The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-05 00:00:00

portance than it ought to be. (Hear, hear.) Hitherto it
has been an office of 6,3001. a year, and we are of opinion
We
that it ought not to be reduced below 5,0001. a year.
do not propose that any permanent settlement should
ould
_b_.e
made with regard to that salary, but, there being 1,5001
a year already attached to the office of Governor of Jamaica,
we propose to ask for 3,5001. to make up the sum, and wet
propose that this grant should remain for three. years. A
the end of those three years it would be a question whether
that salary should be permanently fixed on a different
footing by the Assembly and the Council, and on the other
hand it may be that, in conformity with the opinions of
authority, the
persons of considerable experienme and
salaries of the governors of our colonies should be provided
for by a vote of Parliament. lam not ready to give an
opinion on that subject in the present state of affairs. All
that we wish to ask from Parliament is, not any law to
change or suspend the constitution of Jamaica, but a vote
of money amounting to 3,5001. a year for three years, to
enable the Govenor of Jamaica to make those propositions
to the Assembly. and Council of that colony. If these pro-
positions should be accepted, it is fair to say that the
Government would then be prepared to propose the gua-
rantee which I have mentioned, with the view of extrica-
ting Jamaica from its present difficulties, and enable it to
proceed for the future with such retrenchments as may be
thought advisable. The colony of Jamaica is, as the house
is well aware, a magnificent colony in point of soil and
productions—(hear,liear)—and I cannot help believing that
if these unfortunate dissensions could be allayed, and no
source of dispute were to arise for the future—that is to
say, no dispute so serious as to put a stop to the whole
machinery of government--I cannot help believing that we
should see the colony of Jamaica recovering, to at least the
same extent as Trinidad and British Guiana, from the de-
pression which the events of some years ago have helped to
bring upon it. (Hear, hear.) Having stated the proposals
of the Government, which it was absolutely necessary to
state to the house before the end of the session, I have
only to say that I hope the house will agree to them.
Sir J. PABINGTON expressed the great satisfaction
with which he had listened to the statement of the noble
lord. It was on no personal grounds, nor for any personal
reasons, that he (Sir J. Pakington) had addressed a ques-
tion to the noble lord on this subject, but because he en-
tertained a strong opinion that, considering the great and
dangerous crisis which had lately arisen in the affairs of
Jamaica, it was the duty of the Government to state to
the house the view which they took of that crisis, and the
measures which it was their intention to adopt in conse-
quences. The noble lord had commenced his speech by
drawing a comparison between the three great West In-
dian colonies of Guiana, Trinidad, and Jamaica, and had
compared the exports of sugar from those colonies in the
year 1840 with those of a more recent year ; and the no e
lord had also adverted to what was a most Important ele-
ment in this subject, namely, the supplies of labour which
these colonies had respectively received during the same
period. But the noble lord had not adverted to another
equally important element in the question, which was the
comparative price at which sugars had been sold in those
years. He (Sir J. Pakington) should not, however, enter
into that question, neither- should he speak at present of
the policy which had been pursued in 1846, in reference to
which he still retained the opinion he had so often ex-
pressed, namely, that it was an unwise and disastrous
policy. He was glad to say that he thought that the pro-
posals which the Government had made with regard to
Jamaica were wise proposals, and such as no possible ex-
ception could be taken to. One of the most important
parts of the plan of the Government was that which re-
lated to the alterations in those financial powers which had
been hitherto exercised by the House of Assembly, and as
it involved an invasion of the rights which the Assembly
had possessed up to the present time, it was right that
her Majesty's Government should be fortified and
supported by what he (Sir John Pakington) would now
state without hesitation—that had it devolved upon
him to deal with this crisis, he should certainly have
considered the reformation of certain portions of the
constitution of Jamaica a necessary preliminary to any
