The Southland Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 36, 23 August 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1864.

: 'i:<-J ih T^.s^ec^^fi/E^l-Q-BBr, in the House of ''Lor.dSjl'in 'suppprt! of ..the., second read-. ing" of the, "Penal Acts Amendment Bill," contains some statements and arguments'which wiU ! ratßer startle those who are firmly convinced,, of the necessity for the discontinuance 1 of transportation, to any part of the Australian Continents. His Lordship, at the outset, ...jtatgd .that J ' the "'CTominissipners" appointed to inquire' iiifco the 1 Convict System,, of whom he was : <oue- ;ihad' the fullest information^ "as to the^ strong feeling which existed on the sub-' ject throughout the Australian" Colonies. Jfife was well; aware", according to his own, showing, that , .tlie,.,. Colonists (with, the exception of, „ar portion of those of Western Australia) were opposed to 'iihe whole' system "of' transportation, and were prepared to, make great sacrifices in .order to see it done away with. But Earl G-bet saw matters' from a totally different -point of view to what a resident in the Colonies does. He argued that transportation is convenient for G-reat Britain, as shp| gets rid, at once and for ever, of the criminal," for experience has shown that hut a small per centage return to the old country:/ i after 5 the 'expiration of \ their sentences ; that the system is the best thaVcan be devised for the convict, as, instead of returning to his old haunts, and mixing again with his companions in guilt, he i'sf . placed in a land where • his > :labor | vpll « always command a fair price, where his antecedents will not be too closely. m- v , quired ; into, and. where, with cominpn prudence and energy, he may, .eventually , amass wealth, and himself become an! employer of labor. Earl Gtrey that there is any danger of convicts finck in"- their way to the more attractive Eastern settlements of the , Axistralian Continent, an'd r disputed the right Jof the other Colonies to a , ypiee in a matter, which, in his Lordships opinion, pnly concerns r ( the Imperial.. ■•■: government and "Western. Australia. He ' at-, tached no weight to all the remonstrances which have ; been sent home, but looted upon them as purely vexatious. ( Those objections; and. remohstrances wefesaid to "arise from tlie clamor of a; few,.. " interested '"men, and do not represent " the feelings of the colonists at large." The idea .that a continuance of transportation might lead, to an attempt onj the part of 'the, -Australian Colonies to throw off the- British yoke, and ; declare them^- • selves independent States, was ridiculed. " I. believe; it to be mereidle talk The v " whole gain of the connection is on;the "- side of the Colonies'."" ' And<again, |" I, " for one, think that if they desire to cast " off their, allegiance -to the British crown.. .- " for a quai^el of this kind, they should be " allowed to do so." It seems probable th.at_ the majority 6f the Hoiise'were of the s^-me way of thinking as ; Earl G-bet, though not going 'quite so far^'nor using spch forcible' ■ language: ' T ! ■ Coming ; W a when this- subject 5 Pf- transportation lias just been revived with an intensity neyer .perhaps felt-before,- thiS 'spee'e^ is H_ply s -to have a -powerful effect on therminds of" Yictorian-,Colpnistsp:oJVv?hilst looking jon Mr, fWiLSoa-'s, £ _%-.Bb_pmentf; Scheme " ' as one not all suited to the case— -as (the .production: of )a ." misguided /man^aiid considered as absurd ,by., ( almQS,t...all r whp/£iave, acquainted.,.,, with ,-it —we cannot do away with ' '^the'^ fact .that _ this^ jig./ ho' iiha : gihary ea/e of {hardship j and' ipjus- s tice, got up ""By; 'a jfew_interested persons 0 / Earl G-eet '-Ik 'alttfgetKer wrong on that point :Csoj ''kadVlie npt" t been ; blirided I>y th 6 '-'weight 'of liis' "former "argument m' favor f of: transpor-atioibL/- wz.— its-.riience^-to-ithe = mother "4cfuntry, -he would have paused', before ■*_# ventured so |o stigmatise -an • agitation"' which had its -''Oii^^'^Q'W^^J^^ 8 Sflnblcaßby.i and patriotism.. 4 But whilst Earl G-bey, in the House^pf ' -I-prds, ridicules tl|e fears of the Colonists^ anddenies^their righ^to^-iihlfcerfere i .in-'-thfi^ matlerv the Secretary of State- for the Colonies rroT.-TMT) ' . xr --' . *I Svi'rOf \' !cVia^'m?,t':a\TofMW& T Jo<'/3„'P?.Sr>r i i ; \

