The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-09 00:00:00

rTim :SI7N,, LONDON, FRIDAY E V EKING, JULY 9,

subjects, about, an equal natnber Americans, the rest
were chiefly Germans, with SOTTIO Frenchrien and Ita-
observe that he liens. And I have here the pleasure to

states, that though there was a terr,p„ary scarcity of
touches on the advantage t the trade of the island from
food and a dearth of house accorimodation, they wore
remarkably quiet and order) :9 The Governor then

the arrival of so large 11,, body of people ; but he adds
significantly :
" The interests of the empire may not be improved to
the same extent by the accession of a foreign population
whose sympathies aro decidly anti-British, From this
point of view the question assumes an alarming aspect,
and leads us to doubt the policy of permitting foreigners to
enter the British territory ad libitain, without taking the
oath of allegiance, or otherwise giving security to the Go-
vernment of the country,"
)3e states that—
" The principal diggings at Frazer's and Thompson's
Rivers at present will continue flooded for many months,
and there is a great scarcity of food in the gold districts ;
that the ill-provided adventurers who have gone there will
exhaust their stock of provisions, and will probably re-
tire from the country till a more favourable season ; that
on the dangerous rapids of the river a great number of ca-
noes have been dashed to pieces, the cargoes swept away,
many of the adventurers swept into eternity— others, no-
thing daunted, pressing on to the goal of their wishes,"
He again, in a letter to the Hudson's Bay Company, re.

peats nis fears :
" How seriously the peace of the country may be endan.
gered, in the event of the diggings proving unremunera-
tive, and the miners being reduced to poverty and desti-
tute of the necessaries of l►iTe."

