The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-31 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 31, 1862,

MR. AND MRS. CHARLES MATHEWS
"AT HOME,"
At Her lefajz.sty's Concert Room, Haymarket.
Every Evening (except Saturday), at Eight. Wednesday and
Saturday Mornings at Three.
Private boxes, stalls, and places may be secured at the Box-
office, which is open daily from Ten till Five, and at Mr.
Mitchell's Royal Library, 33, Old Bond-street. No extra
charge for booking.
Carriages to bo ordered at a quarter-past Ten.

aay, would become the real mineger of every mine
in his district. The last corninitteewhich sat on
the subject of coal mines, in 1854, also declined to
make any recommendation to this effect, preferring
to rely on the increased reepensibility which is.
thrown on the owner of a mine who either neglects
' or refuses to carry out the suggestion of an inspec-
tor, and to have the names of those parties who
neglect their duties brought prominently before the
public by the publication of tlit inspeCtor's reports.
The stringent powers of diredion and supervision
with which the Government inspectors are clothed
in France and Belgium are scarcely applicable to
this country. There the Goernment is the pro-
prietor or lessor of all the mites ; it can make its
own conditions when, it lets them, and. fiora the
very first opening of a pit the pystem of.wotking is
1 under the general control of its officers. The ch.;
cumstancee hi this country are,so different that the
foreign system of inspection cm hardly be quoted
as an example. But, though our inspectors com-
pulsory powers are so very slight—in fact, scarcely
anything at all, yet the influence which they may
exercise by advice and reconnmendation must be
.considerable. A colliery manger may differ alto-
gether
from the inspector aslto the value of the
suggestions which he receives ftom him, but if an
accident were to happen, and i; could be.shown that
the inspector had at any time warned him of .the
defect or mismanagement free' which it 'occurred,
ho knows that his responsibilby would he terribly
increased, and that it might probably go hard' with
him before a jury. As in ibis instance, if the
le has at any
o
that the
tGimoveewrnamrneendt itnhsepoewetnorercsaonf sthh?th:
I,
gretjy,,pit
xeinna*.i.eie ef,t4 Wilor-au414,;.t:! e -Wen Was news•-7
sary Ve . the complete esafeti 00the men, the case.
would Wear 'a very much veers aspect againet them.
There is no allegation that deli is the feet ;land
perhaps it ought to be mentiotted, in faiin4es to the:
owners, that the suggestion athe inspector gar the
eaustruction
.of the `` eteple I bet ween Ilea lower
end middle wane wee .at• ones cOmpliod eyith. No
itindent 'manager -world neglect the reConainencla,
ioi of en inspector without geed' reaeon to 4hOw
for it.i :If ha does; he must take the' consequences.
§till.tbere will always be self conceited owns re and
agents, bigoted in their own ideas,:and on whoin no'
process of reason-
somewhere, . so that
'cinh;l.lgFeOresa'uncbhemfe7eads tl3.lhYesae 8:1Tel:ele- ought an fionbteedly
remain of Ilie'Saine
thought to be a . itehaely .controlling
h be
allowedpowe
to
opinion, the lives of the eolliees in their ernihy 'flay`
not be sacrificed to theit obstinacy. The ivint of
such a power* the chief defect of theep4ree6nt iyie
tern of inspection, and it is net improbabielthat one'
of :the wont results of it i that the inspectors,
knowing they must be wo sted in. the push, fre-
1
quentlyrefrain from making ebateable suggettions
which might' be of the greatdet value in the saving
of life: 'The single -shaft system is an instance of
this: Probably there are few of the inspectori who
fu
would-not recommend two otemore shafts for-every
oc of I ltihe
th©
present in
collierytheirA district
strif they
ict;bu nder the machinery
were
to attempt to en-
force any such suggestion, the coal-owners could
defeat them with the greatest ease.` It
.has been
proposed at various times to
_put such a con-
trolling power in the han4- Of n Central Board
of Mines, to be composed of tractical tinelescientific
men, combining 'both kind of knowledge, Which
should-act as a. court of appeal between the:inapeee 1
tors and owners. To such a:Board, it is contended,
the direction of the whole' eystera of inspection
might be very profitably traleeerrf d. 'lt 'would de-
,
side all disputes, frame general rules, and in case Of
negligence leading to loss of life it might- act at
public pros:center. This suggestion has ' Beetsap-
proved by sonic of the 'most erninent.practioal and
scientific men, and though Boards are by: ne peens
