New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-10
GOVERNING ENGLISHMEN.
THE RUSH OF PEERS TO THE COLONIES
AND WHAT MAY CONE OF III.
trRoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or rnK rnrnrs

/
J London. .Inly 81
| The colonies. like India and Ireland. wiihou,
waiting for Imperial Federation, now provide
bcrths for the young English nobleman Of the
period who has political ambitions. The Earl OF
Hopetoun is the latest OF these lie has Just se
cepted the G0vernorship of Victoria in Succession
TO Sir Henry Loch promoted TO the more difficult
and troublesome post at the Cape. where he Is 10
be both Governor and Her Maiesty's High CON-
missioner. Lord IIopetoun IS one OF those young
men who have. apparently, every inducement 10
remain at home. lie is the head OF an important
Scottish family, is under thirty, married less THAI
three years ago. is Lord High Commissioner Of
Scotland Hopetoun House is n stately mansion,
and very beautiful place. It's situation at the
head OF the Firth of Forth almost unrivalled until
that hideous bridge. of which engineering science
is so proud was built to ruin, not merely Lord
lIopetouns view, but some of the most lovely
scenery in Scotland. Is the building OF that
bridge the real reason why Lord IiopetOun is
willing TO exile himself 20 the antip0des? Or Is
it that life at home has become conventional
as to be tiresone. lie was, believe still Is, Lord
in Waiting 10 the Queen That is post be might
resign if he finds it too irlisome; not. perhaps
without being made 10 feel Her Maicsty's dis
pleasure, for Her Majesty expects to be Loyalty
|
understood 10 resent resignation unless for ex-
tremely good and sufficient reasons. Probably 1t
would never occur to the royal mind that the
mitgated servtude of Lord in Waiting might
be diSagrecable to young nobleman OF spirit.
The same questions were asked when Lord
Darlington became Governor Of New South Wales.
Why should he accept the post, having everything
a man could wish for in England rank. wealth,
position, domestic happiness and much more?
Yet in Lord Carrington's case as in Lord Reay's
at Bombay. the attractions Of power and of great
official dignity have made themselves felt so
strongly that neither is believed to be anxious
TO return home These great places are held for
five years The Earl OF Onslow has lately ac-
cepted another Of them. the Governorshlp Of New
Zealand. You have Lord Stanley OF Preston
as GovernOr-Geneml of the Dominion OF Canada,
while the Marquis Of Lansdowne. whom Canada
remembers with pleasure now nils the still more
splendid station Of GOvernor-General Of India
commonly, but not officially. called VicerOy OF
India Lord Tansdowne seemed 10 have embarked
on this career of distant rule for life. but II can
hardly extend beyond the next five years for
man who has once governed India can hardly
govern thereafter any lesser domain The Earl
of KintOre is like Lord IlOpetoun. young Scot
fish peer with ties Of many kinds to his native
q.
Ministry as Lord in Waiting, and think Captain
If tie Gentlemen alarms, but he has thrown
everything up in order TO become Governor OF
South Australia All these gOvernOrships have
large salaries: most of them $4,000 a year with
allowances That of New S. nth Wales is $4,000,
and that of Victoria $4,000. Lord HOpetOun
rules over something less than a million Of people
and his pa is .ust that of the President OF tho
United States who has 10 look after the welfare
of sixty-fve times as many Yet it is thought none
too much The cOonials expect TO be entertained
on a scale of costly magnifcence unknown in
Washington and Governor who can make both
ends meet with his $4,000 does well
It may be said. then. that England is Sendir'
and especially of recent years. her mobiles all over
the globe Nearer home the Marquis OF London
derry has but inst resigned the ViceroYaity OF
Ireland TO be succeeded by another Young peer
who belongs to the same social set. Lord Ietland.
Both are men for whom the slavery of Office might
seem to have no attraction Lord Londonderry
did not want Ireland and Lord Ietland only
takes it, as the English servant says. to obllee;
nor can he even hope for the Garter which was
his predecessors reward. The promise of that
brilliant badge would entice almost anybody ~
accept almost anything. and Lord Londonderry
STAYED on a year longer than he meant to in order
does not come to colonial Governors as a reward
of merit; its value, according TO the welknown
saving. consists in its having nothing TO do with
merit. and Lord IIopetonn, considerable Scotch
maenate as he is. has certainly not dreamed OF
getting it, Nor did Lord Aberdeen Mr. Glad
stones Home Rule Viceroy. as he is called. get
il or expect il. lie got something perhaps equally
well worth having-thc affection and regard OF
the people over whom he regned which he d.
vided with Lady Aberdeen.
in Lord IlOpetouns case, as in other cases,
this readiness to go on distant service is good
sign, both for the race aud for the Empire. Mel
bourne aid Sydney and the other great colonial
capitals are not certainly places where residence
means hardship or where duty implies danger
Still, these men rooted to tine soil of the old
country; to quit it is a wrench TO begin new
life in new country involves many sacrifices
and denotes much strengthen az least eDergy-M
character. A Governor is much more than an
ornamental functonary. No matter how de-
pendent he may be Oh his Ministers. and they
on the colonial legislatures. he must take respon-
sbties; he must be able to deal with men;
he needs TACT knowledge of the world, teXibility
and soIidity alike. Neither Colonial hrliaments
nor the powerful Colonial Office at home, with
It's autccratic permanent clerks, have succeeded
in dispensing with executive agents Men still
count for something. An unpopular or clumsy
Governor aienatcs affection from the mother
country An adrCit ruler who is sympathetic 10
the people among whom lre lives cements exist
ing ties, and even creates new ones.
New South Wales for example, is more Eng
lish, more "A part of the English Empire, more
ready 10 stand or fall with the island from whose
loins she sprang. more loyal, if that be the word,
because of Lord Carrington's five years rule, now
drawing to IN end. lie is not only man, but
a man of the world and of more worlds than one
There are always crolllerS. and the croaSers
forctold every kind % disaster for him when
Mr.. Gladstone sent him to Australia. lie belonged
10 the Prince Of Wales's set he had led the
life of a man about town. he WIS too old 70