§ THE EARL OF DERBYrose to put a question to the Government "respecting the arrangements to be made for the efficient Discharge of the Duties of the Colonial Department, in the Event of the prolonged Absence of the Secretary of State for the Colonies," and said: My Lords, in putting the question of which I have given notice to Her Majesty's Government, I 337 should be very sorry to cause embarrassment in the Ministerial arrangements; but the subject to which I have to advert is one of the greatest importance, and the neglect of it must cause so much public inconvenience—an inconvenience increasing day by day—that I do not think I should be justified in abstaining from calling the attention of your Lordships to the facts, and putting to Her Majesty's Government the question of which I have given notice. I need not remind your Lordships of the rather unusual circumstances under which the noble Lord (Lord John Russell), now at the head of the Colonial Department, accepted the duties of that important office. I need not remind you that the noble Lord did not form a Member of the Government as it was originally constituted, but that he had accepted a most important mission, upon which he had actually set out, and had left this country at the time when the secession of some Members of the Government rendered various new appointments necessary. The noble Lord was, I believe, already upon the continent when application was made to him by telegraph by the noble Viscount at the head of the Government, to ascertain whether he was willing to undertake the duties of Secretary of State for the Colonial Department; and, not by return of post, but by a still more rapid mode of communication, the noble Lord intimated his readiness to undertake the duties and responsibilities of that office. I am not about to complain that the noble Lord, after accepting office, did not at once give up the important mission he had undertaken, and return to this country to perform its duties. I think, on the contrary, that the abandonment of that mission might have been a matter of great injury to the public interests:—I am satisfied that it was quite proper and wise that the noble Lord should proceed to Vienna to perform the duties of the important mission with which he had been intrusted. But then the question whether the offer and acceptance of the office of Secretary of State for the Colonial Department were or were not justified must depend altogether upon the reasonable anticipation entertained by the noble Viscount at the head of the Government and the noble Lord as to the probable duration of the noble Lord's absence upon his mission. I know, my Lords, perfectly well that, technically and formally, every Secretary of State can perform the functions and duties 338 of any other Secretary of State. The Secretaries of State were formerly three in number—tria juncta in uno—they are now four; and I know that any one of those Secretaries may perform in a formal sense the duties of any of his colleagues; but though this is so formally and technically, and although for a certain limited time—during the recess of Parliament for an especial instance—the ordinary and routine duties of one Secretary may be carried on and administered temporarily by another, it is obvious, looking to the importance and weight of the business pressing upon each of those departments, that anything like a permanent junction of the duties of these officers must be attended with very great inconvenience and injury to the public service. So much, indeed, was this felt to be the case, that when the present war commenced, it was found necessary to divide the Secretaryship of State for the Colonies into two departments, and to withdraw from the Colonial Secretary the business of the War Department, which was formerly united to that of the Colonial Secretary, and which is sufficient fully to occupy the attention of one Minister during a period of war. I believe, moreover, that there is no Minister whose presence in this country is more necessary, and whose duties can be less readily taken up by any of his colleagues, than those of the noble Lord who happens to be at the head of the Colonial Department; because there is no Minister, perhaps, whose duties are so much apart and separate from the business of his colleagues, whose individual responsibility is so great, and probably none whose general knowledge of the business of the office is so much confined to the individual by whom that office is held. My Lords, I do not go so far as to concur altogether in an axiom which, if I recollect rightly, was laid down by a right hon. Gentleman who for many years performed the duties of Under Secretary for the Colonies, that "Cabinets always hated colonies;" but having myself had some experience of the duties of the Colonial Office—and I believe my opinion will be shared by more than one noble Lord in this House—when I say that, of all the business which is brought before a Cabinet, there is the greatest difficulty in obtaining for the affairs of the Colonies a very small portion of that very small amount of time which Ministers are enabled to spare from the administration of their particular departments for the col- 339 lective discussion and consideration of public affairs. And the reason is this—that there are always pressing upon every Cabinet matters more urgent with regard to immediate Parliamentary discussion, and more interesting to parties nearer at hand; and therefore, practically, the colonial business is more exclusively in the hands of the Colonial Minister than the home business is in the hands of the Home Secretary of State, or