popular institutions among us, it must be vastly
more efficient as an ultimate tribunal than the pre-
sent one*-sided and illusory aibitratien scheme,
One of the chief complaints of the men with
~agnriL to the iusiree tors is that there, e; ee
enough of them. The complaint certainly appe rs
to be well founded, for the number of pits at pre-
sent under each inspector's charge is far too large
to allow of anything like regular visitation. The
theory appears to be the if there is anything
wrong the men will compl n to the inspector, who
will then visit the mine, an desire the defect to be
set right. This appears at he outset to be placing
1
a little too much reliance o their knowledge and
ability to discover cases of . ismanagement, but as
a matter of fact the men e generally altogether
in
averse from making compl ints to the inspectors. ,
Most of the inspectors, an very properly, encou-
rage the men by all the mea, s in their power to look
upon them as being on their side, but as a rule they
have not yet succeeded in obtaining their complete
confidence, and it is only a few cases, compara-
tively speaking, that the i tpectors hear of a mine
i
going wrong through the colliers. The pitman has
too much:reason to believe that he becomes a marked
man if he is found or even suspected of holding com-
munication with the inspector, and should he fancy
there is danger brewing he prefers to pack up and
betake himself to anothei pit before it explodes,
without saying a word. One would think that such
a policy on the part of the managers, whose interest
it must be to workthe piyafely and to give timely
warning of every danger, was a very unwise one—
and no doubt there are numerous exceptions to it;
but I am told that in too many cases viewers and
overmen not only take thu first opportunity of dis-
charging every man who complains to the inspector
but pass the word to their colleagues, so as to pre-
vent his getting employment elsewhere.. In this
manner it is said that lobnoxious men have been
altogether hunted out of the coal trade and have
had to betake themselves to some other means of
getting a living. Be this as it may, the inspectors
do not obtain much assistance from the men, and
without some assistance of the sort it is physically
impossible for them to keep themselves well in-
formed of the state of every mine in their district.
The workings of a colliery are perpetually chang-
ing, and, however assiduous an inspector may be in
visiting some particular pit which he has noted
down in his black-book, between one visit and
another its circumstances may have been entirely
altered, and for all practical purposes it may
be quite a new pit to him. There can be no
doubt that the inspectors are far too weak-
handed, and that without a liberal addition to the
staff the work of inspection can never be performed
with thorough efficiency. Anticipating financial
objections to such a proposition, the men at one
time, through their delegates, suggested the ap-
pointment of sub-inspectors, of a lower grade, to
act in each district under the chief inspector. To
each of them would be committed the charge of a
certain number of mines ; they would have equal
power with the inspector to descend them at any
time,- and, probably, would be physically more com-
petent for a detailed examination. Keeping them-
selves thoroughly acquainted with what was going
on in each pit they would report to the inspector
and invoke his interference whenever it might be
necessary. Being always on the spot they would
be able to communicate much more unreservedly
with the men, and any threatened danger be pretty
certain to come to their ears, lam not aware
what aro the opinions of the inspectors themselves
On this proposition, but it is strongly opposed by
the viewers, who contend that the discipline of a
mine would be seriously injured by the perpetual
loafing about of sub-agents of this description ;
and they object altogether—perhaps not unnatur-
ally—to having their management criticised by men
of a lower grade than themselves, and probably of
a lower standard of professional knowledge. The
committee of 1854—which contemplated an increase
in the actual number of inspectors—reported
against this proposition, but since it has been
shown by events that that increase has been insuf-
ficient it may be worth a reconsideration. The col-
liers appear to attach considerable value to it; and
it is not improbable that they would impart their
complaints and suspicions with more freedom and
confidence to men nearer to their own grade than
the pre-meat inspectors. ,

