The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-29 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS-YESTERDAY.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at 5 o'clock.

Lord LYI TELTON presented a petition in favour of the
Bankruptcy and Insolvency Bill.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition praying that
the sale of spirituous liquors might be prohibited on Sun-
days.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.
Sir John Simeen's (leasing) Estate, Westminster Im-
provement, Tyne Improvement, and Kingston-upon-Hull
Docks Bills were read a second time.
The Cornwall Railway, Liverpool Improvement, New-
castle-under-Lyme Marsh Lands, Nantwich and Market
Drayton,Universal Private Telegraph, and Leeds, Bradford,
and Halifax Junction (Amendment) Bills were read a third
time and passed.
THE GROWTH OF COTTON.

Lord BROUGHAM begged to call the attention of the
noble duke opposite to the important subject of the growth
of cotton. He trusted the Government would pro-
mote by every means in their power, and the
Colonial-office would also encourage the same object.
He had received several specimens of cotton raised in Ja-
maica, and having submitted them to the best authorities,
they had fixed the value at very high prices. Even.
at 6d. per lb. a great profit could be made,
growing Caton in Jamaica, for it had been calculated that
an acre of ground there would yield 6001 b., which would
be worth £l5, and the cost of raising the article would only
amount to £B.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE said the noble and learned
lord had not given notice of his question, but he was in a
position to give him an answer. the Government had not
neglected the consideration of the important subject, but the
real difficulty was not the country in which it might be
grown but the amount and the price of labour.
If the noble lord meant by encouraging the growth
of cotton that the Government was to offer a bounty
then he must inform him that there was no such intention.
t
If the profit en cotton grown in Jamaica was as large as
noble lord said, it did seem to him totally unneces-
sary for the Government to interfere,
as many individual*
would only be too ready to engage in its produce. The
Government, however, would give every encouragement
to the object, and with that view he was in communication
withthe Indian Government to withdraw the restriction!'
upon the introduction of coolie labour.
THE ATLANTIC MAIL CONTRACT.
The Marquis of NORMANBY gave notice that on
Thursday next he should move for the production of the
correspondence between the Government and the Lord-
Lieutenant relating to the Atlantic Royal Mail Contract.,
NEW PROVINCES (NEW ZEALAND) BILL.

On the order for the second reading of this bill,

The Duke of NEWCASTLE said thatin the Constitution
Act passed some years ago for the colony of New Zealand
there were certain provisions by which provinces—Canter..
bury and others—were established, and there was a provi-
sion to the effect that the general assembly should be the
representative body for the whole colony, and that the as-
sembly might divide the provinces into separate provinces
with the approbation of the Queen. In 1857 an act was
passed by which many of the restrictions which had been
imposed upon the general assembly were removed, and it
was intended thereby to remove those restrictions which
prevented the constitution of new provintes in the manner
then provided, and giving the legislature permission to do
it by an act of the ordinary character. In making those
alterations the imperial parliament made this mistake, that
it repealed the 6ith clause of the constitution act, which it
obviously had intended should be done. Since that
period the general assembly of New Zealand had separated
one of toe provinces into two, by an act of the colonial.
legislature, and that act was in the usual way confirmed at
home, no doubt existing that the course pursued was regular
and the act valid. Subsequently doubts arose and the
matter was referred to the law officers of the Crown, and
they were of opinion that it was not competent to the
colonial legislature to separate the province in the manner
which he had stated. This bill was merely for the purpose
of correcting the mistake, and to render valid the act of the
colonial legislature. He begged, therefore, to move the
second reading of the bill.

