MALTA.—RESOLUTION. (Hansard, 13 July 1869)

§ MR. R. TORRENS
rose to call the attention of the House to the Petition of certain Inhabitants of Malta, praying for amendment of anomalies in the constitution of that Island, and to move the Resolution of which he had given notice. The hon. Member said it was not his wish to diminish our military power in that island, and he believed that his Motion would have the effect of strengthening our military position there. The policy of this country had for some years been to encourage self-government and independence in her colonies; but so long as Malta was above the level of the Mediterranean it must continue to be a British fortress, and have a special claim on the consideration of Parliament. The number of inhabitants was about 150,000, and the restoration of good-will and loyalty amongst them would be equivalent to a reserve force of 10,000 men. When, in 1798, they drove out the French, and placed themselves under the protection of England, a distinct pledge was given, but it had not been fulfilled, that their ancient institutions should be preserved, and that they should possess all the advantages accruing under the British Constitution. For many years previously to 1838 the Government of Malta was a military despotism. In 1838 a Royal Commission was appointed to inquire into the 1775 state of affairs in the island, the object of the Commission having been stated in a despatch written by Earl Grey to Mr. More O'Ferrall, who was at that time Governor of Malta. Under the direction of Lord Grey, in 1847, the civil government of the island was separated from the military command; and about two years afterwards a kind of Constitution was devised, giving the Maltese a Government consisting of eight elected members, and ten nominated by the Crown. This body proved too cumbrous for an Executive Government, and as a representative institution it was a sham. In 1859, the offices of Civil Governor and Commander of the Forces were re-united, the reason assigned being that, in the event of a war, the power of the Civil Governor would otherwise be superseded. He was far from saying that military or naval men were incapable of being good Governors; but military training and command had a tendency to prevent the development of those qualities which were essential to good governorship. The people of Malta for the last ten years had lived simply under a military despotism, with a constant interference from Downing Street, warning the Governors to abstain from over-riding the will of the people by their official majorities. That, however, was not a desirable state of things. The people of Malta had petitioned against the grievances under which they laboured, alleging that while their neighbours enjoyed full political privileges and liberty, they had to put up with a sham Constitution. He urged that there should be no more shams and no more half-measures for Malta, and that if they were to have representative institutions they should have them honestly and fully. He recommended that the Congresso Popolare should be restored; but he cautioned the Minister for Foreign Affairs against granting Parliamentary government to so small a number as the people of Malta in the shape of an Executive Council, dependent on the will of a Legislative Assembly, especially as that system had not worked well in Australia. It would be a good thing, however, to have an Executive Council to aid the Governor in the administration of the island, the Crown retaining the constitutional privilege of initiating all money Bills and all appropriations. If those suggestions were 1776 adopted he believed strength and stability would be retained to the Government of Malta, and if the Congresso Popolare were restored all the existing discontent that had been excited in the island by the mismanagement, and he was afraid he must add the breach of faith, of this country would at once disappear, and the people would become happy and contented. The hon. Member concluded by moving his Resolution.

MR. O'REILLY-DEASE
seconded the Motion.

