§ SIR W. MOLESWORTHsaid, that he had given notice of a Motion on the present condition of our colonies, the immediate necessity for a reform of our colonial system, and that the colonies should have the power of self-government. But on Friday night last the noble Lord at the head of the Government had wisely taken the subject into his own hands, and as a debate of considerable length had ensued, during which he (Sir W. Molesworth) had had an opportunity of stating his opinions upon the subject, he did not think he should be acting properly in taking up the time of the House with the Motion which he had upon the Paper for that night. He, therefore, would not submit to the House the resolution which he had intended. At the same time, he might be permitted to say, that although nothing could be, in his opinion, sounder or more liberal in its general principles than the plan of the noble Lord, yet he was sorry that the 713 noble Lord did not go to the extent which he thought desirable and necessary for the competent conduct of the colonies. He was sorry that the noble Lord only intended to revive the Bill of last year with regard to Australia; but still he would not offer any objection to the second reading of the Bill, as it recognised the principle of representative institutions in Australia, and he thought any form of representative institutions was better than none at all. He would, however, try to obtain two elective chambers and an elective government for them. The power which the Colonial Office at present possessed was a great grievance to the colonists; and he objected to such a measure as would keep up for the Colonial Office an arbitrary power of interfering in the internal management of colonial affairs. He should propose to denude the Colonial Office of the power, and he would try to draw a distinction between an inferior and a local parliament. He should likewise object to the details of the measure, because it did not include New Zealand, which was as ready for a constitution as any of the Australian colonies. However, he would not then detain the House by stating at any further length his objections to the details of the noble Lord's measure. He would withdraw the Motion he had given notice of, and move—
For Copies or Extracts of any Correspondence between the Colonial Office and any of the Authorities in Australia, Van Diemen's Land, or New Zealand, relating to the removal of Mr. Sidney Stephen from the Bar of Van Diemen's Land, and his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.
§ Motion agreed to.