The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-22 00:00:00

'THE SUN,

VANCOUVER'S ISLAND.

Mr. HUME asked whether the Noble Lord at the
head of the Government, bad any objection to lay on
the table of the House, a report of what proceedings
had taken place respecting Vancouver's Island.?
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said he would inquire if
there were any papers on the subject, and if so, he
would lay them on the table.
The Earl of ARUNDEL and SURREY said he had
that morning received a letter from the Hon. Member
for the West Riding, correcting a statement which had
appeared in a report of his (the Earl of Arundel's) speech
on the Hon. Member for Oldham's Education Bill. Ile
had been repotted to have said that Mr. Froude bad
been appointed to the presidency cf the new Manchester
college, whereas it appeared from the Hon. Member's
letter that the college was not yet formed, nor bad any
appointment yet been mad..
ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION BILL.

Mr. HORSMAN wanted to know if he had under-
stood the Noble Lord at the head of the Government
that he would proceed with the Ecclesiastical Commission
Bill on Friday ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said be intended to go through
the Australian Colonies Bill in Committee before he could
speak with any certainty.
Mr. DISRAELI said he wished to notice the

statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that he
did not expect there would be any discussion on his mo-
tion for next week, and he wished to state that he
thought it very probable, considering the interest with
which the subject was regarded out of doors, and the
unfortunate. delay which had taken place, that the sub-
ject would be passed over without any discussion.
ADULTERATION OF COFFEE.

Mr. ANSTEY gave notice that on an a arty day he
should move for papers in continuation on the adultera-
tion of coffee.
AUSTRALIAN COLONIES BILL.

The House then went into Committee on the Austra-
lia❑ Colonies Bill.
On clause 7,

Mr. V. SMITH said that, at the risk of exciting
laughter, he must say that they were going on much too
fast with this Bill. The last clause had been agreed to
with very little deliberation, especially the last part of It.
As regarded the New South Wales Bill, its history
could not be too frequently told, as it did not appear to
be very well understood. Now that; Bill was more a
make•shift than a piece of legislation. From 1788 to
1823, the Colony was treated more like a
prison-house than anything else, and so illegally
did the House act towards it that in the yeav 1823 the
Government was compelled to bring in an Act'of In-
demnity, and from that year up to 1839 the House was
engaged in discussing how they should deal with
the colony. In 1840 the Noble Lord at the
head of the Government brought in the Bill
under which the Government of the' colony at present

existed. It was proposed to continue the- operation of
that Bill for ten years, and now that the period had
elapsed, it was high time that they extended to all the
Australian colonies similar institutions that, were
enjoyed by our North American colonies. They npw
however, proposed to leave the colonies to shift for
themselves, but when he looked at the vast amount of
emigration which had recently been carried on with our
AUstralian colonies, he thought it was too bad to deprive
them of the advice of the mother-country. Besides it was
proposed to leave the matter to be settled by the As-
eembly. Now, the Assembly did not represent a
third of the colonists, and he doubted much
whether the decision would be satisfactorily unless
some change was made in its constitution.
He had the authority of 23 different members of
the assembly in New South Wales, for saying that there
was no objection in the colony to th• admission of the
"squatting " interest, which was composed of a most in-
fluential, intelligent, and respectable body of
persons. He thought the House ought to con-
sider whether it would not be advisable to
admit this large class into the new assembly, and make
tothtehesceottnlestmiteuntitonofo'
fwthhiicshi
them to have a voice in the decision of those important
divergequestionisn,
important
e colony.r w a r ds to
mwpaosrtaanf
Mr. HAWES said the Bill had beeen introduced with
an intention of leaving the existing constitution of New
South Wales as near as possible, if not exactly, in the
same state in which it now stood. It was possible that
various improvements might be suggested in the Bill,
but the express wish of the colonists was that it
should not vary from the old New South Wales
Act. His Right Hon. Friend (Sir Vernon Smith)
said a promise was held out when the Bill was intro-
duced that the colony should have representative
institutions formed on the same basis as those
of other countries, and it was with that view
the Bill now before the House had been proposed.
He fully admitted the importance of extending the quali-
fication the squatting interest. Ia the Legislature of
New South Wales the popular members were as two to
one to the others: and they were able enough to bring
about any reform they wished. That being so, the
Government wished those matters to be as much
as possible
effected by the colonists themselves.
For these reasons, therefore, he would far rather see
that question diseussed and the measure originated in

the colonies.
given a constituent assembly which could
Mr. ADDERLEY said the Governmenth obtadpocslesaihrllyy
represent the feelings of the community.
Mr. WYLD said he could very
well imagine the con-
stitution proposed by the Government might suit the
colopy of New South Wales or Victoria, but hera they
ware legislating for a colony which was at this
moment exporting a large amount of convicts.
liithe year 1842 Van Diemen's Land, to some extent
had been in a state of prosperity, because they had
almost altogether ceased to send convicts there, but since
that time the tide of transpoi tation had flown in there
with renewed strength; and since that time the free po-
pulation, he understood, were leaving the settlement with
all the speed in their power. He did not think that the
present Bill gave sufficient control over the convict po-
pulation to the Government, and what he proposed to
do was to enable her Majesty and her successors to name
an executive council consisting of the Chief Justice, the
Colonial Secretary, the Colonial Treasurer, and the Police
Magistrate, to exercise control over the convict population.
the Hon. Member concluded by moving a resolution to
that effect as au amendment on clause 7.
After a few words from Mr. MO WATT,
Mr. LABOUCHERE said he hoped the lion. Member
would not at present persist in his amendment. Clause 7
was one which certainly ought to stand.
Mr. W. MOLES WORTH said that the Under-Secrt -
t rry for the Colonies had nor yet answered the ques-
tion which had been put to him by the Hon. Member fur
Nortarnpton.