The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-14 00:00:00

F

au with a very . coasidara47l\-5176
If, upon the :other band, you
,ynient at honie, such as the....
suppose, for example, we take
n Scotland not se many yews
.on district which 'surrounds
: well, that is an event -Which
has happened within the memory of man; it -*as
the opening of an immense new field of employment, nod.
the creation of an immense now trade. Well now, what
you open a new field of employment at home-Yon glisi
a profit to trade, you give a security to trade that it wilt
not be interrupted or hemmed in by bad
,laws-and
likewise when you get that increase of-populatiotii„in
which increase of trade cannot fail to lead, you also get
the additional ad vantage that those who Carry it on be-
come part and parcel of the same community with your.
tdtdhhoe
nrso
on ni
yce
moraloccne
isenseaas
dinreydetrstilsayac rt tnithhaebed
usv erzta ptnaph.tt
aaoe
grrt ofe
bt
ehnee
fic
to uonf t
selves, and directly contribute towards bearing the bur-
e
olufgwhet
area sciatsokiiirwkhtl
on these prounds it is desirable that Colonies eloauld be"
founded, I answer by asking another question-;..Why
is
it desirable that your population at 'horiog slienild in-
crease ? Why is it that you rejoice in an.faaa4soi.of
pulation at horns? Because an increase of population ism
increase of power, an increase of strength' and atability
to the state, and because it multiplies, the aullaboi, of
people who, as we live under good laws, belong to a
country to which it is an honour and an advantage to
belong. (Applause.) What can be more to be desired than
that we should have the means of producing in different
portions of the globe something as like as may be to that
country whieh we revere and honour. I think it is in a
bOok of Mr. Roebuck's that the expression is to be met
with, " that the object of colonisation is the creation of so
many happy Englands." It is
-the reproduction of Eng-
land —the reproduction of a country in which liberty' is
encircled with order, in which ancient institutions stand
in harmony with popular freedom, and a full recognition
of popular rights, and in which religion and law have taken
deep and permanent root. (Applause.) Well, as it the des-
tiny of man to live in society under laws and institutions,
it is to be desired that he should live under good lava; and
institutions—(bear)—but if we suppose the case of a
country with very bad institutions; colonisation by such
a country would be a curse instead of a blessing—the
reproduction of its tyranny on other shores. But now
it is quite time that I should pass into the second ques-
tion : if it be desirable upon the-grounds that' I-have
stated that a country circumstaneadoes oFinglancLia,
should be possessed of colonies, in what manner ought
Moire colonies to be founded,- and in what manner go-
verned ? And I think that this question will be exa-
mined in the form most interesting and instructive if I
try it by reference to the standards whieh history af-
fords ; and there is one people famous in ancient times
—I mean the Greek race—to which we all of us owe in-
finitely more than we are really aware of. The right
honourable gentleman then described the character of
ancient Greek colonisation; and referred to its al-
most incredible growth in Theesaly, Asia Minor, and
Sicilly. He said that its character might be sum-
med up in one word—it was perfect freedom, per-
fect self-government. They carried with them
their mother country's laws, its religion, its
language, its manners, its institutions. It never inter-
fered with them, or undertook to show how their affairs
should be managed, and the consequence was that ale
though there was no administrative connexion between
them they were yet to be found warm in heart and cha-
racter. The right hon. gentleman then came to the his-
tory of English colonisation, which he divided, following
the example of the old poetic fable, into four ages—the
age of gold, the age of silver, that of brass, and that of
iron. He defined the golden age as the 17th and part of
the 18th century, when the idea of a colony was a sub-
altern corporation, comprehended within the great cor-
poration, according to the true spirit of British freedom.
There was shown what Burke called "a wise and
salutary neglect, through which a generous nature bad
been suffered to take her own way to perfection.", The
silver age, he called that immediately preceding the
American war, and he drew an eloquent picture of the
legacy of evil consequences bequeathed by the policy of
that time. The right hon. gentleman then 'continued :
Now, I want to try to impress that which I have said,
tint the true value of colonies, for moral and social pur-
poses, arises in the unity of character and
.affection.
There are 30,000,000 of people, or something near, cone
stand's; the Great American Republic. It is doubtful
whether the influeree of England in Europe, and in the
world at large, is greater, because there are 30,000,000
of Englishmen in America. It is very hard to say whe-
ther the existence of America, upon the whole,takes from
or adds to the weight of England as a member of the
great family of nations. In some respects it takes from
it, in others it alls to it. But supposing that instead pia
;,Doody struggle, supposing that instead Oa violent lacera-
lion of the ties that bound the colony to the, mother
country, America and England had separated as friend
from friend, Oreaking only the link of administrative con,
riectiOn, but retaining the warm feelings of the heart,
and carrying with it nothing but the recollection of the
benefits she had received, and the laws and institutions
she Lad inherited, do you not think that then the exist-
ence of Akiei tea, allied to us by language and by laws,
would have immensely increased the influence of Eng-
!and in the world ? But now, let us consider, and if it is
to he a lesson to us, is it important that we should do so,
how it arose, and whoSe error it was ? It arose, first, out
of the attempt to levy certain taxes upon the people of
America, not for purposely properly and exclusively Eng-
