The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-03 00:00:00

BISHOP OF COLOMBO.

In reply to Mr. TUFNELL,
Sir J. YAKINGTON said a very painful and per-
sonal correspondence had been received at the Co-
lonial-office relating to the Bishop of Colombo, and
although he did not think it would be prudent to pro-
duce it now he could state that Government would
lose no time in taking such steps as h a cor-
respondence had rendered necessary.—(Cheers.)

NEW ZEALAND.
The passage in the Queen's Speech relating; to New
Zealand having been read on the motion of Sir J.
Pakinzton,
Sir J. PAKINGTON rose to ask for leave to bring
in a Bill for granting a representative constitution to the
colony of New Zealand. When he first came into
office it was his intention, locking at the condition
of New Zealand, to move that the constitution to the
colony be suspended fora year longer, but after receiv-
ing repeated representations on the subject from persons
interested in the welfare of New Zealand, he at length,
with the concurrence of his colleagues, determined to
submit a new constitution for their approval. Though
a most interesting colony it was one of the
most recently acquired dependencies of the British
Crown. The first advance of civilization in the colony
was made by those pioneers of civilization—the mission-
aries of the Established Church and of other religious
persuasions in the year 1808. They were followed by en-
terprising merchantsand others for the purposes of trade,
but the visits of these persons led to the commission of
crime in the colony. In 1832 a Bill passed the House
of Commons for the prevention of erime committed in
New Z?,3land and other islands in the Pacific. Intercourse

with tho colony continued to increase, and at length a
consul was sent out, who was to assume the
Government as ,soon as he obtained from the natives
a cession of the colony to the Crown. In 1836 the first
step was taken to make New Zealand a possession of
Great Britain, therefore only twelve years had elapsed
since it became attached to this country. The progress
of the colony had been retarded by various causes, and
among others by the rebellion of the natives in 1845. In
1846 Earl Gray gave the colony a representative insti-
tution, but in 1848, in consequence of events which then
happened, it was suspended for a period of five years.
The five years expires on the Ist March, 1853, there-
fore it was absolutely necessary to do something in the
present session, because the Act of 1846 would of itself
come into operation next year. During the interval
the colony had progressed greatly, both as regarded the
population and the extent of commerce carried on. In
1848 the population was about 17,000; in the
present year it had increased to 26,000 or 27,000. The
' value of goods exported was in 1848, 44,2151., and in,1850
115,4151. There had also been an incease in the reve-
nue of the colon in 1848 it was 48,5891.; and in 1845,
57,7421. Sir G. Grey, the governor, in one of his di,-
dispatches, spoke highly of the intellectual superiority
of the natives, whom he considered might be well in-
trusted with those privileges of self-government which
Earl Grey gave them in 1846, but which, under special
circumstances, were afterwards withheld. There were
three peculiarities which rendered New Zealand
distinct trom auy other of the British dependen-
cies,—lst, the geographical situation of the
colony ; 2d, the mode of settlement adopted
and, lastly, the high natural qualities and intellect of the
natives. The centre of the two islands was occupied by
lofty mountain ridges, which were unfit for cultivation,
and consequently all cultivation was confined to the
planes. 'I hen in regard to the mode of settlement adopted,
the people did not, as in other colonies congregate
around one centre, but took up their residences in
different parts of the island, and they were now
spread over a length of country of between 800 or
900 miles. As he had already stated the character
of the natives was of a very high order. They
had been converted to Christianity, they were attached
to agricultureefond of the sea, and made good sailors,
and they were ambitious to become skilled
in European arts and customs. They were great
adepts in warfare, and some were even better equipped
than our own regular troops, Some of chiefs had
acquired considerable property by their industry, and
had several thousand pounds invested in the Goeern-
meet Fends. In arranging a local government for these
colonies there would be some difference of opinion, but
he apprehended no opposition to the proposition that
the right of separate government should be given
to the detached dependencies, There would, however, be
a difference of opinion as to whether these detached por-
tions should be dealt with as independent colonies or
only as portions of a colony having a local government.
of their own, but under a general federation, as in the
United States. The Government, after the best con-
sideration, thought that the dependency ought to be
treated as one colony, and that the detached portions
should be dealt with as small but not as independent colo-
nies. In order to carry out this plan they would establish
local legislatures and a general legislature for governing
the whole. Earl Grey proposed, in 1846, to form five
different rrovinces. It was now the intention of the
Government to increase the number to six, viz.,
ItWelling-
ps o
provinceswasin teri
du pt proposed
at
paea calledns etsda
aat
royoh
!011, New Plymouth, Auckland, Canterbury, and Natal.
goveiwngheoffishceoruldfor
fe superintendent,lves OOa/ beeaticp h-
nottherebywteheeliChoeloneiateogffiiselea.
colony, . by the Governor of the
It appeared to the G tivßeeCloowuntchile.
population
whiche hvernmet that, looking to the small
advisable that therexisted in these districts, it was not
it advisable that
t should be two Chambers, nor was
composed prineipanthe one Chamber should be
That system had already 9f of nominee members.
was therefore proposed failed in New Zealand, and it
should be wholly electivethat these prOvisional councils
the question of the franchise.
bear.) Then came
the ignorance which 1 • And here, looking at
distance from the colony necessarilyue prevailed at this
thought by the Government that
nits local affairs, it was
tive open to them but to adopt the
htfrtherhe.was no alterna-
tive
by the Governor, Sir G. Grey,
which anc 180 recommended
was that every man
possessing a house worth 50i. or occupying
house in a town at 101. a year, or Si. a
in the 1 county, should be entitled to nyotyeear
(hear, hear.). The franchise should be enjoyed
alike by the native as the European, while the question
of payment to members would be left for the decision of
the provincial councils themselves. There would be
fourteen saitieess which the provincial councils would
ho prohibited from kgislating upon, one of which
restrictions was that they should not have the regula-
tion of the Crown lands, the settlement of the Customs,
or the establishment of Courts of Law,—(gear, hear.)
The governor of the colony would have the power of
giving her Majesty's assent to the acts of the council
should he so think fie—(llear, hear.) It was. proposed
that the central legislature should consist of a
governor and a non-elective body to be
nominated by the Crown, the duration of the Par-
liament of this central legislabre to be fiYB years,