concessions. (Hear, hear.) He held in his hand two most
important dispatches of Sir Charles Grey, one of which
had been sent to Lord Grey at the close of 1851, and
the other to himself (Sir J. Pakington) last year. Hear
the emphatic manner in which, in the former of these
dispatches, Sir C. Grey expressed his view of the working
of the constitution as to the mode of raising the public re-
venues :--'! Your lordship is aware that the whole course
of fixing, raising, and managing the public revenue in Ja-
maica is exceedingly faulty and perverted. The Govern-
ment is in no way represented in the House of Assembly,
nor has any organ there by which any tax can be proposed,
or any estimates of expenditure, or of ways and means, can
be laid before the Legislature. All advice, by way of
message, from the governor as to particular measures, is
regarded as dictation, and resented as a breach of privi-
lege. No member has more right or authority than any
other to recommend the sort of taxes that are to be im-
posed, or the rate or duration of them ; and so jealously
careful is the Assembly of its privileges, that the revenues
for the most part are voted only from year to year. Every
member has the right also to propose a grant or appropria-
tion of public money ; and in the course of each session a
number of miscellaneous grants, though of much less
amount now than formerly, are successively authorised,
without much reference to estimates, or to the ability of
the revenue to bear them, and towards the end of the ses-
sion are included in one enactment, each individual mem-
ber who has a rant to propose being naturally inclined to
reconcile other members to his own measure by consenting
to support theirs. Upon the whole, it may be truly said
that there is no system or consistency whatever in the con-
duct of the financial affairs of the colony, nor any recog-
nised organ of Government or legislation which has the
power to bring about effectual and comprehensive improve-
ment." Objectionable as this system was, he (Sir J. Pa-
kington) was sorry to say that the Assembly in Jamaica
seemed to cling to it with the greatest tenacity. In Sir C.
Grey's second despatch of last year, he said :—" The ses-
sion of the local legislature was brought to a close on the
26th of February. as reported in my despatch No. 16.
March 1, 1852. It had been chiefly remarkable for the re-
newed pertinacity with which the Government here is en-
tirely excluded, not only from those functions in the body
of the Legislature which the Crown exercises through its
Ministers in both houses of the English Parliament, but
from all guidance, even by advice, of the proceedings of the
Assembly." Under these circumstances he (Sir J. Paking-
ton) was afraid that the House of Assembly would not be
willing to abandon these functions, and that, with all the
new governor's well-known abilities, Sir Henry Barkly
would have great difficulties to contend with. He (Sir J.
Pakington) hoped, however, that it would strengthen the
hands of the Government and of Sir Henry Barkly, when
it was known that the opinion was not confined to one side
of the house, but that it was undoubtedly felt by the late
Government as it was felt by the present Government, that
it was imperatively necessary that the abandonment of the
anomalous powers of the Assembly should be insisted upon.
He must say that, under the present state of the law,
which they must consider as settled with regard to the
sugar duties, and looking to the fact that the difficulties of
Jamaica had long been of a financial character, he thought
that her Majesty's Government had taken one, at least, of
the most effectual modes of affording relief to Jamaica, and
which, although it appeared of considerable magnitude, he
believed would not entail any danger upon the finances of
this country—he alluded to the proposed guarantee of the
public debt of Jamaica by this country, so as to enable the
colony to reduce the interest of that debt from 6 per cent.,
the rate which it at present bore, to probably as low as
Wiper cent., thereby greatly alleviating the burden upon
the resources of the island. In 1847 the public debt of
Jamaica, including the portion due to this country, did
not amount to more than 580,000/. ; and at the present
moment he believed he did not overstate it when
he estimated it at not less than 750,0001. Of this
HUM the portion due to this country, together with
the arrears of interest, amounted to about 200,000& ;
and it appeared, from what the noble lord had said, that
the guarantee of the Government was not to extend
to that sum. [Mr. Peel was here understood to say that
the interest upon the debt due to this country was already.
