The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-09 00:00:00

a nature that they should be prohibitory against the
produce and manufactures of other countries. He
thought that was called for in return for the protection
and defence which this country gave them. But next, as
to the mode of government. It appeared to him that as a
general rule they could not do better than re:er to those
maxims of policy which governed our ancestors on this
subject.—(Hear.) It appeared to them that whereever
Englishmen went they should enjoy English
fceedom—(Hear, bear)—and have English institutions.
(cheers.) They acted justly and wisely. They acted,
be believed, for the immediate harmony of the
mother country and her colonies. On this sub.
ject let them see how they stood. He had
in his hand a declaration of a number of gentlemen—he
thought some twelve or fourteen Members of that
House, and some three or four Peers of the other
House of Parliament—in regard to colonial policy.
The question of those gentlemen forming themselves into
a Committee, and putting themselves in communication
with the colonies, is one which I consider of
very dubious character.—(Great cheering.) In
their character as Members of both Houses it was
perfectly competent for them fairly to declare
what their views and opinions were, and to call upon
us to show our reasons for dissenting from
them. If they had done that he (the Noble Lord) should
not have complained. They say it is right to grant to
the colonies power to administer their own affairs, and
teat the colonies, which were at the present either
for esil in their population, or were forming it, should
have the perfect management of their own matters. They
stated that there were the North American colonies,
the South African, the Australian colonies, Van Die-
men's Land, and New Zealand. He would take these in
order, and state what had been the policy of the Govern-
ment regarding them. With regard to the North Amer-
can colonies, he would take Canada. In 1828 there were
very grave dissensions between the Ministers of the
Crown and Canada. The Ministers of the Crown
thought that they were justified in applying
the money of the Canadas without asking their consent.
Mr. Huskisson proposed an inquiry into the matter.
Parliament spent much time in the discussion of it;
Committees sat and Commissions were ap-
pointed. Soon after that an insurrection broke
out in the Canadas, and blood was shed there.
The Government afterwards proposed the union
of the two provinces to give ample power
to the Legislature. The popular party of Canada
wished that the Ministers should be of that party to
which the majority belonged. When Lord Glenelg
held the seals or the Colonial-office, Mr. Baldwin, who
he believed was now in office in Canada, came over
to England, and as Lord Glenelg could not see
that person, he wished that he (Lord John Russell)
should see him. They met with the feeling that each
would have widely different ideas, but after mutual con-
versation they found that they perfectly agreed—in fact,
that they had arrived at nearly the same results with
respect to the government of the colonies. That go-
vernment had been conducted of late years in conformity
with what he belived to be the opinion of the people of
Canada. When Lord Elgin found that the Ministers in
office had not a majority in the Legislature, he proposed
that they should go to an adverse vote or dissolve the
Assembly. They chose the latter, and a dissolution
took place. The elections, however, gave a still greater
majority against these Ministers, and Lord Elgin there-
fore placed the government in the hands of their oppo-
nents. Nothing could have been more fairly carried
• out. He (Lord J. Russell) had, however, seen bitter
complaints as arising oat of the matter; and he had
seen that some persons even proposed that the United
Province of Canada should be annexed to the United
States. To that proposition the Crown and its advisers
could give nothing but a decided negative; and though
such a proposition had been mooted, he trusted, from the
character of those persons who belonged to the association,
that it was not their intention of placing themselevs
in connexion with a neighbouring state by force of arms;
but that knowing the determined will of the Sovereign
of this country and her responsible advisers not to per-
mit such an annexation, they would acquiesce peaceably
in the desire of the Crown. He (Lord J. Russell) won-
dered also, how any persons professing loyalty could
entertain such a project—a project which, in the event of
any international difference between England and the
United States of America, would place them in the posi-
tion of being opponents to her Majesty, and cause them
to fight against the British flag.—(Hear, hear.) Such
was the present condition of Canada. If the ministers
were sustained by public opinion and the Majority of the
Assembly, they would remain in office; but, on the con-
trary, when they were no longer sustained the Governor-
Generel would take other advisers as a matter of course.
With respect to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the
legislative body was the same as the executive. But when
Lord Glenelg held the colonial seals a change was made in
the Executive and Legislative Council in such a manner as
to conciliate the opinion of the provinces and to command
the majority of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia.
And he had not heard of late years of any of those
unhappy dissensions which used to prevail when the
Executive Council was found in a small minority. With
respect then to Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova
Scotia, the principles those gentlemen wished to intro-
duce had already been carried into effect there. The
consequence had been, and must be, that fewer ques-
tions had been brought before the Secretary of State for
the Colonies than used to be the case, relative to official
misconduct and to local affairs, which, of course, were
difficult and embarrassing for a Colonial Secretary to
decide. These matters, it appeared, were now settled
in the colonies, and the government was carried on with
less resort to this country than before.—(llear.) He
would now revert to the South Alrican colonies. The
chief of these colonies was the Cape of Good Hope.
