§ DR. BOWRING, who appeared to be suffering from indisposition, and was very imperfectly heard in the gallery, called the attention of the House to the grievances suffered by the inhabitants of the Isle of Man. The cardinal grievance of which the Manx people complained was the constitution of their legislative assembly, which was self-elected and irresponsible. Their system of laws mixed together the legislative and judicial functions. The men who made the laws also administered them; and the consequence was, a growing and necessary feeling of discontent amongst the population. The House of Keys was the court of appeal from the subordinate tribunals, and many members of the House of Keys practised as advocates in the court below. In the Deemster's courts there was no code of reference and no statute-books. The Deemster acted on the lex non scripta, or breast law, as it was styled in the island; and the inhabitants were of course painfully sensible that they were at the mercy of the judge's caprice. Furthermore, the Manx people—50,000 in number—having no municipal institutions and no representation, were denied the commonest rights of civilisation and citizenship, such as were conceded even to the savages of New Zealand. The influence of the Executive Council and the House of Keys necessarily curbed and controlled public opinion; and in this respect, as in all others, the operation of those irresponsible, self-elected bodies was highly injurious. The recent relaxation of the commercial code had been attended with the happiest results in the Isle of Man. In the case of every article on which the duty had been reduced, there had been an enormous increase of consumption. 126 What he wished the Government to do was, to carry out that commercial policy, and also to reform the judicial and legislative institutions of the island. He did not wish that the immemorial institutions of the island should be wholly overthrown, for he was aware that there were some of them to which the Manx people were fondly attached; but he was conscious that they should be conformed to the spirit of the times, and the requirements of the age. Above all, he was desirous that the common rights of citizenship should not be denied to them, but that, on the contrary, the general benefits of the representative system should be ensured to them, and the power of nominating those who were to impose their taxes. The hon. and learned Member concluded by moving an address to Her Majesty, praying that a Commission be issued to inquire into and report on the privations endured by the inhabitants of the Isle of Man.
§ SIR G. GREYwas not prepared to deny that there were many matters connected with the present state of affairs in the Isle of Man which ought to be inquired into, and he was quite willing that inquiry should be instituted. That, he believed, was the main object of the Motion, and he had already done something to further it. He had instituted a correspondence with the Governor and other authorities of the island, and had stated his view, which was, that a complete remedy for the evils complained of was to be found, not in a separate legislature for a small island within a few hours' sail of the British coast, but, on the contrary, in the complete incorporation of the Isle of Man with the United Kingdom. Such of the inhabitants, however, as had memorialised that House, were in favour of separate legislative functions, which would, no doubt, produce great abuses. He thought it very reasonable, however, that there should be a representative body in the island, to regulate the repairs of highways and other local matters of that description. In conclusion, he begged to express a hope that the hon. Gentleman would not press his Motion.
§ SIR R. H. INGLIShoped that those hon. Gentleman who called themselves the real friends of the Isle of Man would take warning by the allusion in the earlier part of the speech of the right hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home Department with respect to its annexation to England. It might be annexed to Lan- 127 cashire, or to the county of Dublin, or to Dumfries; and let hon. Gentlemen consider whether that intimation of the right hon. Gentleman the Home Secretary might not, if realised, place the people of the island in a position infinitely worse than at present. They were now lightly taxed; they had the form at least of a representative government, the laws were those under which their forefathers lived for centuries, and they would feel the burden of taxation which would be put on them, even if their island were united to that region on which the income-tax had not been imposed. He asked whether, under those circumstances, they were likely to be as well off as they were at present?
§ Motion withdrawn.