The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-15 00:00:00

nothing could be more it juntas to the real welfore of the
I colony than to create an oligarchy such as formerly ex-
isted. It appeared to him, then, that the really judi-
cious course eas gradually to improve existing iustitu-
aims, so aato fit the people for a future increase of po-
pular power. That had been done to a certain extent
by the alteration of 1819, and so far as related to the
control of financial matters, which was the foundation of
all legislative power, the colony did possess a great share
lof self-government. With respect to the opinion of the
I intelligent part of the colonists, he held in his hand a
resolution which had been transmitted to him by the
chairman of the meeting of proprietors, in which they
declared that, under existing institutions, the tax-
payers had entire control over the imposition and
expenditure of the taxes, and they pointed out
certain alterations in existing institutions as
'()Toady preferable to any sweeping alterations in
the present constitution. To the alterations which these
gentlemen thus proposed he saw no objections what-
ever. On the contrary, he believed them to be sound in
principle, and calculated to improve the existing institu-
tions of the colony, and gradually prepare it for still
greater freedom. Regarding them in that light, he felt
it his duty to send their resolution to the Governor, at
the same time strongly to recommend a measure to be
founded upon it and passed by the Court of Policy. The
signatures to that resolution embraced those of every
eonsiderable merchant and planter connected with
Guiana, resident in Englansl, Scotland, and Ireland; and
he thought that intelligent men hke them ought to be
trusted in a matter of, that sort. As to what the Noble
Lord had said respecting the weight cf taxation, he
begged to say that it had been very much reduced of
late. The Noble Lord seemed to think that since the
Ant of 1546 passed, a still larger reduction ought to have
been made; but if he would look to the actual state of
the colony, he would find that it teas now in a not less
promising condition than at the period cf the passing of
that Act. Comparing the actual price which Guiana
sugar produced at this time with what it then realised,
he would not find the planter in a worse condition;
rather he would find that brighter prospects were
dawning upon him, as had been stated by the Governor
in one of his dispatches. The fail in the rate of wages
was fully commensurate with the fall in the price of
the produce of the colony, for tile effect of
protection, while it existed, had been to raise the price
of labour. There was no question, judging from the
returns which had been received, that wages had fallen;
that was to say, that the rate of wages bad fallen to such
an extent that the population did more work now for
the same money than they had done before. With a
state of society like that which existed in Guiana, this
was an unmixed good, not only to the planters but the
people themselves, because in that state of society it was
most desirable that some adequate motive should bo
found for them to labour, and not to encourage those
habits of idleness which were naturally stimulated by
the abolition cf slavery. The Noble Lord said that
the measure of 1846 had operated so to injure the co-
lony as to make a great reduction of taxation neces-
sary. But if he looked at the facts before their Lord-
' ships he found no proof of this. What was the actual
state of affairs? At this moment the Governor had been
able to propose in the colony a reduction of texetion to
the extent of no less than between 150,000 and 250,000
dollars. And how had he been able to do this? Mainly
by the increased productiveness of the existing taxes.
And surely that increased productiveness of re-
venue was no proof of general distress in the co-
lony. On the contrary, it seemed to him to be a sign
of the existence of a state of things which was the
very reverse. He was also happy to inform the Noble
Lord that the larger part of the raluctioa of taxa-
tion proposed by the Governor of Guiana was a reduc-
tion of the duties on imported provision. He quite con-
curred with the Noble Lord with regard to Guiana, and
he wished the Noble Lord concurred with him in the
same principle as regarded England—that no more sui-
cidal policy could be adopted in Guiana then that of
laying heavy taxes on the importation of the necessaries
of life. But undoubtedly the existence of self-govern-
ment would not prevent this, because ho was afraid that
in this respect the policy of the other West India colo-
nies which did possess an Assembly and Council had not
been wiser than that of Guiana, though he had great
hopes that in their present sitting the Combined Court
would effect large reductions of the duties in the impor-
tation of provisions, and that in future years that mea-
sure would be followed by the entire removal of those
duties. This, be thought, was most desirable; for he
firmly believed that the effect in the West Indies of these
duties on imported provisions was most injurious both to
the planter and the labourer. In all countries it was in-
jurious to the labourer that labour should, by artificial
restrictions, be diverted from its natural requirements;
and injurious to the planter, because the great evil of
Guiens. being at this moment a deficiency of labour. by
laying a tax upon imported provisions they virtually gave
an encouragement to the negroes rather to occupy them-
selves in their own provision grounds, raising provi-
sions, than in earning wages from the planter and the
sugar mill. The proposition of the Governor was,
therefore, in his judgment, wise and judicious. He
would repeat, that it was most desirable, if the popula-
tion were prepared for it, that we should be enabled
more completely to establish representative institutions
in Guiana; but, as matters now stood, he concurred with
the gentleman whose opinions he had quoted, and who
were, he believed, owners of a large proportion of pro-
perty in that colony, that it was far wiser to endeavour
to improve its existing institutions than at once to sweep
those institutions away, and substitute for them a scheme
which was altogether new and untried.
