The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-13 00:00:00

THE COLONIAL DEPARTMENT.

On the motion that the Speaker leave the chair to go '
into committee of supply,
Sir J. PAKINGTON observed that, as no ethersuitable
opportunity appeared to offer for calling attention to the
state of the Colonial Department, he now rose for the pur-
pose of doing so ; and he must say that, in his opinion, the
extraordinary state of the Colonial Department, and the
state of the public business in connection with it, appeared ,
to him to be extremely unusual, unsatisfactory, and hardly
decorous. A noble lord in the other House of Parliament '
had pat a question upon the subject, the reply to which
. was so unsatisfactory that he (Sir J. Pakington) felt it to
be his duty to renew the inquiry of the Gove.rnment.
When the first question had been put to the Government,
the reply was that Lord John Russell would not be so long
away as was supposed, but he begged to remind the noble
lord at the head of the Government that neither the noble
lord who had made the inquiry in the first instance, nor
himself, had entertained any supposition on the subject ;
but that, finding the Colonial Department without any
satisfactory Minister, they wished to know how long that
state of things was likelyl to continue. He had been given
to understand that Lord J. Russell was only to settle the
general principle of the treaty, and that he was not to
remain at Vienna until the details of it were finally
arranged. This appeared to him to be unsatisfactory, as
he understood that the general principle of the treaty had
been already laid down. Ho had been always of opinion
that the worst things for an ambassador to settle were the
details of a treaty ; and It seemed to him that the noble
lord, feeling the responsibility of two duties, was about to
return to England, to* attend to the duties of the Colonial-
office, before he had settled the special business upon which
he had been sent to ienna. He (Sir J. Pakington) be-
lieved that there never was a moment when it was of more
importance that there should be a responsible Minister at
Vienna ; at the same time, he did not believe there was any
precedent for the course which had been adopted in sending
a Minister of the Crown, holding another important office,
to act as a Minieter Plenipotentiary. It was true that Lord
Castlereagh had gone to Vienna, but be was at the same
time Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ; and the busi-
ness which he had gone to transact was intimately con-
nected with the office which he held. He did not believe
that there was any instance on record of a department of
so mach importance as the Colonial-office being left with-
out even an Under Secretary to answer questions in the
house. He was quite aware that the right hon. gentleman
the Secretary of State for the Home Department had inti-
mated that he would give attention to colonial affairs ;
but, without wishing to disparage the right hon. gentle-
' man's abilities, he ventured to state that it was perfectly
impossible for any ono person to conduct the affairs of two
such departments as the Colonial-office and the Home•
office. The state of our colonial empire at this enoment
was such as to require the whole attention of a responsible
Minister. They had heard that Moshesh, one of the most
powerful chiefs of South Africa, had given cause to the
Government for uneasiness with respect to his conduct,
and they had also heard that there was cause of uneasiness
not only with regard to the Katliis, but also with respect
to the Fingoes, a tribe which had hitherto been dis-
tinguished for their loyalty and devotion to the British
Crowr. It was probable that those warlike tribes had
heard of the position in which this country stood in refe-
rence to Russia, and that the intelligence might, in some
degree, account for their recent movements. In the colony
of Victoria, also, acts of insurrection had occurred. Blood
had been shed, and there had be?n a struggle between the
mixed population and her Majesty's troops, which hid,
uowever, been subdued, by the rigour and decision of Sir
Charles Hotham, the governor of the colony. It was use-
less, however, to deny that the state of the colony was very
critical. The Convict Prevention Bill was also exciting
Tscat attention on the pert of the colonists of Victoria.
here was another pressing question which required the
attention of a Colonial Minister, and which he hoped was
not to be hung up until the return of Lord John Russell—
he alluded to the bills for granting constitutions to the
colonies. (Hear.) The colonies had performed their part of
the contract with reference to these bills, and it was only
right and just that the Crown should now proceed with the
bills at once. There was moreover scat cely a day that passed
that did not bring despatches to the Colonial-office from
some of the colonies. These ,'eepatches involved questions
of local interest—questions of individual right and justice
which it was absolutely necessary that the Government
should be in a condition to par immediate attention to.
The people of Newfoundland lied made complaints against
their governor, and it was very much to bo regretted that
the Colonial Minister was not prepared to inquire into the
case. When the people of this country-found that the im-
portant duties of the Colonial-office were neglected, as be
had shown them to have been, they would bo greatly dis-
satisfied ; but what would be the feelings of the colonies
themselves? (Hear.) Would they not feel that the prac-
tical suspension on the part of the Government of attention
to their affairs was very disrespectful to them ? He had
reason to believe that such was the light in which some of
the moat important of our colonies viewed the matter.