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Dr. Rioord's Essence of Life is sold in cases, with full in-
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on receipt of remittance or post-offfee order payable to Prout
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(Entered at Stationers' Halt)

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By Dr. LA'AIERT, 87, Bedford-square, London.
Licentiate of the oval Cpil iciaps of EdiAburgui-
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The above work contains most _useful and interesting
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THE DREA.DF UT COLL' oRT ACCIDENT
IN NORTRUMBEREAND.

NEWCASTLE.ON-TYNE; nivßsD.4x,

In the discussions which have taken.place in this
neighbourhood on the causes of the,regent accident
at Hartley, 'there has been a. dispositian. shOwn 'in-
some quarters to censure the GOvernment inspector,
and in one of the local journals the respon tibility of
the catastrophe has been ascribed -almost exclu-
sively to his too easy acquiescence in the prineiples
on which the pit was Worked. -:As I have rilr'egdy
said, the omission to connect the -upper and middle,
seam, which would have given: an independent
means of egress from the pit, will require explana-
tion both frOin owners and inspector ; but no one
acquainted With-the real nature of the inspector's
powers can blame him for the prevalence of the
single-shaft system in his district. If the Mines'
Regulation Act is to be amended in the cominiqies
sion, it may be a good opportunity to consider
whether some extension might not be given to the
system of Government inspection ; but, as the act
stands at preient, to object to a pit simply because
'there was only one door to it is a step which
liprebably not one of the inspectors ever dreamt of.
44=c4rovernment inspection of mines seems to have
beettfirst suggested by Sir II de la Beebe in 1845.
It was strongly recommended by the committee of
the House of Lords which inquired into the general
subject of coal mines in 1849, and in the following
year an act was passed appointing the first inspec-
tors. As yet, therefore, it can scarcely be said to
haVradvanced beyond-the stage of an experiment...
Its success has undoubtedly' been considerable,
for by general admission it has induced owners and
viewers to pay a much closer attention to the safety
of their mines; but, though it has been gradually
and cautiously extended, it has perhaps not yet
been carried so far as to enable the inspectors to do
all the good of which they are capable. The sys-
tem as it stands at present seems far from satisfac-
tory to the men—speaking for this district at least.
They appear to make very light of the safeguard it
is supposed to afford them, and it is only on very
rare occasions that they take advantage of it. The
powers and duties of the inspectors, as defined by
the last act of 1860, are to visit collieries, to inquire
into their state and condition, their ventilation, the
mode of lighting, and into all matters and things
connected with the safety of the persons employed.
In the act are incorporated certain general rules
applicable to all collieries, equally relating to ven-
tilation, lights, shafts, and the like matters ; and, in
addition to these, section 11 requires each colliery
agent to draw up a set of special rules applicable to
the circumstances of his particular colliery, and
these, when approved by the inspector, are to have
the same force as the general rules. If the amend-
ment which has been suggested by this accident,
and on which all men's minds here are bent, is made
in the law, it will probably be by the insertion of
a general rule in the act to the effect that no mine
shall hereafter be worked until two shafts have
been sunk, or, at least, until a second communi-
cation has been effected with the workings. The
inspector is to watch over the observance of these
rules, and any infraction of them, either by mas-
ter or man, is punishable by penalties—on the
master, of a fine not exceeding £2O, with a ;fur-
ther penalty of £1 per day for every day the de-
fect continues unremedied after notice ; and on the
men of L 2 fine, or three months' hard labour. Be-
yond this, if on any visit an inspector finds any
matter or practice connected with the colliery—
other than the points provided for by the rules—
dangerous or defective, so as in his opinion to tend
to the bodily injury of any person, he is to give
notice in writing to the owner or agent of the par-
ticular grounds on which he is of opinion that such
matter or practice is dangerous, and also report
the same to the Home-office. Should the owner
object to remedy the defect complained of, he may
state the grounds of his objection in writing, and
nominate five mining engineers, not interested in
the management of his colliery, from whom the
Home Secretary may select one as arbitrator. As
the bill originally stood when introduced into the
House of Commons, the Government and the col-
liery owners were each to nominate an arbitrator ;
but the coal interest, it appears, was strong enough
to get the arrangement altered to its present shape.
When the award is against the colliery owner—
though the odds are clearly very much in his favour
—he is liable,to a fine of £1 per day for every day
that be neglects to remedy the defect. This is the
extent of the powers of the Home Secretary and the
inspector, and it will be seen that they are neither
very extensive nor summary. The coalowner has
every security against undue interference in his
mode of management ; nay, if he is obstinate, and
is luckly enough to get an arbitrator of his own
way of thinking—not very difficult when he has the
choosing—he may even set the inspector and the
Government at defiance. It will be seen, then,
what a slight chance Sir G. Grey or Mr. Dunn
would have had of shutting up single-shafted pits
without a special interference of Parliament. Still,
it is not a very easy matter to decide on the exact
amount of power which should be entrusted to the
inspectors. They t
for i hemselves are understood to be
by no means ee
-ger for an addition to their autho-
rity,_-4creased pow©r brings increased re-
sponsi
Ey. The coalowners of course, ob-
;--
~dct, and on the very specious ground
that to put more power in the hands of
the inspector would shift the responsibility
• of proper management from the shoulders of the
Tiewer to the inspector • 'n fact, the inspector, they

