The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-21 00:00:00

HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY.

Mr. ROEBUCK proceeded to bring forward his mos
tion respecting the position and privileges of the Huai
sou's Bay Company, He said that at that late period of
the session he should not have felt justified intaking op
their time with any question that was not of veryhgereb,
great
s
importance, but the interests of the empirehwehrei,is
Was
'loved, deeply concerned with that one which
about to introduce, and he thought it therefore desirable
that an understanding should be come to between the
government and the house on the subject. At present
the continent of America was thus divided: the southern
and most important belonged to the United States ; the
territory of England stretched from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, and at the western point was a small portion be-
longing to Russia. We had originally planted 13 colo-
nies in America, which had subsequently become inde-
pendent, and up to the present time had increased to 35
or 36 independent states, and was becoming a power
which unless England established a counterpoise, would
he believed overshadow, not only America, bat the
whole earth. In his opinion the most successful counter-
poise would be a systematic plan of colonisation carried
on in the district to which he was about to call the at-
tention of the house. But we had been extremely negli-
gent on the subject of colonisation in our American pos-
sessions. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Lower
Canada were colonised when we took possession, but
since then we had not created a single colony. In the
meantime the Americans had increased from 13 to 36
states, and their population from threemillions to thirty
millions, while we had remained idle and done nothing
to create a counterpoise. The hon. and learned member
proceeded to state the circumstances under which the
Hudson's Bay Company had acquired their present pri-
vileges. In the reign of Charles 11. certain persons ob-
tained from the Crown the exclusive privilege of trading
within a territory commencing at Hudson's Straits, al-
though at the very time the said territory belonged to
France, whose dominion at that time extended to the
North Pole. In 1.670 the charter was granted con-
firming them in all their privileges, " in all countries
within the straits of Hudson's Bay, which were
not at the time possessed by any other subjects of his
Majesty or by the subjects of any other Christian state."
For many years the Hudson's Boy Company did nothing,
but an act of Parliament was passed giving them for a
certain term the :erne rights as were contained in the
charter, and when t hat act expired, all rights would ex-
pire on the side of the company. When Canada came
into the possession of the English the enterprising spirit
of the new settlers penetrated the preserves of the Hud-
son's Bay Company in search of peltries, and the Hud
son's Bay Company, under Lord Selkirk, actually waged
war against the North-Western Company, when great
battles were fought, and much military glory achieved
on both sides. However, at last a very astute and clear-
headed man interfered—he meant the rigit hon. mem-
ber for Coventry—who said to the belligerents, "You
are fighting useless battles, had you not better unite."
They did unite, and by uniting had cheated the public.
(A. laugh.) Ile did not wish to say a word against the
Hudson's Bay Company, who probably had only manage d
their territory as other men, in similar circumstances,
would have done, but he wished to call the attention of
the house to the circumstances under which they held it,
and the manner in which these circumstances bore on
the national interest. The Hudson's Bay Company was
a fur company, and wishel to preserve their territory as
a home fsr the wild fur-bearing animals, and their inte-
rest was to keep the footsteps of man away as long as
possible. In such a state of things, he appealed to the
House of Commons to put an end to this system of seclu-
sion, and to open up this vast territory to enterprise and
colonisation. It might be urged that the rights of the
Hudson's Bay C enpany interfered. (Hear) He denied
that they had any rights ; but even if they had, the
house knew how to deal with them. The first resolution
be should move, therefore, was, "That the privileges cf
the Hudson's Bay Company, which are about to expire,
ought not to be renewed." These privileges, he ought 'o
txplein, were held, not under the charter, but under
an act of Padiament which would expire next year, and
the time was roost favourable for the inauguration of a
new system. The Secretary of State for the Colonies had
brought in a bill to establish a B:itish colony beyond the
Rocky Meun'ains, and it was our boast that we could
load goods in London and unload them at the western
end of Lake Superior-without transhipment. Tbis bad
bean dope by rendering the Se Lawrence navigable for
great ships by the construction of a canal which avoided
the rapids. Thus they were further across the continent
of America than the Americans themselves. From
Halifai to Lake Superior, thence to the Rocky Moun-
tains, and to the new colony which the right hole gen-
tleman (Sir E. B. Lytton) was about to form on the
Western coast of America, and so by steam to Va. c pa-
lmed Island, a direct communication would be opened up
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and fr. m Europe across
the continent of A.mE rico. to India and China. Tnat was
a grand idea' and the colonial minister who should carry
it ont would accomplish a greater thing than any of his
predecessors. He would op'n up the means of carrying
English civilisation to the whole of that vast continent
and to the eastern world. He said English civilisation,
because he wished the civilisation e f England to becom-
pared with that of America. The civilisation of England
was higher than that of America—and why I Because
the English people were free from the infernal blot of
slavery. It was the duty of every man who wished well
to hi- race and desired the approbation of mankind to
nrward this object. What, it might he asked, did he
wish ? He wished the right hoc, gentleman would im-
mediately take steps to ascertain what were the legal
rights of the Unison's Bay Company, in order that
when they were a wertained, they might he compensated
-s-f• r the company roust no longer be allowed to stand
in the way of the col mial government, and to be set up
as a barrier to the progress ef civilisation. Having com-
pensated the company, then he would have Government
plant a colony, extending from she western shores of Lake
Superior to the Rocky Mountains, to j in with the colony
to be established on the western side of the continent on
the shores of the Pacific, and complete the chain of British
colonisationfrom Halifax to Vancouver's Hand. lle en•
treated there might b 3 no delay Ow the rester, for delay
would create .difficuities. Minnesota would send her
hordes, and we shoul-1 have to fight our-battles over
again— he battles which some years ago we had to wage
upon the tastern shores. Takiog as cinch of the Hudson's
Bay Company's land as was conopa ible for the purpose
of colonisation, he would erect it at once into is colony.
