SYDNEY. [From the Sydney Herald, May 26.] LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. PROTECTIVE FORCE.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 110, 19 June 1847, Page 3

SYDNEY. [From the Sydney Herald, May 26.] LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. PROTECTIVE FORCE.

The Colonial Secretary moved that the message of his Excellency the Governor, on the subject of the withdrawal of the troops from the colony, be read^ The message having been read, The Colonial Secretary : — The objects of the Message were so fully explained in the Message itself, and in the despatch by which it was accompanied, that it would be unnecessary for him to detain the house by any further explanation. The council would also see from the tabular statement contained in the Message the number of troops which, under the direction of the Secretary of State, would remain in the colony. His Excellency further informed them that it was not his intention to propose any measure to the house for formation of a Militia force, and therefore the question that remained to be considered was, whether an increase of the police force in the colony would be required, and how such addition should be made. He thought this was a question which deserved the greatest attention, and as a committee had been appointed by the house to take the whole subject of police into consideration, he should move that the Message be reierred to that committee. The Colonial Treasurer seconded the motion. Mr. Lowe '.—Before the question was put, would wish to say a word or two on the subject, not with the intention of opposing the motion of the lion, the Colonial Secretary, for that he supposed was a motion which it was necessary for the house to agree to, in the position in which they were placed, however they might feel the hardship and injustice of that position. But he felt it his duty, if only one voice should be raised in the Legii)ative Council, to protest on the part of the colonists against the injury and injustice which the Message informed them was about to be perpetrated. In the particular circumstances in which they were placed, the repeated remonstrances of that house against the enormous expenses of police and gaols which had been inflicted upon them, this new injury came with peculiar force. It appeared to him that this most unjust proposition was only carrying out the breach fof the compact entered into by. Sir Kichard Bourke, by which the land fund was conceded to the colonists in consideration of their paying that enormous police expenditure. Even when that compact, which had since been so shamefully evaded, was made, and by which the whole land revenues were conceded, the expense of the police was about Jt!25,000, but no sooner had the colonists been beguiled into taking the burden on to their own shoulders, than the government began to launch out. The police force was increased, the land was co- j vered with gaols, making the colony a fit receptacle for the criminals transported to it, until the police and gaol expenses reached the enormous height to which they had attained a } ear or two ago. And then, haying laid out the money for the colonists, having obtained it from them under .the colour of a compact which had never beeu fulfilled, having spent it too, to suit their own purposes, they do away with transportation altogether. The expenses of the system were incurred, and then these expenses were rendered fruitless by the cessation of the system. But at last, having got rid of the system of transportation altogether,— having taken it away altogether, — the immense expense of police might be expected to diminish. But no— the British government would not assent even to this. No sooner had' the convict element in the subject,of police ceased, than the British government supplies another, by taking away the military. It coolly says, that the colonists were now to provide themselves with police protection, as the military could no longer be sp ired for that purpose. He contended this was. only carrying out to the very dregs the breach of the compact with Sir Iliehard Bourke. He should not oppose the motion of the hon. Colonial Secretary. There was no help for the couucil, they must and ought to provide for the emergency thus 01 casioned. It was a want that must be supplied, but to introduce British convicts here, to leave them here, to be taken care of at the expense of the colony, while every disposable soldier was to be dralted oft" to Hew Zealand, was most unjust and most oppressive. The least that the British government could luive done, after the gioss manner io whirh New bouth Wales had been treated with regard to police expenses, wou.d have been to have connived at the detention of one or two regiments in the colony, as some sort of make weight to the large sacrifices the colony had been called on to make. But no, — New South Wales was to be forgotton, was to be sacrificed to the interests of the pet colony, New Zealand. A colony that had no claim at all on the British government, that had been forced into existence in spite to that government, and had to maintain its existence only by the help and aid of the British government. How different the case of New South Wales. Called into being, expressly for imperial purposes, those purposes fulfilled, and the colony maintaining itself, grown to a , proud position among British dependencies, — and then to be treated in the way proposed. The Message must go to com mittee, and he did think that committee would do well to consider that portion of the despatch of Lord Grey, which referred to the formation of a militia. It was not difficult to forsee that the time was not far distant ■when such a force would be necessary. Their harbour was left defenceless,— the soldiery was to be withdrawn, — capriciously and unjustly, and the colony ought no longer to lean upon the broken reed of British protection. True, he doubted not that that money enough had been squandered away by the Ordnance and Engineering departments, to have provided these defences, but they had not as yet been provided, and he believed that he stood in no great danger in prophecying, that whenever they should be provided, it would be at the expense of the colonists themselves. Mr. Robinson agreed with the hon. gentleman who had just sat down, that the proposition to take the soldiery Jroin New South Wales was both arbitrary and unjust ; and that as it would cast additional police expenses on the colony, he thought it would be a very proper season to renew their claims on the British government for compensation for the money spent in police and gaols, in the shape of immigration. The question of emigration had beeu forced upon the home government, and it was likely that such an appeal might be attended with success. He agreed however, with that portion of the despatch which stated, that troops were not required for the maintenance of the internal peace of the colony j for he felt assured in that respect Ntw South Wales was as safe as any other part of the British dominions. Mr. Forster could not agree with the hon. member for Melbourne, that the military were not required here; nor could he think, looking at the position in which the colony stood, that it would be easy to show the policy ot taking them away. But what he regarded with the greatest indignation, in this despatch was, that no reason whatever was assigned for the withdrawal of the troops, but merely Lord Grey's orders that it should be so. Mr. Murray quite agreed that the present was not a question en which the house ought to come to. a conclusion without some expression of its sense of the way in which the colony had been treated by the British government,— with regard to the depaiture of the troops

