The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-22 00:00:00

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The ,governor ..al of Canada has fie-iit , _
transmitted to the Provincial Legislature ''6,7, :, --. ~,Y:''''''7'Y
despatches from the Secretary of Staten' ohe.
Colonies and other-documents relating to the H 11 ' S
son's 'Bay territory. These papers will naturally ' •
attract considerable attention in this country, not
only on account of tine decided stand which Sii- • -
Bulwer Lytton has taken against the Hudson's Bay ,
Company, but on account of the vast importance to
the commerce of the Empire of opening a direct
line of communication through the great hunting
ground of the corporation, from Canada through
the Red River and Saskatchewan districts to the
newly-established colony of British Columbia. Re-
cent discoveries have shown that the Rocky Moun-
tains are penetrated by passes through which a
railroad can easily be constructed, and the exertions
now being made by the North-West Transit Com-
pany of Canada are directed to the formation of a
canoe and waggon route from Lake Superior to the
shores of the Pacific. This undertaking has received
the support of influential capitalists in this country;
and as its act of incorporation contains the power to .
construct a railway, the completion of an inter-
oceanic line, passing exclusively through British
territory, may now be regarded simply as a matter
of time. But this object could not be accomplished
so long as the north-west territory was suffered to
remain under the solitary and unimproving rule of
the Hudson's Bay Company. Here it may be ob-
served that the company base their rights of sove-
reignty and exclusive trade upon two separate and
distinct documents—the one a charter of King
Charles 11., which relates only to Rupert's Land,
the territories watered by rivers flowing into Hud-
son's Bay, and the other a license to trade over the
unoccupied regions which stretch from Canada to
the Pacific from the west to the east, and from
Rupert's Land to the boundary of the United States
from the north to the south. The boundaries of
these territories have never been ascertained. The
charter of King Charles 11. was granted at a
time when the geography of North America
was little understood, and there now cannot be
any doubt that his Majesty affected to grant
territor;^ which snbs'quently were lawfully pos.
sessed by the lereacir crown as portions of La Neu- . .
velle France or Canada, and which in the year 1759,
exactly a century ago, were ceded to Great Britain.
When the Hudson's Bay question was considered !'
two years ago by a committee of the House of Com-
mons, Mr. Chief Justice Draper, on behalf of Canada,
most prudently confined his interference to the pre-
liminary question of boundary, knowing well that
if that point were once submitted to the Privy
Council, the validity of the charter and the effect
of the different treaties relating to Canada would,
of necessity, form the subject of judicial determina-
tion. The Hudson's Bay Company has in recent
times expressed a willingness to transfer to Canada
such districts as the gradual extension of the pro-
vince might require; and, judging rightly the tone
of public opinion, it has scarcely remonstrated
against the proposed revocation of its license to
trade in the north-west territories. The Company,
however, has always insisted upon the validity of
'its Chartered rights, and it has by every artifice in
its power hitherto succeeded in screening that
sacred document from the investigation of any judi-
cial tribunal, either in Canada or in the mother
country. It is perfectly true that the law officers
of the Crown have on several occasions reported
that the possessory rights of the Company, in virtue
of long user, cannot now be fairly questioned, but,
at the same time, they have declared that the ex-
elusive right to trade was ab initio illegal. Sir
Bulwer Lytton, in a despatch dated 3d November,
1858, expresses his anxious desire to come to some
equitable and conciliatory agreement, by which” all
legitimate claims of the Hudson's Bay Company
should be fairly considered with reference to the
territories or the privileges they may be required to
surrender." For this purpose Sir Bulwer Lytton re-
news his proposal that the conflicting claims of the
Company and of Canada should be referred to
the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
—a tribunal " pre-eminently fitted for the dis-
passionate consideration of the questions at
issue," and one which would secure a decision
which would probably be rather of the nature
of an arbitration than of a judgment, and
would furnish a basis of negotiation on which reci-
procal concession and the claims for compensation
could be successfully discussed. If this arrange-
ment should fail, then Sir Bulwer Lytton very
fairly adds, " The renewal of the exclusive right to
trade in any part of the Indian territory, or a re-
newal which only could be justified to Parliament
as part of a general agreement, adjusted on the
principles of mutual concession, must become im-
possible." The conciliatory proposal of the Colonial
Minister having been rejected by the Hudson's Bay
Company, the matter was next referred to the law
officers of the Crown, who in their report, dated
Dec. 16, state, " That the only course open for the
determination of the questions arising on the
charter is by a scire facias brought to repeal the
charter by the Canadian Government in the name
of any individual subject of her Majesty." In 1850
a similar opportunity of raising the question was
offered to Mr. Isbester—a gentleman who, no doubt •
for very good reasons, declined the honour of plung-
ing at his sole expense into this great and costly
intercolonial litigation. The Canadian Ministers
have now only, to adopt the advice which Sir
Fitzroy Kelly and Sir Hugh Cairns have given
to obtain the final settlement of this long- disputed
question. But with all respect for the opinion of
the law officers of the Crown, it may be added,
should the Canadian Ministers refuse to engage in
this proceeding, then the people of Canada at their
owii expense can delegate "any individual subject
of her Majesty" on their behalf to sue out the writ
of scirefacias. There are also cases in the books
which would justify the direct intervention of the
Crown. It has been held that when the King
grants anything which by law he cannot grant, he
may have a sctre facias to repeal his own letters
patent. In this particular case it is contended that
Charles 11. granted that which he had no right to
rant—namely, territories which did not belong to
im, and a trade monopoly which was void by the
et of the 21st of James I. We believe, however, that
the Canadian Government will willingly accept the
esponsibility of contesting the validity of the char- •
ter, and we have little doubt that the result will be
the utter extinction of a corporation which, without
historical recollections or public services, has b
tome lucky fortune hitherto escaped the fate which
has overtaken the great East India Company.—
'Morning Post.

