§ LORD MONTEAGLEpresented a petition from lessees of land in the district of Fort Phillip, in which the petitioners stated that the elective franchise was at present too restricted by the incorporating Act, the qualification being the possession of freehold property to the value of 20l. a year, or of personal property to the value of 200l.; the consequence of which was, that the vast and increasing interests of leaseholders, and what were called "squatters," and professional persons, were left wholly unrepresented. This question became more important, in consequence of the new constitution and the separate government that was about to be given to the colony. The petitioners stated that they had read a despatch from the noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies, in which he mentioned the form of government about to be given to them. That announcement they had received with the utmost gratitude for the liberal spirit in which the plan was drawn up, and with the greatest anxiety that it should be brought fairly into operation. It was scarcely possible to conceive anything more rapid than the improvement of the colony of Port Phillip. It was founded in 1836; there were not more than thirty inhabitants in Melbourne in that year; Melbourne now contained 10,000 inhabitants and 2,000 houses, and the property was rated at 50,000l. a year; whilst the returns showed that the exports in 1846 were to the value of 640,000l. He (Lord Monteagle) would take that opportunity of asking his noble Friend—not for the purpose of anticipating the discussion which would take place when the Bill came formally before their Lordships, but merely to ascertain the fact—whether he was in possession of any despatches from New South Wales, or any other of the Australian colonies as to the manner in which the announcement of the proposed Australian Colonies Government and Constitution Bill was received by the colonists? It was a strong ground of objection, when the former Bill upon the subject was before the House, that no sufficient information as to the opinions of the colonists was before their Lordships; and he hoped there would not 123 be the same ground afforded again. He had the strongest objection to a single chamber, unless it was carefully controlled, and he should wish much to know what the opinions of the colonists themselves were with regard to it. He knew that his noble Friend had sent over to the colony a copy of the Order in Council; but he had seen no despatch as yet from the colonists in which their views were stated. He wished to know, therefore, whether any such despatch had been received, and, if not as yet, whether the House would be put in possession of such information before it should be called upon to give its opinion upon the second reading of the Bill?
§ EARL GREYreplied, that he had received no official information as yet from the Australian colonies, as to the manner in which the plan of the new constitution had been received. The news which he had had was extremely scanty. None of the Governors of the colonies had acknowledged as yet that they had received the Circular Order which had been addressed to them, or the report of the Privy Council on which the proposed constitution was founded; and their communications, so far as they had extended, had been laid upon the tables of both Houses of Parliament. But although the official despatches had not been received at the dates of the last accounts, a statement of the intentions of Government had appeared in some of the local newspapers, and had formed a subject of considerable discussion amongst the colonists of all grades, and the announcement seemed to have been generally received with great satisfaction by them. The Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Young, and the Governor of Van Diemen's Land, Sir William Denison, although they had not received the official despatches, had both mentioned the fact of the announcement having reached the colonies. Sir Henry Young had merely mentioned the matter in a private letter to a friend, and from that it appeared that the plan had been very favourably received. Sir William Denison mentioned it in only a single line in his despatch, saying, that although they had not as yet received the official details, the plan appeared to be very favourably received by the colonists. This, however, he (Earl Grey) would say, that whatever information might be received by Her Majesty's Government, they would have great pleasure in laying it upon the table of the House in time to make it useful during the discussion. The 124 petition presented by his noble Friend was one which deserved deep and grave consideration. The parties whose signatures were affixed to it were of great respectability, and the grievance which they pointed out a very real and a very substantial one; but it was one which he (Earl Grey) did not think was capable of being dealt with in this country. It was a grievance that should be removed in the colony by the colonists themselves, and through the means which the Government proposed to furnish them with. Those Gentlemen complained that whilst the pastoral interest was a great source of wealth to the colony, the residences were too remote, and the number too small, to enable the possessors of the franchise to exercise their privilege with advantage; and they wished to have the right of voting considerably extended. But it was obvious that in the absence of correct local information, it would be impossible for the Imperial Parliament to lay down fitting electoral districts in which the increasing population should be properly arranged, as entitled to settle representatives to the Council. If Parliament made laws of that description, they would be risking the inconvenience of creating too much or too little local influence. The minute local information necessary for such a scheme was entirely wanting; and that was one of the reasons for adopting the form of Bill which was recommended by the Committee of Privy Council. Such of their Lordships as had given their attention to the subject were aware that the principle upon which that report was founded, was that of leaving things as nearly as possible as they were already; but at the same time providing for the gradual extension and alteration of the institutions so created, as to meet the growing wants of a rapidly increasing society. That, he believed, was the only principle that could be safely or advantageously adopted; and it was one which the colonists themselves, he was happy to see, considered to be most advantageous for them under all the circumstances of the case.