He wool] bring in a bill to create a new law of coloni a-
tion, and at once form colonies in accordance with it.
And when be said this ho c -ntemplated net only North
America, but South Australia and South Africa. The
same law of colonisation should be applicable to all. If
they carried that out they would make an Eogleih nation
of Australia, an English nation of the south le int of the
Afiecsn continent, and an English nation of North Ame-
rica. If this scheme was carried out, the English tongue,
the English Ise-, the English religion, and English lite-
rature would become predominant in the world, and
that would tend to the happiness of tnankinl. He said,
without fear of contradiction, that the English nation
was the greatest nation of the earth, and the more the
English name, English in.titutiene, and. English litera-
ture were spread over the various counts. ea of the ivoild,
the more should we have contributed to the happiness of
mankind at large, and petheted that work which in pro-
vidence of God was entinsted to un He had heard it
intimated that his notion was to be met ty the previous
question, but he could scarcely believe it. The previeus
question was a not very dignified way of getting rid of an
inconvenient motion, the truth of which could not be
denied. I; was in effect saying we admit the truth of
the proposition, but this is not the time for bringing it
forward. But what was the reason why they ought not
DOW to proceed with this principle of colonisation, if that
principle were correct ? His first proposition was that the
privil .ges of the fludsonea Bey Company, about to ex-
pire, ought not to be renewed. Did they admit that ? If
not, why not say so—why meet it with the previous ques-
tion I He would not believe until he hoard it that his
right hon. friend would meet so indisputable a proposi-
tion by the previous question—much less could he be-
lieve that he would oppose it. If they did not intend to
renew the privileges of the Hudsoe'e Bay Company it
was only fair teat the company ghoul I have warning. If
his right bor. friend now refused to give that warning,
by acceding to the second proposition, "That the legal
validity of the exclusive rights chime 1 by the Hudson's
Bay Company under their charter orght at once to be
determined by process of law," the Hudson's Bay Corn-
petty would not perhaps expsct that next spring the right
hon. gentleman would bring in a bill 'o renew their privi-
leges, but they would say he was a cowardly Minister
from whom something might be squeezed. Then as to
the la-t proposition "That so much of the territ,,ry
hitherto held by the Hudson's Bay Company as may be
needed for the purposes of colonisation ought without
delay to be resumwe by the Government of this country,"
would they deny that ? And if not, why object to de-
dere it ? In the few words he had ventured to offer he
had rather shadowed forth the future of England than
referred to the past history of this territory. He had
bet ught no charge against the Hudson's Bay Company,
nor bad he intended to do ge, his object being merely to
sate the grounds upon which he founded the resolutions
be now placed in the hands of the chair. The hon, and
learned gentleman concluded by moving the followinz
resolutions —" 1. That the privileges of the Hudson's
Bay Compae e, about to expire, r tight not to be renewed.
2. That the legal validity of the exclusive rights claimed
by the. teeeeon'e Bay Company, under their charter,
ought at . once to be determined by process of law,
3. That so much of the territory hitherto hel I by the
Hudson's Bay Company as may be needed for the per-
pose of colonisation ought without delay to be resumed
by the Government of this country.
Lord BURY, in seconiing the resolutions, Feld this
was a question involving not only the interests and ex-
tension of their colonial territory, but which involved,
also, Imperial interests. It was row time that the Go-
vernment should do something in this matter, because
the Hudson's Bay
Company's Charter, as his learned
friend bad said,
was about to expire. He hoped the
Government would not, in dealing with the question,
coincide with the late Government. (" Hear, hear,"
by some stentorian voice, and much laughter.) Ire
meant not, to say anything offensive. He had before him
a letter. written by Mr. Merrivale, who bee been seem
Lary to the colony. The noble lord here read the letter,
ale:ring to the contemplated renewal of the ,Uudson'e