one. The questions will be asked, To whom should the performance of such a task be entrusted? What should be the qualifications of the members of such a Commission? It may, perhaps, be maintained that the inquiry which I propose should be conducted by the Department to which the management of our colonial affairs is entrusted. And if the inquiry were to be merely into the details of colonial administration, into the machinery of the Colonial Office, into the number of functionaries which are required in that Office, and into the best division of labour between them, I might then admit that such an inquiry might be left to the management of the Colonial Office. But the inquiry which I propose is a much more extensive one, namely, into the whole colonial polity of the British Empire. Now, first, the functionaries of the Colonial Office are too much occupied with the daily administration of colonial affairs to be able to spare time for so extensive an inquiry as that which I contemplate. And, secondly, I must say, without any intentional disrespect for those gentlemen, that having been accustomed to the existing system, they would, in my opinion, be apt to look upon that system with too favourable an eye. Therefore I object to entrusting this inquiry to the Colonial Office. To whom, then, should this inquiry be entrusted? It is evident that it ought not to be conducted in a party spirit; and, in fact, it is not a party question; for each party is equally interested in the good government of the colonies, in the reduction of unnecessary colonial expenditure, in the promotion of colonisation and emigration, and, in short, in everything which can conduce to the prosperity of our colonial

empire, and to the happiness of our colonial fellowsubjects. Therefore, if a Commission be appointed, I should recommend that it be fairly chosen from the four divisions of this House; for example, one member should be appointed from the Ministerial benches-such a person, for instance, as my honourable friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department;1 one member from amongst the friends of the right honourable baronet the member for Tamworth-as, for instance, either the right honourable baronet the member for Ripon or the right honourable gentleman the member for the University of Oxford, or the noble lord the member for Falkirk; one member from the ranks of the Protectionist Party; and one from the section of the House to which I belong. To the four members so selected I would recommend that there should be added one of our most distinguished economical and political writers-such, for instance, as Mr. John Stuart Mill. I think a Commission so constituted, with full powers of inquiry, would deserve and obtain the confidence both of this country and of the colonies, and would lead to the most important results.

I hope that I have succeeded in giving the House a clear notion of what is the object of my motion, and that I have satisfied the House that I am actuated by the desire of promoting the well-being of the colonial empire. In conclusion, I must beg the House to observe that by agreeing to my motion the House will not pledge itself to any specific principles of colonial polity, or to any 1 Mr. (afterwards Sir G.) Cornewall Lewis. 2 Sir J. Graham.

3 Mr. Gladstone.

positive legislation, but only to the position that there ought to be a searching inquiry into our system of colonial administration. Can any one deny that such an inquiry is desirable, and that it may produce great benefits both to Great Britain and the colonies? Therefore, in the firm conviction that my motion is both a practical and a useful one, worthy of the consideration and approval of the House, I now beg leave to move that an humble address be presented to her Majesty, praying that her Majesty will be graciously pleased to appoint a Commission to inquire into the administration of her Majesty's colonial possessions, with the view of removing the causes of colonial complaint, diminishing the cost of colonial government, and giving free scope to individual enterprise in the business of colonising.

ON REDUCTION OF COLONIAL

EXPENDITURE.

APRIL 10, 1851.

[The resolutions were seconded by Mr. Urquhart. The previous question was moved by Mr. Hawes, but the debate stood adjourned before a division could be taken.]

SIR, I must apologise to the House for again bringing under its consideration a subject to which I have repeatedly called its attention in the course of the last two or three years-I mean the amount of the expenditure of this country on account of the colonies. One of my chief reasons for asking the House to reconsider this question is, that there is a strong desire amongst various classes of the community that certain obnoxious taxes should be repealed; in order to repeal them, there is a great wish that our national expenditure should, if possible, be diminished. Can any reduction be made in that expenditure without injury to the interests of the British Empire? The greater portion of that expenditure is on account of the interest of the National Debt, and in that no reduction can be made. The remainder of the national expenditure is on account of the government of the united kingdoms and of the colonies. I will not now express any opinion whether any considerable reduction can be made, and ought to be made, in the expenditure on account of the united kingdoms; but

I must say that I entertain a strong conviction that a considerable portion of our expenditure on account of the colonies is excessive, and that it can be diminished without injury to the interests either of the united kingdoms or of the colonies; and, therefore, I think that steps should be taken to relieve the people, as speedily as possible, from a portion of that burden.

In order to sustain these positions, I will first state, as correctly as I can, the amount of the annual expenditure of this country on account of the colonies. I am sorry that I cannot do so completely and correctly for any period later than the year 1846-47; because no later returns upon which I can rely have been presented to Parliament. Since that period some reductions have been made in our colonial expenditure, for which the Colonial Office deserves credit; but I believe they have been inconsiderable in amount compared to those which, in my opinion, could be made. In the year 1846-47 the expenditure of this country, on account of the colonies, amounted to 3,500,000l. It consisted chiefly of two items: namely, civil expenditure about 500,000l., and military expenditure about 3,000,000l.

I will begin with the military expenditure, under which head I include ordnance and commissariat expenditure. This expenditure has increased very rapidly in the last twenty years. In 1832 it was only 1,800,000l.; in 1835 it became 2,000,000l.; in 1843-44 it amounted to 2,500,000l.; and in 1846-47 to 3,000,000l.; an increase of 1,200,000l. in the interval between 1832 and 1846-47. The sum of 3,000,000l. did not by any means represent the