The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-11 00:00:00

THE COLONIAL SOCIETI

Wednesday, being a parliamentary half-holiday, is
generally, during the session, the day fixed for public
dinners, or at least for those at which political men are
expected to attend. On Wednesday last the Hon.
Reverdy Johnson, the Duke of Manchester, the Marquis
of Normanby, Earl Granville, the Earl of Albemarle,
Viscount Monck, Lord Alfred Churchill, Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone, Sir John Pakington, Sir Staf-
ford Northcote, Sir Charles Nicholson, Sir George E.
Cartier, Right Hon. Chichester Fortescue, Right Hon.
H. E. Childers, Hon. Dudley Fortescue, M.P., Hon. A.
Kinnaird, M.P., Hon. Robert Meade, Sir Bartle Frere,
Sir Charles Clifford, Sir J. C. Lees, Mr. Benjamin
Moran, Colonel Lloyd Lindsay, M.P., Mr. R. A. Macfie,
M.P., with some 300 others, dined together at Willis's
Rooms. Viscount Bury presided, the occasion being the
inaugural dinner of the Colonial Society. Amongst the
speakers to various toasts were his Excellency the
American Ambassador, Messrs. Childers, Gladstone,
Chichester Fortescue, Sir John Pakington, and Lord
Granville.

The Hon. lIEVERDY JOHNSON has slightly changed his
style of oratory. On this occasion he commenced by
declaring that the people of the United States had great
love and admiration for us ; but went on to clear the minds
of the meeting from a false impression. Doubts, or
rather settled opinions, were at one time entertained as to
the power of the United States to acquire fresh territory
either by conquest or treaty. Those doubts were now
removed, and it was quite possible that with the consent
of this country, and the people more immediately con-
cerned, some of the colonies which now flourished under
the dominion of her Majesty—. lominion of which they
had just cause to be proud—might find themselves under
the stars and stripes of the flag of the United States.
Should that happen, they would find that they had made
an exchange for a country of which they might also be
proud, though he trusted that the day might be far distant
when the possessions of England should be in any way
curtailed.

Mr. Childers said little, and that little consisted
for the most part of commonplaces ; but the Prime
Minister's speech made up for that. Thanking the meet-
ing, composed as it was of those who were opposed to him in
politics, for the cordiality with which it had received the
toast of " Her Majesty's Ministers," Mr. GLADSTONE went
on to say, " We ask nothing but the belief that we,
having acceded to office with certain professions of
opinion and pledges with regard to our conduct, shall
do that which every body of English gentlemen will be
forward and zealous to do—namely, to redeem those pledges
and to act upon those principles to the utmost extent to
which our powers and opportunities will permit." He
then proposed the toast of "Prosperity to the Colonial
Society," and reminded the meeting that at one time he
had been a member of the Colonial Department. Thirty-
four years ago he first accepted office in that department,
and his connection with it was finally severed twenty-
three years back. He alluded to the great change which
ha 3 of late years come into the minds of Englishmen with
regard to colonial affairs. " In the days when I was accus-
tomed to wear with my footsteps the stairs of the Colonial
Office that office was haunted by a disembodied spirit that
received a painful distinction under the title of Mr.
Mother Country.' (Laughter.) And while that descrip-
tion conveys no inaccurate idea of the narrow traditions
that still hung round about the conceptions of English
statesmen more or less, although they were in process of
being discharged at that period, on the other side of the
water, and in every Britrgh colony there was a party
whieh, I rejoice to think, has since become totally extinct,
under the name of ' the British party.' I speak in the
hearing and remembrance of those who may recollect the
circumstances and struggles of those times, and many
of us in this country were taught, or attempts, at any
rate, were made to induce us to believe that upon this
British party' which invariably represented au
insignificant minority, depended the whole hope
of maintaining the connection between England and the
colonies, and that if anything were done to offend that
`British party,' or to recognise the vast majority of the
colonial community as having a claim upon our sympa-
thies and acknowledgment, such a policy was certain to
be fatal to the colonial empire at large. This was the state
of things, and so strange was it, that merely to recollect it
now seems like bringing back from the grave the spirits of
the dead, so wholly is that state of things without a
Parallel iu the present day."
The Duke of MANCHESTER, in returning thanks for the
House of Lords, could find but one fault with that As-
sembly—that it contained no representatives of our
colonies among its members. Our colonists had a right
to express their opinion and give their advice upon the
general policy of the empire, and he should hail with
,leasnre the establishment of a council in which Great
Britain and the colonies were represented in duo pro-
nortions.