the foreign business in those of the Foreign Secretary. Hence, of all Ministers whose absence from the country would cause inconvenience to their departments, I believe the Colonial Minister is the one whose absence would cause the greatest. I am told that, in consequence of the absence of Lord John Russell, the duties of Colonial Secretary are for a time to be undertaken by a right hon. Gentleman of very great ability and experience, but who also fills the office of Home Secretary (Sir G. Grey). Now, my Lords, I know something of the duties of the Colonial Department. I know that, if not absolutely overwhelming, they are quite sufficient to occupy the whole attention of one Minister; but from what I have seen of the business and duties of the Home Secretary, I would say they were infinitely more laborious, more pressing—requiring every moment of time that the Minister can devote to them. I do not mean to say that there are not two ways of doing business. One way is not doing it at all, leaving everything in arrear, and thus making an easy berth of any office; but if the Secretary of State does his duty, as I know the right hon. Gentleman does his, the business of his own immediate department is, I am sure, enough, and more than enough, to absorb the whole of his time and attention. The right hon. Gentleman, it is generally believed, and regretted wherever it is believed, is not in very strong health, and upon that account alone, before the late changes in the Government, it was supposed he was desirous to retire from the conduct of public business; but were he the strongest man in England, strongest in mind and in body, I say it is absolutely impossible that for any lengthened period he should continue to discharge the combined duties of Home Secretary and Colonial Secretary, and attend besides to his Parliamentary duties in the House of Commons. Time and physical energy are absolutely impossible to equal the duties and labours which would be imposed by such a situation. Of course, 340 all this turns upon a question of time—of the time for which it is probable the noble Lord the Colonial Secretary may be absent from this country. If Lord John Russell's absence from this country is likely to be one of short duration, of course the inconvenience would be materially less; but, however short it may be, let me point out, with reference to the state of the colonial business at the present moment, several important questions that are absolutely in abeyance in consequence of the absence of the Colonial Secretary. I do not refer to the delay—though that, too, is a matter of considerable importance—in coming to a decision with regard to any answer to be returned, or any acknowledgment to be made, to the various offers of pecuniary and military assistance which have been received from the Colonies; but the other night, when this question was referred to in this house, one of Her Majesty's Ministers—I believe the noble Marquess opposite (the Marquess of Lansdowne)—stated that it was a question which must await the return of the noble Lord. But, at the present moment, I have a letter giving a most serious account of a matter which ought to be the subject of the greatest possible anxiety to the Government—of the state of that colony which is not unconnected with the question that has just been brought before the House by the noble and learned Lord (Lord St. Leonards)—I allude to the colony of Victoria. I do believe that the state in which that colony is at the present moment—partly arising from the difficulties relative to the gold licences, and partly from the course taken by the Colonial Office here, with regard to the removal of convicts from one colony to another—is such as to cause the deepest anxiety to those who watch the progress of the colony, and to imperatively require the earnest and immediate attention of the Secretary of State for the Colonial Department. Again, in the colony of the Cape of Good Hope we are threatened with a renewal of the Kafir war; but there is no Secretary of State to attend to the business of that department, and it is quite impossible that the Home Secretary can be conversant with the details. Sir G. Grey happens to have colonial experience, and so far he is better qualified than most people to deal with these questions, if he could deal with them in conjunction with his own department. Again, there is the whole range of the Australian colonies, 341 which have been acting upon the power you gave them the year before last to form constitutions for the management of their respective governments. The whole of these constitutions have been returned by the Legislatures of the respective Colonies to this country to wait for the adoption, acceptance, or refusal of the Colonial Office. But, in consequence of the absence of the Colonial Secretary, all these constitutional questions must rest in abeyance, and the Colonies must remain uncertain as to what are to be the future constitutions of their country. Every day, individuals connected with these Colonies, and deeply interested in them, are coming here from the remotest parts of the world for the special purpose of communicating with the Secretary of State upon matters of the utmost importance to themselves and to the societies to which they belong. They come here; their time is limited; they find the Colonial Secretary absent, and no Under Secretary even appointed; and—having perhaps come from the antipodes—they are probably obliged to return without having had an opportunity of laying their case before the Secretary of State specially interested in the concerns of the Colonies. Again, questions are