The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-08-21
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|sATuRDAY. AUGUsT u.
Proposed Annexation Of Kew Guinea.

Proposed Annexation Of Kew Guinea.
On the 18th Of May last, . deputation Of citizens,
headed by the Mayor Of Sydney. waited On the
Colonial Secretary, (Hon. John RobertsOn) and pre-
sorted a resolution passed at q public meeting to
urge upon the government the disturbances Of taking
steps TO induce the British Government to annex
New Guinea to the British Empire. The following
was the reply Of the Secretary.
Mr.. Robertson said that what he understood was
wanted by this numerous and influential deputatiOn
was that the Government should do what might be
in its power 10 aid the movement set on foot by a
public meeting. The resolutions that were passed rep
resented the opinion ofthe people ofSydney, and he be-
lieved Of the people Of the colony generally. He under
stood that the deputaton we're DESTROYS that this
Government should facilitate in every way in its
power the proposition contained in the resolutions.
lie need scarcely say that he sympathised with the
movement. He had not yet had an opportunity Of
bringing the question Of the annexation Of New
Guinea before his colleagues. But whilst expressing
his own sentiments, he would like to point out what
had been done. He regarded this question Of the
proposed annexation in a somewhat more extended
light than that appearing from the resolutions. Four
or FIVE years ago the question Of annexing Fiji was
before the Government Of which he was the Colonial
Secretary and Sir James Martin was Premier and
Attorney General. In reply 10 certain dispatches
from the mother country, Sir James Martin took a
course which be believed was really the cause Of the
annexation of FIJI. He thought the paper written
by Sir James Martin pointed out that it was impos-
" lI AZ AOADA1s d0 was u NAC AAJA4L
Government, to create a colony in FIJI and govern
it. And he thought that if any one would take the
trouble to read that remarkable paper written by Sir
James Martin, which was forwarded by him Mr..
Robertsonl to the Secretary Of State for the Colonies,
five years ago, they would see that in those days the
annexation of islands where a European population
had settled was defended and maintained from our
point of view as the duty of the British Government.
Then we found that when there was q change Of
Government, when Mr.. Parkes became Colonial Sec
retary and Premier, that gentleman arrived at pretty
much the same opinion. At any rate MIR. Parkes
was in favor of the annexation Of FIJI to the British
Crown. He Mr.. Robertson) held somewhat different
opinions TO those of Mr.. Parkes or Sir James Martin;
or rather ne did not think they would agree with the
view he was about 10 put forward. But he thought
the time had now come when that view could be put
forward and urged strongly on the British Govern
ment. He was bound, however, to state that he had
not laid his views before his colleagues. and in now
speaking he spoke for himself and not for his col
leagues. He thought that if the Australian colonies
were severed from the British Crown-which he
hoped would not be for many years to conceive
should be sure to colonise not only New Guinea, but
the whole of the islands of Polynesia. He thought
the colonies would do it in the interests of peace and
in the interests of Australasia. We were fortunately
connected with q great empire, and it seemed TO him
that what would be the duty of Australia in its own
interests, il was the duty of Great Britain TO do in
the interests of the empire of which we formed a
part, Great Britain should take up every one Of the
islands of Polynesia, in order that they should not
be taken up by any other nation. lie did not press
that view upon Sir James Martin, when he was
dealing with the question of annexation Of FIJI, as
he thought il was hopeless to expect Great Britain
to incur the expense of governing the islands He
thought the Home Government had acted wisely IN
their last procedure with regard to FIJI, but he did
not think they need have sent out a Governor with
$4,000 a year salary, and everything necessary to
form q frst-class establishment. But, having done
that, if they would now make that gentleman Gov
of Polynesia, the whole Of the islands
might be governed, and the additional expense would
be a mere ~bagatelle. The Imperial Government had
ni1t q GcvarDnr 1o procrpnaI yphO rua a raDtlo-
man of great ability. If, as he had said, they made
that gentleman q Governor-General of the whole of
Polynesia, and made his palace on some ma~n-of-war,
which was, he believed, intended at Fiji-call it a
Government house, or anything else whenever that
was in any harbOr there would the seat OF Govern
ment be whilst it remained. 1t appeared to him that
a ship of war would be a convenient residence for q
Governor of Polynesia. The British Government
had four vessels, three of which were built in Sydney,
cruising abodt the Southern Seas to put down the
slave trade. If they had three or four more. and
had on each a captain who could act in the capacity
of police magistrate. they would have itinerating
courts Of justice, which would be sufficient for the
government of Polynesia for a long time to come.
If the Imperial Government could borrow money at
3 per cent for the government of the islands, he
believed it would be soon recouped by the extension
Of trade and in other ways-th government would
really be no expense at all. He knew that the
Government of this colony had been asked to con-
tribute towards the government Of Fiji. He did
not see how we could do that. He did not think
Parliament could be reasonably asked to contribute
any large sum Oh money IN the expenditure OF Wnlcn
it could have no control. But he thought that the
Imperial Government, having launched into the
thing, and gone to nearly all the expense that would
be necessary for governing the whole of Polynesia
having provided judges and law courts, and having
several s~hips-they might with a very little further
expense deal with the whole Of Polynesia. He had
had the advantage of long and intimate acquaint-
ance with Captain Charles Edward, the gentleman
who went away yesterday in charge of the vessel so
literally fitted up as an expedition ship by Mr..
Macleay. He had the pleasure of travelling with
that gentleman to the Gulf of Csrpentaria some
months ago, and he knew him to be possessed of a
good deal of information with regard to the islands
of Polynesis-in fact, he had had some twenty years
or more acquaintance with them-and that gentle
man was of opinion, having always been on good
terms with the islanders, and conducted a large
business with them. that if the islanders saw a
British ship Of war going now and then to visit them,
the white people would have perfect security in their
holdings or settlements which they might form; and
the native inhabitants would aid in giving up to
ships of war or the law courts any persons who
might transgress the laws, whether natives or white
people. He intended to prepare a paper, if his col
leagues agreed with him in such a scheme as he had
embodying his views on the subject, to be
sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies by the
next mail. He thought the scheme was quite prac-
ticable.