§ THE EARL OF GRANARDasked the noble Earl the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether he has received official communication from the Governor of New South Wales of the Re-solutions in favour of a Confederation of the Australasian Colonies, and on other subjects, adopted at a Convention of the Governments of those Colonies, held in Sydney in November and December last; and if he will lay a copy of the Report of the Proceedings of the Convention, with the Despatch relating to them, on the Table; and also state whether Her Majesty's Government are prepared to submit to Parliament during this Session a Bill to enable the Colonies to confederate in the form of an Australasian Dominion? He trusted, that considering its importance, and the anxiety evinced on the subject by the Colonists and those interested in the prosperity of the Colonies, the noble Earl would not deem his Question inopportune.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYMy Lords, in answer to the Question of the noble Earl, which is by no means inopportune, I would say that we have received from the Government of New South Wales a Report of the proceedings of the Colonial Convention, held at Sydney; but the Resolution in favour of united action by the Colonies has not been submitted to Her Majesty's Government, and I do not think it will be for some time, because the promoters of Confederation have taken the wise and practical course of consulting the Colonial Legislatures, and ascertaining what their views will be before they present any plan or Re-port. I may remind the noble Earl that the Convention itself, though composed of the Representatives of various Colonial Governments, has no other power except to consider and discuss this subject. Therefore, the Resolutions to which it has come are not in any way binding on the various Colonial Legislatures, whose decision it will be necessary to have before any definite stops are taken here. I laid a Report of the proceedings of the Convention on the Table a few days ago, and I understand that copies will be ready for distribution early next week. I have already practically answered the 1712 third part of the Question. We cannot bring in a Bill until we know what the decision of the various Colonial Legislatures will be, and I doubt whether it is likely that their decision will reach us in time for legislation during the present year. That, however, is a point on which I cannot speak with certainty. I can only inform the noble Earl that it is our sincere wish to forward the scheme of Confederation by all the means in our power. It arose out of a suggestion which I made last year when the question of the annexation of New Guinea was raised; and feeling as I did then, and do now, the great advantage which would arise out of Confederation, both in regard to the relations of the Colonies with us, and to their relations among themselves, I shall do all in my power to promote that object.