ganization of a militia, as he should have strong objections to place one part of the population of the colony in a position hostile to the other part. But he did think that the British Government should have left them in a position to resist foreign aggression ~- that they ought to be protected from evils in which they had no hand. In the peculiar position in which Euiopean nations stood, it was quite possible that Great Britain might: become involved in wars, which would expose the colonyjto great danger ; and certainly the military force proposed to be left in the colony would be utterly insufficient to protect the harbour. The extent of the trade and commerce of the colony in comparison ivitu that of the colony to which it was proposed to remove the troops, ought to have been taken into consideration.— The impoit and export tiade of the colony now amounted to upwards of two millions annually, and when it was considered to what a large extent British Jabour and British capital was thus employed, a more liberal consideration of their interests ought to have been accorded. Mr. Lamb, as the only member, he believed, in the House who had been connected with the British Navy, could not let the present question pass without making a few observations. Jn common with all the gentlemen who had preceded him, he deeply regretted (hat the measuie had been resolved on by the home Government, and the permanent removal of a large portion of the tioops at present iv the colony was a thing decided. The unprotected state of the haibour of Port Jackson, and of the other harbours of the colony, was a subject I which he should, perhaps, have forborne to comment on had it not already been fully discussed in the public jorunals of the colony, and were there not resident in it consuls and authorities from foreign stales, who would not fail to make their respective governments aware of the actual state of affairs in this respect. As to the force left in the colony to protect it from foreign aggression, it was absurd to talk of it, it was a mere farce, such as would serve only to give an eclat to any attempt to attack them. In the way of resistance it could do nothing, and he fully believed that a single frigate could at any time lay the city under contribution. He hoped if this was the system which Great Britain intended, to pursue towards the colony that she would not delay "the withdrawal of the whole of the ibrccs stationed here, and then they would be forced to rely on their own resources solely, both physical and pecuniary ; and he believed if called forth these resources would be found all sufficient. The Colonial Secretary. It was not necessary for him to reply at much length to the speeches that had been made, as no opposition had been offered to his motion that the Message should be referred to a Committee ; but in those speeches some remarks hau 1 beeu made which he could not pass over without comment. He thought the hon. members, who had alluded to the danger in which the colony would be placed in case of war, had overlooked one very important part of the despatch, which provided for, and threw a shield of protection over the colony in such an emergency. That passage was as follows : — " Her Majesty's confidential servants will consider it their duty to take caie that her naval and military forces slull afford efficient protection from the attacks of any foreign enemy to so important a part of her Majesty's dominions as New South Wales." It would be seen, therefore, from this passage that should war arise, the colony was not to be left in that unprotected state which hon. members apprehended. "When hon. members talked about the colony being able to protect itself he could hardly believe they were serious. When they considered their limited population, scattered ot era territory extending 1500 miles in length, they could hardly think that they were yet in a stale to depend for safety from aggression on their own resources. He did not believe that, seriously any desire could exist to throw off their allegiance to Great Britain. It had been, from the commencemerifc of the co. ony, the glory of its people to evince their loyalty, and he believed in no part of the British dominions did a stronger and more general feeling of loyalty exist. He could but look upon the assertion of the hon. and learned member for Sydney that the colony should declaie its independence as a joke, rather than as the serious expression of his opinion. Neither when he spoke of the danger oi the specie in the Banks in case of a mob riot, did he think that he had looked to the number of military it was proposed to retain in Sydney, lie found that nearly GOO troops would b© permanently stationed in J-ydney, which he thought would be force sufficient to repress any outrage. With respect to the formation of a mililia force, it was a subject ihat might be considered another lime. The population was so widely dispersed in the countiy districts that the project was almost impracticable there, but whether it could be brought inio effect in the county*of Cumberland, would be worthy the attentive consideration of the committee. The remarks of the honorable member for Sydney (Dr. Bland) respecting the policy of the home Government with respect to the land orders, that had been proposed for consideration, were rather unfair. Those orders were drawn from the home government as a great concession to the colony— they were the result of the remonstrances and petitions of that House, and it certainly was not gracious to turn round on the Government with so sweeping a condemnation as thehonoiable member had, for conceding what it was asked lo concede. jtfo doubt these orders were intended as a concession-— as a benefii— whether they would prove so remained yet to be determined ; but they had been made with a view to benefit the Colony,, on the representation of the Council itself. The motion was then put and passed.