BRITISH NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIA-

TION.

A preliminary meeting of gentlemen interested
,
in British America was held at the Loftdon Tavern

yesterday, to consider the propriety of forming an

association under the above title. There was a
numerous and influential attenaanee, Mr. R. W.

Cra'Word, M.P., *as •in the chair, and among
those present were Mr. Thomas Baring, M P., Mr.
Roebuck, XP., Mr.• Kinnaird, Mr: Childers,
M.E, Sir F. Head, Mr. P. M. Van Koughnet,
Commissioner_ of Crown Lands'(from Canada), Mr.
Justice Halibutton, M.P., Sir Jimes Fergusson,
M.P.,' Mr. Danby Seymour, M.P., Viscount:ln-

- .
gestre, M.P., Mr. Padll, M.P., Captain Jervisi,
M.P., Mr. R. N. Fowler, Mr. W. Leslie, M.P., Sir
J. Dalrymple Hay, Mr. Wyld, M,P., Mr. Pope
Hennessy, M.P., &c.

The CHAIRMAN said it was impossible for any
man mixing in public life not to feel great interest
in all questions 'affecting British North. America.
Some Public body was wanted which should repre-
sent that portion of her Majesty's dominions, and
be looked upon as the exponent of colonial interests

and opinion in this country. The association now
ciontemplated would supply this want. its objects
would be to direct the current of emigration to

British soil, to diffuse information as to the North

American provinces, to promote colonial union and

correspondence, and enable British interests on each

side of the Atlantic to confer from time to time,
through an established medium, on all topics of

