TAHITI. (Hansard, 1 March 1844)

Lord Brougham
moved for a copy of the correspondence which had taken place between the Missionaries in the South Sea Islands and the Government.

The Earl of Aberdeen—
My Lords, there is no objection whatever on the part of the Government to lay such information before the House as can conveniently be produced. In the course of last year a noble Marquess (Lansdowne), not now in his place, asked me a question as to the effect likely to be produced with respect to the British Missionaries in the South Sea Islands by the recent protectorship of Tahiti by France. I then stated that the French Government had assured me that every security would be afforded them in the free exercise of their functions, and such appeared to be the fact when some papers which were laid before the other 435 House of Parliament were read; but no complaint whatever was made on the part of the Missionaries. I may mention that only two days ago I received a Deputation of the London Missionaries, and I am glad to inform your Lordships that they had no complaints whatever to prefer. My Lords, I will take this opportunity of saying a few words on another subject. Your Lordships are aware of what has taken place on the part of a French Admiral in the South Seas at the island of Tahiti, and that that act has been disavowed by the French Government. My Lords, I think it right to state that this has been done by the French Government as an entirely spontaneous and voluntary act on their part. I have not written a single line on the subject to Her Majesty's Ambassador at Paris, nor has any remonstrance or representation been made by Her Majesty's Government to the French Government. I felt that when once the subject was known and understood by the French Government, a sense of their own dignity and honour, as well as a sense of justice, would lead to such a result. My Lords, although the statement that I have just made is most explicit, nevertheless I am prepared to see it said that the French Minister has yielded to the British Government, and I take it for granted that the war party in that country will not lose the opportunity of taking advantage of accusations so absurd. In like manner, whether from what I have done or not done, I shall be set down by the friends of that party in this country, though rather absurdly, as having been guilty on my part of a base and truckling policy. This I expect also. I only wish that the war party in France was as little regarded in that country as it is in this.

Lord Brougham
said, that nothing could be more satisfactory than the statement just made by his noble Friend, and so it would be universally felt to be the case. It would be a complete answer to the war party on the other side of the Channel. He would not say more on this subject, because he was astonished as well as pleased to find that the existence of that party was altogether disavowed; and his noble Friend and himself were accused of creating that party out of their own imaginations; and when the subject was recently named in the Chamber of Deputies, as to whom the party consisted of, there was a cry of "Name, name," and they 436 were challenged to name any person of that party. For his own part, however, he should be but too much rejoiced to find that there really was no war party in that country.