LORD SANDHURSTasked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether replies have been received to the Circular addressed to the Colonial Governments last year on the subject of colonization; and, whether the Circular and the replies will be laid on the Table of the House?
THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (The Earl of ONSLOW), in reply, said, that a Circular was issued by his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to all the Colonies with the request that they should send their replies before the opening of the Imperial Parliament. But the Government had received replies from only five Colonies —namely, the Cape, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, and Fiji. He was sorry to say that the subject did not seem to have been taken up with any great warmth; indeed, the replies were all more or less unfavourable to the proposals set forth. He thought it was desirable that they should have the views of all the Colonies on 698 this subject, and the Colonies would be requested to furnish a reply as speedily as possible. As soon as all the replies had been received they would be laid on the Table of the House.