The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-20 00:00:00

Government to propose any measure respecting the
treatmenteof juvenile prisoners?
Sir G. GREY, in reply, said that although the Com-
mittee had agreed upon the site for a Record office, and
had decided upon erecting one, unfortunately Parliament
had not voted the funds. He could not say. that any
measure would certainly be introduced upon tne subject
during the present session.
Mr. BANKES had understood that the Victoria
Tower was to be :appropriated to that purpose, and
wished to know whether the intention had been laid.
aside.
Sir G. GREY believed that it had been intended that
the Victoria Tower should be the depository of the
public recoris, but that idea had been abandoned.
THE PALACE COURT.
Mr. HUME, seeing the Attorney-General in his
place, wished to ask him whether her Majesty's Go-
vernment intended to bring in any measure to reform
the abuses of the Palace Court, the mischief of which
was so crying, and which had attracted so much of
public attention?
The ATTORNEY, GENERAL said that the matter
being strictly within the jurisdiction of the palace he
must wait an expected communication from the Lord
Steward of the Household.
To Mr. WYLD, who asked a question of similar im-
port,
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL replied to the same
effect, with the addition, that when a Bill was introduced
the Lord Mayor's Court would, in all probability, be
included in its provisions.
EMIGRATION.
Mr. SCOTT wished to ask the Under-Secretary of
State for the Colonies the following questions :—What
is the number of applicants for emigration accepted by
the Commissioners, and now waiting orders to em-
bark? What is the daily average number, since Ist
November last, of those who apply in person at the
office of the Land and Emigration Board, for passages to
the Australian and South African colonies? 3. What
is the average nnmber of letters of application
received daily at the same office during the said
period, and also during the corresponding period
last year ? 4. What number of ships have been
dispatched monthly with emigrants since Nov. 1, 1848?
5. What number of ships would be requisite to convey
persons whcae applications for emigration are at present
approved? 6. In consequence of the number who desire
to emigrate, how long an emigrant may expect to be
detained after he is accepted, and before he can sail?
7. What number of free passages have been refused to
applicants since let November last, and what is the pro-
portion of thoso refused to those accepted?
Mr. HAWES said that he had not yet received the
returns upon the subject to which the Hon. Member re-
ferred, but as soon as he did, ho would give him the in-
formation he required.
CROWN COLONIES.
Mr. BAILLIE, in pursuance of the notico he had
previously given, then rose to move for the appoint-
ment of a Select Committee to inquire into the griev-
ances complained of in the Crown Colonies of Ceylon,
British Guiana, and the Mauritius, and to report to the
House whether any measures can be adopted for the better
administration and government of those dependencies.
It was not only his opinion, but that of many others,
that the Colonial-office was not competent to perform the
important duties intrusted to it.—(Cries of " Hear,
hear.") Although Noblemen and Gentlemen of the
highest character and the most intelligent mind
had been appointed to the office of Secretary of State
for the colonies it was singular to remark that not one of
then had been able by their measures to give satis-
faction to the colonial possessions of this eountry. The
Noble Lord the present Secretary for the Colonies
had not only met with the fate of his veslecessors, but
had incurred a greater degree of dislike among the
inhabitants of the colonies than any one that had
preceded him had done.—(Hear, hear.) He had
a most serious charge to make against the Colonial-
office, and those who presided over it, namely, that of
tyranny and oppression, and a wasteful and extravagant
expenditure of the colonial resources—(Hear, hear)—
the result of which was a call upon the colonies to pro-
vide for a most grievous, heavy, and unnecessary burden
—(Hear)—and to raise a spirit of great dissatisfaction
among them.—(Hear, hear.) He charged the states-
men who had hitherto presided over the colonial
government of this country with the greatest
mismanagement, and as evidence of that ho would
refer to the evidence of Mr. Philip Anstruther, who
stated that the fault of all that had occurred in the colo-
nies was. that every colony was a miniature of the
Imperial Government.—(Hear, hear.) That gentleman
said the Colonial-office might change its system entirely.
—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Baillie) went further than
that, and asserted that the Colonial-office must change its
system entirely—(Hear)—because there could be no
doubt that the course that had been pursued by the
Colonial-office had brought the colonies to almost cer-
tain ruin and discontent. He (Mr. Baillie) would
not rest his assertions with respect to the course pursued
by the Colonial-office upon the statements of Mr. Philip
Anstruther alone, but he would refer to the authrity
of Mr. Herman Merrivale. That gentleman, in his
lecture upon colonization, stated the views he
entertained upon the colonial system. This gen-
tleman declared that the American colonies, in
1846, with three millions of people, could be governed at
an expense of 55,0001., and complained that the colonial
expenditure within the last four years had increased
without producing any improvement in the condition of
the colonist. That was the opinion of apolitical economist.
