AUSTRALASIAN TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 535, 5 February 1870, Page 2

AUSTRALASIAN TOPICS.

THE GREAT COLOMIAL QUESTION.

'he signs are thickening of the coming conflict of opinion on the momentous subject of the future relations of Great Britain to our colonies and dependencies. A rupture so tremt-ndous as that foreshadowed in the recent despatches of Lord Granville will not be allowed to be consummated without solemn and emphatic protest. , The representatives of the Colonies how in this country are waking up to a vivid sense of the imminence of danger, and are determined that the Imperial Government shall not be allowed to initiate ah entirely new policy of repudiation.'and excision without the discussion due to a step of so much importance. If it really be the settled wish of amajorityof thinking Englishmen that our colonies shou'd, one by out*,- be cut adrift and abandoned whenever menaced by trouble, let the fact be fairly shown* and timely notice be given to the colonies, that they may prepare for the more advanced and reponsible form of political life thus thrust upon them, or seek a new and more considerate protector. Such is the request which in being urged by gentlemen interested in our colonies, and the demand bids fair to wax louder and more vehement as the season of political activity returns. It remains to be seen wheth/rLord GrariviHeand hiscolleagues, I backed by The Times and, a noisy clique of kpenny-wfse an,«i pound-foolish doctrinaires, jare to be .permitted to. disintegrate a magnificent Empire^ and restrict British sovereignty to thesa small islands of the Western seas, and perhaps the Indian peninsula. On a :question of such immense and far-reaching importance, it is indispensable that a distinct deliverance of the people of the whole empire should be given ; and we may confidently expect that ere many months have pissed, the question will be agi'ating all British communities in different parts of the world.

The signal has been given here during the past month. On Wedncday, November the 10th, there appeared in The Timee. a powerful and exhaustive statement of the colonial case 'from the pen of Mr Edward Wilson. This

manifesto half-staggered the great Jupiter of Printing-house square, and extorted from him in ,his penitential mood, an admission that "the question of our relations with the colony of New Zealand is perfectly open," and that *' there is nothing to prevent Lord Granville's decision being hereafter reversed by the conntry." The Standard congratulated Mr Wilson on having achieved a miracle — the miracle consisting in his having moved The Times to reason. He compelled it to admit a second opinion ou the New Zealand question, and to confess that there may be cause for reconsidering the Governmental policy. By Friday in the same week, however, the mood of The Times had changed, its transient fit of relenting and candour bad passed away, and it assumed its old hectoring tone again. I will not attempt to analyse or describe Mr Wilson's letter, since it will appear z» extenso in every Australasian journal, and will be read with glowiug hearts by hundreds of thousands of our antipodean brethren. In the concluding paragraph, by way of deduction from his previous arguments and suggestions, he says : — "lt may be right, or it may be wrong, for Great Britain to scatter to tbe winds that splendid colonial empire upon which the sun never sets. But if we decide upon so vast a change, we ought to set about it in a cautious and instructed spirit, dealing with such affairs as becomes their magnitude, and with due deliberation and a statesmanlike 'forethought, accepting this as a wellweighed modification of national policy. We certainly ouj-ht not to moult away these colonies, one- by one, as feathers which we have become, too spiritless and decrepit to retain.''

