The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-27 00:00:00

1 EIE

-grience, be

ass on
to find a public servant of greater exp.
euil4
temper, or sounder judgment.
ter or goveror
than those connected with any min
to other topics of more enduring andeWhigh ner I._
is
of any colony:
been placed in his
Ile
hands
referre,d,t, oFtrheeepteoraitsy t wtehiAchuele-
lia." (Cheers.) The presence of the gentlemen he
saw around him was a sufficient indication of the
interest
they sentiment. Most of them
were personally feltconnected that
with
that colony, but it
was not necessary to be personally connected with
it to be enabled heartily to desire its prosperity, for
it was a feeling which came home to the breast of
every Englishman who desired the happiness and
the greatness of his country. Every Englishman,
whether connected with the colony or not, would
heartily concur on that point, and would earnestly
desire that Australia should prosper and flourish for
her own sake, and also for the sake of that great
empire with which her fortunes were indissolubly
connected. She was peopled by our children and
our brethren, was bound to us by commercial ties,
was a source of supply of minerals and of precious
metals to this country, and was constantly increas-
ing the mutual connexion of the two countries by
her reception of emigrants from home. There had
happily been an alteration in the system which sent
to her a class of emigrants who had been described
as having " left their country for their country's
good ;" and he was glad that that cause of discord
between the two countries was ended for ever. No
convicts would now be sent to any colony which was
not willing to receive them. It was on the anniver-
-70 years ago, that a few
sary of this day, only
Englishmen planted the British flag on the shores of
Sydney Cove, and now in those colonies there
[ existed 800,000 men of the English race, who were
spreading the freedom and the manners of the mo-
ther country. (Hear,[hear.) The Australian colo-
nists were not satisfied with the material advantages
they possessed, but made a good use of their wealth
in the promotion of the arts, of science, of litera-
ture, and education. The presence of Sir Charles
Nicholson in the chair reminded him of one insti-
tution in Sydney which that gentleman had been
mainly instrumental in founding—the University.
(Cheers.) To that University a charter had been
granted, which connected it with similar institu-
tions in this country, and which thus formed one
of the many links by which Australia was bound to
, the mother eountry. (Cheers.) He begged to
I propose "Prosperity to Australia," coupling with
it the name of one of this most distinguished public
men in that colony, the chairman, Sir Charles
Nicholson." (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN, in acknowledging the toast, ex-
pressed the pride and gratification he felt in presid-
ing at this commemoration. It was the 70th anni-
versant/ of the landing of a few Englishmen on the
shores of Australia, for it was in 1788 that the
first party of emigrants reached the ea§tern coast
of the colony. Comparing its condition then with
its condition now, there was in the history of the
world nothing like its growth. The extent of the
acquisitions of the first settlers on its shores was a
few square miles, and now the inhabitants occupied
a line of coast extending from 2,000 to 3,000 miles.
There were persons yet living who remembered the
oldest towns of the settlement when they consisted
of a few miserable bark huts, and now they had
four great cities, the capitals of the provinces, of
which Melbourne contained a population of 100, 000,
and Sydney of 80,000 ; while Hobart Town and
Adelaide were fast following in the footsteps of the
others. In those cities there were buildings which
would be ornaments to any of the capitals of Eu-
rope. There were churches, colleges, schools,
theatres, shops, and warehouses which might vie
with many in the Old World. The period was not
far distant when the population of these colonies
would be numbered by millions, In the early ages
men who acquired empires by conquest were con-
sidered to be demigods, and surely the founding of
modern communities had about it something of the
heroic, and was worthy of the ambition of every
man. The hon. gentleman then at some length
and with great energy enlarged on the capabilities,
the productive powers, and the natural resources of
Australia, urging that she held the same position
towards England as the Indies and South America
did to old Spain, but urging a different policy as
necessary towards her, with a view to the union of
the two countries. After some further remarks of
a practical character, especially in reference to the
supply of the, at present, deficient population, he
concluded with an expression of his thanks for the
manner in which his health had been proposed and
received.

