The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-28 00:00:00

Tnl

VAN DTEMAN'S LAND PAPERS.

By the Lang, Captain Lusk, we have received a
copy of an Address to, and correspondence with, his
Excellency Lieutenant-Governor Arthur, upon the
subject of the recent Colonial Acts, imposing a
Licence upon the Free Press of Van Dieman's
Land; the Address, dated the 21st Nov. 1827, and
in respectful terms, is that of the Landholders, Mer-
chants, and Inhabitants of Van Dieman's Land, ex-
pressing their surprise and deep regret on the pro-
mulption of the recent Act of Council, subjecting.
the Free Press of the Colony to the restriction of an
official licence, and requesting his Excellency to re-
peal the same, and relieve the Local Government
from the unpopularity, and the Colonists from the
degradation, of an enactment which is humbly repre-
sented to be no less repugnant to British law and
destructive to British liberty, than impolitic and
inexpedient in the present advanced state of the
colony, and more calculated to deter future emigre-
tion from their native land to that Island. To this
end, they refer the Governor's attention to an an-
nexed brief report of the opinions delivered. by the
Judges of the Supreme Court of India, not only as
high judicial authority upon the subject, bu►t as
emanating from and applying to a quarter of the
globe where if restrictions could be justified under
any grounds of policy and expediency, the strongest
reasons might be laid, and the most specious case
made out, that such restrictions are Constitutional,
consistent with, and not repugnant to the law of
England; they presume no British born subject can
be so ignorant of the institutions of his country as
to avow, or so self-debased in nature and principle
as reluctantly to submit, to assuming that the cir-
cumstances of the colony, and the character of its
inhabitants, may have been considered as a ground
and motive for the Act imposing a licence on the
press. They feel themselves called upon to state,
as their conscientious and settled conviction, that in
either or both respects, no colony under the British
Crown affords stronger claims to exemption from the
operation of such enactments, or any restrictions be-
yond those provided fry law, than Van Dieman's Land,
were it possible to suppose that the British Govern-
ment would advise, or the British Parliament suffer,

the glorious Constitution of their country to be so far
broken in upon, as to inflict such a serious visitation
upon any of her Colonies or subjects. Under this
impression, a hope is expressed, that from whatever.
misrepresetitstions or misconceptions, that the reasons
which may have induced the local Government to
pass, and his Excellency to sanction the enactment,
that he will reconsider the subject, until a petition
can be transmitted by tbe Colonists for its immediate
repeal, or at least suspension, to the proper quarter
in England. The address then goes on to add, that
the Colony cannot be considered or treated by the
local authorities as a penal settlement in any way to
prejudice the respectable and recognized Colonists
who have emigrated under the official sanction and
encouragement of the British government, deprived
of their rights and liberties, and on their arrival be
amalgamated with the veriest outcasts of society, or
affected in any way by the enactment and discipline
necessary to transported offenders. The address is
signed by six Magistrates of the Colony, and the
principal merchants, who possess the greatest pro-
perty these. On the 26th November, the Governor
in reply, states the responsibility of the measure, as
to its being inconsistent or septignatit to British law,
does not rest with him, and he assures them the
subject has undergone a consideration so careful,
that there is no probability the act will be repealed under
the existing circumstances and condition of the Colony,
and in broad terms states, if is is intended that
Van Dieman's Land shall be continued as a Colony, to
which offenders from Great Britain shall be trans,
ported, it would be the height of imprudence to
admit an unrestricted press within the territory, and
it is under the impression that such is the intention
of his Majesty's Government that the law has been
promulgated ; that the idea of its proving injurious
to erTtrion is erroneous. Individuals whose un-
bounded love of liberty would carry thsrn tts the
last verge of prudence for its unshackled enjoyment,
can scarcely be expected to resort to Colonies,
when they are aware a large portion of its inhabi-
tants are subjected by their crimes to more than or-
dinary restraint, tlml whilst men, whose love of civil
liberty is chastened by a sober and prudent regard
For peace and tranquillity of their domestic circle,
and the security of their property, will gladly ex_
change a little portion of these rights, which they
expect in a penal Colony. In the remaining part of
the reply observes, he wishes it had been possible
for the letter to have omitted one passage, which
contains sentiments epially presumptuous and un-
just, and looking to the importance which they have
' attached to it, he will not fail to transmit the letter to
Viscount Goderich. To this an answer is sent, re-
+sestina the Governor will inform them what part of
the Address desersss the terms of presumptuous as 4
unjust, prior to its transmission to LordOoderich, and
in answer thereto a letter is sent, signed by J. Bur-
nett, from the Colonial Secretary's office, that the
passage alluded to is so plain and obvious that he
cannot think it necessary to noint it out, and that he
has already noticed it in bib answer 'of the 26th of
November.
Really this Governor has marvellous high ideas
of his own prerogative, and the civil rights of British
subjects; dsses h mean to say those acts, and their
attendant measures, are the result of orders from the
Secretary of his Majesty's Government for the Colo-
nial department at home, and are not the arbitrary
art of a man whose whole Government, since he has
been in the Colony, has disgpstrd the most respect-
able part of the inhabitants, men as well informed
and entitled to as much respect as any portion of the
British population in the most valuable settlements
of the British Crown ? It is not the first time we
ilsys been obliged to read and learn Governor
Arthur's syst,im of Legislature, snd his conduct gt
Honduras, or wherever he has been employed ass
public servant. The sooner he is recalled the bent+
the present Governor of the Upper Colony manageS
matters better, and is consequently beloved and,
respested.,