arising every day in the House of Commons of deep interest, upon which it is necessary to address queries to the Government and to the Minister especially charged with the Colonial Department. There is, however, no Colonial Secretary in the House of Commons; there is no Under Secretary appointed at the present moment; and I believe the appointment of such an official—even if he could discharge the duties of the department, which he cannot—depends upon the decision of Lord John Russell himself, he being at Vienna, and not having at present made any appointment. Of course, as I have already said, this question altogether depends upon the probable duration of Lord John Russell's absence. I do not know that I should have brought it forward at the present moment, if I did not hear that, after the noble Lord has been absent a fortnight from this country, preparations are being made for the removal to Vienna of the whole of his family—the whole of his establishment, including some very young children—who are to travel so leisurely that the journey to Vienna is, I understand, to occupy seven days. That, at all events, does not indicate an expectation of an immediate return to this country; and I confess I should not 342 be sorry if the stay of the noble Lord at Vienna should be a lengthened one. It must be lengthened, unless there be an absolute rupture of all negotiations, and an end of all hopes of effecting peace. If the Conferences are broken up without effecting their object, and there is no hope of coming to an understanding, of course Lord John Russell will return to this country; but certainly his family arrangements, so far as I have heard of them, do not appear to warrant that view of the case; on the contrary, they would rather lead us to hope that he will be engaged in very protracted negotiations, with at least some prospect, though that is more than I expect, of his being able to conclude a satisfactory peace. But if these negotiations at Vienna are to be protracted, it is impossible that the present arrangement with respect to the Colonial Office can continue, or that the country can allow the greater part of the Session to pass without a Colonial Secretary or an Under Secretary in the House of Commons. That is not treating Parliament rightly; it is not treating the country rightly; above all, it is not treating the Colonies rightly, wisely, or judiciously. So great is the feeling of independence upon the part of some of the Colonies that, notwithstanding their good feeling and affection towards the mother country, you will produce a most unfavourable impression upon them if you declare to the world that the Secretaryship of State for the Colonies is an office of such inconsiderable importance that it may be accepted by a Minister who had actually left the country, and held by a Minister who, being resident in Vienna, is physically unable to discharge its duties. It is upon these considerations that I have thought it my duty to bring this subject before your Lordships. I do not know whether I shall be able to put my questions in a definite form; but I shall ask the noble Earl the President of the Council whether he can hold out to us any expectation with regard to the probable period of Lord John Russell's return from Vienna; and, if he is unable to do so, within what time the Government would think it reasonable and necessary that some permanent arrangement should be made for intrusting the duties of the Colonial Office to a Secretary of State resident in this country, and not employed in protracted negotiations at Vienna?
§ EARL GRANVILLEIn answer to the question of the noble Earl, I must express my satisfaction at his concurrence 343 in the opinion entertained by the Government and the country as to the great importance of the mission accepted by Lord John Russell. I believe that no appointment could have been made which could have led the nation generally to feel that the honour of the country was placed in safer hands; and I believe that no appointment could have been made of greater importance, not only to this country, but to the whole of Europe, inasmuch as the appointment of the noble Lord is regarded as a pledge and proof that the intentions of Her Majesty's Government are perfectly sincere in endeavouring to obtain peace as early as possible, provided peace can be obtained upon safe and honourable terms. Under these circumstances, I think it would have been a most injudicious measure when Lord John Russell had already visited the Court of the Tuileries on his way to Berlin and Vienna, to recall that noble Lord in the middle of his mission. It is, perhaps, using a strong word, but it appears to me that such a recall, after the delay which had already taken place in consequence of the Ministerial crisis, would have been something like a breach of national faith. With regard to the second point referred to by the noble Earl, namely, whether the offer of the Colonial Office was a judicious one on the part of the Prime Minister, and whether the acceptance of that offer upon the part of Lord John Russell was or was not justifiable—I have not the slightest doubt in my own mind upon the matter. We had seen the difficulty of forming a Government strong enough to maintain its position. Even the noble Earl opposite (the Earl of Derby) had given an example of how much, in these sort of crises, personal and party feelings required to be sacrificed for the sake of the public interests; and I do think that it was right for Lord Palmerston, when his Government had been weakened by the secession of some of the eminent men who had belonged to it—I think it was right