GREAT BRITAIN.


505


authority in the manner he proposed, and this is the 'part of the telegram
to which we
referred at the outset as not sufl xplicit. Mr. G  i- stone justly laid great
stress
on the necessity of our assuring ourselves on this point; but it is to be
presumed the
two commissioners whom he sent out have obtained sufficient information.
A letter
from our correspondent at Sydney, which we publish this morning, states that
these
gentlemen had issued a proclamation which was in Australia regarded as an
overture
from the British government. It announced that the desire of Great Britain
was for
the peace and prosperity of the country, if the King undertakes to govern
well; but
lie must rule well and with a righteous hand, and he was requested to consider
how
difficult this Will be when the elements of his dominions are so various
as they pres-
ently will be. His Majesty was asked to think well over the position, conferring
with
his people, and it remained to be seen whether they would prefer annexation
or native
rule.
  We have yet to learn whether this cession by the King was the result of
such a con-
ference with his people. If we were sure of the good-will of the mass of
the popula-
tion, one great anxiety would, no doubt, be removed; but unknown difficulties
might
await us in the internal administration of the islands, and we learned in
New Zealand
what can be the cost of misunderstandings with a native population. On principle,
moreover, we are most averse from any addition to our already unwieldy territories,
and there can be no doubt this country would rather avoid the annexation
if it could
do so with a due regard to our duty and our interests. The latter, perhaps,
will be
not unfairly balanced, so far as we are in a position to estimate them. But
the rela-
tion of the islands to the slave-traffic raises the gravest questions respecting
the obli-
gation entailed by our position in the Australian Seas, and it may prove
that we can
only fulfill this obligation by accepting the offer which has been so persistently
thrust
upon us.





                                  No. 303.

                          Mr. Moran to Mr. Fish.

No. 491.]                        LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
                             London, May 7, 1874. (Received May 19.)
   SIR: On the 4th instant Earl Russell delivered two speeches in the
 House of Lords, which have attracted a good deal of attention; one
 touching the present aspect of political affairs on the Continent, and the
 other abounding in terms of condemnation of the late government for
 having concluded the treaty of Washington. I forward herewith re-
 ports of these speeches, taken from the Times of the 5th instant, and of
 the reply of Lord Derby, as well as copies of the editorial comments
 upon the discussion made by the editors of the leading London journals
 in their issues of the 5tb and 6th instant.
   I also forward a copy of a letter which his lordship addressed to the
editor of the Times on the 5th, inclosing an extract from     Baron Hub-
ner's report of the alleged state of public opinion in the United States
in regard to the treaty.
   It is somewhat difficult to understand the real object of Lord Russell
in renewing discussion on the treaty at this time. So far he does not
appear to have obtained many converts to his views as to the assumed
state of public opinion in the United States in regard to the settle-
ment; but it is just possible that some newspapers friendly to him may
inoculate the minds of their readers with his notions, and thus revive
to some extent a feeling of dissatisfaction here in regard to the treaty
which had almost died out.           *         *         *         *
       I have, &c.,
                                                BENJAMIN MIORANO