Earl GREY said this bill was ono to which there could
be no possible objection. But he could not allow the
second reading to pass without stating that in the pres)nt
critiml and distracted state of New Zealand he was sur-
prised this should be the only measure submitted by the
Government to Parliament in reference to that colony.
They knew from the papers on the table and from
more recent accounts that for more than two years war
had been raging in New Zealand; and that in that
unhappy war 60 officers and men of the European force
there had been killed and 140 men wounded, a vast amount
of property destroyed, and one settlement laid waste. Ha
thought the enormous expense incurred would greatly dis-
arrange the calculations of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer as to his surplus at the end of the financial year. He
felt persuaded that this unhappy contest would not be
brought to a close by war, unless it were intended to exter-
minato the race of Maories ; but that would be an end at
the war to which he could not look forward without feelings
of horror, and which he felt sure would be shared by all
right-thinking persons in this country, and such a course
of proceeding would not only be a calamity but a disgrace
to this country. When they considered all the circum-
stances of the war, they mast see that, if the Maories were
driven to desperation; they would, before they would yield,
inflict a large amount of suffering upon the Europeans. It.
would not be enough to send out additional troops, but the
Government ought to make some attempt to bring about
peace by conciliatory measures, and thus endeavour to gain
the confidence of the Maories. (Hear.) If under the circum-
stances which had arisen the assistance of Parliament was
necessary, that assistance ought already to have been asked
for. The war had been produced by errors on the part of
the Government of New Zealand—errors which it might
not be too late to correct. Their lordships were aware that
this war began by an attempt on the part of the Government
of New Zealand to take forcible possession of a piece of land
acquired by purchase, which was disputed by one of the
native chiefs. Much had been said whether that purchase
was valid, and he • should abstain from entering into that
part of the subject. It would be sufficient for him to say that.
some high authorities were against the validity of the pur-
chase, which showed at least that it was of doubtful validity.
In the first place there was the authority of the Bishop of
New Zealand, and a great number of the missionaries.
(Hear, hear.) He knew that an attempt had been
made to lower their authority because they were sup--
posed to have sympathy with the natives. The validity
of the purchise was also denied by Mr. Clark, protector of
the aborigines under Sir G. Grey ; by Mr. Swainson, for-
merly attorney-general; and above all, by Sir W. Martin,
who had been formerly chief justice of New Zealand, and
had attained the highest reputation in that position. These
were some of the quoted authorities ; and if a shadow of
doubt could rest upon this transaction both justice and ho-
nesty required that the Government of New Zealand should
have abstained from making that purchase. Considering
the extreme jealousy and sensitiveness of the natives on
questions relating to land, this was a subject on which great
care out to exercised. It ought to have been understood
that no advantage likely to be derived from the possession
of an insignificant plot of land could be compared with the
danger likely to result from the excitement which might be
supposed to follow such a transaction. Of course that po-
licy was adopted in forgetfulness of the wise advice of Sir
G. Grey a few years ago, when great excitement existed
among the Maories. When an act was passed for esta-
blishing a constitution, Sir G. Grey pointed out that war at
that time was scarcely over, and that by the proposed con-
stitution the entire power of the revenue would be vested in
the represensatives of the settlers to the exclusion of
the natives, and that in his opinion an attempt to enforce
that constitution would lead to armed resistance. It was
his (Earl Grey's) duty as Colonial Secretary at that time to
ask their lordships to suspend that constitution, and the
result, he believed, showed that that was sound advice-
Sir G. Grey adopted the principle of repression with respect
to anything like violence or disturbance ; but at the
tsso Teo
time his policy was one of kindness and consideratiwonere
dot
well -disposed. Sir G. Grey understood that men Spero
minds,
and be governed by mere laws but by attaching their
and he believed
satiofeanwd complete peace was
and especially among a barbarous people;
he
t minds of a high-
mindedimpressions could be rapidly made on h barbarous peoples
secured, and Now Zealanthatdyfeau.:spr.
and generous, even tolreryg.
In a short time
do—wsonosthpece ht
iwghoui.oldad He
ht°avebecCi:
The result was most
disturbances were put
had expired Sir G. Grey
fiveßyreerreoreno
of the noble earl opposite
atatitautfiiOuns:niust be put in force, reserving
aGtrenyo)dibestalinevtepderithnso
t for thehimrigtstackome nithuna.tiwtyas.
stated
Crown the sole power of purchasing land. In 1852,
afterwardsi
to the
rceoamlimseithdttei:lft.itthe
co
during the short administration
(Lord Derby), a bill was passed much in accordance with the
views of Sir G. Grey ; but unfortunately that bill contained
one provision which led to great misfortunes. It was de-
cided by that measure that a chief executive officer should
be elected, instead of being appointed by the Crown. That
was in accordance with the advice
of Sir G. Grey ; but
though he was a most able man, on whom general reliance
could be placed, he could not claim to be infallible, and in
this matter he (Earl Grey) thought it was clear then and
still clearer now that Sir G. Grey was wrong. He (Earl
Grey) had given that clause his most earnest opposition in
that house, but he had not succeeded in securing its omis-
sion. The clause was passed in the shape in which it was
proposed, and the result had been the fulfilment of his worst
anticipations. With respect to party government, he had
always thought it little suited to a colony, and that the evils
resulting from it were considerable. In Australia the evils
of this system were insignificant compared with those of
New Zealand. It was impossible that a few thousand Bri-
tish settlers could be placed in junta-position with a larger
number of natives, sensitive of their rights and jealous of
their liberties, and who could not see all power placed in
the hands of a European minority without creating in the
minds of the native majority deep discontent. It modest
from the papers which had been placed upon the table that
such was the result. As long as the governor possessed
authority to Support UN logo represeatatiya of the WM-