Lord STANLEY would have been inclined to attach
much more importance to the statements of the gentle-
men cited by Earl Grey if they had not asserted that
the colonies were not, in their view, fitted for repre-
sentative institutions; whilst the Noble Earl said they
had already a highly intelligent and numerous con-
stituency in Guiana—a constituency of about 1,000
persons—a constituency which would be much larger
than it was if persons would come forward and claim
the privilege; and that that constituency had now the
power of dealing with all financial questions. The
Noble Earl said that there was an extended constituency
which might b 3 made more extensive still; and that this
constituency did in fact at present exercise control over
the legislation of the colony. But, if that were so, the
authority of the practical men to whom the Noble Lord
referred was at once destroyed; for the Noble Earl did
not state that the constituency were unfit, but that they
did exercise control. Then why not let them exercise
that control by direct representation rather than by a
system of which the colonists complained as being so re-
pugnant to them?—(Hear.) The Noble Lord concluded
by laying the petition upon their Lordships' t tble.
HALIFAX AND QUEBEC RAILWAY.

Lord STANLEY said he had another petition to
present, from an association of persons in this country
who were deeply interested in emigration t 3
America. It had reference to papers which were re-
cently laid upon the table of the House, from which he
(Lord Stanley) was glad to see that her Majesty's Go-
vernment were prepared to give some assistance, and
the guarantee of this country, to the legislatures of
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada, for the
purpose of establishing a railway between Halifax and
Quebec. The petitiouers were connected with a number
of skilled and unskilled workmen, who could not find
employment in this country, and were desirous
of emigrating to Canada, and they preyed
that, in carrying into effect the railway from
Halifax to Quebec, her Majesty's Government
would not lose sight of the connexion which might be
wisely and advantageously established between a well-re-
gulated system of emigration and colonization and the
construction of this great national work. He mentioned
this now, because he did not see any definite mention
made in the papers as to how far the Noble Earl was
disposed, with regard to New Brunswick particularly,
to take the larger portion of the land adjoining the pro-
posed line of railway as a collateral security for the gua-
rantee of the Government. With regard to Nova Scotia
and Canada, he believed such an arrangement was un-
necessary; but, with regard to New Brunswick, he was
afraid that, looking at its present financial position, and
looking also at its want of resources, as well as at the
peculiar adaptability of its lands to purposes ofcolo_nhie
coloni-
sation, that colony would not be able to give the sums
Go-
vernment a sufficient security for the payment of the s d
to be advanced on pan unless the Government accepted
as a portion of the security a surrender of the waste
lands, which had already been offered by the colony. lie
saw no reference to that in the papers laid upon the table
by the Noble Earl.
Earl GREY, in answer to Lord Stanley's concluding
observations with regard to the petition from Guiana,
said that there was a material difference between throw-
ing practically the whole power into the hands of the
population of that colony by such an assembly as was
asked for, and giving a well-regulated power over the
imposition of taxes, which Were already possessed by
the constituencies, who elected the financial representa-
tives. With regard to the second matter to which the Noble
Lord had adverted that of the Quebec and Halifax Rail-
way, he bad only to point out to the Noble Lord this
eirenmstance, that the manner in which it was proposed
that her Majesty's
Government should guarantee the
loan would make the whole revenue, both territorial and
general, liable, in the first instance,' for the payment of
the interest on the loan. If the proposal had been that
this country should make the loan, or should guarantee
the interest to the company making the loan, it was
obvious that it would then be material, in the first in-
stance perhaps, that there should be a certain right to
the land on both sides of the line, to afford the means of
meeting the costs. But if the responsibility of this
country was confined to guaranteeing the payment of a
loan raised in the money market by the colony on the
security of all its resources, territorial and general, that
would be no longer applicable.
Lord STANLEY theught the matter well worthy the
consideration of the Noble Earl and her Majesty's Go-
vernment. True, the whole of the revenue and the lands
of the colony would be the security for the guarantee of
this country; but he doubted very much whether the re-
venue of the province would, after providing for car-
rying on the administration of the province, be a suffi:
h
cient security for the sums required to construct the ratl
way through New Brunswick. But even if it were, e
thought that in a national point of view, and particu-
larly with reference to emigration from this country,
very great advantages would be obtained by placing
under the control of the Commissioners, who were, he
understood, to act in conjuction with the colonial autho-
rities, the promotion of colonisation along the line by
emigrants going out under the superintendence and con-
trol of the Government- In that manner the surrender of
the control of these lands along the railway s might,not only
pecuniarily, but politioally, be a most important matter for
this country, with a view to transferring thither a large
portion of industrious emigrants, who would not easily
find their way there if the lands were not under the con-
trol of the Commissioners, but left to be disposed of by
speculators for what they would fetch in the market.
After a few words from Earl GREY, in support of
i the plan determined upon by the Government,
Lord STANLEY said ho thought the colony should
be in the position of being able to offr a real security