnioae
600,000/, per annum, while a'? our exports thither did sake, from amongst the heads of one or the
averageotheroih
not exceed two millions. Another station now figured on parties who sought to govern the country, and the
9,8271., of which 2,0001. was to go to Mr. Rajah Brooke, months. The changes in policy were as frequent as, l
the list, Labuan, which was to cost us, in this its first year, duration of his term of office did not exceed gnras
whose territories at Sarawak, meanwhile, were to be looked even more so, than those in the heads of the office. nostt,...
after by a consul, whom we were to remunetate with 5001. a moent the Colonial-office was sweire.e by the West 1 dif
year. No great length of time would elapse, under the
sent system of things, before Labuan would figure as largelyr turn wets
protectiorasts had the. rule, ''
thusur estimates as the Cape or Ceylon ; and we should displareel by the New Zealand Company, who gale Wilbl'.
pre-
interestsanti.slave, tthyepreletyelt succeededday the
these, and in their
twenty shillings of exports that we transmitted were" Everything by turns, and nothine long," 10'0_1;
have to pay ten shill'ngs Purchase money for every fore the missionaries, and thus thn Coloniel-office alitho.riti_es.
to this colony. (Hear, hear.) Then thete were dared all their projects abortive and ail their measure ten""a
the miserable Falkland Island., which, ethos 1841, had cost cessful. Such a system of gooernment might suit atIULUSD,
US no lass than 45,0001., with no return or advantage to us serfs,buttoapeopleaccustonied teself-governme triuht IT.
of. any description. By all means, he, world say, let this no other aspect than that of an odious and a elate I fr"l,
utterly useless pessessson be forthwith handed over to the (Has, hear.) But if the colonists h.-a . e boa
acknowledged claims of Buenos Ayres. By reducing the complain of the Downing-street authorities, the y,T3
troops at such militory stations as It might be deemed cape far more serious grounds fee complaining of the gor. _,,
client to reduce, from 21,000 to 10,000, there would be a who were sent oue to rule over them, and who were:teeOS
saving effected of one millitna a year in military and naval not on account of their fitness to exercise aunt import,i , haee,",
expenditure alone. Then as to our colonies in North titer^ but putely on personal pounds, such as pro Jolleg:.
America, the West Indies, and Austtalasia, of what the needy telatives of those in power—these' heart
al..fm'
possible benefit was it to the mother country to retain Tiding posts for. unsuccessful Otters, unemployed nverree...
the present system there? In the year 1844 the de- or importunate office hunters. Noy, the class of pert:re
elated value of all one exportato our North American colonies, leeted as governors was not always confined to thet,_rai..
to our West Indian and Australasian colonies, was six :nil- though needy, for instances were not wens IF
I°.!`._ too
lions sterling. In the same year our expenditure upon creditable persons had been got rid of by twain uue