THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1886.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7660, 10 June 1886, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1886.

» By the notice of motion he has given in the Legislative Council respecting the New Hebrides, Sir Frederick Whitakcr indicates a policy quite in accord with the wishes or France. In fact, he is prepared to give to France all that she has ever expected, and on much easier conditions than those proposed by her Government. Their proposal was, to be allowed to terminate the agreement with Great Britain regarding the neutrality of those islands, and to take formal possession of them; and, in return to pledge France to abstain henceforth from sending conviccs to any portion of the Pacific, and also t%> guarantee protection to the rights of British subjects and of religious bodies. The proposal, however, of Sir F. Win taker is that the colonies should accept these terms with the exception of one, and that, strange to say, one of the most important of them.

It is very remarkable that among the condition? stated in his motion as those which should be embodied in a treaty to be made between the two Powers for the disposal of the New

Hebrides, the cessation of the transport of criminals to the Pacific is not included. And this is the more noteworthy that the immediate and permanent stoppage of such deportation, has always been represented by the French Government as a sacrifice of sovereign rights on their part, and as a great concession to the demands of the colonies in respect of this subject. This, too, has been acknowledged by the Government of New Zealand as being so great a social gain to the colonies as to warrant their consenting to waive all claim to the New Hebrides, and was the plea which the Premier so strongly urged in his letter to the Presbyterian Churches to convince them why they should withdraw their opposition to the annexation of these islands by France. The omission, moreover, of this stipulation by Sir F. Whitaker seems somewhat inexplicable, when it is observed that he has given notice to introduce to Parliament a Bill for the protection of this colony from the presence of escaped French convicts. The only apparent way of accounting for this notable contradiction is by supposing that he in common with the New Zealand Government attaches so great importance to the possession by Britain of the Island of Rapa that to secure it he is prepared to sacrifice other considerations. The cession of this island to Britain he proposed to add to the conditions submitted by France as the basis of a treaty with Britain for the disposal of the New Hebrides. Taking all these particulars together one seems forced to the conclusion that Sir Frederic attaches more value to the obtaining of Rapa than he does to the cessation in the transport of criminals to the Pacific, and that he thinks France would more readily consent to the former concession than to the latter. If his reason for so thinking be that France is not likely to consent to both these conditions, we quite agree with him ; but we at the same time believe that, even among those who are willing for certain concessions to let France have the New Hebrides, there are very few who are prepared to say, as lie seemed to do, " Givo us Rapa, and let the convict question rip." Nor is it at all likely that any understandingamong the Australasian colonies as to their interests in the Pacific, such as Sir Frederick Whitaker professes to aim at, will be in the least promoted on the basis which he suggests. It is quite certain that the colony of Victoria and the other colonies federated or in sympathy with her, inclusive of Fiji, will not consent to the annexation of the New Hebrides by France on any conditions. They have conclusively made up their minds that the religious and political interests of the British communities in the Pacific require that these islands should not be allowed to fall into the hands of a foreign and possibly hostile Power, and any attempt to bring them to any other conclusion would only be labour in vain. This has been made abundantly plain in all their previous communications, and it is reiterated in the instruction sent by the Victorian Government yesterday to their Agent-General to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies to obtain from France an assurance that she does not intend to annex the New Hebrides. This instruction procpeds of course on the assumption that France has not, as it is rumoured she has, already hoisted her flag on these islands. Should this have occurred, as is very probable, it puts an end to all negotiations ; and the question then will be whether France is to be allowed by Britain thus to violate her treaty engagements. What answer will be given to this question, should Lord Granville be at the head of the Colonial Office, it is easy to conjecture. It will most likely consist in a feeble remonstrance, followed by a feebler acquiescence. Yet this will in no way ulu-r the feeling of the people of Victoria, or indeed of the great mass of the people in all these colonies concerning this important matter. Neglected by the Imperial Government in this emergency these colonies may be ; but that, while it will be remembered not to the advantage of the mother country, would only render the popular feeling the more resolute to seize the chance of redressing the wrong done them so soon as they had the power. And this much is certain that, when that time comes, it will not then be, any more than it is now, on such terms as those proposed in Sir Frederick Whitaker's motion that the representatives of the true colonial sentiment will be prepared to treat with Fiance.