The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-01 00:00:00

IMPERI AT. PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS,.—TripAY, Jura 31.

Their lordships met at ire o'clock.
THE coxecuraics CLLVBZ.
Lord CRAN WORTH asked the Lord President of the
()causal whether there would be any abjection to produce
the correspondence which had tam place between his
predecessor and the Archbishop of Canterbury with re-
spect to the conscience claim.
The Duke of BUCKINGHAM had no objection to
the production of the correspondenoe.
THE CONFEDERATION OF THE AMERICAN
PROVINCES.

Lord LYVIIDILY had a question to ask the noble
earl the Secretary for the Colonies on a subject of
considerable importanoe. He wished to know whether her
Majesty's government were prepared to state what steps
they intended to take with retard to the confederation of
the American provinces. He understood that delegates
from the various provinces had arrived in this country for
the purpose of carrying out the details of this important
project, and as the session so nearly approached its ter-
mination he thought it would be desirable that some
information should be given as to the intentions of the
government.
The Earl of CARNARVON admitted that it would be
imposOble to overrate the importance of the subject which
had been alluded to by the noble lord. This question was
not one of to-day, having been for several years the sub-
ject of anxious thought and deliberation to successive
governments. It dated back in fact to the colonial admi-
nistration of Lord Durham. Lord Durham contemplated
the ineorporationot the British North American provinces,
hat from that time no practical step was taken until the
year 1858, when Sir E. Head, then governor-general of
Canada, in opening the colonial parliament introduced to
the House of Assembly the question of confederation. In
that year delegates came to this country and made their
propose's to the home government. The question was en-
but at the time no progress was made. In Octo-
ber, 1861, delegates from Canada, Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward's Island met
at Quebec for the consideration of the subject, and laid
down a long series of questions relative to the
prinsiples upon which such a measure could be carried
out. At that time some difficulties arose, and it was not
lentil a fortnight since that they received the last docu-
mentary evidence wanting to enable government to pre-
ssed in the matter. They then received the resolutions of
the assembly of New Brunswick, announcing their final
adhesion to the scheme, and requesting their govern-
ment to appoint delegates. It was only on Saturday laid
that the delegates of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick,
to be followed shortly after by the others' arrived in this
country. Them steps might seem a tedious way of settling
the question, but looking at its magnitude and impor-
tance, he did not regret the delay. He was bound
to say, however, that the conclusion in favour
of confederation had not been arrived at by the
colonies without considerable sacrifices of personal
and local feeling, but it came to them as the unanimous
decision of the colonies. Under these circumstances he
considered it to be the duty of her Majesty's governmert
not only to pay the most respectful attention to whatever
representations might be made, but to meet the colonists
halfway, and to facilitate their object as far as it was
consistent with the interests of the colonies and the policy
of this country. And, when he said consistent with the
policy and interests of this country, he meant that nothing
that could happen to deepen and broaden the constitu-
tional foundations of those great colonies, nothing that
could give life to their political institutions, could be
otherwise than not only consistent but identical with the
policy of this country. He believed that the interests of
this country and of those great provinces were inseparably
connected, and their deliberate wish sum conformity with
our own policy. The noble lord asked what were the in-
tentions of her Majesty's government ; beeould only reply
that the great measure to which he had alluded raised
so many and such complicated questions that ample time
must be given for consideration both to the home govern-
ment and the delegates. Some of the delegates bad arrived
and others had not. nor was it known whether the latter
bad left America. Under these circumstances, and looking
at the period of the session, looking at the absence of mem-
bers of the government whose presence was absolutely
necessary for the consideration of the question, it wouldbe
obviously impossible for us to propose to parliament any
measure at present. At the same time it would be their
duty during the recess to enter fully and frankly into com-
munication with the delegates and to endeavour to arrive
at such a conclusion as would be satisfactory both to their
great colonies and to the mother country.