He knew not what might be the opinion of Government
upon tb. subject. He knew not whether these gentle-
men were subject to that we ikness of Est nan nature,
which appeared to work so wonderful a revolution in the
minds and opinions of those who became members of the
Government; but this be would say,!that this gentleman
must have stultified his feelings if he believed that three
millions of people could not only be governed, but well
governed, at a cost of 55,0004 when he found himself in-
stalled in the Colonial-office, and administering
the law under a system which inflicted upon
British Guiana, with a population of only
150,000, taxes to the amount of 273,0001., for its
civil administration, being an amount of taxation equal
to 2/. 6s. for every living soul in the colony, or one-
sixth more than the amount of taxation imposed on this
country. If the people of England had hitherto flattered
themselves that they were the highest taxed people on
the face of the earth they were mistaken, for here they
had a colony without an army or navy, in which the
rate of taxation was one-sixth higher than that of the
people of England.—(Hear, hear.) These, then, were
the grounds upon which he should venture to crave
the indulgence of the House whilst he proceeded to de-
tail the facts which he had to bring forward, and then
it would be open for the House to decide whether he
had made out a case which would justify him in calling
upon the House to give its sanction and support to the
motion with which he should conclude.—(Hear, hear.)
It was well known that the British Colonies
were subject to various forms of Govern-
ment ; there were several of them with legislative
assemblies and popular representatives ; there were
others again which slightly approached to the legislative
system, and there were others of pure and
simple despotisms, subject only to the supreme
will and pleasure, or he might say the ca-
price of the individual who, in the revolutions
of parties in this country, for any temporary conveni-
ence might find himself in the office of Secretary of State
for the colonies.—(Heart hear.) Now, it was to the
latter class of colonies to which he wished to draw the
attention of the House, namely, the third class, of
pure and simple: despotisms. They must all attach
great importance to the colony of Ceylon. Its legisla-
tive administration was confided to a Governor and
Council, every member of which was nominated either
by the Governor himself or by the Secretary of State for
the colonies there;:then they had a form of government
without any pretence of representation, and in conse-
quence of that form of government, very general dis-
content had for some time past prevailed in this colony—
a discontent not confined to the natives, but extending to
the Europeans.—(Hear, hear). This discontent had
lately manifested itself amongst the native population, in
the only way in which an uneducated and ignorant
people were accustomed to make remonstrances to the
in the shape of open rebellion.
had also manifested itself
European Population, but in the
—(Hear,Ga
mooen rgns mt c n tth—he
the
Government—name, a.
Ee
uljyrt
0,
morcerational and civilized mode of memorials addressed
to the Secretary, for the Colonies, and by petitions ad-
dressed to that House.—(Hear.) He would now read a
few passages from one of the petitions addressed to that
House, in order that the House might know what were
the grievances of which the people of this colony
complain.— (Hear, hear.) The petitioners com-
menced by stating that they were deeply
interested in the welfare of the island in which their
property was invested, and :they addressed the House
under sufferings of no ordinary character. They were
labouring under the burden of heavy taxation, while the
revenues of the 'island were devoted to purposes for
which they were not intended. The administration, they
went on to complain, was tortuous and uncertain,
and from a failure of the agricultural crops, property
was being disposed of by forced sales at a depreciation
of forty to fifty per cent., and yet the colony was an-
nually put to the expense of useless and sinecure offices
to support the protegees of the Home Department.
It further complained that duties at the rate of 200 per
cent. bad been imposed upon the colony—a pretty speci-
men of the manner in which the Government had car-
ried out their free-trade principles, and of the sort of
justice they distributed to the colonies.—(Hear,
hear.) They allowed the produce of Europe and
America to come to our ports free, while they
charged 200 per cent. upon the produce of our own colo-
nies.—(Hear, when
(Hear,
Lordhear T.)orSruiDchgtwon was appointed Governoras the state of the island of
Ceylon
of the island in 1847. Ile found the colony labouring
under great depression—distress universally prevailed,
and estates upon which large capitals had
been invested were every day being sold under
executions, having been abandoned by the owners, and
in addition to that the revenue had fallen below the ex-
penditure, and it was found that there was not
sufficient forthcoming to pay the officers whose
ditty it was to carry oat the government of the
island. In short, he found the island in a similar
state to that in which he left the other

country. Tin•ro was a deficit in the exchequer—(Liea6
and under those circumstances he seemed to have
thought it advisable to follow as closely as possible that
very great financial authority, doubtless, whom he did
not now see in his place, the Right Hon. the Chancellor
of the Exchequer. Being, he presumed, a free trader,
it did not appear that he contemplated any
increase of import duty, and being also a Whig, and
without the fear of a financial reform association before
his eyes, ho did not contemplate any reduction in the
public expenditure.—(Hear hear.) There remained no
other course but to follow the example of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer of this country, and to make a proposition
toincrease the direct taxation .—(Hear, hear.)
But, having the advantage of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer's experience with respect to the proposition to
increase the
.income-tax, he was compelled to have re- •