CO882-(3-4) — Page 569

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

C.O. 882

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

50

No. 7.

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR F. NAPIER BROOME, C.M.G. to the RIGHT Honourable the EARL OF KIMBERLEY. (Received November 28, 1882.)

No. 521,

Government House, Mauritius, October 31, 1882. MY LORD,

ADVERTING to my Despatch, No. 519, by this mail, I have the honour to transmit, herewith, a second petition to Her Majesty the Queen, signed, as is stated, Indians, and others, praying for the addition of two by "about seven thousand unofficial members to the Council of Government, and objecting to the introduction of an elective element into the Council.

2. I have fully laid my views on the whole subject of constitutional changes in Mauritius before your Lordship in my Despatch above mentioned; and I have only a very few remarks to make upon this "counter petition," as it has been styled.

3. The third paragraph of the petition would appear to imply that the unofficial members of the Council of Government are overborne by the official vote in the conduct of the public business, that the official members are in the habit of voting under order in a compact body, and that the casting vote of the Governor is commonly used. In my previous despatch, I have shown that no such state of things, but the converse of it, really exists.

4. I venture to say that few, if any, of the Indians who have signed this petition could have had a clear understanding of the political questions involved.

5. Could the Indian population be made to comprehend what is going on, there can be little doubt but that they would declare, not only against elected members, but also against any addition to the officialt side of the Council.

6. I enclose, for your Lordship's further information, copy of the covering letter I have received from Mr. B. H. Colin, barrister-at-law, the promoter of this petition, together with copy of a paper of objections by the same gentleman to the first petition.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley,

&c.

&c.

&c.

I have, &c.

(Signed) F. NAPIER BROOME.

P.S.-I enclose some printed copies of the petition.

Enclosure 1 in No. 7.

To the QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY the humble petition of the undersigned, inhabitants of Mauritius, most respectfully showeth :

THAT the system of government which actually exists in Mauritius, does not, on a special point, give satisfaction to the inhabitants of the Colony.

The Legislative Council is actually composed of eight official members and of eight unofficial members. The Governor having the casting vote in case of equality of

votes.

The official members being, by their position, bound to vote always in favour of the Government, the unofficials find themselves in the utter impossibility of having any of their views carried out, when the officials object, owing to the casting vote of the Governor.

A petition has already been drawn up, by a number of inhabitants of this Colony, to the effect of asking that a partially elective assembly be granted by your Majesty, but your petitioners respectfully submit that such a system of government will either be dangerous or useless for this Colony.

The diversity of races and the want of education of the majority of the electors. will always be an obstacle to the selection of representatives offering the necessary guarantees for becoming members of the Legislative Council, and the greater part of the population must have thought so in a matter of less importance, otherwise they would have availed themselves of the Ordinance which ever since 1853, allows them an Elective Council for each district.

• No. 5.

† Sic, but quiere

"Unofficial."

It

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may be said that such a concession is not sufficient, but Your petitioners humbly think, that it would be but safe, to see how the District Councils, will work, before electors be allowed to send members to the Legislative Council.

There is also a fact, which is uncontroverted, namely:-that the population of this island is chiefly divided into two classes, the Creole and the Indian population.

Not only their wants, aspirations, and customs are not the same, but their interests are in a flagrant state of antagonism, and should the elective system be admitted in Mauritius, it is to be feared that only one class of the population will be represented, that is, the Creole population; for, owing to the high qualification proposed for electors by the above-mentioned petition, the Indian population, though numerically much larger than the Creole population, will not at present be able to send representa- tives to the Council, and unfortunately there does not exist between the two classes above referred to, such a feeling of solidarity as would entitle Your petitioners to believe that concord will always reign between them.

Besides the above-mentioned reasons, Your petitioners believe that such an elective system as the one proposed by the partisans of a partially elective assembly, will have no beneficial results, and will prevent the proper working of the Legislative Council by endless and fruitless discussions,-or. will take away from the Government all possi- bility of passing such laws, as may be necessary for the welfare of the whole population of this island.

Your petitioners think that either the unofficials are impartial, and take an interest in the prosperity of Mauritius, or they do not. In the former case, they can very well do what is right and proper without the assistance of elected members, for they are all persons of experience, and their independent position in society will be a great security for all the inhabitants, and also for the Government which has selected them.

If they are partial to the Government, it seems to Your petitioners, that ten elected members (as proposed in the petition asking a semi-elective assembly), will be of no avail, having the majority against them.

If they are partial to the elected members, the Government will lose all power to pass any such law as may seem necessary for the prosperity of Mauritius, and also for keeping the Colony in a state of union and concord, a thing which is most essential in colonies where the diversity of races may cause unjust prejudices to arise, and hostile feelings to exist between the inhabitants thereof.

Should the Government wish to have its views always carried out, it seems to Your petitioners that ten elected members will not have any influence in Council, for the Governor, having the right to select the ten unofficials (as proposed by the partisans of the elective system) would give the preference to those having the same opinions as the Government.

Your petitioners humbly believe that the Government runs no risk in increasing the number of unofficials, because the Governor, having the power to select them, will always continue to choose the wisest and most eminent persons of this community as members of the Legislative Council.

And for the reasons above set forth, Your petitioners firmly believe that the good will of the Government officials, assisted by the greater experience of men who have resided sufficiently long in Mauritius to know all its wants, and whose influential position has been the cause of their selection by Government as unofficial members of Council, will have most beneficial results, if only two more unofficial members be added to the number already existing.

SIR,

And as in duty bound

Your petitioners will ever pray.

Enclosure 2 in No. 7.

To His Excellency the LIEUTENANT-Governor of Mauritius, &o., &c., &c.

I BEG to send to your Excellency a petition addressed to Her Majesty and signed by a great number of Indians. If I had had more time I could have obtained more signatures and crosses, but wishing as much as possible to accept only those tastified by men I could rely upon, I have only been able to get about seven thousands

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