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

i Ila%fix with i expect to the constitutional rights the
lealonics. The Noble Lord considered that this was a
1 circumstance of great note, became no man was more
useful to Charles the ;second in dispensing with Parlia-
ments reltogeteer than the Marquis of ilaiiiax, and it
showed that oven he had the sentiments implanted in his vend that every Englishmen ought to live under
a free goverunieet and under free institutions.
That that opinion was in conformity with the general
oco:ntshteituLiogs
nliohf
saw, was,
colonies, and the general principles
opi-
nion of Sir Philip
Mansfield in the
The Assembly having !nation of the King '
supplies, tile matter f
was, he thought, shown by the I-ork, which was quoted by Lord
well-known case regarding the prods-
in respect of the island cf Jamaica.
refused to grant the necessary
asiortvrhriedh for his opinion,' and he
said that the only way
Atixes could be la'd on
after the accession of Charles- 1. t'dislelmthbelyp.
the inhabitants wns through thee e
aFc re o
ofm 1627
Paris
in 1763, the general Policy ictilr..efiaour to the colonies had
ticauTtahr:eisbeex,latittnefl;i:dien(oift
oseocrs•mretaoshoensthoU'hgiheth bewreomunidirneolt the,
peace
in
1874ncesturs between
ad-
visable to follow
andfor theed coon-
-1763 and the time c f the
stitution of the colonies had not been
With rementrd ton
the plan of the British Constitution.
our commercial policy with the colonic. had
been materially elterea within the last few: 1
In 1786 73r. Pitt had dc termieed to adopt a free-)teraadrso.
policy with regard.to the intercoutt e between the West
Indian and the North American del endencies of this
country, as well as between the former of these colonies
and the United States of North America; and
be had passed resolutions to that effect, but after-
wards a more restricted policy was adopted, and
it was only during last year that the louse had given its
full sanction to the abolition of that exclusiveness which
they had utterly put an end to by the repeal of the navi-
gation laws, and had thereby put an end, as he conceived
for ever, to the whole system ef commercial monopoly.
—(Hear, hear.) They had given the colonies the power
to receive from, and to transfer to, other parts of
the world all the articles which they produced, or the
goods which they required, together with the authority
to impose whatever duties they deemed necessary upon
the products of this country. Much had been said of
the evils and the benefits of this system. He would
only make his test by the increase of population. In
1816 the population of the Canadas was 462,452; its.
1835 it was 1,099,000; and in 1847 it was 1,185.689.
Now there was another way in which the extent of this
increase might in some degree be measured, by compar-
ing this increase of population with the increase in the
population of the United States. Now he found
that in 1825 the population of Lower Canada
was 423,630, and in 1831 it was 511,923, being an in-
crease in the six years of 17 per cent. In 1844 it was
690,782, being in the thirteen years an increase of 35
' per cent. In 1848 it was 770,000, being an in-
crease of 12 per cent. Taking Upper and Lower
Canada together, the increase from 1825 to 1831
was 29 per cent.. In 1843, which he thought was a me-
dium between 1842 and 1844, being ten years, the in-
crease was 55 per cent. In 1848, being four years, the
increase was 28 per cent. The proportions being so
great, ho would take the proportions for the United
States at ten years. In 1800 the increase was
25 per cent. ; in 1810, 36; in 1820, 33; in 1830, 33;
in 1840, 32; thus the increase in Upper and Lower
Canada was considerably greater than that of the United
States. With regard to the imports, the increase of the
last few years bad been no less remarkable. In 1835
they were 3,730,000 ; in 1846 4,053,000. The exports
in 1835 were 1:929,000 ;in 1846 3,201,000. The
shipping inwards increased from 1,077,000 to 1,461,000,
whilst the shipping outwards increased from 1,025,000
to 1,494,000. That was a most remarkable
increase, both in population and commerce ;
and if the House went to another teat of
the wealth of those countries, namely, the articles as-
sessed to local taxation in Upper Canada, they had no
lessremarkable results. The property assessed to the local
taxation in that province was in 1825, 2,000,000/. odd in
1835, 3,085,0001., in 1845, 7,778,0001., and in 1847,
8,567,0001. With regard to another portion of our
colonies, in which there had been an increaFe of the
people of British descent, the facts were hardly less
remarkable. He alluded more especially to the Austra-
lian colonies, and in the first place to New South Wales.
In New South Wales in 1828 the population was
not above 55,000, of whom at that time nearly
one-half were convict'', and the exports were of the
value of 180,0001. In 1848 the population had increased
to 300,000, and the exports were in value upwards of
2,000,0001. That would seem still more remarkable when
he stated that at the time of which he spoke the popula-
tion of the American colonies was not above 1,000,000.
The increase with regard to some ether colonies more
recently founded in New Holland was equally remark-
able. New South Wales, for example, bad made a most
extraordinary progress in the last ten years, both in po-
pulation and in exports. Lie thought those facts showed,
with respect to a large class of our colonies under the
dominion of this country, a most extraordinary increase
both in population and in trade. They showed the
value of those relations, on which there la as so
much discussion, and on which he thought some
people spoke with but superficial knowledge.
He would now take-an instance of colonies which had
undergone very severe trials, which might have subjected
them to almost ruin, of course he meant the West India
Islands. The great change from slavery to freedom
would, it was likely, for a short time be followed
by a cessation of almost all industry, or more es-
pecially to all labour of an irksome description.
