PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
MC.O. 885
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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14.
The AGENT-GENERAL FOR QUEENSLAND to COLONIAL OFFICE,
SIR,
Queensland Government Office,
1, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, London, S. W., May 31, 1886.
I HAVE the honour to hand you herewith, for the information of Earl Granville, a copy of a letter which I have received from my Government on the subject of the administration of New Guinea, together with a copy of its enclosures, consisting of a memorandum by the Honourable S. W. Griffith, Premier of Queensland, and a copy of a letter transmitting it to the other Australasian Governments.
I have, &c. (Signed)
The Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Downing Street.
JAMES F. GARRICK,
Agent-General.
227
In order to facilitate future negotiations, and to enable them to be conducted, if necessary, by telegraph, I propose to send a copy of the memorandum to the Agent- General for Queensland in London.
I have addressed a similar communication to the Governments of each of the other Australasian Colonies.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
SIR,
Enclosure in 14.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Brisbane, April 2, 1886.
I HAVE the honour to inform you that on the 30th ultimo I sent you a telegram, of which the following a paraphrase.
"I have sent to-day to the Australasian Colonies proposals on the subject of the administration of New Guinea. They are substantially the same as suggested by your Despatch of the 31st of December.
"I have proposed, by Order in Council upon the constitution of the Colony, to exclude from the control of Queensland questions of the deportations of natives, and the trade in liquors, arms, and ammunition, and to prohibit the purchase of land, except from the Government. Despatch follows by mail."
I have now the honour to enclose for your information a few copies of my memo- randum upon the subject, and a copy of a letter transmitting it to the Australasian Governments.
The Hon. J. F. Garrick, Q.C., C.M.G.,
SIR,
Agent-General for Queensland,
1, Westminster Chambers,
Victoria Street, London.
I have, &c. (Signed)
S. W. GRIFFITH.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Brisbane, March 30, 1886.
I HAVE the honour to enclose, for the consideration of your Government, a memorandum, in which my colleagues concur, upon the question of the future administration of the affairs of British New Guinea.
In the event of the proposals now made commending themselves to the Govern- ments of the other Colonies, with or without modification, it will be necessary to submit the scheme for the consideration of Her Majesty's Government, when, if it meets with their approval also, the sanction of the Legislature of this Colony inust be sought for the "Permanent Appropriation Act, which forms an essential part of the proposal.
Having regard to the time that has already elapsed, and to the extreme desirability of bringing the question of the future administration of the territory to some definite issue without further delay, I venture to ask from you the favour of a reply at your earliest convenience, in order that the necessary preliminary negotiations may be completed in time to enable the Government of this Colony to deal with the matter during the ensuing session of Parliament.
MEMORANDUM.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Brisbane, March 30, 1886.
There can be no doubt that the present position of affairs with reference to the British Protectorate in New Guinea is eminently unsatisfactory, and, having regard to the time that has elapsed since the proclamation of the Protectorate, and to the action already taken by the German Government with respect to the German territory in that island, some definite proposal seems to be called for on the part of the Australasian Colonies.
2. Lord Derby's Despatch of the 9th of May 1884, after referring to the resolutions adopted by the Sydney Convention of 1883, proceeded to state that Her Majesty's Government were disposed to think that there should be a High Commissioner or a Deputy Commissioner, with large powers of independent action, stationed in or near the eastern coasts of New Guinea, and that he should be furnished with a steamship and with a staff sufficient to enable him to exercise protection in the name of the Queen over those shores; that the cost of this arrangement could not be accurately esti- mated, but that if one or more Colonies would secure to Her Majesty's Government the payment of the sum of 15,0001, during the year ending June 1885, they would be prepared to take immediate steps for establishing the High Commissioner's jurisdiction. Very shortly after the receipt of this Despatch the required guarantee was given by all the Colonies, and the Legislature of Queensland passed an Act making permanent appropriation of the proportion to be borne by that Colony.
3. On the 15th of October 1885, Lord Augustus Loftus was informed by telegram that Her Majesty's Government had decided to assume the Protectorate over a portion of the southern shores of New Guinea and some of the adjacent islands, and shortly afterwards Commodore Erskine was instructed to take, and did take, the necessary steps to give effect to this decision.
În a circular Despatch of the same date, Lord Derby stated that he hoped very shortly to address to the Governors of the Colonies a further communication in regard to the measures which would have to be taken to render the Protectorate effective.
4. On the 31st of October 1885, a further telegram was despatched to Lord Augustus Loftus stating that Her Majesty had approved of the appointment of the late General Sir Peter Scratchley as Special Commissioner for the Protectorate; that Her Majesty's Government thought it desirable that the contributing Colonies should appoint members of a Council of Advice in Australia to assist him; that the Admiralty recommended the purchase of a steamer in England for the Commissioner, at an estimated cost of 16,000l. or 18,000/.; and that the 15,000l. guarantee would apparently have to be considerably increased; and the Colonies were asked to say whether they would agree to be represented in the proposed Council, and whether they would double their contribution for the purposes indicated.
5. The Colonies, however, deferred any defiuite expression of opinion upon these proposals until the receipt of further information as to the intentions of Her Majesty's Government.
6. Up to this time it had, I believe, been understood by all the Colonies that the undertaking" to defray in proportion to population such share of the cost of giving effect to the resolutions of the Convention as Her Majesty's Government, having regard "to the relative importance of Imperial and Colonial interests, might deem fair and "reasonable," had been accepted in the same sense in which it was offered, and that Her Majesty's Government would, upon the guarantee of the Colonies to make such payment as might be asked, undertake to do all that was necessary to give effect to the action determined upon.
It was therefore, I think, a source of some surprise when, upon receipt of the circular Despatch of 19th November 1885, announcing General Scratchley's appoint-
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