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4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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the members should be changed at the rate of two 8 year. Compulsory retirement by seniority might deprive the Council, for a considerable space of time, of the services of its ablest members, who could not be replaced in this small community. Renomina- tion of the whole body of the unofficial members every five or seven years would give the Governor an opportunity of offering a seat to any man of talent and moderation, who enjoyed the confidence of his countrymen, but who had not heretofore attained to the Council; and it would allow any members (I do not say that there are such now in the Council) who were feeling the weight of years or of ill-health, whose private affairs had become engrossing, or whose opinions had ceased to command general confidence, an opportunity of retiring. Such a change would, in fact, give the unofficial side of the Council the advantage now only enjoyed by the official side, namely, the introduction of new blood, every now and then. Our councillors, I am happy to say, are a very robust and healthy body of men, and death vacancies amongst them but
· seldom occur. On the official side, the promotions and absences on leave of officers cause frequent changes, which, as well as new faces, bring new ideas; and new ideas are often of advantage. I consider that this change in the constitution of the Colony would be beneficial, would tend to satisfy the legitimate ambition of rising colonists, and would be appreciated by the public.
28. Respectfully submitting to your Lordship's judgment my views on this important question.
The Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley,
&c.
&c.
&c.
I have, &c.
(Signed) F. NAPIER BROOME.
P.S.-I enclose printed copies of the petition, and of an English and French version* of the Report annexed to it.
Enclosure 1 in No. 5.
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on Friday SUMMARY Report of the Meeting held in the Hall of the "Union Catholique
the 6th October 1882, this meeting having for its object, to approve and procure Signatures to a Petition to Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, in order to obtain a reform in the Constitution of Mauritius.
As regards the number of persons present, I estimate it at something over 700. There were, roughly speaking, 20 rows of chairs in the hall, and in each row there were from 18 to 20 seats all occupied. There were also a number of persons at the sides of the hall, in the verandah and in a room behind the hall. Other persons present estimate the number of people present at 1,200, as they say there were 600 seats and about as many persons stood up.
With respect to the description of people present, I consider it was one of the most respectable meetings I ever attended in Mauritius, and I think it is fairly entitled to the character of a representative meeting.
There were present a number of persons whose faces were familiar to me, but whose names I have forgotten, as for the last six years I have seldom been in Mauritius for A8, two months at a time. I mention this to explain why I give so few names. however, the great majority signed the petition before leaving the meeting, the signatures will give a very good idea of the class of persons present. I believe the first 13 sheets of signatures are the signatures of those who signed at the meeting, with perhaps a few exceptions.
Note. I have since learnt that these sheets were circulated after the meeting, and that many persons signed them who were not at the meeting, so that the signatures on these sheets are no guide as to the persons present at the meeting.
There were three members of Council who attended, viz., Sir V. Naz, the Honourable L. Raoul, and H. Adam.
Among the barristers, I may mention L. Rouillard, W. Newton, G. Guibert, M. Brown, J. Jenkins, C. Newton, L. de La Faye, B. H. Colin, A. Sauzier, H. Lemiére, Y. Jollivet.
Among the attornies were H. Leclezio, J. Guibert, E. Laurent, J. Mercier, F. Robert, G. Roenig, P. Lastelle, F. Simonet, A. Commarmond, J. Bouchet, J. Elie, G. Giraudeau, T. Herchenroder, W. Hewetson, G. Newton, A. Rolando, C. Russet, E. Sauzier, H. Thatcher, A. Boullé.
* Not printed.
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The following notaries were present: Messrs. Montocchio, Deslongrais, L. A. Geffroy, E. Baissac.
Among the landed proprietors, I noticed Messrs. Portal, Jaufret, Vuillemin, Geffroy, E. de Chazal, G. B. Guimbeau, J. Wiehé, the two Dupins, Darifat, J. Constantin, A. Fabre, A. Aubin, P. Wilson, Eug. Leclezio.