gate^&;t to only f^^^shorfc period, and they asked him to use~all his influence to remove 41ii8^daTise^^^_i's¥a^T^_f6*n to tne Australian-r |C0103M.^3. Mr. Cabdwet-I^-i "told themMiy spo£e astthough. the present-' Government haa^takenjaQ^steps to lessen lE^evil .of . wlncKjtbß^pomplained, and, " ? f : ¥entiriaent of ajdeputatioh of Australian i'i<©6l6nißits #Buld f 3la^e been an. expression " of their-sense jpf trie regard evinced by „ ",^ tlie^^lmperiaV : Gro^rainent for -their . '. feelings." "in otjiew|^pey were to .be T wgrateful, tbama^sJellC^^.iiaving a thousand enminals~oi the worst class sent out* the*, number! wa^ -fcb We reduced to 'free hundred, y The,, l_jmsteß moreover, declined,., f ,t£^<giy£; ; ._ sign that the G-OTernmeiit meant to abide v b^Hjhepfedge f OTfe_; e lns'Srldecessor irt #?^gefe^%p3^t^|sSat ought c 't_.e " Aus.frali'ari^ Colonies^ to do next ? fYictona 3 tMu¥i^remember that it is not the intention of Great ßritaintp burden her by seri_Mg'eonvic%S%y#^'t;o^her shores, has expressed^a/^wlsiL not- ta^ receive them ; -Dut : this-very~circurnstance;"whilst only in a small-degree mitigating the evil, renders successfi^ojroo^ifipnr^ery|difficult. There is no D'etterlcourseTor "the I.egislature3 of the^ 5 various 'Colonies ''to pursue than repeating "Hover ...and oyer , f again, the rembtistrancW ana;p^tiSpn|/^hich have 'hiiherto' ndt^be^a^n^d^ith'the success wHcli could be^^hed|,;anithey.can also of proving nimself a free;manron any immigrant- from-Western Australia, pre- ... : vending; l the^'land^g , ;6lS^^(^M cannot pr^du'e^ ■the'n f e I c§^ it an offence ..puiiish'able'^wim .mprisoiimentfqra^ ,hqme;toset^^ free^Col^oniesL .!lier.e.are.indications that ,the 0 -Imp.eriala&^ altogetherJ: indifferent to^tne&wishes of the Colonists. The Commissio^JijJointed to , inquire". intjO^thelcohlicTJr-^y^e l^ recom*niende^ < t^t.a^iar t large^ f _tTmpeif ol convicts' snouidjgjo to JW egtem Austoajbta than IF is the nite:irtibn "^"the "Government to send, and^hWe^s 3 _U>*Mo_bt that it is entirely dwing'to " tKe;~a^tioS'"ta^en" by the 'other' '^Dbtcmies^^ that'* ' : t_el views "or the. Commissioners, were .not carried out m their entirety., /di a; yictoria had not protested} Western -Australia wouldjhave'/ receive'diat IfaM^bwq 'convicts to^every pne%hb^ But it seems ' to^ui 'tliat' !the^ojmj9^auuioritiea are, ; .to aree^ta^ a delusion -with .regarjd-itOithe*antipathy of - the Colonists to convict^ immigration. ThaF^ani^^ much on the fact thatr- by3 transpor tation a great prin-ciple-is .being, violated, as by any fear as to what the.immediate consequences may be. The' eastern Colonies may not, we do** noF, say, r ,th^^will npt^vfpi' '•.ailong'^time '.y,\ sufferj, any,, very .ieripusimjury through the eohstantiy augirienting convict element of iWeßtern- Australia- ; but surely as an oak- grows from -in" 1 acdrnj- t_p day will ■' ;pome ( when^ continued ; transportation will bring a curse on everyrfr.ee jrsetjfclement in the Southernhemisphere. if, atthe present .time, Gr^reat 'BritainLcanisend her criminals to a "Colony 'already founded, there is nothing "" to" "pTevMf/^FeT"forming new* .settlement^ \jpn^#LO Australian. QContinent, to v be a pe.opied f en,t^ely by convicts . and their keepers! J Npr r is it p impi?obable i;hat , she r vvilL do, ,s;q unless- o tne anlafctrans--portationifjagitatidnr'.'is risustairiedis with unweariedcener'gy;'' Oneie-fadmit'thl principle that GhfeW^Britam-'has 'ther^moral cright tO'formCfconvict jsetftlem§iitsfside by side mthiherjfreejrtdeperidencies, and she will not - ; . be > sjow y*°> a^il herself of ' the^^^ .oppprkim^..r t p, s ,These days of j^an^^l r of '.' 'railway^ ain'd^ steamships,^wffl soon do the ''resit.' A Convict! settlements, which were originally isolated^ and from, which %as J _ifucutt', wiil; r! in tlnfe, be closed in by free settlements,"and proofs are not wanting :that nbi exertions^ wiH w then^"suffice to keep cqnvicts'witbm How farthe^raMJpbß^ has tended to lower the sppial standard { id ' the li Colonies— how of the " bushranging-''^- and murdering element ... wHcbr~_is so^^ strongly developed :in " the 1 sister J Colonies of Tasjmama and New ' South ' - :£ Wales i^ i is to be attributed to the .same -cause,; /and how deep 'an injury ; hasfbee^ sarids yet^uhborn, by JBngland's-.efforts to nd-herselfoi her criminals— are pomts on which we; v dare~Rqt aL d^ell; but we may agitation ...at- present^oing on is not jnerely_ an^jmm^ning_clam.ox^__a.ut the result of deep-seated conviction on the part of thelColbMfetSjwfiffare^fie^est judges in the matter, that-they and their descendants are -threatened with; anjjy^of^pjer^Jtelmirig mag_it^de^^^We have before said that New Zealand is interested in the fsEftisfSetorV solution.o^ tfiis bSe|t4oni A large proportion T of Jbhe- crime which has, since the opening of the goldfields, been perpetrated withurher boundaries, may be traced tolmen. originally transported from Great Britain, and she should therefore lend the r -weight. of her rinfueneectoaany legitimate course of action which may be adopted by tlie~"Australian G-overhments to Af rid,;jthemseLves: o'fc this'ilast^oibuttXnot