The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-21 00:00:00

the contrary, I consider that he has given an example
which he has done well to set—by showing that, with-
out reference to any former party differences, he was
ready to go to a colony where his influence might be of
use in reconciling the opinions of the inhabitants to the
mode of government to which they were required to
submit. And be it observed, that when the Hon.
Gentleman finds fault with Mr. Barkly for accepting the
Governorship of Guiana, he is one of those who is con-
stantly blaming her Majesty's Government because they
choose none but their own partizans and connexions for
offices of that kind. He says, in the first place, "Here
is a Government who choose none but their own friends
to fill Colonial appointments ;" and than, in the next
place, he says, "If I find a person accepting any of
those appointments who does not belong to the Ministe-
rial party, I will take care to hold up his conduct to
reprobation."—(Cheers and laughter.) • I have line.*
list of the appointments which Earl Grey has -made ;
and I think that his appointments of Governors show a
very careful desire to select men of ability for those
offices. I know myself how difficult it is very often to
find a person well qualified for the post who will
consent to leave this country for a distant
colony. I believe in the case of Ceylon the
Governorship was offered to four persons before it was
proposed to Lord Torrington. I know with respect to
several other governorships. that they hayirs offered
to men whom it was thought desirable to PI kt. those
offices, but that the hope of their acceptance lifetk trtesp-
pointed, and the appointment of the Minister defeated.
So untrue is it that these appointments are Jaws sought
as objects of desire—and so untrue is it that this patron-
age is a great object of desire to the person who fills the
office of Secretary of State for the Colonies. On the
contrary, it is very often a matter of the utmost diffi-
culty to find a person qualified to fill the office of Go-
vernor. I will read a list of governors appointed by my
Noble Friend: —Canada, Lord Elgin; New Brunswick,
Sir E. Head; Bahamas. Mr. Gregory; Barbadoes' Coe
lonel Reid (who has been succeeded by Sir W. Cole-,
brooke); Gibraltar, Sir 11. Gardener; Malta, Mr. M.
O'Verrall; Mauritius, Mr. Anderson; Lebuan, Sir J.
Brooke; Hong-Kong, Mr. Bonham; South Australia, Sir
H. Young. Such is the general nature of the appoint-
ments which Lord Grey has made for the colonies.—
(Cheers.) The list shows, I think, that generally
speaking his appointments have been made with great
care. Much as I value that system of self-government
which we as Englishmen naturally think the best rule
for the colonies, I believe, with respect to many of our
colonies, it is of still more importance to make a good
selection of Governors.—(Hear, hear.) I believe that 11
Governor well chosen does generally so far conciliate the
good opinion of those with whom he acts as to enable
him to carry many measures which would otherwise fail
in their purpose.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman
has made this, which might have been a motion for in-
quiry into most important objects, and which may still
have a beneficial effect—he has chosen to make it the
occasion, and hardly anything but the occasion, of a
bitter personal attack against two individuals, Lords
Grey and Torrington, on account of their management
of these affairs.—(Hear, hear.) This will not prevent us
from giving our assent to the appointment of a Com-
mittee to-night in the very terms in which it is asked,
but with something like the addition proposed by my
Hon. Friend behind me; because I think that after the
experience of last year—after the long inquiry which
took place with respect to the sugar and coffee planta-
tions, it would be a great misfortune if it were under-
stood that the House had appointed a Committee with
the view of re-opening the question of protection.—
(Hear.) I cannot but believe that if the Committee were
appointed solely in the words of the Hon. Gentleman,
then an opinion might be fostered in the minds of some
that by bringing witnesses before the Committee they
might succeed in shaking the opinion of the Committee,
and finally of this House, in the system of commercial
policy which we have adopted. Like the Right Hon.
Gentleman the Member for Tamworth, I certainly per-
ceive both in the original motion and in the amendment
terms that may well be objected to; but I believe that
my Hon. Friend does not intend to do any more than
commit the House to say, that in opposing the Cora.
mittee we do not intend to alter our policy. Conceiving
that some such words are necessary, I shall support the
motion of my Hon. Friend.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. DISRAELI—I wish to trouble the House only
for a few moments before the division takes place, if one
shall be called for, upon the motion of my Hon. Friend.
That the House may clearly understand that motion, I
beg the particular attention of Hon. Members to the
terms on which it is framed, because there seems to exist
a singular misconception of them. The notion is for "a
Select Committee, to inquire into the grievances com-
plained of in the Crown colonies of Ceylon and British
Guiana, and to report to the House whether any
measures can be adopted for the better administration
and government of those dependencies." Now it was
certainly the intention of my Hon. Friend to have in-
duced the House to consent to the Committee of Inquiry
only into the administration and government
of those dependencies. Nothing could bo fur-
ther from his intentions than to ask that
the inquiry should at all touch upon their
commercial relations—(Hear, hear)—or the fiscal rela-
tions connected with their commerce; and I think that
any Gentleman who heard the address of my Hon. Friend
must have telt from its tone that such an intention was
foreign to his thoughts. After the notice of his motion
had been given, however, there appeared before the
House au amendment which I confess surprised me as
well as many other Gentlemen, and none more than my
Hon. Friend.—(Here the Hon. Member quoted the
terms of the amendment.) When my Hon. Friend found
this amendment placed upon the table of the House, he
felt considerably embarrassed. He had no idea of ex-
citing a free-trade debate; and he thought he had
guarded himself sufficiently against it by the terms of
his motion. In consequence of that amendment, my
Honourable Friend to-night in the most scrupulous
manner avoided touching upon any topic which
could by possibility be misrepresented by the inge-
nuity of any free-trader into an approach to that sub-
ject. My Hon. Friend particularly avoided touching
upon the circumstances of Lord Torrington reducing
import duties, and introdueing direct taxation, lest it
might be said that he had made a sinister attack upon the
new commercial system. And yet, because ho did so,
he is accused of a suppression of facts.—(Hear, hear.)
