7

A.—3e

a taste for labour. By labour alone is their moral improvement possible, by it alone can they cease to be a sterile burden for the mother-country, and a danger for the colony that receives them. Let every good endeavour be encouraged and rewarded, but lot any attempt to continue a life, of idleness and rapine be repressed without false sentiment. Eclegation must not be to the colonies a source of peril and ruin. Tho Bill, as passed by tho Chamber of Deputies, gave ample powers to the Executive, and the Committee would not diminish these. Tho law will bo difficult enough to work, and the responsibility of it heavy enough, without trammelling it with legislative provisions which the delays of parliamentary procedure may prevent being modified as required. Following even farther upon the same line, the Committee have thought it not only useless but dangerous to designate any particular places for tho relegation. Tho Bill, as it came up from the Chamber, named four colonies or possessions, namely, New Caledonia, tho Marquesas, the island of Phu-Quoc, and French Guiana. But every one then believed, the Government equally with tho Committee winch drew up the Bill, and even the Chamber of Deputies, that it waa New Caledonia which would receive tho greater part of tho relegues. This was clearly shown, indeed, by M. Gervillc-Kcache's report. But a number of reports from the various colonics had not then been received. These are far from confirming the forecasts of either the Government or the Chamber at that time. As regards Phu-Quoc, it offers none of tho conditions necessary for a penal colony. As to the Marquesas, it may almost bo said that there is no land there at all; hardly could the islands receive 700 or 800 relegues, and even then only at a great cost. With regard to New Caledonia, Admiral Courbet's report to the Minister of Marine, when he loft the government of that colony to assume his command at Tonkin, gave some ground for hoping that there, at any rate, tho relegation wauld find a large enough field, and one already prepared. But this is not the opinion of his successor, Governor Pallu de Labarriero. In a special report, he shows that New Caledonia already contains 12,000 persons who arc either convicts undergoing sentence or liberes constrained to residence ; that tho cultivable land in the island does not exceed .160,000 hectares, including the areas already occupied by the aboriginal natives or appropriated to tho free colonists; that tho State domain, already imprudently lessened by immense concessions long ago, would soon bo exhausted ; and that, unless it is meant to inflict a mortal blow on tho development of tho c010,.y, room ought to be left for the free colonists to enclose (encadrer) the penal population. In French Guiana, on tho contrary, Governor Chesse, in a special report, declares himself ready to receive the relegation, from which he hopes tho best results. [Here follow various details about Guiana.] The Committee have carefully examined tho documents laid before them by the Government; but, in the absence of precise data about the several colonies, and seeing that the statements before them are, if not contradictory, hardly consistent with each other, they have found it difficult to arrive at a distinct conclusion. They conferred with the Under-Secretary of State, and sought the advice and experience of the Minister himself. Admiral Peyron, confirming to some extent the statements of Governor Pallu, tells us that, although "collective relegation" to New Caledonia is not possible, she could receive a certain number of recidivists, skilled e.'tisans especially being likely to be of real service. As to Guiana, the Minister, who knows that colony will, thinks it. the most fitted of all for a penal settlement. France gave up transportation to Guiana in 1864, not because it was impossible, but because she had just acquired a possession (New Caledonia) witli a climate better aud more suited to cultivation, and, by its analogy to Australia, seeming to promise for penitentiary colonization a success equal to that obtained by England. But whatever place is fixed upon for the relegation, tlie Minister added, ample time for preparation ought to be given, say from ten months to a 7-year. Upon full consideration, the Committee have thought that, always supposing the execution of the, measure to bo possible, the responsibility of fixing upon any particular colony is one which neither they nor tho Senate ought to assume, but should properly be relegated to the Executive; aud it is proposed accordingly to leave altogether to the Government the determination of the places of transportation. There are many advantages in this course. In those possessions where the population is not dense, and where skilled artisans are scarce, there will arise needs which the Government can satisfy without the delays always entailed by legislation : and who knows that territories, which cannot bd indicated to-day as places of relegation, may not to-moirow become available for penal settlement ? Lastly, the financial side of the question must be considered. Here also the Committee can only accept the figures given to them by the Minister of Marine; and these, upon an estimate, [or three years, allowing for a relegation of four-fifths of the recidivists to Guiana and one-fifth to New Caledonia, give in round numbers a sum of 9,000,000 to 10,000,000 francs (£360,000 to £400,000) per annum as the cost. This is, no doubt, a heavy addition to the budget: but it would not be paying too dear for the safety of the mother-country; besides, the cost of the criminals in France has to be considered, as well as tho evils they would, inflict; and in the case of a law for a social preservation like this, it ought not bo impeded by a budget question. 7. Explanation of the Amendments. Here follows an exhaustive explanation of every amendment proposed by the Senate Committee. _ 8. Conclusion. Such, then, is the ineagir§ v, Inch the Committee recommend for the adoption of the Senate. It hardly differs, except in construction and points of detail, from the Bill as it came up from the Chamber. Al'tej-'a long and conscientious study extended over numerous sittings, and after having several times examined the i\lmisters of Justice, the Interior, and Marino, the Under-Secretary of State for tho Colonies,"the Director of Penitentiary Administration, and tho Prefect of Police, tho