The change which had afterwards taken place, fir; t if
adinitticg toreign free-grown sugar into this country,
and next of admitting foreign :day: -labour sugar into
ibis country, had naturally produced some
change in those colonies, but it must be re-
membered that if those U imissions had not
taken place, the West Indies would have been exposed
to competition from the Mauritius. In looking at. the
return; he found that, t iking the average if the three
)ears beete so men) changes had taken place in the
West Indies, they had furnished 2,947,324 cwt. of sugar
to this country; in le3l-2-3, before the emancipation,
3,335,820 cwt ; in 1843-4-5, be f ire those admissions had
taken place, 2,645,212 cwt.; and in 1847.8-9, 2,801,657
cwt. This proved that our colonies were in a satisfactory
condition as far as regarded our commercial relations with
them. lie now came to a question which had been much
agitated, and which had advocates of very consider-
able ability, who said that it was no longer worth
our while to maintain our colonial possessions.
With regard to this proposal he would say that it was our
bounden duty to maintain colonies which had been
placed under our care.—(Hear.) We could not get rid
of the responsibility a hich we had taken upon ourselves
for the benefit of these colonies, and he trusted we
would be the means of improving and civilizing those
parts of the world to which they belonged.— (Hear.)
There were many reasons why they should be considered
as part and parcel of the strength of this empire. In
the next place the natives had become in a certain
degree civilized, or at least they had been brought to
order, and to subjection to authority. In one of our
recent colonies there was a most remarkable race
—he meant the people of New Zealand who
not many years ago were given up to practices the most
abhorrent, but who, on communication with the British
people, appeared to be tar more capable of civilization
than almost any savage race with which he was ac-
quainted.—(hear, hear.) There was also another
race—the natives of Natal—who showed great
docility, and gave evidence of their fitness to
learn the arts of civilized life.—(Hear.) There was also
another race which, if abandoned, would relapse into
their former savage nabits and begin a war of races un•
der the few Europeans who were left to command them.
But there were other considerations which could not be
lost sight of in coming to a sound conclusion in this
discussion. No one doubts the benefit of the ports of
these colonies to our commerce in the time of peace—
(Cheers)—and that they are most necessary in the time
of war.—(Cheers.) Let them consider what would he
the effect of a neglect of a great numberof these colonies.
Was it to be said that because the United States had
groan into a great community, and because that com-
munity had prospered without the addition of colonies,
that the condition of the United States and the circum-
stances of the British Government were very differente
The colonies were in most instances unable to defend
themselves, they bad small moans and had very
often a savage race around them to contend
with. If, therefore, this country refused to
assist or defend them they would naturally look to other
powers for that assistance and that protection to which
they were legitimately entitled from us.—(Hear, hear,
and cheers) In their weakness they would apply to
the strong, and who could blame them?—(Rear, hear.)
But there was another point to which he wished to refer,
and that was the system of making laws. The colonies
had the power of enacting certain statutes which re-
quired the assent of the home Government; but there
were other laws for their tell-government which they were
enabled to complete without any imperial authority.
He did not believe it was possible is draw any line.
They had a strong instance of this in the debates they
had last session with respect to the measure passed
ment of Canada. It was contended
by the House of Assembly andleyiethtehisGnovoeursne-
assent of the Crown. Government,
that that was a measure which receiveotugonhttnheotether
hand, the
local government to
dispute, it was an in-
stancemaintained that it wdasecidee
;maancder
althoughenti'ely Ihoer
dthide
not wish to revive the .
which showed.line
on
ehotwhe
sobdifficultjeet. iTt
hewoonullyd
con-
clusione
to
edrliw
any
precise
which any man who had the administration of the
Government
andne den Lie
gislature, and not the Crown, were the beat judges
es could come to was, that the local
of their local concerns. Formerly there were causes in
existence which operated detrimental to the interest of
the West Indian colonies; he alluded to the acts and
measures of precaution that were taken after the eman-
cipation of the slaves to prevent outrages and disturb-
ances. But when he was at the Colonial-office Lord
Me tealfe wrote to Lim, stating that there was
no longer any IlEcesslty for these precautions,
and they wet e eventually dispensed with. Those
measures of precaution, those symptoms of jealousy,
soon afterwards c, aced, and, thei gore, although
Oleic was art interference c f a considerable kind, that no
longer existed between the colonists and the Govern-
ment at home. But in considering further this subject, •
he thought it was absolutely necessary that the Govern-
ment and the 'louse should ucderstand, and if pos-
sible, deAsre, what were the principles upon which
they were hereafter to proceed.—(Cheers.) It was their
duty, he believed, and it was their policy to maintain that
great and admirable colonial empire. Let the House see
itehatthethuodsmeiepirsitnutcitptol
ens e fsctehnoes es ocuonl odn ielN's.ll; ilceht tthheemy lice that
adopted
in the adminlstration f those colonies; let theist See that
ttrhiebyutaerettoo
tt
hh
ee chr
aedp
pi t of
hiestsh iesf c otuhnetry a
co
tond ete
s likely._ ( toe
r on-
te csof
" Hear, hear.") With regard to their commercial
policy be had already said that the whole system of
monopoly was swept away. The House had already
said that in future there should be • no duties of
monopoly in favour of one nation as against
nether, and that there should be no duties of ouch