Lela but for tie purpose of defraying part of the expense
of a war into which England hal entered, for the benefit
of America as well as herself. But some people think
that that was not the error of the English people. Now
let there be no mistake about this—that if there be one
thing more clear than ancther, it is this, that the Eng-
lish nation at the commencement of the war were en-
gaged almost to a man in the prosecution of that war.
All ware almost without exception have been popular in
this country during the first two or three years—(hear)
but the American war ePpeeialy was popular in its corn-
niencement, and of that I will give you a most conclu-
sive proof from the history of Mr. Burke. Mr. Burke
was elected for Bristol in 1774 ; he was rejected in
1730, when he went next to preseat himself to his consti-
tuents, and in his speech to them on that occasion he
explained to them the reasons of his conduct, and why
he had not visited them in Bristol as often as they thought
he ought to have done. Before the people knew which
way the fortune of arms would turn, there was a deal of
dlference of opinion in Bristol, and it was natural that
that should be their state, because Bristol carried on a
very large and extended trade with America. But
Oirectly they saw that the English were successful in the
fiel I that party was entirely put down ; and you should
recollect that Englan,l was usually successful in the
field during the American war. It is not necessary to
inquire into it. I must say that it implies no reproach
to our American brethren, 'because America had none
of the advantages of a military establishment. The
military organisation was on the side of England.
But it was not want of success in the Eild that de-
strayed us in the American war ; it was this, that
though we beat the Americans in the field, we were not
a bit nearer the subjugation of their country. We owned
the ground on which our camp was pitched, but we
owned nothing else. The enemy Was in the heart of
every man, wornar', and child in the country, and driv-
ing their soldiers cut of the field did not establish us in
the affections of a people who were fighting for freedom.
(Applause.) But let us see—was the error the error of
the government, or was it the error of the people? Lis-
ten to Mr. Burke speaking in 1780. The right hon.
gentleman then quoted from the speech of Mr. Burke,
delivered in Bristol in 1780, in which the frenzy which
seized the English people in favour of the American war
in its early stage was described, and pointed out 'that
from it we should learn a lesson of circumspection, of
caution, and of moderation. He then passed on to-b°
consideration of what be called the " silver age," and
__
which was between the peace of 1783 and'-,184yn,
when we began to have dawn of better thiner:
this age he showed how a vicious systernonmoefer :ere
lerence in colonial affairs by the home g
ceeded, at
pushed to an extreme. He eloquently portrayed
enove
wising. from this intermeddling, and tonseqPuences of
the
considerable length, to point out the evils
go verti
system pursued towards Canada,t
which its result placed the the consequences
the Having dilemma
gone toin
of demands which
war with Canada for the assertion
saw. themselves Com-
pelledconsideration of theiriljouns
loss bill, indemnifying parties
afterwards were conceded, not tthferyom terror, but from a
with to pass a rebe
for the loss they had Incurred while resisting
England,
earns
seutpropoopaserosf
tEhnegrele;
showed
!sent in Can d
how the British Govern
Hpeerhshapows,
a a had too frequently
the auti.torityknaontdotfh
only a little
er or two, while the other side was the whole
newspaa
of the colonial population. There
inass were, however, he
said, many statesmen in this country who had heen.vsry,
far in advance with regard to colonial government., He
mentioned thein because they were for the most pert menBhe
with whose political opinion frequently differed, 'and
also because, as in the reign of Charles 11., the states-
men who most advocated colonial freedom were Tory, it
equal )
was fair to render • _
justice to Radical members of
the British Parliament,
He mentioned particularly toe
late Mr. Hume, Mr. Roebuck, and one whose name
had only within the last few days been added to the list of
the departed, Sir Wm. Molesworth, all of whom had
been, in his opinion, great benefactors to their country,
by telling the truth upon the right method of colonial•
government at a time when that truth was exceedingly
unpalatable. He then bore testimony to the justness of
views of the Radical members of Parliament on the sub-
ject of colonial policy, who, he admitted, in this partici::
Jar, were far ahead of all other parties ia the State. Of
.
the character of Sir Wm. Molesworth he spoke in terms
of unmeasured eulogy, and acknowledged
thathe
statesman
learned much from the speeches which that
e saConinions.
t'
delivered on colonial subjects in the House
It was now coming to be understood,
e id, that
s
be
trans by
the affairs of the colonies were
_the Osacted f Eng.
the colonists themselves, just
ag
lishinen themselves.
land were best transacted by Eng a c
be rejoicedange
And in an eloquent peroration
been brought; about, which he
in colonial, policy
had
dfit and promise of advantage to
thought was full of profit and
on mankind as England—. a country having such
cwhich we have made a
a change of system, la
and almost from transition
from misfortune, from evils, madness
to
and returned the rules of justice, of
and from crime,
reason, of nature, and of common sense.
(Loud and
long continued applause marked the close of the right
hon, gentleman's address.)
On the motion of Mr. HICKIAN, seconded by Dr.
Daws,thanks were voted by acclamation to Mr. Glad-
stone. He briefly acknowledged the compliment.
On the motion of Mr. AXON, honorary secretary to
the institution, thanks were voted to the chairman, and
the proceedings terminated shortly after ten o'clock.

The Governor of the Bank of England and the Deputy-
Governor bad an interview with the Chancellor of the.
Exchequer, yesterday, at his official residence, in Do r
ingiltr