ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE. (Hansard, 24 March 1874)

THE EARL OF BELMORE

rose to move that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty for Copies or Extracts of any further Correspondence respecting outrages committed upon Natives of the South Sea Islands, and to ask a 256 Question. His present Motion might be regarded as a renewal of a Motion which he made at the end of last Session, but which the noble Earl the late Secretary for the Colonies requested him not to press, as the Papers were at that time incomplete. Nine months had since elapsed, and probably a good deal of further information had been received in the meantime. He was not aware whether any serious cases of outrage, such as those to which his Motion referred had occurred within the past year; but he observed that, in answer to a deputation of the Aborigines Protection Society, which waited upon him a few days since, his noble Friend the Secretary for the Colonies (the Earl of Carnarvon) stated that grave cases had been brought to his notice, and he (the Earl of Belmore) now desired to know whether the cases referred to were new ones. With reference to the Fiji Islands, he did not wish to go into individual cases; but he wished to know the exact tenor of the instructions given to Commodore Goodenough. He was under the impression that the subject of inquiry was to be whether the Government of those Islands should be recognized, and generally into the question of the outrages on the Natives. The late Ministry had directed the Governors of our Australian Colonios to deal with the Government of the Fiji Islands as a de facto Government, but formal recognition of that Government was withheld. He thought it was wise of Her Majesty's late Government to give the Government of the Fiji Islands a fair trial; but he believed it had entirely broken down, and that the White residents were greatly dissatisfied with the so-called Government. Such a Government, under the headship of an uneducated Native Chief, was not likely to repress outrages and sustain order. He had seen it stated lately that the object of the Commission to the Islands was to inquire as to the propriety of annexation. If that were so, it would indicate a change of policy on the part of Her Majesty's late Government. The question of annexation was raised 15 years ago under different circumstances, and it was again considered by Her Majesty's Government in 1870. Lord Canterbury had in that year forwarded, after an Inter-colonial Conference at Melbourne, a Memorandum from his Ministers to the 257 Secretary of State, which was replied to by a definite refusal to annex the Islands. He (the Earl of Belmore) had had a copy of this reply communicated to him, and had forwarded a Minute to the noble Earl opposite (the Earl of Kimberley), from his own Ministers expressing regret at the decision which had been arrived at. He (the Earl of Belmore) read an extract from the Melbourne Argus which stated that very large quantities of sugar were raised within the Islands. The question was one of considerable importance; but it was surrounded with difficulties, and, in the absence of the information he now asked for, he gave no opinion as to whether there should be an annexation. If Her Majesty's Government resolved on doing anything in that way, what they ought to do, in the first instance, was to establish a Government for those Islands in the nature of the Government of a Crown Colony; in which case the Colonial Office would retain a control over it. The noble Earl concluded by asking what was the exact nature of the Commission and instructions which were given to Commodore Goodenough, R.N., and Mr. Consul Layard, as Royal or Special Commissioners to the Fiji Group of Islands; and by moving an Address for Correspondence.

THE EARL OF CARNARVON

said, that the Motion of his noble Friend divided itself into two distinct and different branches. As to that part of it which referred to the production of Papers having reference to the alleged outrages, there was no objection to their production; but, of course, he would like to have an opportunity of selecting such as were important, as there were others which might not be worth having printed and circulated. What he had said to the deputation which he had received some days ago, and what he repeated now was, that beyond doubt there was evidence—evidence one regretted to see—that a most detestable traffic was carried on in those Seas. The case of the Daphne, if it were reported 258 correctly, was, perhaps, the very worst case of the kind that he had ever read of. Unfortunately, there were such great difficulties in the way of putting a stop to this traffic that it was almost impossible, under present circumstances, to hope for its complete suppression. The temptations were very great, the facilities for carrying on the traffic were considerable, the gains from it; were heavy, and there was the consideration that for years to come the Islands could not be under any settled government. All those circumstances were so many temptations to the persons who made use of those unfortunate islanders; and, in addition, there was a superstition which made the inhabitants unwilling to labour on their own Islands, and so made them the easier prey for those who carried them into actual slavery. Still he had to qualify what he had said upon the subject by observing that he-was in possession of evidence which showed that, on the whole, the Act passed in 1872 had been productive of good. The cases of conviction under that Act had been few; but there was reason to believe that it had deterred persons from carrying on and engaging in the traffic. There were two prohibitory enactments in that Act. The first prohibited the conveyance of those islanders in any British ship not specially licensed to take them on board. Two ships had been seized, and proceedings taken against the captains for a violation of that provision; but, it appearing that they had acted in ignorance, they were dismissed on payment of costs. The second portion of the enactment was more important—namely, a provision against the decoying of the islanders, which was made punishable as a felony. This portion of the Act had been applied in the Australian Colonics, where the tribunals showed every disposition to carry it into effect. He believed that there had been no failure of justice whore proceedings had been instituted under it before those tribunals. The case of the Carl, of which their Lordships had before heard, had been heard under another Act. As regarded the second part of his noble Friend's Motion, he was not in a condition to comply with it. The Papers included in it had reference to a Commission appointed to inquire into various matters relating to the Islands. The Commissioners were 259 either engaged in their work or completing it at the present time, and it appeared to him undesirable that confidential despatches should be produced before the Report of the Commissioners. "When the Report arrived there would be no objection to produce the other Papers. The question of annexation was an important one; but this was not the occasion to discuss it.