The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-02 00:00:00

COLONIAL ACCOUNTS.

Dr. BOWRING then rose to move that a Select Com-
mittee be appointed to inquire into the state of the colo-
nial accounts and the means of improving them. It
would be needless for him to urge on the House the im-
portance of the subject, which must be apparent to any
one. A paper had been laid on the table of the House
a few days ago which showed that this country had
forty-one colonies, with a population of 5,000,000,
of people; the imports from them to the United Kingdom
amounted annually to between 10,000,0001. and
11,000,0001. sterling, and the exports represented
17,000,000/. sterling, of which nearly half was of Bri-
tish produce and British manufactures. These colonies
employed 3,000 vessels, and 900,000 tons of shipping.
Whenever colonial questions were introduced, the
House must be surprised that no accounts could be bad
or at least very imperfect ones. The two latest ac-
counts came down to the 2d of August, 1844,
and the Bth of August of the same year.
There were no accounts of many of the colonies
later than 1843, and of others none later than
1842, whilst from the important colony of Newfound-
land there were no accounts at all. Neither were there
any accounts from Fernando Po or the Falkland Islands
later than 1840, though asum of 20,0001. had been granted
to the Falkland Islands at various times by this House.
There was no uniformity, no general plan or purpose.
They all stood on an independent basis, and each
returned accounts as the functionaries pleased. Many of
them gave no account whatever. In some of the colonies a
very few lines were sufficient to dispose of the receipts
and expenditure. In St. Christopher's seven lines dis-
posed of the receipts, but ten lines were devoted to the
expenditure. In some colonies there was no distinction
made between fixed and incidental revenue. In others what
was elsewhere called fixed revenue got the name of inci-
dental; in others the application of the terms was reversed.
In the Cape of Good Hope the accounts were kept in a
manner different from that adopted in all the
other colonies. There was one column for abso-
lute receipts—another column for arrears and debts—
In some cases they had charged for the collecting of the
revenue ; in others they had not ; and in others that
charge was under a different head. The Hon. and
Learned Member then entered into a statement of the
accounts furnished by the different colonies. He thought
they should know how the sums advanced to the colonies
had been disposed of. He would also draw attention to
the mode of auditing accounts for these places. When
Sir George Murray was Colonial Secretary he had pro-
mised that the colonial budget should be regularly
brought before Parliament. That had not been done.
It appeared from the evidence given before the Com-
mittee, that in 1837 the colonial accounts of 1831 had
not been audited. The accounts of all the colonies
were in arrears. The accounts of Ceylon had not been
audited far eleven years ; those of South Australia had
not been audited for seven years ; those of Mauritius
for seven years ; those of the Cape of Good Hope for
eight years ; those of Malta for six years ; those of
Upper Canada for six years ; and those of Wes-
tern Australia for five years. The most extra-
ordinary reasons were given for the non-exa-
mination of these accounts. They said they
had not clerks enough to get through the work.
That the persons whose duty it was to examine them
were ill. The arrears were continually accumulat-
ing—after a few years the accumulation was sent to
the audit office, and there they declared that it was
impossible for any human being to examine the
accounts, and then an order was issued from the
Treasury to allow all these accounts to pass
without audit.—(Marks of dissent from Sir Robert
Peel.) The Right Honourable Baronet expressed his
dissent from that statement, but if he would inquire he
would find that it had been done again and again. He
was quite willing to do justice to the efforts of successive
Governments to accomplish this object. One great
object had been accomplished—the separation of the
military from the civil accounts. If a proper system
were not adopted in keeping the colonial accounts, irre-
gularities must necessarily take place. He trusted that
this would not be treated as a party question. It was a
question of great national importance, and he trusted
that both sides of the House would co-operate
in endeavouring to improve the present system.
The system of double entry had 'again and again been
recommended by the commissioners of public ac-
counts. There ought, no doubt, to be some general
system of control exercised as to the way money
was to be drawn from the public chest. Some
system ought to be universally adopted. He did
not suggest that there should be any interference with
the expenditure or receipt in the colonies, but the ex-
penditure and receipt should be honestly and clearly
acknowledged by some general uniform system. In
this country there should be some means of ascertaining
with regard to the colonial expenditure—at present the pe-
cuniary state of the colonies was represented in a very un-
satisfactory state. The House of Commons should re-
ceive from year to year a colonial budget, containing the
estimate of the receipts and expenditure in the colonies.
The Hon. Gentleman then read the resolutions he
wished the House to adopt:—
. . . .