Mr. E. HAMILTON proposed " The House of
Lords and Commons," a toast which was worthy
of every British subject, and especially of those
British colonists who a few years ago had received
the advantage of responsible government. He re-
spected the House of Lords as the descendants of
those barons who had won Magna Charta ; and he
was proud of the House of Commons, as the repre-
sentative of a free nation, and the legitimate suc-
cessors of that body which had secured for the
country the Bill of Rights. They had the honour
of the company of the Speaker of the House of
Commons, and he world state to him that not only
were the debates of Parliament familiar to the colo-
nists of Australia, but the practice and orders of
that House of ommons, and the rulings of the
Speaker, were adopted as models and authorities in
the colonies. There were also present two dis-
tinguished members of the House of Commons—
one of them the most eloquent and experienced of
English statesmen—(hear, hear)—and the other
One whose conciliatory rule at the Colonial-office
was remembered with gratitude in Australia. (Hear,
hear.) He begged to couple with the toast the
names of Lord Audley ; the Speaker of the House
of Commons, who was connected with two of the
Australian colonies ; Mr. Gladstone, and Sir John
Pakington. (Cheers.)
Lord AXIDLET having returned thanks for the
House of Lords,
The SPEAKER (Mr. E. Denison) said that he cheer-
fully obeyed the call which had been made upon
him, although he did not hold any express mission
to that effect, to answer to the toast of " The House
of Commons." That house, as the organ of the na-
tional will, was sensibly alive to all expressions of
public sentiment, and well knew hoiv to appreciate
such expressions of compliment and respect as had
been exhibited by such an assembly as the present.
He had been much pleased in accepting the invita-
tion to join such an assembly, and he came there
on pstblic grounds toiwish with as much entkusiasm
as any one present prosperity to our Australian co-
lonies ; and to express his hope that the intimate
connection between them and this country might
long exist. He came too under the influence of some
private and personal feeling, for he had near and
dear relatives in those colonies, one of whom, as
the representative of the Queen, had the honour to
preside over the colony of New South Wales. He
knew that when he came to that room he should
hear of that relative nothing but words of kindness •
for he knew that all his efforts had been directed tc;
the performance of his duty, and to the elevation
of the character, and the promotion of the prospe-
rity of the colony. They had drunk prosperity to
Australia, but they had been reminded by his right
hon. friend (Mr. Labouchere) that the management
of the colony was in their own hands, and its hap-
piness depended on themselves. He was glad to
hear that the rules and orders of the House of Com-
mons were considered binding in AuAr ilia, and if
he might venture to offer one word of advice, he
would say, that as they had set up the House of
Commons as a model, let them respect its example
and traditions of 600 yeas!, and not depart from its
rules and orders. They would have temptations to
' depart from them, and many might see shorter
ways of attaining what they desired than by adher-
ing to them. Many public representative bodies
had not resisted those temptations. The former
assembly of France had given the majority power
to control the minority and to contract and shorten
debates ; while our brethren at Washington had
gone further, and adopted rules by which they could
not only shortendebatesbutpositively preclude them
He did not wish to criticise those systems, but be
thought they might be regarded as precedents
which it was not wise to follow, and he once more
advised the Australian colonies to stand by the rules
and orders of the House of Commons, which gave
protection to the minority, and by that means con-
duced to that moderation which was the great cha-
racteristic and leading future of our institutions.
(Hear.) Thus far he had spoken fur the House of
Commons, and he would leave the remaining por-
tion of the subject to be dealt with by the two
members of that house whose names had also been
coupled with the toast.
Com-
mons, dwelt a
r. GLAZSTONR h
entertained i was received with loud
cheers, having expressed his sense of the feeling
Australia towards the House of Cons-
place
of
late
nie . In 4, jgeolkt.iiT. the administration of the cold •
fundamental
principles of colonisation had been previutiA
coinenrcaitailomnsonofo
at the erroneous system which
errorYrrsued had been the result of a
tnisunderstandine,e of the
common with all the colonisingwhill
—a system which made England showed
Tiia between
at error had b
doifietrbecocloonuniee:tionr
country and
the mother
ductive of many evil cor;se
the possession of colonies be(tiwueeige2 as struggles for
and the angry separation of her Auropean nations,
encies from England. But Ent:pal-lei:al il
••.ePellril
bought her experience in the matter, and
htat last
turned
the lessen to account. It had taken many
tions to remedy the cvil ; but at last it agse.Terea.
done, and the connexion between England and her'l
oolenies was nuw, in truth, ono of good-will, loyalty
and affection. The colonies were now free ; their
virtues were their own, and their failings would be
PeEeownluye Europe
therpion
their own also ; and to them equally with England