mutual-interest. Ike was himself unconnected with

oar Arnerioau col- ttnP.rttrd,::..itstlll.a,
"--1
iii"- ' ' 1"11V ' - fitl77:-.`"
1,4t-.:14ort?„ to sr; ',.' .ofitOtTry f,i3 .0 the-fiekiii Wiirliingantin t t(71,11
~ 61011 T,
~nt!fiali, ~,. , .
tripoli! or general' interest's: Illif'es-eri‘bedy inui Mr. RN. Foittnseoonreeti*:o4l.o, ra..dail*
be struck vith the extreme importance of main".".?;doled to the noble way in .Wilieli-Canedri h 4.. 40a
twining' close and cordial relations between tlie by Englandduring.the.late"clo.c.ik,,and-thatee
ealonies*and the Mother country, and nothing could which every Englishirian.: must._ feeltUndorthecir-:,
better prornote•this good understanding than the Cumstances, to do eVerything in-his power On-every-
esta.hlishMent ofianAssociation which would fulfil occasion to assist the deyelOpment 9ftlivp important-,
• , .
the siblecta he had just. indicated. (Hear.) • • part of the British empire. (Hear) I-J ,:-- . i -
. „
Sir Jr F4itGu*soN, M.P., proposed the following Mr," D. SF.,i'Aiol7.lt, N;li.,'Saia IGoverntntnts:liko&
.1 t 1- .
resolution :--
• , --
-" That this 'meeting, having carefully considered the oar colonies, because then "immature .projectstwOts,,
_
groising importance of British North America, the extent not •'o likely" to be brought he,forctheVa, - Henrged;
Of.gl9pr:tisirinterssts involved, and -the desirability, for that no-time should .he lost info rinii.ki:'..thP 4§soc*-.
[imperial reasons, of drawing closer the relations between the
nlother Country and the provinces, is of opinion that a ' i mg, . o , : tien so that .t.. iht • be if use to:Canadians:visiting
13ritish,.North American Associaiion should be formed, this country during the Great Exhibition: .
havinr_tho following principal'objectA in view—viz., the . The CrfAinstAN. said it-w2S the intention !of rgsns
4issemination of official information regarding the material tlemen connected with the several local legislatures
IresioniT6iiot the British North American proyinces in respect to move the Assemblies to grant ".UJI-Mall. urn of
to the employment of capital and labour, the collection and money annually in :support of : tho,a,sgeeiation.
:placing in available form for the use of the members the
geaeral statistics of the provinces, not only as concerning (Fact r.) y
I iniousl; . •
the ti4Velopm4commerce,t of their commerce, but ego aS regards the
The motion was then carried_nnan
profitese of the arts and sciences, and of their social and Mr. CIrILDERS, M.P.., proposed .a, resolution:that
!politip,a; condition; and that the following gentlemen shall the committee should put themseivesintasommn- 1
lbs the. first members of the association, which shall be nication with the various ptrties so :-aS To, obtain
idalledlhe British North American Association." the widest -possible' support. He alluacA :to the.
Altlibiigh among well-informed persons it was Australian Association-, .which had hem -fo.iindo
pretty well understood that the political inStitu- in this country some years ago on ttirsiiniepritis
tioini of British North America were greatly supe- ciples as those now put forward,-and the association
!riot to those of the United States, yet the tide of Was'now admitted to. have had a'very beneficial ins
emigration from Great Britain set in much more fluence.
-
strongly to the latter country. During the past Sir J. D. HAY, in seconding the resolution, sail
twelve Months; however, the evident instability of that having served for. a :considerable time. as a
property and of institutions in' the United States naval officer in those seaa, he could bear witness to
had altered this state of things, and he believed the great advantages which would accrue -if the
that in the-year which had just closed the number internal communications in Canada were mare corn-
of emigrants into Canada was more than double the plete. Not only did the two canzdaS, affordla vasi, •
usual average, (Hear, hear.) - ,Still there had evi- field for emigration; containing 48 thef toT (Yd. 13,
clilttly be9i
iiri the minds of the emigrant classes
great Miskpprehension of the advantages presented its vast
most loyal and happYpeople,.buiA'ovi Scotia with
its rising goldfields, New
,Brunswick"With'
by the' United States as contrasted with those of
theßritiah provinces. It was important that these , trade in timber:, New fonndiand and Prince Edward's
Island, were equally, fields .for British enterpri4
misapprehensions should be cleared away, and in no and industry. He-urged the:completion of the railH
way. could the prosperity of our North American way system of Paned a, which might be easily;
provinceabe better promoted than:by affording such effected, and would, then ',render `the -`riailitaiffe.i 1
information to emigrants as would encourage them 'fence of.the colony li.'werk.of much less
.diffi-Culty.. i
to settle there, and thus supply the present great Mr. IiALtI3;JRTOisc-14.P. „ moved a vote of thanks,
want of labonin . (Hear, hear.) So, too, the com- .to the ehairthan, and in (loin' - sa.dthat th•e'cilo-i
g.so . • ...0
mereial relations between the two countries would nial-office might be an office foietho government oil
be strengthened by a better knowledge here of the I the colonies, but; as 'Mr. ,Van .-Xxiugililet hafl.44-
resources of the colony. Believing that the exist- piained; it was oat easy for the colonists wiii,:vistiedi.
erne of a great atdirienflly- nation-et:crake-4e: At':,2, .1 biiiaml..ta.,tee;(4o.-.4.4449i4.-f.-41.iiiii.
lantic, closely allied to us as Canada was, would' Downing-street. It was necessary, therefore, that
confer immense benefits upon the mother country) there should be an • association which would have
he looked upon it as a fortunate circumstance it in its power to forward colonial objects and give
springing from an unfortunate complication, that strength to individual applications, Some gentle.
the Government and people of this country had men from the North American provinces were now
recognised the paramount duty of sustaining these in this country, one object which they had in view
provinces against any possible aggression. (Hear.) j being to obtain the completion of the railway be-