The following brokers were there: Messrs. Regnard, Rondeau, Boulé, Ferran. Hourquebie, Lagane, Montocchio, Rampal, Robinson, Sauzier, Virieux, Basset.
Among the general public I may mention, Messrs. Lavoquer Ferguson, Ambrose, Chamney, Estelle, Poupard, Dr. Edwards, F. Rault, Rougé, Suquet, Elias, A. Mallac, Dupin, Hitié, Anderson, de Coriolis, Noël, F.-Mallac, Portal, Hazlitt, Léonce Raoul, D. Spéville, A. Maillard, C. Daruty, J. W. Lemière.
There were a good many notaries and attorney's clerks in attendance, and a fow Arabs, but an almost total absence of what may be called the lower orders. There were very few, if any, members of the Civil Service. As far as I could judge, the great majority of those present took interest in the proceedings, and I doubt if many were present through mere curiosity. Shortly after the time fixed for the meeting, the building was crammed. When Mr. Newton entered he was loudly applauded. Mr. G. Robinson
Mr. J. Jenkins was also cheered, but not in so marked a manner. proposed that the Honourable L. Raoul take the chair, and that the office bearers take their seats on the platform. This motion was carried amid considerable applause. The office bearers were the Hon. L. Raoul, having on his right the Hon. H. Adam and L Rouillard, who was appointed secretary. On his left were Messrs. P. Ambrose, Newton, Guibert, and Lavoquer. The Hon. L. Raoul opened the proceedings in a short and temperate speech. He traced the history of the present movement which began, he said, on the 7th July last, by a public meeting, at which a Committee was named, who in their turn appointed a sub-committee, which after examining the matter in all its bearings, drew up a full report, and framed the petition now about to be submitted to the meeting. The chairman, the Hon. L. Raoul sketched our present constitution, which, he said, began in 1831. It consisted of a Legislative Council having been originally composed of seven official and seven inofficial members. He explained that at present there were eight of each, but the Governor has a casting vote, thus, even if all the inofficials were of the same opinion, which was not always the case, the Government could command a majority, and therefore the inofficials were powerless to pass a measure that might be opposed by Government, or prevent the enacting of a law, which the Government might wish to impose on the Colony, although in the one case the measure might be much needed, and in the other case mischievous. He alluded also to the power which Her Majesty had of passing, by way of " Order in Council," any measure she might think proper, so that, in point of fact, we were under an absolute Government, but Mr. Raoul admitted frankly that this absolute Government had been modified by the liberal spirit that had always pervaded the English adminis- tration, and in particular the finances had been managed with order and in an honest manner. He stated that the Colony had, no doubt, progressed very considerably, but this was due, not so much to the actual system of Government and the present Legislative Council, as to the fertility of the soil, the excellent geographical position of Mauritius, and the energy and industry of its inhabitants. Mr. Raoul thought the time had come when the Colony should have more control over its own destinies, and the present imperfect and defective Constitution pass away. This sentiment was loudly applauded. Mr. Raoul maintained that a nominee Council could not act with the same independence as an elected one, and he alluded to the fact that some time ago the Colony had been calumniated and measures passed which were a disgrace to our Legislation. The remedy for this state of things he considered to be the introduction of an elective element into the Council. He explained that the Committee in drawing up the petition had only asked for reasonable reforms, and for a limited franchise and not universal suffrage. He then addressed himself to combat the fear of what he called the "Spectre Asiatique." He maintained that there was really no fear that we should be overwhelmed by the Indians as far as elections were concerned. He argued that those Indians who were qualified should be placed on the electoral roll, and be allowed to vote. (This sentiment was received with considerable applause). Mr. Raoul wound up by saying that progress was the law of modern society, that we could not stop it, and that if the Creole element did not take the lead it ought to take and assist in the political emancipation of the Indian population in a just and temperate manner, D 3