The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-18 00:00:00

Australian Transportation.

The following minute ,submitted by theVietorian
Cabinet to his Excellency Sir Charles Darling,
reached London yesterday, and has been forwarded
to us for publication :

The copy of Mr Cardwell's despatch, in reply to the re-
solutions of both Houses of Parliament against the con-
tinuance of transportation to Western Australia, which
your Excellency did me the honour to transmit to me, has
been duly laid before my colleagues.
It is to the Government of this colony matter of the ut-
most regret that all eff its made by them, the Parliament,
and the people of Victoria, in common with the other colo-
nists, have failed to secure that measure of justice the colo-
nists had a right to expect; but the decision of her Majesty's
Government is still more deeply to be deplored as at direct
variance with the statement made by the Duke of New-
castle in 1853, and in contravention of the policy which it
was deelared by his Grace to be the duty of her Majesty's
Jovernment to adopt towards the Australian colonies.
In the concluding paragraph of a minute which I had the
honour to submit to your Excellency in September last, I
felt it necessary to indicate the course this Government
would be forced to pursue in the event of the threatened
continuance of transportation being carried out; and it now
becomes my duty to state to your Excellency the steps
which your advisers have felt it imperative upon them to
take in the discharge of their responsibility to the people of
this colony.

Upon a careful consideration of Mr Cardwell's despatch,
written in the face of all the earnest representations ad-
dressed to her Majesty's Government, it has been forced
upon the attention of myself and my colleagues that further
remonstrance is in itself useless—and that the time has
arrived when it is incumbent upon us in the exercise of our
powers of self-government to initiate legislation in connec-
tion with the colonies whose interests are alike affected for
our common protection.

I have accordingly addressed a circular to the Chief Se-
cretary of each of the colonies interested, inviting the co-
operation of their respective Governments in framing a
measure to be submitted to the consideration of the several
Parliaments prohibitive of all intercourse whatsoever with
Western Australia, in order that her position as the only
convict colony in Australia may be distinctly marked.
Sufficient time has not yet elapsed tor me to have received
any reply, but from the universal feeling of dissatisfaction
which prevails throughout the free colonies I can have no
doubt that the proposition will meet with their approval.
Intimately connected with this proposition is the ques-
tion of the postal service with Great Britain. No measure
for the isolation of Western Australia could be efficient
while the mail steamers continue to call at King George's
Sound—and, although serious ineovenience must result
from any interruption to frequent and regular postal com-
munication, so satisfied is the Government that the people of
Victoria, in the dread of the continuance of transportation,
would deny themselves the privileges of the mail service
than be exposed even to thH possibility of the introduction
of convicts, that I have to beg your Excellency will be
pleased to notify formally to the Imperial author ities that
unless the terms of the existing arrangement with the Pen-
insular and Oriental Company be altered, and the company
consent that their packets shall not touch at any port in
Western Australia, the Government of Victoria will, at the
expiration of six months from the Ist of November next,
cease to contribute to the annual subsidy; and further that
they withdraw their offer to join in establishing a fort-
nightly service except upon similar conditions.

I cannot express to your Excellency the pain your ad-
visers have felt in being obliged to take this course ; but to
have hesitated would have been to neglect their highest
duty.

In requesting that your Excellency will forward a copy
of this memorandum to the Right fit n. the Secretary of
State for the Colonies, I would venture to suggest that it be
accompanied by yaur Excellency's testimony to the reality
of the feelings of the people of Victoria, as made known by
memorials and through the public press ; and also to the
discontent which has manifested itself throughout the
colony, at the decision of her Majesty's Government.

JAMES M'CULLO CH,
Chief Secretary's-office, Melbourne, Aug. 24,

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO THE STEAMER ONTARIO.
--Yesterday a report was received in Liverpool that the
National Steam Navigation Company's new steamer On-
tario, Capt. Brooking, which was on her first voyage (to
Alexandria) had gone on the Cross Sands, near Yarmouth,
and was in a critical position, Steam tugs were in attend-
ance, and it was haped that she would be got off without
much damage.

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