The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-26 00:00:00

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pnerally in view; it showed a very heavy charge in one
Item. For instance. the evp-n-e for Canada was between
340401. and 400,0001. and I.e. Nova Scotia, 1,200,0901- t
making a total of 1,660,000., money drawn upon the
Treasury independent of thrir lozal revenues. He con-
sidered that the house oeglit to have before it a full and
particular :recount every year. and not to wait for it for
two years, as the paper referred to was delayed. It pur-
. tael .0 he the account of Ic2o, and was not given until
1t22. In f art, what he wished for was a regular estimate
of the probable expenses. The house nas not aware of
the difference of system pursued with regard to the Colo-
nies ceded since the last war to the regulations which
were ever adopted before. Instead of Ministers giving
them a Legislative Assembly of their own, they have con-
&toed the affairs of the Mauritius and Ceylon by Orders
in Council. These Colonies yielded a revenue of nearly
one million, and it was, in his opinion, contrary to the
. spirit of the British Consti.ution to have them indirectly
taxed whewthey were not represented. He had pro-
. cured several accounts of Colonies in the course of last
Session, from which it was seen that large sums were
collected by the local governmews, which so far front
. meeting the expenses of the Colonies were unequal to the
Colonial Expenditure without large remittances from
house. The third Finance Committee of Inl7 were fully
impressed with the importance of that subject, and
called for an account of the specific revenue and expendi-
ture of each colony. The Government were not exactly
prepared with the documents, and the Committee were
obliged, in their absence, to be content with coming to a
resolution recommending the attentioo of the house to the
constant drain on the revenue of this country from the
system of management in the Co.onies, He (iir. H.) con-
curreil with the Committee, and considered that our Colo-
nies were more a source of weakness than strength to the
mother country: far different to what Colonies were under
former states. The country would be stronger, and more
competent to meet any contingency, if the Colonies were
altogether separated from it. It would continue to derive
the same beneficial results, in the same way as it did at
• present, by supplying them with manufactures. If the
. United States, for instance, bad still continued under it;
allegiance, they would not have been ableto take sa large
a quantity of manufactures from Great Britain.—(Hear.)
' If the Caradas were, in the same way, declared independ-
ent, it "could save this country not only from a heavy in-
. ctunbrance in the way of expense, but take away the
chance of a quarrel sale America. As we should have,
in else of an American war, to defend Canada not only
at f arful odds, but at sit r xperse fifty fold more than the
Colony itself was worth. Ile would recommend it se-
riously to his Majesty's Government to consider the pro-
. priety of separating the Canadas from their controul,
and of le .ving them to their own discretion. For the
more free and independent nations were, and the more
. free arid independent were the Colonies, the greater woald
he their !Hume] commercial intercourse and prosperity.—
(Hear) It would be well for the Chancellor of the Ex-
. chequer to consider what an opportunity it would give
him of reducing taxes. And if he but called to his
mind the pleasure which he experienced from the manner
his proposition of any diminution of expenre was re.
ceiv-d, it would make him more desirous of effecting
further reduction of expellee, and consetterntly of tax-
ation. The attention of the house should be directed
particularly to the situation of the Cape of Good Hope.
- Ile was astonished that the British Government should
after having been seventeen years in possession, al-
low it to be governed by arbitrary law—by one Mili-
tary Governor, subject only to the orders of the Co-
lomat Secretary. Thoogli it was governed by English
. law, and the proceedings were carried on in the Dutch
. lenguage, the hies were whataire called the Stet Idea of
holies—a code formed in Batavia in the year 1715, and
from thence transferred to the Cape of Goo I. Hepe.
. Afteea few other remarks, the Hon. Member read an ad-
vertisement for the sale of wine licenses at the Cape inl
last September, which produced 165,000 rix-dollars. He
. also complained of the mismanagement of the currency'
by an improper issue of paper, which so seriously affected
the exchange, that instead of five dollars being the rate
for a pound, the exchange was at 15 dollars; and by the
last accounts, at 12 dollars, being 180 per cent. more
than the actual exchange should be. The Governor's sae
lafy of 10,01111., was by that means increased leo leer
cent. and it was thereby evident that the interest of the
Governor should not be at variance with the general pros-
pp ity of the colony. The lion. Gentleman then read a
p.oclantetioa, issued, as he said, to put down a meeting
which was called to epee to a remons-rance on their
gri.reancee. He the concluded by moving. "That an
Address he presented to his Majesty, praying that h!s
Majesty would he pleased to direct that separate estimates
• of the civil and military expenses of the several Colo-
. ties wltirh have no Legislative Assembly—of Manritius,
Ceylon, fir. Cape of Good Hope, Malta, and Trinidad,
• Le laid before the House, and a return of the amount
• pa;:l by Great Britain towards their support.
Mr. WILMOT slid he should confine himself to an
explanation of the topics alluded to by the lion. Member,
. without entering into a general defence of the system
upon which the l olonies had been governed. He could
make no o'ejsction to the production of the papers moved
. for, but he was about to make a proposition which he
expec'ed would supersede the necessity of them. He
would gladly pledge himself early next Session to
lay upon the table, a regular and systematic account
of the expellees of the Colonies.—(llcar, hear, hear.)
This, however, should be taken, to apple to
• accounts of the total expenditure of the colonies, for it
. would be very difficult to furnish accounts of the rm.
• nue of earb• and the menace in which that was applied.
With ne-pest to the money advanced by the mother coun-
try, the exact amount might be gathered from the papers
already furoishedeo the House. As to fixing the milirary ,
ex enditureofrach Cotbny, it would he absurd and im-1
politic to expose the strength of the colony, and if each
lotty has been made independent. it Would take away all
• discretion from the mother country. It was impossible
: rot to consider the establishments -and expenditure of
, each Colony upon its partienlar merits. The accounts in
- feture to be presented, would spew at once the amount
of texatian in each Colony, and the manner in which it
. was applied with regard to the Cape of Geed Hope, he
goad not repeat, that his Majesty's Government now moat
anzi tttt s unlit] the solk;e.d, and tie could assure the house,
that' no step would be taken without giving the fullest
opportunity for discussing its merits. He could not now
•go more into detail into the question, but would take
another opportunity of showing how fallacious the Hon.
Member's reas suing was that the Colonies were rather
an a•lvantage than a burden to this country, on these
grounds, lie suggested that the information sought for by
the lion. Member was for the present, unnecessary,
Mr. BRIGHT agreed with the Hon. Secretary for the
Colonial Department, that the accounts of the Colonies
should be taken under one great head, and not of the
• Colonies individually. Conquered Colonies were cer-
tainly the property of the Crown, but still it was a duty
on Parliament to confer upon these Colonies the charters
and permanent rights to which they were entitled. He
hoped the Commissioners who had been lately sent out
would nut overlook that part of their duty. He hoped
too, that in these charters the rights of the people wo'ild
be well defined, for in Canada the inconveniences of im-
perfect charters b.d been long felt. It shoold be the
Object in all the Colonies to give charters accommodated
to the liahite and charact;rs of the people. The
linn. Member bid complained that the Dutch laws were
still suffered to exist in the Cape of Good Hope, and that
the English laws bad not been transplanted there. He
absuld reeollect the English Constitution was not fitted
fir the habits of every people.—(Hear.) These habits
west not to be outraged with violence, but they should

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