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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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REPERNIC.O. 882

4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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rivales. Il n'y a pas de raisonnement qui puisse aller contre ce fait; c'est une vérité d'économie politique à la portée de toutes les intelligences.

Quant à moi, ma crainte n'est pas que les indiens manquent d'électeurs actuelle- ment, mais seulement que leurs électeurs ne sachent point se servir de leurs bulletins de vote, ce qui aurait pour eux le même effet. Dans ce cas le système électif appliqué à Maurice ferait descendre notre colonie au niveau politique de la Réunion et nous verrions se reproduire ici les hontes électorales dont le correspondent de "l'Argus" nous a fait une si écœurante description. Nos futurs courtiers d'élections sont désignés d'avance: ce sont les batchiaras.

Une dernière réflexion et je termine: Quelques journaux ont répété à l'envi que la séance du Conseil qui a eu lieu le 29 Décembre dernier, sera à jamais mémorable. Oui, elle sera mémorable, mais en ce sens qu'on aura vu pour la première fois des Conseillers renommés pour leur sagesse afficher une indifférence presque dédaigneuse pour une décision rendue par un éminent Secrétaire d'Etat, après une longue et patiente délibération; ressusciter de vieilles légendes ensevelies dans l'oubli et les jeter A la foule émerveillée comme des vérités historiques; donner à une population qui ne s'en doutait pas l'assurance qu'elle avait des griefs accumulés et que sa loyauté envers la Couronne était ébranlée; et enfin, représenter des Gouverneurs qui ont été pour la plupart nos amis et auxquels nous avons donné à l'heure de la séparation des marques publiques de notre estime, comme des hommes durs et injustes. Il ne manquerait plus pour compléter le tableau qu'une conversion subite de Lord Derby, suivie d'une dépêche dans laquelle Sa Seignerie nous informerait que, séduit par les beaux discours prononcée, il avait ouvert les yeux et qu'il reconnaissait maintenant que le système électif était celui qui offre le plus de garantie pour la protection des intérêts religieux et matériels d'une population composée d'Anglais, d'Ecossais, de créoles d'origine Française, de créoles d'origine mixte, de créoles d'origine malgache, de créoles d'origine Africaine, d'Indiens d'origine mixte, d'Indiens de Calcutta, d'Indiens de Madras, d'Indiens de Bombay, d'Indiens de Coringhy, d'Arabes et dé Chinois !

J'ai l'honneur d'être, etc,

No. 12.

C. ANTELME.

GOVERNOR SIR J. P. HENNESSY, K.C.M.G., to the RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF DERBY. (Received February 22, 1884.)

(No. 46.) MY LORD,

Government House, Mauritius,

January 28, 1884.

Ar the request of the Honourable C. Antelme, C.M.G., I transmit another letter he has addressed to your Lordship on the debate in the Council of Government respecting the constitutional reform question.

2. Mr. Antelme seems to repeat his doubt as to whether full freedom of discussion should have been permitted at the meeting of Council on the 29th of December. He thinks the debate should have been confined to the single question whether the addition of the mayor and the two presidents “would be acceptable to the Council."

3. No doubt Mr. Antelme's colleagues argued on a wider basis, and dealt with the question whether your Lordship's proposals would be acceptable to the people of Mauritius, and in doing so they referred, not unnaturally, to what they believed to be the wishes of the people and the real wants of every class in the community.

4. Sir Virgile Naz also entered fully into the question whether appointments to the Council should be for life or for five years, and favourable references were made to the possible nomination of an Indian member.

5. But if Mr. Antelme looks again at your Lordship's Despatch he will see that it was not the very limited question of whether the introduction of the mayor and the pre- sidents would be acceptable to the Council that the Despatch refers to, but I am instructed by your Lordship, after consulting the Council of Government, to express my opinion as to whether the concessions would be "beneficial and acceptable to the people." Some of the details referred to by Sir Virgile Naz were also specially pro- posed for consideration by your Lordship.

6. With reference to what Mr. Antelme says as to the voting on the second resolu- tion, I may mention that one of the officials who voted against it communicated to me his subsequent change of opinion, consequent, as he said, on a full consideration of the

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amendment introduced by Mr. Beyts. He informed me, therefore, that if the resolution as amended were again proposed he would vote for it.

7. The perusal of Mr. Antelme's letter will show that I was right in assuming in the 9th paragraph of my Despatch No. 306, of the 29th of December 1883,* that even he is not inclined to accept your Lordship's proposale as the best solution of the question.

8. I observe that in his letter he avoids all reference to the opinions of the com- munity.

I have, &c.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Der

&c.

&c.

&c.

J

(Signed)

J. POPE HENNESSY.

Enclosure in No. 12.

Port Louis, Mauritius,

MY LORD,

HAVING been unable on account of illness to attend the meeting of Council

January 26, 1884. which took place on the 29th of December last, when the only question to be discussed, in conformity with your Despatch, should have been to ascertain whether the addition of the mayor of Port Louis and the presidents of the Chamber of Commerce and Agri- culture would be a concession which would be acceptable to the Council, I respectfully beg permission now to submit my opinion on the subject to your Lordship.

cannot see any serious objection to the admission of the mayor of Port Louis into the Council during his tenure of office, provided the sum allowed to him annually for

frais de représentation" be really spent and not converted into a sort of salary to live upon, as is now often the case in this Colony.

I have no objection also in principle to the adjunction to the Council of the pro- sidents of the two chambers above mentioned, but I beg to remark that commerce and agriculture are already fully represented in Council.

In point of fact several of the unofficial members of Council are proprietors of sugar estates or members of local boards of sugar estates companies, or shareholders of such companies.

At the same time the interest of commerce is represented in the Council by the Honourable Mr. Ferguson, manager of the Oriental Bank Corporation, and by the Honourable Messieurs Fraser, Adam, and Ambrose, who are members of three of our principal commercial firms in the Colony.

Looking to these facts, I am inclined to think that it would be better that the Governor should name two gentlemen of education, experience, and some scientific knowledge, than to leave the selection of two members to the two chambers.

The late Doctor Icery, who died last year, belonged to the medical profession and possessed great scientific acquirements, and on this account was very useful both in committee and in Council when we had under consideration questions concerning the public health and the sanitary condition of the Colony.

Before concluding, I beg to call the attention of your Lordship to the fact that were it not for the bad state of my health which prevented me from attending the meeting of Council on the 29th of December last, and the absence of the Honourable Trotter, Protector of Immigrants, now on a mission to India, the majority in favour of adding seven elected members to the Council would have turned into a minority.

The Honourable Trotter is one of the gentlemen who signed the letter I addressed to your Lordship last year to deprecate the idea of introducing an elective element into our Legislature, an opinion which was shared by the then Lieutenant-Governor and developed by him in his able Despatches.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Derby,

&c.

&c.

&c.

• No. 9.

G 4

I have, &c.

(Signed) C. ANTELME.