With respect to the colony of the Cape of Good Hope,
of lste years there has been a good deal of discussion as
to the expediency ( f introducing representative govern-
ment. Lord Stanley, when Colonial Secretary, had the
question under consideration, and without absolutely re-
fusing to introduce representative;:overnment, that Noble
Lord pointed out the many difficult circumstances which
had to be considered before a decision could be
arrived at. Tnese and other difficulties had been dis-
cussed by the present Governor, the Chief Justice, and
others of competent knowledge, and the result was that
the Government bad come to the decision that represen-
tative institutions should be introduced into the Cape of
Good Hose colony.—(Hear.) With respect to the re-
presentative assembly and change of franchise, those
were matters he would not now enter into, as they were
in the hands of men who were better able to judge of
their expediency. He would, however, say that the re-
presentative assembly would be chosen from persons
possessing a certain amount of property, and otherwise
qualified as in the case of Canada.—(Hear, hear.) But
when a question arose as to the formation of a Legisla-
tive Council en the model of other colonies, her Majesty's
Government cattle to the conclusion, instead of imitating
the constitution of Jamaica or Canada, it would be ad-
visable to introduce such a provision -as would place the
power of electing to a seat in the Legislative Council in
the ban& of persons having a higher position and quali-
cation than representative assembly electors. These,
he conceived, might be persons named by the
Crown, of weight and influence in the colony,
such as magistrates, and others selected by the muni-
cipel council as entitled to fill the highest offices in the
colony. It was proposed that the representative assem-
bly should have a duration of five years, and the legisla-
tive council of ten years; but half of the number to be
elect .d at the expiration of every five years. Something
like a constitution of this kind, though differing in a few
particulars, wag the practice in Belgium. Instead of an
hereoitary council and elective council, there were two
chambers, the duration of which was eight years, half to
be elected every four years. Of course the experiment
was new, and it would be presumptious on his part to say
it would entirely succeed. But an order in council had
bean passed; and that order in council, and instructions
thereupon founded, would be sent out to the Cape; and
any amendment to the details which might be deemed re-
quisite could be considered at the Cape before the 'mea-
sure obtained final sanction. The next colonies to which
those gentlemen referred were the Australian colonies, Van
Diemen's Laud, and New Zealand. With respect to the
Australian colonies, the Bill which he proposed the
chairman should obtain leave to bring in will disclose
the intended legislation of Parliament on the subject.
The me asure he proposed to introduce was nearly the
same as that of last year. It was not on the principle of
having a council and assembly, in imitation of the go-
vernment of this country, though this was the most
'popular sort of system in the colony. He proposed
there should be a council, two-thirds of which were to
be representatives sent by the people, and one-third
named by the governor. The reason for adopting this
proposal was that, after a great deal of deliberation, it
was the plan already adopted years ago, and finally
*auctioned by Parliament in 1842. Since that time it
has been found to be so acceptable to the population of
New South Wales that, upon the whole, as far as it
could be ascertained, it was believed the colonists
would prefer that form of government to that which
had more analogy with the form of our own govern-
enent.—(llear, hear.) For his own part, he would only
say he was anxious to adopt that form of
government
which would be most agreeable to the views
of the colo-
mists themselves; and if in New South Wales it had been
clearly the prevalent opinion that it would be advisable
to leave the present form, and to adopt the form of a
council and assembly, Government would have been
ready to adopt the suggestion, and the Committee to
which the matter had been referred would have proposed
a different constitution. He would further say that his
Noble Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies
bad considered, with regard to these questions of colonial
government, on all the great principles of government
which are to be determined with respect to the welfare
of the colonies, as well as with respect to other questions
of difficulty, that the most advisable course was to refer
those questions to the Privy Council; and Lord Camp-
bell, Sir E. Ryan, and the President of the Board of
Trade, had accordingly sat and given their matured at-
tention to the subject. He believed such a plan was most
advisable, as it enabled the Secretary of State for
the Colonies to discuss with others the various proposi-
tions, and to come to a better decision than if he deter-
mined them alone.—(Hear.) These were the laws of
government they proposed to give to New South Wales,
and he would add, Government proposed to give the co-
lony the power of altering the constitution in that re-
spect, and if in the opinion of the colonists it would be
better to resort to a government of legislative council
and assembly, there would be no restriction on the part
of the Government to such a change.—(Hear.) With
respect to other matters there would be a considerable
change from the Bill proposed last year, for then Go-
vernment proposed that the customs duties of New
Bbuth Wales should be the same for all the Australian
colonies, until altered by the proper authorities. Though
he thought the customs duties ought not to vary in the
Australian colonies, it was at the same time thought ad•
visable that this should not be enacted by Parliament,
but that the eolonies should be left to settle it among
themselves. Government proposed that the district
of Port Philip should be separated from New South
Wales, and form a different district. Government
introduced into Van Diemen's Land the principle of