HOUSE OF COMMONS. Friday February 8.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 509, 19 June 1850, Page 3

HOUSE OF COMMONS. Friday February 8.

Colonial Policy. — Lord John Russell rose (in committee of the whole house) to make a statement of the colonial policy of the present Government. His lordship sketched the history of all our colonies. He then considered the various opinions -and plans set forth, as he said, upon superficial knowledge, in regard to the future treatment of our colonies, and asserted that it was our bounden duty, and a responsibility we could not get rid of, to retain those possessions which proved an important part of the strength of our empire. We had also a duty to the native races, we had brought into subjection, and who, did we abandon them, would relapse into barbaiism. In a commercial view, too, these colonies, which afforded bar* hour and security to our ships, were useful in time of peace, and necessary in time of war. He showed that the result of our casting off our colonial possessions would be that they, unable to preserve their independence, would, most justly, throw themselves upon foreign nations. Disposing of other plans, which were in effect but modifications of the proposal for abandonment, his lordship approached the question as to the mode in which we ought to govern these dependencies. As to Canada, its constitution was well known ; and it was only necessary for him to say, in reference to the idle threats of annexation to the United States, that the discontented parties were too well aware of the determined will of the Sovereign and her advisers to think they would ever be permitted to execute their threat. It has been resolved .to introduce representative institutions into our Cape colony, where an assembly and also a legislative council would be established. New South Wales was to have a single council, one-third of its members to be appointed by Govern-

menf, and two-thirds to be elected ; but the colony was to have the power, hereafter, of demanding two chambers if it wished. Customs duties were to be settled by themselves. Port Phillip was to be separated from New South Wales, and to form a distinct district ; and in addition to the introduction of free institutions into Van Diemen's Land, South Australia was to have a representative body. Into New Zealand the Governor had already introduced a legislative system, and had reporter! in favour of a representative one, which would, after some further, information, be granted to that colony. The exception to the representative rule would be in the cases where we had only military stations, or where the races were mingled in a way which rendered such institutions impossible. Barbadoes and Jamaica had long enjoyed their own governments. Trinidad was to have t municipal council in ai/1 of the executive, and so was Mauritius. Malta was to have elective members added to its council. His lordship then went, at some length, into the British Guiana question, and said that a species of oligarchy was paramount there ; but by an infusion of new electors it must be broken down, and this had been done to a certain extent, and the reform would have a still further effect. He next went into the question of transportation, a punishment he did not much approve, but as parliament did, it was the Colonial Secretary's duty to carry it out with as little injury to the colonies as possible ; but he warned the house that opposition to the system, on the part of the colonists, would increase, and parliament would have to consider some new plan for disposing of our criminals. He then- entered upon the question of emigration, to which he looked as a most important agent in improving the condition of the people. He thought that Government aid would not produce good, but would help out of the country the dregs of our population, instead of those who would make desirable emigrants. He stated that the annual average emigrants from the United Kingdom was within about 40,000 of the annual increase of our population. Sir William Moles worth, Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Gladstone, and others, having made some objection, leave was given to bring in the bill.