§ MR. MONSELL
said, it was true that the Maltese were among the most loyal and well-conducted of Her Majesty's subjects; and if they had any grievances it was perfectly right that they should be fairly considered by the House; but he denied that there had been any breach of faith, as alleged by the hon. Gentleman, in regard to the abolition of their ancient institutions, and particularly of the Congresso Popolare. The article of capitulation, signed at the time when England took possession of Malta, stated that the inhabitants should be treated with justice and humanity, and should enjoy the full benefit of the law; but there was no specific reference made to any particular institution; and in the proclamation of the General who then represented the Sovereign of this country we merely undertook to protect the Maltese, and secure them in the full possession of their religion, their property, and their liberty. With regard to the question whether the Maltese now had any grievances to complain of, he would ask hon. Gentlemen to compare the present condition of the island with its condition at the period when the Constitution, which the hon. Gentleman denounced as a "sham," and as resulting in a system of military despotism, was founded. He ad- 1777 mitted that before that period the Maltese had serious grievances, and in a Petition which they presented to the Crown before the grant of that Constitution they stated that their then existing government was of the most absolute and irresponsible description; they also complained of a profligate expenditure of the public money, of the prevalence of venality in the Government Offices, and of a fearful insecurity for life, liberty, and property. Contrasting that with the Petition which the hon. Gentleman had presented from the Maltese, containing no allegation of any specific grievances, with the exception of two small sums which they said were spent without the consent of the elected members of the Council, it must, he thought, be acknowledged that the Constitution which the hon. Gentleman had decried had been productive of enormous benefits to the Maltese people. Notwithstanding that there had been a considerable emigration from Malta, its population had increased from 125,000 in 1850 to 140,000 in 1866, while the revenue, without any increase of taxation, had risen from £129,000 a year to £162,000. The imports, in 1852 amounted, to £553,000; and, in 1868, to 1,222,000. The tonnage of vessels entered and cleared, exclusive of the coasting trade, was 1,064,000 tons in 1852; and, in 1865, it was 2,871,182 tons, and owing to the steps taken by Mr. More O'Ferrall for establing of granaries and providing for the landing of grain, with the view of making Malta the great corn depot in the Mediterranean, there had been a large development of that branch of its trade. In the Petition presented to the Crown in 1846, one of the principal and best-founded complaints was the absence of any provision for education. In 1850, there were only twenty-one public schools, with 3,332 pupils; but, in 1868, there were sixty-six public schools, with 7,200 pupils, besides 130 private schools, which gave an adequate amount of education to the population of the island. The land revenues and the rents from land belonging to the Government, which, in 1850, yielded only £28,000 a year, now yielded £39,000, owing to the increase in the value of property in Malta. The expenditure on roads and public works, in 1850, was £26,000, and, in 1861, it was £42,000. Charities, hospitals, Universities, and lyceums had also, 1778 during the same period, been developed and increased, to a remarkable extent. These results had been obtained under the Constitution which the hon. Gentleman so strongly denounced, and it must be admitted that, as far as they went, they were most satisfactory. All the countries in the neighbourhood of Malta viewed the condition of the Maltese with envy, and longed to have their laws as justly administered, and their material and intellectual interests as well cared for. In the Petition presented from Malta by the hon. Gentleman it was alleged that the Council was of too military a character. That Council consisted of eight elected and ten official members. A Petition presented in the year 1864 contained a statement similar to that made in the Petition recently laid on the table, to the effect that the Constitution of the country did not give the people of Malta sufficient control over their local government; but that Petition had received an answer from the late Duke of Newcastle, which had been considered perfectly satisfactory by those whom it immediately concerned. The hon. Gentleman seemed to think the Government of Malta was a kind of military despotism; but he did not appear to be aware that, for a considerable time, there had been only two cases of interference in the local affairs of Malta by the Governor without the consent of the elected members of the Council; and, without defending anything of that kind, he said they were cases of the most trivial and minute kind. Still, the present Government would, as far as they could, prevent the repetition of such instances, their desire being that in the local affairs of Malta the will of the elected members should be in almost everything supreme. With regard to the Governor it would, he admitted, be an unjust thing to appoint any man who was not deemed likely to govern the civil affairs of the inhabitants well. The present Governor was a most distinguished officer, who performed his duties most admirably; and his term of office would continue for three or four years more. His hon. Friend was not very specific in his allegations, but dealt rather in an accumulation of strong epithets; but he could say, on the part of Her Majesty's Government, that if his hon. Friend, or anybody else, should bring forward any specific grievance 1779 under which, the people of Malta laboured, it would meet with the serious consideration of his noble Friend at the head of the Colonial Office. There was a vast number of officials in Malta, the immense majority of whom were Maltese, and his advice to his hon. Friend would be to inquire whether Malta was not over-administered, and whether he could not devise a scheme by which he could get rid of some of the bureaux, and introduce economy in that respect. At present the question of emigration was under consideration, and he should feel obliged if his hon. Friend would assist in any way in improving the condition of a people than whom there were no more loyal subjects of the Crown.

§ MR. R. TORRENS
, in reply, said, that what he had referred to was the proclamation of General Cameron, which contained these words—"His Majesty grants you full protection and the enjoyment of all your ancient rights." That included a Legislative Council elected by the people, and it was to that his remark was directed. He believed that, after the statement of his right hon. Friend, there would be very little use in his pressing the Motion to a division. But he was convinced that the decision of his right hon. Friend upon that subject would be received with great regret in the island, where the grievance of being left without popular representation was deeply felt.