GREAT MEETING IN HYDE-PARK.

On. Sunday afternoon a very !arge meeting of the
Working men of the metropolis was held in Hyde -
park for the purpose of opposing the Government
'Reform Bill. During the proceedings, which occu-
pied 6everal hours, a considerable number of
foreigners were present, who cheered the various
speakers with great vehemence. At three o'clock
in the afternoon the chair was taken by a Mr.
Murray, and a resolution was moved and
seconded, to the effect that no Reform Bill was
worthy of support that did not give the people the
suffrage, vote by ballot, &c. The seconder of the
motion (whose name did not transpire), in the
' course of his remarks, said that, if the whole of the
working men were of his mind, they would go on
Monday evening, when the second reading of the
bill was to take place, into the Palace-yard, and
number not less than 150,000. That would speedily
show the Government that they were no longer to
be fooled. (These remarks were received by loud
cheers mingled with cries of " Ernest Jones,"
" Ernest Jones.") In a few minutes, Mr. Ernest
Jones made his appearance, and was received by
shouts of applause. He addressed the meeting at
considerable length. He said that ho did not in-
tend to appeal to their passions, but to their cool
judgment. He totally disagreed with the advice
of the previous speaker—to assemble by thousands
on Monday in Palace-yard—as it would give the
k them. A
attad Governmentpehr perhaps whatthey to
do
had they want,:vasd, the excuse
to
to
be firm
and unyielding. There were three reform propo-
sitionsn before them, but if they supported either
they would be grossly deceived, for while Mr.
Bright's measure might give the vote to about
100,000 it would disfranchise millions. They were
told, on the passing of the last reform bill, that the
middle classes would help the working man to
obtain his political rights, but the time had now
arrived when he must strike for himself. Before
the resolution was put, he would ask all those who
were in favour of the working man having his po-
litical rights to hold up their hands. A perfect
forest of hands were uplifted, amidst loud cheering,
and upon Mr Jones putting the question as to
whether they had a spark of confidence in either
the Government, Lord John Russell's, or Mr.
Bright's bills, one hand only was held up for the
latter, creating the utmost amusement. Three
hearty cheers were then given for universal suf-
frage. Several other speakers having addressed
the meeting, and it having been determined that a
petition should be forwarded to the House of Com-
mons embodying the sentiment of the resolution,
the proceedings closed with a vote of thanks to the
chairman, and the large assembly quietlydispersed.

At Constantinople the Presse cl 'Orient has re-
ceived a warning for copying the article from the Levant
Herald against Moussa Safeti Pacha, ex-Minister of
Finance. According to a new regulation, the journals at
Constantino le are henceforth to be subjected to the same
regime as those in France—namely, that if they receive
three warnings, the last will entail a suspension for a cer-
tain period.