The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-19 00:00:00

COLONIAL REFORM.
DINNER AT GREENWICH.
Yesterday evening a number of noblemen and gen-
tlemen favourable to colonial reform dined teezethe r at the
Trafalgar Hotel, Greenwich. Covers were laid for forte five,
and amongst the company were the fnllowiog: Lord Mont-
eagle, Lord Lyttelion, Lied Naas' M.P., Hon. Francis
Baring, the Right Hon. Milner Gibson, Sir W. Melesworth,
M.P., Mr. W. Miler, M.P., Mr. Adderley, M.P Mr Baillie,
M.P., Mr. Hutt, M.P., Mr. Aglionby. M.P.,Mr. F. Scott,
M.P., Mr. Cobith, M.P., Mr. litonscle M.P., Mr. M. J.
O'Connell, M.P , Mr. A. Smith, M.P., Mr. Mangles, M.P
Mr. Horsman, M.P., Mr. NVyld, M.P , Mr. C. E. Michele,
Mr. E. E. Crowe, Mr. A. Mackey, Mr. E. G. Wakefield, the.
The chair was occupied by Sir W. MoLravroitra, M.P.,
and the vice-chair by Mr. Auithumv, M.F.
The dessert having been served,
The CHAIRMAN proceed ''The Queen," " Prince
Albert end the Royal Family," and " The Army and
Navy."
Mr. COBDEN was called on to reseend to the toast, but
declined the honour amid general laughter.
The CHAIRMAN said that before proposing the next tout
he begged to state that letters apologising toe their absence
from various causes had been re ceeved from Lira Lincolo,
M.P., Lord Polwcrth, M.P., Mr. Disraeli, M.P.. Lord
Jocelyn, M.P., Mr. Hume, MP M.. Napier, 111. P., Mr.
A. Stafford, M.P., Mr. Bright, ALP., Mr. Tellemuche, and
others. There noblemen and gentlemen reereVed them-
steely that unavoidable engaie menet preven•ed them trona
attending, but he might be permitted to add for them that
they all cerdially approved of the object whisk the company
bad assembled to promote—namely, the good government
arid prosperity of the colonies, by obiaiiiitig for them •
larger control over their own :thin. (Cheers.) The toast
he would take the liberty of preposing to them was,
" Proms. rity to the Colonies." (Cheers.) In giving
that toast he might be permitted to observe that in
order that the colonies might be proeperoue, and in
order that they miebt be well governed, it was essen-
tially necessary that the people of Wm country should take
a lively interest in colonial affairs. (Herr, he r.) Ile was
therefore happy to see around him on that (meatier.' so many
gentlemen who took a deep and unaffeettd interest in the
fortunes of the British dependencies. Ile was happy to
perceive that the affairs of the cobbles were beginning to
occupy a e oodderable portion of public attention in this
country. Of late years various taus.* had coincided to pro-
duce that moat desirable result, mid to render it of the
greatest importance to this mug, ificent empire that the
colonies should be well governed, prosperous, and contented.
Amine those causes he might mention the great emigration
that had been going on of late ytare He tad found that
within the last year ro less than 2110,000 persons had left
the shores of the Urited Kingdom as emigrants, and that
within the last twenty years 2,000,000 of human beings had
emigrated. Now, though a great portion of that emigration
had no doubt been to the independent dominions of the
the colonies, w
or
United States, still the question of the state of our own
hh had colonies generally had become a matter of the rested im-
portance to all classes, especially the humbler and middle
Tft or
ehrte h ewar,eof
no a
about treond
emigraterlatoon tihn, onem
duets, because there was scarcely an iiidividual among
therefore, se deely an individu to be Lurid who Lad not
some individual or immediate interest its the North Ameri-
can colonies, or in Australia or New Zealand, or some
of the other weelenients of the British empire. Again, the
attention of a great portion of the population of the United
Kingdom had been of late very much directed to the
colouies, in consequence of the discussions that had Wien
piece during the present session on the subjected Free Trade
and the Navigation LANs. There had always bsen an inti-
mate cohneaion between the colonies and the commercial
population of Great Britain. In former times the colonies
were supposed to be chiefly ireful for the purposes of aff. rd-
ing a market for the manufacturers, and of creating a trade
for the shipowners and merchants of the mother country,
but the 'ban ion of mimeos privileges had operated to pro-
duce a great change in the feelings of the commercial
classes, and had led them to entertain a wellfoundrd
belief that with improved institutions I the colouirs might
become a much mere valuable market for the manufac-
tures and commerce of this country than they at present
were lie considered that this belief was warranted by the
fact, and that no class was more deeply interested in the
prosperity of the colonies than the merchants, manufac-
turers, and shipowte re of Great Britain. (Hint, hear.)
Again, great Retention had been directed to the euhject in
consequi nee of the writings of eminent and disinguished
men who had care fully studied this subject, with a view
to planting R considerable portion of the ear h's surf ice
now under the possession of the British crown with the
Anglo-Saxon race. He rejoiced that one of the most emi-
nent of those writers—his friend Mr. Wak field—had ho-
noured them with his society on that occasion, for it must
be acknowledged that that gs net man had rendered most
important services t 3 the British dep..eidencii s, and
that there were few men more utirnstely stet minted with
their present condition and future requirements. (Cheers.)