to strengthen it in the estimation of the public and of our allies as soon as possible by joining to it so eminent a statesman as Lord John Russell. With respect to the inconvenience which may result from the absence of Lord John Russell, the noble Earl stated that he was perfectly aware that formally and technically any Secretary of State could discharge the duties of the Colonial Office. Now, I think if those duties had been imposed either upon the Secretary for War or the 344 Secretary for Foreign Affairs—if, in addition to his ordinary office, either of them had been asked not only to transact the business of the Colonies, but to make himself master of all the questions connected with that department of the Executive—he must utterly have broken down in the attempt; but the person to whom the charge of the Colonial business has been committed for a limited time is a right hon. Gentleman who has the whole business of the department at his fingers' ends, and who had conducted the administration of that department up to within three weeks of the acceptance of office by Lord John Russell. Thus one-half of the difficulty a new Secretary of State has to overcome—namely, the mastering of the business of his office, which occupies not less than six weeks or two months—will be obviated. No one could for a moment contend that this arrangement, as a permanent one, is defensible; but, as the noble Earl justly said, it is a question of time. Lord John Russell has gone to Vienna for the purpose of endeavouring to negotiate a treaty of peace. It may unfortunately happen, as the noble Earl suggested, that the negotiations will be broken off at once, in which case there is no question that his Lordship will return immediately, and his absence from London will be of very short duration indeed; but if affairs should take a more fortunate turn, can assure the noble Earl that the noble Lord will not be absent for so long a period as he supposes. The noble Lord goes to Vienna to discuss and settle the great general principles upon which a treaty of peace is to be concluded. If those principles are agreed to, and there is a real prospect of peace, I do not think it is desirable that Lord John Russell himself should stay for a long period in order to settle all the details and formalities of the treaty; and I believe I am justified in assuring the noble Earl that at present it is the wish and the intention of Lord John Russell to be back in this country by Easter at the latest. I believe that no inconvenience whatever has been felt by the Secretary of State's absence. Sir George Grey is the person who has the greatest right to complain, for a very arduous duty has been thrown upon him—a duty, as the noble Earl has said, which no person could ever undertake as a permanency with fairness to himself. So far from colonial subjects being unpopular in the Cabinet to which I belong, I beg to state to the noble Earl that we have already 345 held two Cabinets upon them in which two important decisions have been arrived at, and the right hon. Gentleman (Sir George Grey) has not shrunk from acting without delay upon those decisions. With regard to the noble Earl's suggestion as to the only way of getting through the work of the department, I may mention a story related of one of the distinguished colleagues of the noble Earl, who is said to have been told by a gentleman of great official experience, in answer to an application to suggest some mode of facilitating the laborious duties of this office,—"There are I several ways of expediting matters; one sometimes adopted is that of not reading inclosures." But I am sure the noble Earl will feel that, until the right hon. Gentleman's health does break down, he will conscientiously and honestly discharge the duties which have been thrown upon him. The question of the gold licences at Victoria may or may not become a serious question; but it is not one which can be dealt with in this country in its present state. With regard to the legislative question, the information we have received is not yet so complete as to enable the Secretary of State, whoever he may be, to come to a right decision upon it. There has been no delay in matters of routine, and the business of the department is still regularly proceeding. In some most important cases decisions have been come to without a day's delay, and in cases where no inconvenience would arise from the delay of a week, communications have been made between Sir George Grey and Lord John Russell. With regard to the Cape of Good Hope, everything that is to be done by this country has been decided upon. I am unable to give the noble Earl any intelligence with regard to the appointment of an Under Secretary, for even if arrangements had been made, it would be impossible to appoint an Under Secretary until the Bill with regard to that office has passed through your Lordships' House as well as the Commons. I am afraid that the noble Earl's language is calculated to create that very feeling in the Colonies which he has expressed a wish to avert; but that the colonists will be affronted when they hear an ex-Prime Minister—one of the greatest statesmen of this country, and one who has acquired singular eminence in the Colonial Office—has accepted that office in the present emergency is an utter delusion. I feel confident that neither the interests of this 346 country nor of the Colonies will suffer in the slightest degree from the manner in which Sir George Grey will carry on the duties of an office with which he is thoroughly acquainted during the temporary absence of Lord John Russell.
§ House adjourned to Monday next.