10
présento! On ne peut aimer deux mères; ma mère, c'est la France ! L'Angleterre, c'est ma mauvaise belle-mère; je la tolère, et je suis disposé à lui rendre justice quand elle le mérite. Elle aurait pu, elle qui est violeuse par essence, et qui se torche avec les traités qu'elle a signés, nous imposer un joug pesant, nous martyriser: elle ne l'a pas fait! Elle s'est même souvent montrés large envers nous et c'est pourquoi au lieu de la haïr, je me contente de ne pas l'aimer ! Beaucoup cacheraient ces sentiments; moi je les affiche !
Si l'Angleterre était demain matin attaquée par une nation autre que la France, je prendrai le fusil pour la défendre. Mais si c'était avec la France qu'elle se battait, tous mes vœux iraient à la France, à la plus noble de toutes les nations, au peuple dont le sang coule dans mes veines! Et qui oserait trouver à y redire? Seuls les imbéciles et les êtres hybrides nés du hasard et qui n'ont ni sentiment, ui âme, ni patrie | Et l'Anglais lui-même, le bon Anglais, le véritable Anglais, l'Anglais digne de l'être, m'approuverait et me respecterait!
Car l'Anglais vraiment Anglais est patriote, et, étant patriote, il comprend que le sang ne perd jamais ses droits et qu'il parle toujours et qu'il est fer de toujours parler!
Cela est une réponse définitive à ceux qui nous traitent de renegats et de traitres !
On ne peut renier que cé qu'on avait adoré et reconnu ! Or, je n'ai jamais reconnu l'Angleterre comme ma patrie d'élection, encore moins l'ai-je jamais adorée 1
Pour les mêmes raisons, je ne puis la trahir, en n'approuvant pas le crime qu'elle a commis froidement et avec calcul !
Que ceux qui croient lui tout devoir se prosternent devant elle! Moi je respecte l'Angleterre quand elle fait bien et je vais même jusqu'à souvent la louer ! C'est tout ce que je puis faire pour elle! Si elle avait toujours été pour moi et pour mon pays ce qu'elle eût dû être, puisqu'elle s'était, sans notre consentement, substituée à notre véritable mére, peut-être aurait-elle eu en nous des sujets plus attachés, des partisans plus sincères! Elle est donc la première coupable. Toutes les amours qui lui sont faites par un clan qui veut capter ses faveurs, sonnent faux, et si elle était un peu plus perspicace, elle le comprendrait! Je regrette d'avoir laissé parler mon âme, car il est des vérités qu'il vaut mieux garder pour soi; mais il ne fallait pas m'échauffer la bilo: j'espère, cependant, que je n'aurai jamais a revenir sur ce pénible sujet !
29485
No. 4.
LUDOVICUS.
11
French or English, but Creole, a patois which is incomprehensible to many members of the Government. They could not follow the debates nor could they understand many of the arguments put forward, even if they were explained to them.
7.
It would follow, therefore, that an Asiatic Member of Council would be led by someone or other of the Europeans members, and the probability is that his presence in the Council would merely have the effect of adding to the influence of the legal gentleman who in business matters was employed to advise the firm.
8. There is no doubt that the Asiatic Community are slowly but surely pushing the old Creole population to the wall, and that sooner or later the Constitution will have to be modified to meet the new conditions. But that modification will not, I think, be in the direction of giving the Asiatics, whether educated or uneducated, repre- sentation in Council. It will be rather in the direction of reducing the proportional strength of the elective element.
9. The Government as it now exists is quite strong enough to protect Asiatic interests should they require protection, and there is no need for immediate change. But I deprecate the direct representation of Asiatics in the Council as being more likely to lead to political impurity than to improve the present system.
10. It is a deplorable fact that many of the public servants carry their grievances and their petitions to the elected members, and frequently aid the elected members in their efforts to increase the public expenditure in the interests of individuals. But this tendency would tend to something worse if public servants were expected to con- trol the duty levied on goods imported by Asiatic firms who enjoyed the prestige of representation in the Council of Government.
I have, &c.,
GRAHAM BOWER,
Officer Administering the Government.
ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. CHAMBERLAIN. (Received September 8, 1900.)
[Sent in original to Sir C. Bruce for observations, September 14, 1900, 29485: not printed.}
(Secret.)
SIR,
[Answered by No. 6.]
Government House, Mauritius, August 6, 1900.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your secret despatch of the 29th June, inviting an expression of my views as to the expediency of appointing a representative of the Indian Community to the Council of Government.
2. The question of the representation of the Indian Community was incidentally mentioned in the 4th paragraph of Sir Charles Bruce's secret despatch of the 25th June, which crossed your despatch now under acknowledgment. In that paragraph Sir Charles Bruce dealt with the question of lowering the franchise, and not with the question now put to me, which refers to the appointment of a nominated member. The two questions are distinct, but I think it well that before replying to the present question, I should express my concurrence in Sir Charles Bruce's views respecting the lowering of the franchise.
3. I have not had the advantage of discussing the present suggestion with Sir Charles Bruce, and I would ask that this despatch, which merely contains my personal opinion, may be referred to him for consideration and report before any final judgment be formed on the subject.
4. But I may say that, in my judgment, there are practical difficulties in the way of carrying out your proposal and that I doubt whether it would work well in practice. 5. I have had a list prepared at the Customs, of the twelve most important Asiatic firms in Mauritius, and it will be noticed that of these twelve six are Mahom- medan, two are Hindoo, and four are Chinese. These three sections of the Asiatic Community are very jealous of one another, the feeling between the Hindoos and Mahommedans being at times very strong. It would be impossible, therefore, to select individual from one of these three races which could be said to represent all three. 6. But the difficulty does not end there. The representatives of these firms in Mauritius are not men of education or standing. They do not, as a rule, speak either
any
17531: not printed.
• No. 3.
Enclosure in No. 4.
List of most important Indian and Chinese Merchants.
M.-Aga Abdool Rassool. H.-Aroomoogum, V. & Co.
C.-—Achim & Co.
M.-Ajam G. Hossen & Co. C.-Anhu Koron & Co. C.-Attime Changpen & Co. M.-Hajee J. Hajee Ahmed. M.-Hossein Cassim.
M.-Issop Mamode Sulliman. M.-Saboo Sidick & Co.
H.-J. Valaydon & Co.
C.-Attoy Cham Koo.
Note.-M. stands for Mahommedan; H. for Hindoo; and C. for Chinese.
30324
SIR,
No. 5.
SIR C. BRUCE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received September 17, 1900.)
[Answered, October 29, 1900: 30324 : not printed.] ` ·
Arnot Tower, Leslie, Fife, September 15, 1900.,
i
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th instant,* transmitting, for my observations, a despatcht from the Officer Administering the Government of Mauritius, relative to a proposal to appoint a representative of the Indian Community to the Council of Government.
* 29485: not printed.
† No. 4.
10402
BJ
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
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6 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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