;pt
GERMAN AND -1-iA:MBU- ROli PAPERS

FROM THE 'MAINE, APRIL. 18.—It is now considered as
beyond all doubt, that not only the Electorate of Hesse
accedes Fo the commercial treaty between Bavaria and
Wuriernlnarg, lay 4 that the Saxon Duchies and the Prin-
cipality of Wa.l,Jeck will 'also join it. • T: hi? urF4per:li-V
is said to he the result of the negOciations Which hay e
been lately carried on at Cassel, and respecting which oi-6-
cial information is shortly expected.
MUNIcH, APRIL 14.—The following is the rescript
which wp mentioned yesterday, addressed to all the Com-
manders of 4ivisions of the wtyariao afloy
" Louis, by the grace or Grid, iic...We trr4eh desired
to have a great part of our army assembled this year in' a
eamp of exercise, and to witness the address and precision
which it has acquired to enable itself to accomplish its
high vocation, and which may be justly expected from an
army s"ilse PiPeraiP and officers have gained such die-
• •
tinguished glory ,in so. many. campaign`: But the de-
hberationt of the Assembly of the :strate, whOl wtil
continue till late in the summer, hinder use 'rto our
great regret, from appearing among the brave men
Rho have fought for the preservation and the glory
of our done. he.ye in consequence resolved that
the Camp of Exercise, whie was tlfc • Pi-D.4 YhiY
year near Augsburgb, shall not take place. oue
of war is ordered to announce this resolution as speedily
as Fusible to all the divisions of our army, and to take
the necessary measures to a-wok', 4a far 4a FOgii!?le; thg
preliminary expenses, while it is still time, or at least to
diminish them considerably.
(Signed) " LOUIS."
" 'Munich? April 11, 1828."
FRANKFORT, 'A
Ter!, Oavarian Journal, speaklog
of the affairs of the East, observes that the simple fact,
whether Russia does or does not acqiire some additional
provinces, and some millions of subjects, cannot much affect
Germany, but the main point is where those acquisitions
;Ire .madei' The writer then proceeds to allow that the
great interest of Germany is that no great power should eb-
tairlpossession, or tie unrestricted control, of the mouth of
the Danube, one of the grand yenta for the coinwerce of
Germany and Hungary.
BertpN? Arun. 13.—A jaw has been promulgated, by
s.vhich' it is enacted that the prohibition of Entails in the
French Code shall out be considered as abolishing the En-