Mr. KINNAIRD, in seconding the resolution, re-
marked upon the good feeling, the courage, and
the patriotism which the people of Canada had
shown in the recent crisis. (Cheers.) By their
conduct it was plain that they considered them-
selves as one with us ; and that being so, no Eng-
lishman would withhold from them any help which
migbt be necessary in repellinj aggression, or- in
co-operating with them for the general good of our
united empire. (Hear.) The Canadians had indeed
behaved admirably throughout this difficulty, and
Englishmen would not be ungrateful. One of the
first objects to which the new association should
apply itself would be to improve the communication
between the mother country and the whiny.
Mr. HARTRIDGE supported the motion, and
Mr. WYLD, M.P., said that nearly ten years since
an ineffectual attempt was made to form such an
association. He congratulated the meeting on the
probability that one would now bo successfully esta-
bished, and observed that through its instrumen-
tality information of the most valuable kind would
be afforded to Parliament and the press and the
people of England. Had such a society existed he
believed that the railway between Halifax and
Quebec would have been completed before now.
This line would have greatly facilitated the recent
transport of troops, if it had been constructed, and
the military defence of the colony would be infi-
nitely easier.
Mr. P. M. VAN KOUGHNET thanked the meeting
for the compliment which they had paid to the
Canadians, and said he was surprised that the re-
sources of Canada bad not attracted more attention,
and that the American railways and American land
schemes had swallowed up British capital, while
the great advantages Canada as a field for invest-
ment had been comparatively overlooked. (Hear.)
When his fellow-colonists visited England also, they