Almost every one of our colonies had shown an earnest de-
sire to give assistance to this country iu the efforts which
she was making to resist the aggressions of Russia, and he
hoped that the noble lord at the head of the Government
would give them some assurance, more satisfactory than
had been given in the other douse of Parliament, that
their affairs would be attended to by the Government.. It
was true that they had been told, in the other House of
Parliament, that Lord J. Russell hoped to be able to return
to this country before Easter; but that statement was
made in a very vague manner, and, considering the nego-
tiations in which the noble lord was engaged, it was very
improbable that he would be able to return to this country
so early as Easter. But, even if he should, the delay which
had been already occasioned by his absence would be one
that ought not to have been permitted. Unless the noble
viscount at the head of the Government could give the
house some more distinct assurance than had been already
given, it would become the duty of Parliament to inter-
fere in the matter.
Viscount PALMERSTON—Sir, I must entirely deny
the assumption upon which the right hon, baronet hes
founded his observations, viz., the assumption that colo-
nial matters are neglected, and that a slight has been placed
upon the important colonies of this country. The right
hon. baronet says that there should be somebody in Parlia-
ment responsible for what is done or not done with regard
• to the colonies. Sir, there are several persons responsible.
My right hon. friend (Sir G. Grey) and myself are respon-
-2'lde ; and, if the right hon. baronet, or any other member
of this house, thinks fit to bring forward any charge against
the Government with respect to the management of colo-
nial affairs, we are perfectly ready to stand here in our
places and justify the course which has been pursued with
respect to the colonies. The right hon. baronet expresses
a very natural curiosity to know what is the particular
course which my noble friend has been instructed to pur-
sue with regard to the negotiations at Vienna. He wishes
to know what he is to insist upon, and how long he is to
insist upon it—what he is to be satisfied with, and when
he is to come home ; but I am sorry to say that I am not
able, consistently with my public duty, to gratify the
very natural curiosity of the right hon. baronet.
Sir J. PAKINGTON—I made no such inquiries.
Viscount PALMERSTON—WeII, something very like
them. I can only say that my noble friend will act in con-
formity with the instructions which he bas received, and
that we do not anticipate that his stay at Vienna will be
so protracted as the right hon. baronet expects it to be.
(Hear.) Bnt, sir, the way in which this question has been
- treated would lead one to think that there never had been
a ease before in which a public department had been vacant
for some time. Now, the right hon. baronet himself in-
stanced a case in which a Secretary of State was for a very
long period absent from the country—that of the Secre-
ryship for Foreign Affairs, which was held by Lord Cas-
tlereagh And he was absent at Vienna and afterwards
Paris. And cannot the right hon. baronet recollect the
period when o)tilwintdeinvidual held almost all the offices of
State?—(hear
I think, the end of from the middle of November till,
December or the beginning of January,
there really was not el, responsible for the conduct
of almost all the import:lr ore
.0d . and. lamin ho ea. I think there was such
a period Pee that that period is fresh in
the memory of the right hen. barobeeehel deny that any
inconvenience has been stistained
absence of soy noble friend. I den
have been at all neglected. Y that the colonial
by the
Any decision trar a
as ffairs
have
taken will be taken upon the responsibility of any right
hon. friend, and if necessary, with the concurrence of his
eolleagues ; and we stand here as responsible as if my noble
place, perfectly readyteto answer, if any
friend were in his
matter relating to the managemen f h colonies shall be
questioned by the right hon. baronet or any other person
in this house. (Hear.)
Mr. ADDERLEY said the right hon. baronet (Sir
Pakington) had not preferied any charge. against the
Government with respect to the management of the
colonies, but he did charge the Government with
not having appointed some ono whose sole duty it should
be to attend to the duties of the Colonial-office, the
absence of the Colonial Secretary at Vienna. The right
hon. baronet had shown that this was a most important
and critical period with regards to our colonies, and that
now, above all other times, was it important that their
complaints should be attended to. He (Hr. Adderley) be-
lieved that the riots which had taken place in Victoria
would not have occurred if a liberal constitution had been
granted to that colony with all possible expedition, and he
entertained a similar opinion with regard to the Cape of
_ Good Hope. Canada had contributed most liberally to
''the Patriotic Fund, and yet no thanks had been given to
teem by the Government. But the Emperor of the French
: had expressed his gratitude to the Canadians for the sum
:Sella they had transmitted for the relief of the sick and
te'ee-wounclicl French soldiers in the Crimea. Canada had
Ahead 1,0 raise and support a body of volunteers to aid the
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