Another reason why so much of the attention both of the
legislature and of the public had been devoted of late years
to colonial all eirs, was to be found in the facto that events of
an unusually exciting character had recently occurred in
the colonies, and the demands which were mode for colonial
purpose* on the national Exchequer, were day by day be-
coming larger and more frequent. During the last twenty
years no a soon than one hut deed minions sterling had
been expended on our colonies. (Hear, hear.) This amount
so incredibly enormous, weuld not have been required if the
colcnies bad been properly g d. But they were not—
(bear, hear)—and the cones quence was that the colonists
were discontee ted, and all our Leo; le at home im-
poverished. In Canada there had been two rebellions,
followed by an expenditure—a criminal expenditure of as
many millions—in South Africa there were perpetual Kaffir
wars, followed by a foolish outlay of the public money, and
still more foolish acquisitions of valueless territories—in the
West Indies there had been a lavish gift of twenty millions
sterling, and the utter and irretrievable ruin of the planters
—in Ceylon civil disorder and drum head courts mania/
were the order of the day—in Australia was to be found the
most vicious and profligate community on the surface of
creation—and in New Zealand all the legitimate functions
of society were paralysed and obstructed because of the
irrational and despotic restrictions which wets imposed on
the Angle-Saxes population, who were conscious of their
fitness for fm institutions; yet they themselves, year after
year, persisted in their legitimate and most reasonable semi-
rations. (Hear, hear.) Such was the present deplorable
conditions of the most magitheent colori d empire in the
universe. The evil was of enormous magnitude, and day
by day it was forcing itself en the consideration of the legis-
lature. A greater nun.ber of tie asur. sin reference to colo-
nial affairs had been submitted to the consideration
of parliament this session than on any previous ses-
sion that he could rem. tuber. Mr. Baillie had worthily
opened the session 1 y calling attc ntion in a speech of
remarkable ability to the condition of British Guiana and
Ceylon. Mr. Mderley had saved S:uth Africa from the
rdlutioa of convict emigration, and had inflicted a death-
blow on that pestilential system. (Hear, hear.) Lord
Lincoln had endeavoured, though in vain, to rescue Van-
couver's Island from the tad fate that impended over it. Mr.
Aunty had does good service in showing bow military colo-
nist governors were in the habit of dealing with independent
judges ; and Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Roebuck
had each in his turn directed the attentioa of the govern-
ment and legislature to the grievous abuses which existed
in our colonial system. (Hear, hear.) It could not be
doubted that there were great errors and most serious de-
fects in our whole system of colonial government, and that
ft was essentially necessary, as well for the interests of the
mother country as for those of the dependencies, that •
most severe and searching inquiry should be instituted into
those defects and errors. Ha had not the least doubt that
the result of such an inquiry would be to show that the
evils of the present colonial system bad their source and
origin in the fact that sufficient control over their local
affairs was sot allowed to the colonies. The tendency
of the central authority—the Colonial-office—had aver been,
and would ever be, to grasp as much authority as it could,
and to resist to the death all measures which could have the
effect of diminishing that authority. The Celonialnificie
laid claim to infallibility, hut it had not the slightest pre-
text for putting forward any such pretension, the lementuble
fact being that the colonies had been brought to the verge
of irretrievable rule by their negligence aud.
These were forty-three colonies, and they were presided
over by a Secretary of State, who rarely wee in office for
longer than two years at a time. Though he were
gifted with superhuman powers, he could not per-
form his allotted task in a satisfactory milker, and
it was not to be wondered at that the system was found to
work badly. The fact was, the whole system must lie
reformed, otherwise the colonies, instead of being a gain
and a glory to England, would be a source of misery to her,
and a Wee of degradation. (lieu, hewn) Free insti
miens ought to be freely given to all OK, colonies which
were in any degree qualified for self-government. (Hear,
hear.) With questions of local taxation., municipal insti-
tutions, the allocation of waste lands, sad provision for the
religious acquirements of the colonies, the Colonial Office
had no !business to interfere. All such matters should be
left to the colonists themselves. If they were, the colonies
would be much happier and. England would be much richer.
The colonies, if properly managed, ought not to cost the
mother country anythie g, tither for defence or govern-
ment. If the pelmet,: for which he contended—that of
local selfgovernmene—were practically acknowledged, the
colonies would be toosperous, and their prosperity would,
of inevitable consee,uence, ensure that of the empre at large.
(Hear, hear.) With these feelings he begged leave to pro-
pose the toast Pi " Prosperity to the Colonies," and he would
couple the firotiment with the " Health of Lord Mont/eagle,"
to whom Site praise was due of having, while Colonial Secre-
tary, fenteded the first free colony in South Australia.
The toast was enthushutically honoured.
Lord MONTEAGLE in returning thanks, acknowledged
that during his official career, as Colonial Secretary, he was
obnoxious to the first two charges the hon. chairman had
Weight against the Unionist Department—those of igno
ranee and negligetese--(laughter)—and he feared that the
only reason wile ke was not guilty of the offence charged