tween Halifax and Quebec. A more important ob-
ject either for this country or for those provinces
be could not conceive. Canada had by extraordi-
nary effort created an immense line of railway,
stretching from the upper lakes to some distance
below Quebec, and it was understood at the time
that the Government would co operate to carry it
on to Halifax. If such a line existed the saving to
this country in sending troops to Canada at an
emergency would be almost incredible. No per-
sons would be more astounded than the colonists
themselves at the large amount of money spent
upon the government of the British colonies. Where
the money went to they did not know. But by coca-
pletin g this railway a large saving would, at all
events, be effected in the transport of troops, for
in 14 days any regiment sent from Great Britain
might arrive at Quebec. As a proof of the want of
information which existed, the newspapers were
just now reporting that a great disturbance had
broken out in Nova Scotia, at a place called Car-
bonnear, and that troops had been sent to Halifax
to suppress it—the fact being that Carbonnear hap-
pened not to be in Nova Scotia at all. But the
want of communication to which he had alluded
operated in the colonies as well as in the mother
country, and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick knew
less of Canada than of England. A native of Hali-
fax found it more difficult to get to Quebec than to
go to London and back. An association like this
would help greatly to remove these difficulties, and
they must remember the British colonies on the
Pacific as well as on the Atlantic side. Vancouver's
Island alone would absorb the surplus population of
England for many years to come, yet the ignorance
respecting it was so great that a witness before a
Parliamentary committee, some time since, declared
that the frost there sometimes penetrated 40ft.
deep.

laboured under one disadvantage as compared with
the Americans, owing to the difficulty which they
experienced in getting access to official persons and
places. The Americans, through their Ministers
and Consuls, not only on the seaboard but in
the interior, penetrated wherever they had a
mind to go. But the Canadians had no one to
appeal to, and in consequence he had more than
once heard that a British North American, in
order to obtain access to certain people and
places, had put himself under the protection of the
American Minister and called himself a Yankee.
He did not mean to say that he had been reduced
to such a necessity, because he came over here duly
accredited to the British Government. But this he
would say—that during his stay in London, Ameri-
cans, who, at the time were notoriously writing
against the British Government and hounding their
own country on to Canada, had enjoyed better
means of official communication and easier official
access than had been given to him as a representa-
tive of Canada. The want of this ready access might
arise from no neglect on the part of official persons.
It was simply owing to the fact that colonies were
not familiar with those channels of communication
which were open to people of other nations through
their Ambassadors or Ministers, whose introduc-
tions and representations could not be disregarded
without an affront. From the want of a recognised
envoy or of some direct means of communicating
with the Government, and of influencing opinion
here, a Canadian, when he arrived in London, felt
like a cat in a strange garret. (Laughter.) For
himself, he had met with many friends who had
made his visit pleasant and his business easy. But
often the Canadian did not know where to go to,
and having no consul or agent to introduce bun he
was forced to trespass on private friends and on pm.

Mr. LESLIE, M.P., congratulated the meeting on
the success which had attended this first step in
drawing closer the bonds between the North Ame-
rican colonists and the mother country.
The vote of thanks having been agreed to nein. con.
The CIIAIRIVIAN, in acknowledging it, invited Mr.
Roebuck to address the meeting.
Mr. ROEBUCK said he had come to listen and not
to talk, his object being to know what the meeting
proposed doing, and bow it was that at length Eng-
lishmen had become alive to the importance of a
question which he had been endeavouring to press
upon them for the last 20 years. As there was no-
thing like an illustration to point an argument, he
would mention one matter of very great importance,
not only to the colonies but to England. Up to the
year 1833 or 1834 there existed in the colonies a
system of government which he, in common with a
great number of the colonists, thought a bad one.
As an agent of the Assembly of Lower Canada
he presented petitions to Parliament, requesting
Parliament to do certain things. He recollected
that for doing so he was called mad, or some-
thingcolonybe di
s.
was said to l.
worse.B-
loyal, and he was regarded as anything but an Eng.
lishman. Nevertheless he lived to see every one of
these claims granted to the colonists. (Hear.) A
very fv,A, years ago, when Lord Derby was in
power, certain gentlemen, with himself, pressed
upon the then Government the importance of com-
pleting the railway from Quebec to Halifax. To
that request Lord Derby paid every possible atten-
tion, and he entertained a sanguine hope that the
work would be accomplished. But, unfortunately,
there was such a thing as party spirit. Lord Derby
ceased to be Prime Minister of England, and with
his fall ceased their hopes of completing the rail-
way. There was however a Nemesis in politicali