d to our
dominion countries which, like the East Indies, have been conquered by
the sword, countries, like the West Indies, which, however acquired, are
occupied by races enormously outnumbering us, many of whom do not speak
our language, are not connected with us by sentiment, and not visibly
connected by interest, with whom our own people will not intermarry or
hold social intercourse, but keep aloof from, as superior from
inferior--to impose on such countries forms of self-government at which
we have ourselves but lately arrived, to put it in the power of these
overwhelming numbers to shake us off if they please, and to assume that
when our real motive has been only to save ourselves trouble they will
be warmed into active loyalty by gratitude for the confidence which we
pretend to place in them, is to try an experiment which we have not the
slightest right to expect to be successful, and which if it fails is
fatal.

Once more, if we mean to keep the blacks as British subjects, we are
bound to govern them, and to govern them well. If we cannot do it, we
had better let them go altogether. And here is the real difficulty. It
is not that men competent for such a task cannot be found. Among the
public servants of Great Britain there are persons always to be found
fit and willing for posts of honour and difficulty if a sincere effort
be made to find them. Alas! in times past we have sent persons to rule
our Baratarias to whom Sancho Panza was a sage--troublesome members of
Parliament, younger brothers of powerful families, impecunious peers;
favourites, with backstairs influence, for whom a provision was to be
found; colonial clerks, bred in the office, who had been obsequious and
useful.

One had hoped that in the new zeal for the colonial connection such
appointments would have become impossible for the future, yet a recent
incident at the Mauritius has proved that the colonial authorities are
still unregenerate. The unfit are still maintained in their places; and
then, to prevent the colonies from suffering too severely under their
incapacity, we set up the local councils, nominated or elected, to do
the work, while the Queen's representative enjoys his salary. Instances
of glaring impropriety like that to which I have alluded are of course
rare, and among colonial governors there are men of quality so high that
we would desire only to see their power equal to it. But so limited is
the patronage, on the other hand, w