The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-20 00:00:00

ENGLAND BEYOND ISBA S.

One hundred and one years ago the two British Secre-
taries of State, who until then had divided the world
between them, were joined by a third. He was styled
Secretary for the Colonial or American Department.
Ominously enough it was in 1763 also that General Gates
went to Boston. Nine years later he had captured the
British army under Cornwallis ; fourteen years later the
"Colonial or American" Department was superseded, for
our chief colonies had established their independence. For
twelve years after that date, until 1794, the affairs of the
colonies as well as of Ireland were entrusted to the
Home Secretary, The great war broke out, the war in
which colonies changed hands as rapidly as railway shares
change hands to-day, and the colonies were then, appro.
priately enough, transferred to the newly-appointed
Minister of War. Under his jurisdiction they remained
all through that 23 years' battle of the giants which ended
at Waterloo, and through the 39 years' peace which fol-
lowed. In 1854 we again had a continental war on hand,
and by that time our colonies had so greatly increased
that it was found absolutely necessary to separate two
offices which had been held jointly until then, only because
the post of Minister of War had long been extremely easy.
It was because Czar Nicholas threatened to give the sick man
at Constantinople his quietus that our colonies attained for
the first time since 1782 the dignity of a separate depart-
meat of State. There is little fear that they will lose that
dignity so long as they remain connected with the mother
country. The post of Secretary for the Colonies is now
one of those most coveted by rising politicians. Fail
Granville, for instance, has scorned the luxurious delights
of such ornamental posts as the " Privy Seal " and the
Presidency of the Council, preferring to pass laborious
days in Downing-street, whence he may rule the ten
million subjects of Queen Victoria who inhabit England
beyond seas.

There are forty-eight colonies under the Crown. 'fey
lie scattered through every degree of latitude and longi'
tude, through every zone, from the Falkland Islands in
the far South to the frozen regions of British North
America within the arctic circle. They are of every age,
constitution, and physical configuration. There is Nes'
foundland, which we have held for three centuries. There
is Queensland, which we have settled within ten 3-ear°.
There is Gibraltar with its strict military rule, and
Victoria with a constitution more democratic than that
of the United States. There are the snow wastes of
Labrador and the " cinder-heap " of Aden; the spiel/
groves of Ceylon, and the fur-trapper's run in the Hud•
son's Bay Territory; there is the rock-fortress of Malts,
and there are the inexhaustibly fertile plantations of
Jamaica; the continent of Australia, and the rabbit-warren
of Heligoland. There are colonies which have been
settled peaceably, colonies which have been ceded by
treaty, colonies which have capitulated in war. There
are colonies for planters and colonies for convicts;
colonies for sheep-breeders and colonies for soldiers
There are colonies in which the governor has to be content
with a modest £5OO a year, and colonies in which he enjoys
the income, and much more than the influence of, an
English archbishop. All these peoples and nations and
languages are governed in a two-fold way ;by themselves
and by the mother country ; by governors and councils and
assemblies, and by a Secretary of State, a Government
department, and Parliament.

The 48 colonies may be arranged in six groups : EuroPe;
which includes Gibraltar, Malta, and Heligoland ; M's'
which comprises Ceylon, Hong Kong, the Straits Settle'
meats, and Labuan ; Africa, by which we include the
settlements on the West Coast, the Cape, and Natal, and
the islands of St. Helena and Mauritius; America, which
comprehends Bermuda, British Guiana, and the Falklaau
Islands, in addition to that great dominion which stretches
from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island ; the West
Indies, by which are meant not only the islands, but alse
Honduras; and Australia, which consists of Australia
proper and New Zealand. This division is not oar'
ried out in the Colonial Office. In that establish'
meat there are eight departments; but four el
these are concerned with finance, registries, Parli,a:
mentary papers, and similar matters. The rest divide
the colonies among them. The West Indies have a
department to themselves ; Europe and a part of 14-frie.".
go together. The Eastern department includes not 011
the Asiatic colonies, but Mauritius and British Coluwhia•
The most formidable group of colonies is that which is Put
under the supervision of the " North American and
Australian" department. While the Secretary of State
and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary change with the
Ministry, there are two permanent Under-Secretaries, with:
out whom the work would be badly done. Sir Frederi°
Rogers, Bart., has filled his present post since 1860.
Previously to that he had a distinguished career*
He took a double first at Oxford, and carried off vairknia
scholarships and fellowships. After being called to the
bar, he was appointed Registrar of Joint-Stock Connonui°::
a commissioner on the Colonial Land and Ernigrel
Board, and an assistant-commissioner for the sale
encumbered estates in the West Indies. Sir Frederic
Rogers was also for some years a journalist. His colleague'
Sir F. Sandford, is also an Oxonian, and a first classinan'
He was appointed examiner at the Privy Council WW1!:
1343, assistant-secretary in 1854 ; was knighted f°l
services as secretary to the Commissioners for the Elh'i
tion of 1862, and was promoted to his present post at the elides
lastyear. But, though holding the most responsible positi°ll
next to that of the Secretary of State, they are but novices
in the civil service compared with three other gentieratern.
Mr. Gordon Gairdner, the'chief clerk, Mr. Henry TAP%
and Sir George Barrow, the eldest senior clerks, haveheed
in the office for nearly half a century, the two firsthavitii;
entered in 1824, and the third in 1825. Mr. TaYl°r .
known outside official circles as one of our most acela
pushed poets and essayists. Official life has not destroy 0
the imagination of the author of " Philip van Artevelcie,o
nor the fine critical power of the author of "Notes on 8°0k5.,
_„,
These gentlemen have for colleagues more than a score 0f
sistant clerks, junior clerks,and assistant junior clerksjil...,oc
are also supplementary clerks, copyists, and other InWes
officials, making the total personnel of the Colonial ° ter,
about 70 in number. There is at Park-street, Westmios
a sort of succursale to the chief office in Downing-street;
;
ra,
it is occupied by the Colonial Land and Emigration tiop
missioners, 11 in number. Beside, there are 15 emigre
o,
officers, stationed at the principal ports of the king for
Their duties are scarcely so heavy as they might be'ths
the only colonies which promote immigration fru° vic•
United Kingdom by means of their public funds are oa
tori 9,, the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, New Zealand'svith
Tasmania. One might have expected that Canecia'ffered
its boundless unoccupied territory, would have °,O-0
attractions to that capital which she so greatly ne"

