CO882-(4-5) — Page 105

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

C.O. 882

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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18. As the story was confirmed in another quarter, I asked the despatch clerk if Mr. Lloyd had made use of the official code to send a message to Downing Street. He said something of the kind must have happened as Mr. Lloyd had sent for the code book (he was then not attending the office), and that afterwards an account was sent in for a telegram; that a few days before Mr. Lloyd left Mauritius he called for the minute paper, which had been duly registered, containing the account; that it was cancelled by his directions, and the cost of the telegram paid for by him. On then calling for the register book I found that the minute paper in question, though no longer in existence, had been duly registered. The register précis referred to a telegram from Mr. Clifford Lloyd 10" Chapelries-London," that being the code phrase for "The Secretary of State for the Colonies

; but the register book made no further reference to the contents of the telegram.

19. When I accepted a Colonial Governorship in 1866, I was aware, from my previous avocations, that certain regulations were in force by which a Governor is protected from unanswered accusations. Those regulations are still in existence. They are to be found in section 6, chapter VII., of the Rules of the Colonial Service, and, in accordance with them, I beg leave to ask you for a copy of the telegram in question.

SIR,

The Right Hon. Edward Stanhope, M.P.,

&c.

&c.

&c.

No. 51.

I have, &c.

(Signed) J. POPE HENNESSY.

Sia J. POPE HENNESSY, K.C.M.G., to THE RIGHT HON. EDWARD STANHOPE, M.P. (Received February 9, 1887.)

Mauritius, December 28, 1886.

In your letter of instructions to Sir Hercules Robinson, of the 29th September 1886,* sent to me for my information in your despatch of the same date,† no mention is made of religion, nothing is said about any inquiry into religious differences, or how far the Governor could be charged with creating religious animosity. Never- theless, a large number of witnesses were questioned by Sir Hercules Robinson on this subject.

2. As you will see by the minutes of evidence, he sometimes put leading questions to the witnesses, implying that I had created religious differences.

3. Most of those witnesses were the minority of English officials who had brought charges against me of unduly favouring the Mauritian population, of supporting, as one of them, Mr. Clifford Mayer, put it, "the general population;'

" a batch of witnesses that were all Protestante, except Mr. Didier, who, though born in France, described himself as *

belonging to the English party," and, though born a Roman Catholic, "bringing up" (as he states in his evidence) "his children Protestants."

4. My immediate predecessor describes Mauritius in his despatch of the 18th of April 1881,‡ as "this Roman Catholic Colony."

5. According to the last census, the Roman Catholics number 108,000 and the Protestants 8,000, the former number including nearly all the landed proprietors and professional men.

6. In 1883, I found eight official members in the Council of Government; of these, two were Roman Catholics, and six were Protestants.

7. When I opened the new Council in 1886, there were 12 official members, and of these three were Roman Catholics, and nine were Protestants.

8. What could have been the system of Government that gave this preponderance, in the higher appointments, to those who professed the religion of the minority? How has this system affected the mutual attitude of the two religions? How has it affected the relations of the Roman Catholics to the Government ?

9. I shall not answer those questions myself, but I shall call official witnesses not less impartial, perhaps, and, in positions not less responsible, than the witnesses examined by the Royal Commissioner.

10. In the same month in which he tendered his resignation of the Governorship of Mauritius, Sir Arthur Gordon put on record his experience of the system by which the local government attempted to anglicise and proselytise the Colony, and in what way

↑ Not printed.

• No. 24.

↑ No. 28.

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some Mauritians were taught to attain to the higher appointments. I enclose for facility of reference a copy of his despatch of the 4th April 1874, on this subject.

11. In summing up the information he had obtained in the course of his admini- stration, Sir Arthur Gordon said:-

A more

"On the conquest of the island, the maintenance of the Roman Catholic religion was guaranteed to the inhabitants by the articles of capitulation. For many years subse- quently, the fact that the island was Roman Catholic in religion was fully recognised, liberal and tolerant spirit pervaded the administration, and, so far as I can learn, a good understanding existed between the clergy of the two churches.”

"After a time, however, it seems to have been thought expedient by the Local Government to attempt to anglicise and Protestantise the island.

The gentle pressure of the manifest convenience of its adoption, would, I believe, have done much to promote the use of English, and constant association with those of another faith would probably have insensibly loosened the bonds of the Roman Catholic creed; but it was a great mistake to attempt to effect these objects by more direct means. intolerant spirit naturally succeeded. On the one hand, the Roman Catholic religion, the French language and French manners, were cherished as badges of nationality: on the other, the Roman Catholic Church, instead of being recognised as the pre- vailing religion of the country, was treated as a tolerated sect, to be repressed and checked; the Government schools, if not made, at least became, engines of proselytism, and converts to Protestantism attained a favour which those who adhered to their religion locked for in vain. In connexion with this, it is worth remarking that almost all the Natives of the island who hold any considerable office under Government are Protestants, members of Roman Catholic families. I do not say their change of religion has gained them their appointments, but I do not hesitate to say they would not have attained them, had they retained their original faith."

12. He then describes, as an illustration, what took place in the Seychelles, a dependency of Mauritius, some years before, and he adds:

*It is difficult to credit such bigotry as that which I have described, as existing little more more than 20 years ago; but the same spirit is still at work here. Everything allowed to the Roman Catholic Church is, by not a few, looked on as a concession for which they ought to be very grateful; and the facts are ignored that it is practically the Church of the People, and that we bound ourselves to maintain it at the conquest of the island."

13. Sir Arthur Gordon was succeeded by Sir Arthur Phayre. He retired from the administration of Mauritius in December 1878, and, like his predecessor, he also summed up, for the information of Her Majesty's Government, the experience he had gained, in four years, of the state of religious parties and the attitude of the higher Government officials to the Roman Catholics.

14. In his despatch of the 5th of December 1878,* Sir Arthur Phayre said: "I cannot fully express my views on this point (the supposed hostility of a certain official to the Roman Catholics) without referring generally to what may be called the state of parties, Catholic and Protestant, in this island. On my first arrival, it struck me that there was a very strong anti-Catholic bias among the inembers of the Civil Service in the higher appointments who were Protestants. This was shown in various ways in points of administration, sometimes unconsciously, as if the usual official practice was being followed; and in some, as the distribution of the amount payable to missionary clergymen under the despatch of the Secretary of State, and even payments under Ordinance 54 of 1844, in what appeared to me not merely prejudice but downright injustice. I only refer to these matters in order to explain as regards Mr.

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that if he had any bias against Roman Catholics, he only participated in the feeling which existed among his superior officers.

Though I am of opinion that the action of what is called the Protestant party' in Mauritius has shown great prejudice on their part, and a repressive tendency (resulting, I presume, from all the higher Government officials being Protestants) towards Catholics, as far as that could be exercised, I do not mean to state that the prejudice is all on one side. Certainly the Catholics have been hitherto very moderate, and have rather suffered aggression in silence than made any outward show of resistance. It appears, however, that the Union Catholique' has determined to attack the principle on which the Government schools are based. This will be seen in the Rapport sur les écoles primaires,' issued by the Council of the Union' in October last. I beg to enclose a printed copy thereof. This is not the time to remark thereon, but if I were

• Not printed.

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