On Wednesday, the 24th November, the first of a series of conferences between a number of colonial representatives was held at Cannon-street Terminus Hotel, the subject of discussion being the present relations of the colonies to the empire. These meetings for free .interchange of thought and suggestion are intended to be preliminary to the great assembly of colonial delegates itt February next. Before the session of that body it is desirable that tbe colonists now in this country should deliberate, and come to something, like unanimity upon the knotty problems which press for solution; and that they should also educate the British mind, upon the important question of the future of our colonial empire. Mr Edward Wilson took a very active part in organising this movement. " The attendance at the first conference was highly encouraging, and a tone of great • earnestness prevailed. There wer§ influential gentlemen present, representing the interests of the various Australian colonies, the North American colonies, amaica, Newfoundland, the Cape of Good Hope, and other places. Sir George Grey and Mr Geo. Thornton, of Sydney, were present, and Mr Youle presided. The object of the moyer ment was explained by Mr Wilson, wbo, in the course of his remarks, stated that the publication of his letter in the Times had brought him a heap of letters from all parti of the country, which strengthened his conviction that Lord Granville's action towards New Zealand was not in accord with the feelings of the Knglish people. He read a letter from a gentleman, written on the eve of his departure f r m England, descriptive of an interview with the colonial secretary, during which, although earnestly appealed to on behalf of New Zealand, he failed to extract a modicum of sympathy. When it was hinted to him that tbe colony might be driven to separate itself at once from England, and place itself under the asgis of the United States, Lord Granville 'said that; much as such a separation would be regretted, it was a matter, more for the consideration of the colonists than of the people of England. •■ If it would be really good for us, we had better go ; but he muoh doubted if it would be a judicious Btep to take." But, as Mr Wilson remarked, so gigantic a modification of our colonial policy was not to be settled by the mere, action' of a Colonial -.Secretary. He thought the best and, indeed, only real solution of the New Zealand difficulty was Sir Bartle Frere's scheme. The essential point of that scheme is, that, as large military reductions are contemplated in India, in olving the imme iate discontinuance of active employment to a great number of European officers and men, an arrangement should be made for transferring their services in a military capacity to New Z.aland. The meeting was addressed by Mr Bowden, formerly of Melbourne ; the Hon. H. Westmoreland, .late of Jamaica ; the Hon. J. Tobin, chief of the Upper House of Newfoundland ; Mr '1 hornton, and some other, gentlemen. Towards the close of the pro-, ceedings Sir George Grey. spoke. After expressing his hearty pleasure in seeing a gathering like that, he said he could hot help feeling that large numbers of the most energetic Engl.shmen, or, rather, he should say, Britons, had left the country of their birth, and established themselves throughout the whole globe by founding a series of communities, English in language, Knglish in energy, English in resolution, English- in instincts, and English in their feelings of unity, ahd they had -founded an empire which must . influence and. rule the destinies of the whole world for many centuries to come. By holding. together, tbis empire would have the power to prevent wars upon, the face of i the earth by its own power — and without any Peace Society,' and by the unity of feelinga, of tongue, of origiii, and of hopes.' Was this rjile, this* power r for good, to be broken up. and turned into a series of small independent slates, a 1 .likely to be i engaged iti dispute o ver such questions as lines of frontiers, differences of tariffs, aid euch like ? Was the. whole world to be turned into a theatre of disputes, or was this country to carry to a great conclusion tbe work it had in hand, founded by its hardiest sons ? If that was. to be the point at which colonists would aim, the consolidation of this . great empire, they must drop •; minor grlevaucee, and show to the people of Great Britain that colonists could forget their own selfish views to attain ' to great .. objects— the object of enlarging and holding

to this great empire, and to press that the colonists should be dealt with on principle*: having better foundation than mere considerations of pounds, shillings, and pence Let this meeting show that, though only colo : nists, they could rise superior to the statesmen of the mother country on a question like this, and could place on one side all mrtters of direct interest in order to achieve the great end of an extended empire— an end which would confer the highest blessings upon our whole race. It should be the object of the meeting to follow out the course indicated by Mr Wilson. It was not in the power of any British statesman, on his own view, to break up a great empire, and the colonists wou'd find an opportunity of telling the country that if it was the intention to cast off the colonies notice: Bhould be given to thera, sti that they, on their part, might determine what their fate should be, and to consider whether they should take any steps or make any effort to save themselves from falling into disintegration. Let them ask for a clear,

declaration of what England means ; don't let them put up with an answer that New Zealand may do this- — that Canada may do another thing ; and the answer which was given Canada at a recent date showed the inclination of the Minister. If there was an intention on the part of the Ministry to get rid of. the colonies, let the Parliament be informed of it, and let the sense of it belaid before the people of this country ; but the proposal to adopt a motion with regard to New Zea'and should be dropped for a time. Two resolutions were passed, after the proposal of several amendments — the first, that weekly meetings should be held for counsel and. discussion; and the second, deprecating the colonial .policy of her Maje-ty's Government as illustrated by Lord Granville's recent despatches. It was thought politic to avoid any special reference to New Zealand on that occasion.