destitution—provisions dear and scanty, and the gold
itself meagre in its produce, guarded by flooded rivers
and jealous Indians, At present, whatever may be the
riches of the discovery, it is fair not to forget the fact
that California exported in the first eight months from
the discovery of its mines 150,600 oz. of golddust, while
the largest amount ascertained or conjectured from
Frazer's River since 1856 is not more than 1,000 ounces.
More rational, if less exciting, hopes of the importance
of the colony rest upon its other resources, which I have
described, and upon the influence of its magnificent geo-
graphical situation on the ripening grandeur of British
North America. (Hear.) Ido believe that the day will
come, and that many now present will live to see it,
when, a portion at least ref the lands on the other side of
the Rocky Mountains being also brought into colonisa-
tion and guarded by free institutions, one direct line of
railway communication will unite the Pacific to the At-
lantic. Be that as it may, of one thing lam sure—that
though at present it is the desire of gold which attracts
to this colony its eager and impetuous founders, still, if
it be reserved, as I hope, to add apermanent and flourish
ing race to the great family of nations, it must be, not
by the gold which the diggers may bring to light, but
by the more gradual process of patient industry, in the
culture of the soil, and in the exchange of commerce.
(Hear, hear.) It mast be by the respect for the
equal laws which secure to every man the power to
retain what he may honestly acquire; it must be in those
social virtues by which the fierce impulse of force is
tamed into habitual energy, and avarice itself, amidst
the strife of competition, finds its object best realized by
steadfast emulation and prudent thrift. (Hear, hear.)
I conclude, sir, with a humble trust that the Divine
Disposer of all human events may afford the safeguard
of His blessing to our attempt to add another commu-
nity of Christian freemen to those by which Great Bri-
tain confides the records of her empire, not to pyramids
and obeisks, hub to states and commonwealths, whose
history will be written in her language. (Cheers.)
Mr. LABOUCHEEZE thought there could be no dif-
ference of opinion as to the propriety of taking steps to
meet the wants which this bill was intended to supply,
and to establish a settled form of government in that
part of British North America to which circumstances
were directing the steps of large bodies of men. While
he held the seals of the Colonial-office he received infor-
mation of the probability of considerable gold discoveries
being made, but lie thought it was premature to take
steps to found a new settlement until those discoveries
should have been confirmed. The information which
had been received since showed that there was now a
stream of adventurers setting in towards that part of
the world, and therefore it was indispensable that some
steos should be taken to establish a settled form of law.
He thought the measure proposed by the right hon.
baronet was judicious, and well calculated to effect its
object. (Hear, hear.) It was a common but mistaken
belief that the charter for exclusive trading granted to
the Hudson's Bay Company precluded the Crown from
taking any portion of those territories for colonization
or settlement. The fact was, that in every license for ex-
clusive trading the Crown hat reserved to itself the power
of resuming at pleasure any portion of the territory.
(Hear, hear.) He would not enter upon the question of
the propriety or the impropriety of renewing the license
of the Hudson's Bay Company, as another opportunity
would be afforded for discussing that matter, and the
only question now before the House was how they
could best assist the Government to establish colonial
institutions in that country. Although be was as
attached as any one could be to free institutions, yet, con-
sidering the nature of the population that would be ga-
thered together, he agreed with the right hon. baronet
that it was best to provide a strong and settled govern.
rnent with established laws at first. There was one cir-
cumstance which constituted the main danger of disorder,
and that was the strong aversion which the Indians en-
tertained towards the Americans. It was a remarkable
fact that, while on the northern side of the frontier, in the
British possessions, there was perfect harmony and order
between the white and the red men, there had been ou the
other side of the frontier scenes of carnage and bloodshed
which had generated a deadly hostility on the part of the
Indians towards the Americans. Governor Dougl is, in
the papers before the house, had referred to the feeling
as likely to create difficulty. Under those circumstances
he thought the house would agree that it was most im-
portant there should be a strong executive to control the
Indians, end to prevent the white settlers from molesting
them. The right hon. gentleman bad adverted to the
soil and climate of the country, the excellence of which
it was impossible to deny, and he (Hr. Labouchere) be-
lieved that in the course of tine Vancouver's Island and
the adjacent territories were destined to be the homes of
a large, industrious, and flourishing population. (Hear.)
He might mention that before he left office notice was
given to the Hudson's Bay Company that when the term
of their present license expired the Crown would resume
complete control over Vancouver's Island, and he was
glad to find the right hon. baronet had taken the same
view of the necessities of the case. He could not conclude
without paying a humble tribute to the qualities of Go
vernor Douglas. Throughout the correspondence which
he had had with that gentleman he had been much struck
with his good sense, ability, and sagacity, and he c ould
not but think that we were very fortunate in having such
a public servant to watch over our interests in Vancou-
ver's Island. (Hear, hear.) The right hon. baronet had
very properly abstained from pronouncing any positive
opinion as to the amount of gold which was likely
to be found in that colony. The information hitherto
had been very deficient on that point, but scientific per-
sons, who were qualified to give an opinion, had stated
