2nd August, 1855
Louis Brand Russell to Governor Sir John Bowring
2 memoranda.
N/10
Received:
Acknowledging dispatch No. 1 of 25th May, and suggesting reconstruction of the Councils of the Colony.
Mr. Bull. I should think Mr. Merivale's opinion would be valuable to Sir W. Molesworth on this subject. The question does not press for immediate discussion.
Sir W. Molesworth - I feel that it would not be convenient to discuss this scheme without the advantage of knowing Mr. Merivale's views. My first impression suggests several doubts.
The Maltese instance in our colonial constitutions is the only instance of a mixed council, official and elective, with a Government majority. It is that of Malta, where the numbers are 10 of the former to 8 of the latter. I cannot say the Malta Council seems to work particularly well, but it has not as yet interfered with any serious difficulty in the way of the Government of the island. But, after all, Malta is not locally a very reliable precedent for probable results in a colony of English origin.
On the whole, I should be disposed to try the experiment. But it seems to me that before