' Now that this great question, which will sorely tax the wisdom of modern sUteeman»Tb*ip, has been thus forma ly raised, and the combatants set in array, it will be curious to Tf&tch the disposition displayed by our leadi^ .organs' of public opinion, with the view of gathering a knowledge of the side on wliich they will respectively range themselves in the coining buttle. The Conservative Standard dX}d the philosophically Radical Spj&iabr 'may- be counted oii as staunch champions of colonial interests; and the D,qity Telegraph,. it one, may judge from a thoiJtghtf ul and sympathetic article published on Zlmday l'asi,Zwih probably fight under the a_mie.jbjw.n_er., Tfc]B : Times, although, it gavo a f^li^ppiortVof .-.hqZiirsV. meeting, has hitherto abstained frpm editorial notice of the movement, frpm which quite opposite auguries might be drawn ; while, strange to say, the Daiyy News, , formerly, so watchful over all matters affecting. .tbe colonies, only deigned to bei'tow upon the Cannon street gathering a paltry paragraph of 18 lines. This great Liberal organ has recently passed under new management, and a marked change is observable in some of its political utterances ; but from all that is known of its antecedents, it will continue to support the humiliating and suicidal policy of national disintegration. lhe- Pall Matt Gasette is supercilious and spiteful, lt spoke disparagingly of the Cannon : street meeting ; twitted the colonists wiih want of unanimity and confused conceptions of what they require, forgetting that the excogitation of "°n»e plan of action upon which all colonial representatives' can agree is one of the main aims contemplated in the proposed series of conferences. Abuse of Lord Granville ia, represented as the chief diversion of the meeting ; and the disinterestedness and consistency of one of the

speakers— the Bop. . H. Westmoreland— is impugned by. the insinuation that *s a Jam iea Councillor, be had been dise-tta-

bliehed and disendowed by the summary in

tervemibn of the. Home Government in the administration of the affair* of - that island.

According to the Pall Mall, the scolding tone of the speakers was highly objectionable, the mode of procedure was.ai together wrong, and the discrepancies of opinion among. the Colo niatsw re fatal to success ; but the disdainful writerdid not deign to lend even a few beams of his serene wisdom to those wretched and benighted men. Widely "different in its, breadth of view and calm practicalness was the leader in the J Daily ,Tsegi;tigjk\' .'.Ai ter a candid statement of the case.*ttpj_d the ;Cplbi)is.tß' point of view, and some. appreciative comments, on Sir George .Srey's^^dvicei the writer makes the following remark's on the subject of emigra!tion :— "Jt ep.hapj^ns that, incidentally, .the j qnestionpl the yajue of our colonial ppsse!^ i sions has i- ' been recently .raised, more nrgenti y than at any previous time, in connection -with theSeed Zpf emigration. Now, we do not condemn off hand! the habit of importing into snch a. topic 'as our colonial, greatness, conaiderations .of pure sentiment. . The glory "of founding ah.Z empire ' -.English' in language, English in energy, English in reso- ] lution, English in .instincts, and, English Jn the- feeluZg "■ pf * unity '-r^ari ! empire f 'Z.whi'cb •must inflaence and' rule the destinies ..of. the whole world for many centuries 'to come!' —wiU be indifferent to few Knglishmen'; and tr^-i i rust^MtZ-TO'-mft'yTsett it influent ing us all. shpuld d^mstaucZ s favour, the realisation of -s»,Vp)Zpadj^' &' conception. But sinee .Fthe aban^nmenf, of.', jou? colonies ! 'has heeij _wLvb^teaZ,Zdn t * Zsjiictjy utilitarian grounds, and^Z .sipce; $ieZ,m6iiye -. that, 'dictatidZ the recent announcements to New Zealand and other, dependencita, has, possessed no higher aimZthan to save Ithe pockets of the British \ taxpayer, it may;-. bet advisable to remind our countrymen that even the economical considerations do nut tell in favour of casting ctf our colonies. We are. by no means sun: whether a wise use of our present hold oir those countries may net prove the speediest, safest, and most humane mode of relieving our. own home, burthens. Those dependencies, want a large Z additional population "fpV - their unoccupied lauds ; we have. . an i e^ces* of population and a deficiency of other resources. That our surplus should be draffceu