It is perfectly obvious that if my Hon. Friend had
commenced his speech by informing the House that the
first thing Lord Torrington did was to destroy the re-
venue created by import duties, and to introduce a sys-
tem of taxation, the Hon. Member for Stoke would
immediately have had some locus stank for his amend-
ment ; but instead of that my Hon. Friend confined
himself to the sheer merits of the case; so that when
the Hon. Member for Stoke rose, ho found himself in
the position of what strategists call making a diversion,
except that in this case it was generally felt that the
diversion was not very diverting. (Loud laughter.)
What is the conduct of the Honourable Gentleman
the Under-Secretary for the Colonies under these cir-
cumstances? He comes forward in a tone of impetuous
eloquence carrying everything before him, but as the
same time telling us, " Don't think I am at all annoyed;
I shall give you the Committee you ask for; what we
want is inquiry, and you shall have it." A great many
gentleman—it being then a very critical hour—left the
House—l do not know whether they have returned, but
I believe they went away under the impression that no
division could possibly take place, as the Government
had assented to the inquiry. Later in the evening,
however, as the lion. Gentleman waxed warmer and
warmer in his speech, he repeated, " You shall have the
inquiry, that is to say"—and then the Hon. Gentleman
turned round to his colleagues for instructions, in order
to ascertain whether he should grant what he had pro-
mised twenty minutes before.—(Laughter.) Then the in-
quiry was again promised; but only on condition that
the House accepted the amendment.—(Hear, hear.)
11,141 y, for an Honourable Gentleman who, like
the Under-Secretary, without circumlocution of
phrase, accused my Honourable Friend of having
treated this subject in a manner singularly disingenuous
and unfair—l think for an Hon. Gentleman who makes
that accusation it was certainly conduct neither fair nor
ingenuous to promise at once a Committee, and in a
quarter of an hour afterwards to repeat the promise
with a condition attached to it which he knew we could
not accept.—(Cheers.) I think it would not be credit-
able to the House that it should accept it. I only ac-
count for such conduct by the excitement of the Trea-
sury bench, because the Under Secretary most decidedly
told us that while he consented to the Committee, he did
not believe it would be of any use; whereas the Prime
Minister has since told us that he feels it to be :llraiwin-
quiry which may be attended with very beneficialroys-
-(Hear, hear.) My Hon. Friend has
been
ne
shaattacked by the Noble Lord, as well as
Under-
Secretary, on account of his personal bitterness et
ss ow
Lord Torrington and Lerd Grey.
Certainlywa re ot sts. public
uityHardons.
Friend did mention that he was
c of such great
oand I believe he also
claims of Lord Torrington to
importance and trust—language
ea which ;i
is peculiarly offensive— notisn fe
I do not think
g
mentioned that Lords
having Torrington had previously been
filled the office of a Lord
only known to fame asn
observation which, I submit, can
of the Bedchambe
which was so bitter and •
malignant
d to the attack
hardly be called Bedchamber
—nparliamentary.—(Laughter.) We
listened
upon Lord Torrington, and we also listened to the de-
fence by the Under-Secretary ; and, as far as I could
form an opinion, I should rather imagine that when
Lord Torrington is made acquainted with both, he will
prefer the attack to the defence.—(Great laughter.) The
agricultural
eulogium which he passed upon Lord Tor-
rington may be deserved, and may prove agreeable to
his feelings ; but the singular allusion, that having been
a director of the South-Eastern Railway Company, and
having received a testimonial for his conduct, he was,
consequently qualified to be a governor of a colony,
would hardly have been hazarded by any one but an
Under. Secretary whose public services had also been re-
cognized iu the same manner—who had also received
a public dinner, and, I believe, a present of
a testimonial.—[Mr. Hewes—" No.") I had thought
that after certain remarkable services of the
Hon. Gentleman in a celebrated Committee he had re-
ceived a testimonial; but probably his purity of feeling
prompted him to refuse it.—(Laughter.) He was, at all
events, present at the dinner which was given to Lord
Torrington, and it was perhaps the genius of the place
and the importance of the occasion which had suggested
the remembrance of the distinguished post of the Noble
Lord to the Hon. Gentleman.—(Hear, hear.) Now,
with respect to the bitterness with which my Hon. Friend
is said to have attacked Lord Grey—the Noble Lord is
certainly mistaken in supposing that my Hon. Friend
said anything which seemed to imply a
censure is own
upon him
because he employs the friends and members
haunted with
party. The Noble Lord must have beeni
what he has read in the morning journa:sspaeneedhtorfanmsy-
farred the renmeks he had seen there to the
able Friend was
mg
honourable Friend, which contained nothing of the
kind.—(Loud laughter.) My 11°f dto some tk.
also sharply rated because ha reerre
Mr. Speaker, should
have interfered to stop bill observations; but L D elieve.ray
which had occurred in another place, and the Noble
on
Lord seemed to think that . .