reduced.] He thanked the hon. gentleman for his explana-
tion on this point, which was perfectly satisfactory. The
annual revenue of Jamaica in 1847 was 240,0001. ; and since
that period it had been gradually falling greatly below the
expenditure, until it now amounted to only 180,0001. He
had no doubt therefore that the saving which would be
effected by the reduction of the interest on the debt under
the plan of her Majesty's Government would give great re-
lief to the finances of the island, and would he believed be
accepted as a great boon and as a measure which he hoped
would reconcile the Assembly to making the concession
which he had already adverted to. It was the intention of
the late Government to have sent out a commission to Ja-
maica to inquire on the spot into the working of the con-
stitution and into the state of the affairs of the island, and
to report what was the best mode of dealing with its griev-
ances and ' difficulties. He confessed that he was still dis-
posed to think that that would have been the best and
lord, by sendingpursue ; and whether the noble
would be able a 0 governor with the fullest instruc-
tions,those remedies which the state
w oo
out his views and to afford
demanded, and whether amboaicaablsoo
to
of Jamaica
needful changes without having imperativelye
ff e effect th e
Legislature, he (Sir J. Pakington)
recourse to the Imperial
some doubt'. But, whatevnjkn) must say he entertained
that subject, he was happy to be able
be his doubts upon
vernment having decided upon the to add that, the Go-
governor rather than a commission, Ipilan of sending out a
doubt with regard to the wisdom of et
had not the slightest
Government had made in the he choice which the
person of Sir
and, moreover, he must say that he thoughtHenry Barkly;
went had done no more than was due to rthe Govern-
for the services he had rendered, in recommoa Henry Barkly
the honour which he had lately received fr'ota. him to
vereign. (Hear, hear.) Whilst he (Sir J. pa-1248 So-
held the seals of the Colonial Department Sir H. 4°o)
was the Governor of Guiana, and he should think '
himself-
wanting in justice to that distinguished gentleman if he
did not say that his own limited experience of office, as
far as it went, confirmed everything which the noble lord
had said
regarding Sir H. Barkly. He went out to Guiana
at a time of very great difficulty, and he had had the rare
fortune, in the case of colonial governors, of not only
having gained the confidence and esteem of the Crown and
he left the
advisers, had alsobut
its responsible
and under the grati-
fying condition of comparative prosperity,
he had secured to himself per-
fying circumstances tiesl d feeling of the colonists. He
smelly the universe g
thought the Government had acted
(Sir J. Pakington)
charge a portion of the salary of the
wisely in deciding to
ears at least, upon the funds of
new governor, for three
same caun as t
this country. He would exercise
inthe mannerhe
as to the in
noble lord in expressing any op
ors' salaries should be
which this and other colonial govern
permanently paid; but he confessed that his
ewnimpres-
sionthe
was that there were strong reasons in favour of
opinion entertained by competent persons, that it would
be better that such salaries should be defrayed altogether
by the mother country. He was speaking only for him-
self, and he had the misfortune to differ from those with
whom he usually acted, but he thought the Government
was pursuing a wrong course in permanently reducing
the salary of the Governor of Jamaica. He doubted, on
general grounds, the wisdom of reducing the salaries of
important Government offi in h thought
the old maxim that the cers, whose case e
labourer was worthy of his hire
was peculiarly applicable. N
un-
worthy of a great country 0 policy could be more
public servants. Nothing
thanunderpaying.hile d been more strongly =-
than the necessity, for the ien ;was at the Colonial-office
no less than the interest of the coloniesereatof this country,
competent men, and men of high,
statesmanlike
that able and
qualities, should be selected to fill theand
governors ; and if they expected such men office of colonial
their prospects and pursuits in this country, to resign
expatriate themselves in order to serve tbisC raondwn to
trying climates, and often under difficult circumstances,-
he did not see how they could secure their services with-
out wi
out holding such a scale of salaries as would make the
acceptance of such appointments worth the while of duly
qualified individuals. In connection with this point, he