off somewhere would be economically a benefie; that it should be transferred to our colonies would be doubly abe eflt, since their prosperity would react beneficially on ourselves." To promote thi9 movement is the '- urgent duty of statesmanship. It is not one of these matters that we need leave altogether to individual initiative and private enterprise. To let the evil alone when it is of national dimensions is not to govern, but to abandon one of the first functions of - government. An immediate and systematic effort proportioned tb the magnitude of the need, but always in co-operation with the colonies themselves, in the view of gradually transferring to thera much of our surplus population, would utili-e these great dependencies in a way appreciable even to the most inveterate worshipper of a good balancesheet. The choice seems to be between a permanent and growing burthen of pauperism, with its expense, waste, shift*, and scandalous sufferings; or a stimulant to emigration so vigorous as to drain off many of the subsidiary feeders of poverty, and so check that evil at its source. This may be done by means of our colonies — a fact which the remarkable memorial recently presented shows that the working-ra n quite comprehend; and it is the duty o* responsible states men to call into existence the right means of working out so beneficent an alternative."

The Standard thinks " the representatives of the colonists in ngland will be discharging a m 0.4 useful and important public duty if they. persevere in their patriotic efforts to bring this question properly before the tribunal of public opinion. Let them not be discouraged by the apparent apathy of the B>itish people in this matter; and, above al), let them not waste their influence by trivial disputes among themselves on minor poin>s of intercoloniii policy. They have shown, by the spirit displayed at the first meeting, that they are thoroughly unanimous at least on this point—that i ord Granville's policy is calculated materially to injure the existing friendly relations between England and her colonies, and to lead to a total disruption of the empire. It is for them at their future meetings to illustrate and enforce this opinion; to point out the specific dangers which attend this policy; and to help us, in con crt with the leading minds of the colonists themselves, to devise some course of action which may ward off the threatened perils, and secure the unity of the British nation upon some basis of common interest, and mutual goodwill.

The Times of Saturday last gave its deliverance, and, though the tone was milder, the b'urdeu was unchanged. The colonists are very unreasonable and pig-headed, and can't be got to see the question from the English stand-point. The colonies have self-go wernment and virtual independence— what else do they want? New Zealand clamoured for liberty, and has been indulged with her wish; why ia she not satisfied ? And, if it is the duty of Englishmen in tue mother country to help that colony, is it not equally the duty of Victoria and New South Wales? Why do not those thriving communities guarantee a loan, and so end the bother? But the question of future relations being raised, must be settled once for all ; and The times 'sees no practicable solution except in complete but friendly severance.

The second meeting of the series took place on the Ist inßt., at the same hotel— Mr Xoul in the chair— and the large attendance bf colonists testified to the deep interest which had been escited.. Several elaborate resolutions had been carefully drawn up, and were submitted to the meeting ; but it was agreed that, before these were discussed, the president of tbe Colonial Society ehould ascertain what amount of progress had been made in a correspondence which had been opened between the society and Lord Granville.

The Toronto Globe say s that, so far as the British American colonies are concerned, the circular convening a Pan-Colonial Parliament in London has been well received, and that a large attendance of delegates is likely tb be the result.

, A recent correspondence was published iv the Standard o£ the t9th ult., hetween Sir George Grey and the Colonial Office, which, as the Spectator remarks, shows how exceedingly little that office really knows of its own business. Sir George Grey proves that the policy into which t ord Granville wishes to force the- colonists — that of acknowledging the administrative authority of the tv aori King— had been already tried and rejected by tlie followers of that potentate, on the ground that they will take nothing short of absolute recognition of his independent overeignty,' and of this* the Colonial Office appears to have been quite ignorant. But of course, LordGranville will be logical, and recommend, a rupture of the empire, and a loss tb the Crown, rather than not meet the views of the Maori King — in which case, as Sir George observe-*, he will promote a very much more formidable rebellion on the part of the Maori tribes.

: The same disintegrating process is going on in the North-west. An edict: has gone forth from Downing-streetcommanding rhe absorption .of British Columbia .by the Canadian Confederation. " New Rupert'a Land and the .Nbrth-.west, Territory are, to shire)the same fate. ZZ Our, '- .colonies axe being BhufSedZoffin all directions, as useless incumbrances. But tlje fforlc. cannot, ;be expected. eyery where.to proceed with uniform, smoothness. Unbendirfg spirits, will, {or a. time, resist their hard Fate.' Accordingly, it is riot surprising to hear that the French residents on tbe Red ■Uiver are arming to oppose the cession of that settlement to Canada. They have ex ptlled Governor M'Dougall, who has taken refuge in the United States territory Dakotah, there to await instructions and reinforcements.