to him (fir. Laboucher,) that the geological formation
of the country was extremely similar to that of Califor-
nia, and that they saw no reason why gold should not
be found in very great quantities. Under these circum-
stances, it was certainly our duty to take such measures
Qs the larcte nonnlation likely to congregate there ren-
dered nesessery. Its mu not !mow -way tee name of
New Caledonia had been selected for this colony. (Hear,
hear.) There was a large island in the neighbourhood
of Australia belonging to Francs which bore that name
already, and he thought it possible that some inconve-
nience and confusion might result from two colonies hav-
ing the same name. He believed that the provisions of
the bill were well drawn, and ho should give his hearty
support to the second reading.
Mr. ROEBUCK said that the bill simply conferred
the power of marring laws, but in the formation of a
colony it was of the greatest . importance that the per-
sons who proceeded there should find themselves at once
surrounded by law aad order. He suggested, therefore,
that the first thing that should be done was to make a
survey of come portion of the territory. There ought
then to be a cede of laws established at once, and there
ought to be an Executive with ample power to admini-
ster the laws. Tee right hon. baronet could not send
out a Governor without sending soldiers to support him,
for if he planted a Governor among a wild and vagabond
population, the very score of society from California and
other places, where they had been accustomed to Lynch
- —Hine t tar, rawer of enforcing his wishes, he might
as well not have truutLa neu,e •Aitlo t',l-; hill. IT-
must send a Governor, therefore, and an armed force—
for without, he would have no peace in the community.
He knew the unpopular language that he was using,
but he was speaking what ho believed to be the truth,
(Hear.) To an ordinary colony we sent out persons who
had been aceuetorned to law and order, and who could
govern themselves ; but, with a population such as this,
a militia, if it were created and uncontrolled, would be
likely to turn its arms rather against law and order than
in support of it. Allusion had been made to California,
but that was a peculiar case. It was far from the ifTbited
States, it was full of gold, and vagabonds from all parts
of the globe very soon assembled there ; yet the re-
markable thing was that in a short time peace and order
reigned in California, and that result had been produced
by Lynch law. (A laugh,) Lynch law had been much
misunderstood. It was the only law in that country, and
it was a very beneficial institution. (Laughter.) He was
really serious. The house might treat it as a good juke;
but he was incapable of perpetrating a joke, or at all
events, a good joke, upon any subject. Lynch law was a
I sort of wild juAiee which the nature of the case cmni-
pulled the people to adopt. It had been adopted in Cali•
fornia, and by means of it peace and order now reigned
there. He did not wish to establish Lynch law in a
British colony; but is order to prevent it civil law must
be introduced, and that could only be done by the aid
of a strong body of soldiers, the expense of which we
must incur if we intended the colony to be successful.
Something had been said with respect to the treatment of
the Indians by the Americans ; I ut he warned the right
loon. baronet against being influenced by any mock sen-
timentality about the Indian population, for he might
depend upon it that be was about to establish a colony
before which the Indian population would disappear.
It was the inevitable consequence of the superior civi-
lization of the white man that the brown roan should
disappear before him—that would be the case here.
Canada, Upper and Lower, hardly contained au Indian,
becauee it was now peopled by a civilised white popula-
tion. He knew somethieg of Canada, and ha spohe from
personal knowledge when he said that the Indian popu-
lation there were like the wandering Gipsies of this
country. They were disappearing fast from the face of
nature. One might occasiocally sec a poor wretched being
clothed in a dilapidated blanket, creeping along, degraded
and miserable, and that was the Indian of Canada. That
was what we were going to do in New Caledonia.
were about to introduce civilization there. Before that
civiLzetion the Indians must disappear, and the more
rapidly the better. (Rear, hear.) Tide might seem
harsh and cruel language ; but it was the language of
truth. Tau absorption of the red man was an inevita-
ble consequence. It was not man's fault that it was so ;
but wherever civilization advanced the red man retired.
(Hear, hear) He had abstained from introducing any
topic cennected with the Hudson's Bay Company into
the dicuesion, and he had done so understanding that
he was to hove me day on which that qaestion could be
debated by the house. To show that it was imperatively
nem:es:try that that subject should be considered without
delay, he reminded the house that in May, 1859, the
license by which the Hudsers'e Bay Company now held
certain territory of the Rocky Mountains expired that
it was necessary therefore to provide for the future, and
that they could only du S) efficiently upon a thorough
understanding of the ca,e. (Hear, hear.) The house
was not yet thoroughly in possession of all the facts, and
a night's discussion was needed for that purpose. Al-
though he contemplated depriving the Hudson's Bey
Company of a castain portion of their territory, yet the
right hen. member for Coventry might rest assured that
he was anxious to deal with that corporation in the most
liberal spirit. He hoped that the Government would
look upon this question as one of imperial interest, and
that they would contemplate the prospect €1 stretching
the British dominion from the Atlantis to the Pacific, co
as to create a counterpoise on that continent to a Po .ver
which was now rising to an overwhelming impertancj.
Mr. A. MILLS entirely agreed in the remarks made
by the right hon. gentleman the late Colonial Secretary,
as to the wisdom shown by the Government in reserv-
ing to themselves the power of fixing the time when
representative institutions should be introduced into
the colony, As to the designation of the colony,