The Secretary for the Colonies gave Mr. Johnson a neat
plow. "I happened," said Earl GRANVILLE, " to mention the
vther fiicnd of mine, by way of
encouraging me, said the office I bad accepted was one which
he had always considered required but a modicum of sense.
That phrase is somewhat vague, for I fear sense is an
article that we credit ourselves with to a far more liberal
extent than our friends are inclined to do. But no
amount of sense could enable us to get on satisfactorily if
we had not at hand the assistance, the ability, and the
talent which are found to so remarkable an extent in the
permanent staff of the Colonial Department. lam rather
afraid the Minister of the Great Republic who has spoken
with such singular eloquence this evening will feel that it
is a little want of sense on my part which makes me un-
..zepared at this moment to open negotiations with him for
,he cession of British Canada." The Earl then went
on to refer to two points of colonial interest which
had lately arisen—the transfer of British North America
(excepting British Columbia) to the dominion of Canada,
and the creation of a colonial order of knighthood. On
the former subject he said the matter was the most diffi-
cult with which he had had to deal. " The proposal of
my predecessor, who had invited the presence of the dele-
gates and taken much pains on the subject, had been
rejected. My strong political opponent, but old friend,
Sir Stafford Northcote, and Sir Curtis Lampson, who
both enjoy the confidence of the Hudson's Bay Company,
and the eminent statesmen representing Canada held
views so widely divergent that I almost despaired of
success. Each seemed to consider me as" hostile to
themselves and favourable to the other side. I had only
one weapon, but an arm of great power in public and in
private transactions—the power of ` bore.' I bombarded
them with despatches, private letters, and confidential
notes. I plied them with interminable talk, and at last,
when I judged them exhausted and prostrate from mere
fatigue, I fired at the whole covey with a proposal which,
unpalatable to each, might he accepted as a reasonable
compromise by both. The handicapper of racehorses is,
by the rules of an art invented by Charles Fox, supposed
to succeed if both the owners object or if both accept ;
and I should consider myself fortunate, indeed, if my pro-
posal should be objected to by each, but accepted by both."
Speaking of the new colonial honours, he said : " The
Duke of Buckingham procured the Queen's sanction to a
reorganisation of the order of St. Michael and St. George,
its extension to the whole of the colonies, and a complete
remodelling of its statutes. _llls was only done on the
eve of the Duke's resignation. He had consequently only
time to distribute several of the second and third classes of
the Order. I have endeavoured to carry out mypredecessor's
views. It is obvious that with the affectionate feelings
entertained in the colonies toward the mother country it
would be agreeable to distinguished men in the former not
to be disassociated from those who are eminent in this
country. For these reasons lam happy to say that his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge has consented to
take the Grand Mastership of the renovated Order. Lord
Derby, Lord Grey and Lord Russell have accepted the
Grand Cross, which I was empowered by her Majesty to
offer them. These men had all been in
one way and another, connected with the colonies
Lord Derby passed the Act for the abolition of slavery in
the West Indies, one of the most glorious and disinterested
measures of which this country can boast. Lord Russell
gave self-government to British North America. Lord
Grey did the same for Australia, and left his strong mark
on all the great questions of colonial policy. My duty
for whatever time I may be connected with the Colonial
Office will be to maintain the high character which has
thus been impressed on the present Order."
Sir STAFFORD NORTHCOTE and Sir BARTLE FREER were
among the remaining speakers.

THE Disnor OF CARLISLE.—In consequence of
the severe illness of the Hon. and Right Rev. Dr. Samue
Waldegrave, Bishop of Carlisle, his lordship has pro
ceeded, under medical advice, to the Continent for some
months' entire rest. Dr. Anderson, Chancellor of St.
Paul's Cathedral, formerly Bishop of Rupert's Land, has
been appointed commissary during Bishop Waldegrave's
absence.

INDIAN SALARIES AND APrOINTMENTS.—A copy
of an Order in Council, which approves of certain pro.
posed alterations of salaries and appointments in the
India Office, has been printed by order of the House of
Commons. It is stated by Mr. Helps that her Majesty
having taken into consideration the representation of the
Secretary of State for India, was pleased, with the advice
of her Majesty's Privy Council, to approve thereof ; and
declares that the salaries in the said statement shall be
paid to the officers therein described. In the Store
Department the number of senior clerks is to be increased
from four to six, and the number of junior clerks to be
fixed at thirteen instead of sixteen. Some of the other
appointments are revised and amalgamated, and the
appointment of extra assistant to Registrar is not to L
filled up, when vacated by Mr. Ludlow.