" 1. That in the opinion of this House, a uniform sys-
tem of accountancy should be adopted in all the depart-
ments of Government, the plan of double entry, as re-
commended by the Commissioners of Public Accounts,
being the basis thereof.
" 2. That, for the protection of the public revenue, and
the exercise of an efficient Parliamentary control, the
gross revenues should be paid without deduction into her
Majesty's Exchequer, and all issues therefrom be autho-
rised by a Parliamentary vote.
" 3. That no department of expenditure be allowed
to be a department of receipt other than by credits on
her Majesty's Exchequer."
Mr. HUME seconded the motion.
On the question being put,
Mr. HOPE said that, if he understood the Hon. and
Learned Member aright, bis proposal simply was to ap •
point such Members (as were in the House) upon
this Committee, in order to make a report from the
printed evidence already before the House. He
understood also that the estimates of the colonies
were to be laid before the House in detail, in order to
receive the sanction of the House.
Dr. BOWRING—Oh ! no, no.

Mr. HOPE was at a loss to understand what the
Hon. Member meant by his motion. As regarded the
Crown colonies, her Majesty's Ministers did assume a
.responsibility, and they had for years been endeavouring
to improve their condition, and he trusted that in
some measure they had done so. But it had
been the habit to leave the colonies to transact
their own affairs—(Hear)—as they themselves
were best acquainted with them. They had the choosing
of their own officers—of their own constabulary—
and they were at liberty to adopt those laws
most convenient to themselves, without in
every case requiring the sanction of that House. He
did not, however, wish to object to the appointment of
the Committee sought for by the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman. .

Mr. HUME said the most lamentable ignorance pre-
vailed in this country on the condition of the colonies.
He would not interfere with the local administration of
colonial affairs ; but what he complained of was, a total
want of management, regularity, and uniformity. It was
impossible for any Colonial Secretary, in such a state of
things, to administer colonial affairs in a satisfactory man-
ner—thus colonial accounts were in entire confusion.
With regard to the mode of levying colonial taxes
he did not agree with it, because it dealt unfairly
with the products of this country. There was
no uniform system by which the import duties
were regulated in the colonies, and he very much re-
gretted this, for if there was some uniform system
established, it would not only make the ac-
counts more clear, but tend materially to reduce
the public expenditure of the country. His opinion had
always been that the colonies ought not to be of any
expense to the country, but so far from this being the
case now, they were paying annually enormous sums for
their maintenance.
After a few words from Dr. BOWRING in explana-
tion the motion was agreed to.
POST-OFFICE ESPIONAGE.
Mr. SHEIL rose and said—l rise for the purpose of
moving a resolution, the purport of which I have already
stated. That resolution will be found to be in the
following words:—" That this House expresses its regret
that letters addressed to a foreigner residing in this
country should have been opened without his knowledge,
and that information in reference to disturbances in the
Papal States, obtained by such means, should have been
communicated to a foreign Power." Sir, I think it right,
in the first instance, to ste.te, to remove a misapprehen-
sion, that it is not my purpose—although it has been
imagined"to be my intention—to make the fatalities
which have taken place in Calabria the ground of my
trutheoln eem
plaPrntlSinire in this country—in which the spirit of
ntly prevails—when a Minister of the
Crown, no matter to which party he appertains, rises in
ad
sosneeviorra
ti
oun• h, a th
he
he i s hwaisthnaont
idnos
tnien,c
t,mhaokneos
his place in Parliament, and in respect to what he has
seolaelmikne
to himself and to those who hear him, instanta-
neouslyuraabl believed.—(Hear, hear.) And if this holds
good with regard to
every statesman honoured with
the confidence of his Soverei •
Sovereign, it is peculiarly so
with respect to a statesman of honour so unimpeached
and unimpeachable as Lord Aberdeen.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir, I will notat this time
discuss the circumstances
connected with the opening of the letters of Amelio and
Antonio Bandiera. These letters were before Lord
Aberdeen ; they were written from Corfu, and they roe
lated to the projected descent upon Italy. Sir, I will
not deny that when I consider that these documents were
before Lord Aberdeen, it is still a matter of surprise to•
me that he should have remained in ignorance of these
young men's designs. At the same time I must say
there are other circumstances attending this transaction
—at least they appear by the statement of Lord Abor-
deen, and I would be sorry indeed to utter any surmise*
in regard to that Noble Lord, at least, any surmise irk
the least degree injurious to him—but I do say that•
there are circumstances in this transaction which lead
me to conclude that a distinction appears to have
been taken between the acts that had been going ou in
Calabria, and the movements taking place in the Papal
States. Ido say, Sir, that sight has been lost of this
distinction in the present case, though it was well ree
girded in former transactions. But it is true that that
may be excused by the tact that public attention had
then been too much engrossed by the Parliamentary de..
bates, in which the Hight Hun. Baronet the Secretary of
State for the Home Department was so deeply engaged
at home. And my lion. and Learned Friend the Member
for Finsbury, by a rare combination of bravery and
ability, seldom found concentrated in one individual, has
won for himself, by the manner in which he has brought
this question before the country, the most signal suc-
cess; but I hope he will forgive me for saying that I do
think that even the opening of the letters of a -Member
of the British Parliament was an act which did not calf
so loudly for full explanation, as the same act committed
towards a foreigner, who had been compelled to become
an exile from his own country, to take refuge in this,
where he was confined without any cozfederates or re-;
sources, or the means of levying money or raisin#