labour.
The political relations between the colonies Alla till
moteher country vary greatly in the degree of closener-
olonies are of three kinds. There are first the close
The
colonies, in which the Crown has the entire ccintAr°,- °Ol
legislation, and the administration is carried on by °';-ere
underm the upenision of the Home Government. Suc;tabs
viraeleta, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Heligoland, and ratailo' the
Ccrroowtnlrncedsoitlasonnuipelsesnlainneednswq;huie.acenhtd here the authority °I other
or cession. There opoo
Australia, the various WestthAatf rei:treste
statute. Such are Jamaica, British Columbia/ " ---,pa
no, spa
Australia, sett ere° • 'oil
the Falkland Islands. The secondgreat divot
. 0,
. ins6ol°
comprises c • olonies posses • sing representative
..authortyi
orool
but not responsible government, and in which the - e
, Ooze
has no more than a veto upon legislation, but toe diess
Government retains the control of public officers' in ;one
c ce°.
laws are made by the governor with the oncurten •
er Pre°
of two legislative bodies, of which one, atleast,ie
tative. In the Cape of Good Hope both hearts and
elective ; in Barbadoes, Grenada, Tobago, Bell9lnif' the
Bermuda the Council is nominated by the Cr°°l-,'
E the
Assembly is elected. In Natal, Honduras, end 5',.,-tatli
West Indian Islands there is a single Chareher,r dp,so
nominated, partly elected. The third PrinciPs e ill'
comprises those colonies which possess representativ
which
stitutions and a responsible government, and 211 ;on°
the Crown has only a veto on legislation, and to° I epli
Government has no control over any public efficetin•eliii
the Governor. This class is made up of out Pim- e id
colonies, those in British North America, and
Australia. th°ll
It begs

Our colonial empire has taken long to gr°°4 ,-,,41001'
_wliteh Raleigh, it received a great impetus under Lim.. ..,eje
to°
rg a rdfilresast cooflonists w. ere buccaneers, the second 1q ere
soldiers, the third were labourers. The '6114 11
possession on their own and were
account, . Thei
the rlgh LS of the aborigines.
as of
psthoolaecenir found that other powers would be 811 regi".Clie to
regulart fighting, protect° of
l
their
rd and
g II
tiuvn
themselves
under
dtehre they
the were, er e,an d it became ain
thee nec e se . 00 f
authoritya
the age
the Crown. To that lawless
destination. To that period belong the tw° _oin
populous of our colonies, the two which together copion,
re-ca
ci great
untilw atrhaseg succeeded
when colonies
Treaty
loofn i eisgwse :eel:a:a:pi, i
half of our colonial population—the Canadas and
asseel 011
the reat in a very few years, belong to the third age,; os
age of peace and labour, the age not of the spear all.'
sword, but of the pruning-hook and the plougb• ou ill
It need scarcely bo said that there ie no proport
,0
the colonies between area and population•
an area of only 24,700 square miles, and a 13430,,1nf/11:0 re
over 2,000,000.
9haivles°o9hea anal
Ceylon population Queensland
three-quarters °f l
el9lasthaoannf 13ut thegoe
settled Queensland only
l team] Ytloanib la hCerlli
there are but some 30000 Europeans ; vi:.-Ilf 01
Queensland nearly the -whole of the inhabitant' "' not ing
area of
ow
ot, riteter. lt remains on Iyto b o laic] that 8te:h316pvYillrell"eni't:t11:08P;r1:1111:
which the more or less in governing this enlioraidable
sun never sets would make a very foia
arm'', Fortunatel , the duty of 1
for the mo. ---1 0
of tharitibPart, all tiPin. the 019,1470/1,-----
tfra - ---