whose population at the commencement of Her Majesty's reign was more than 8,000,000, and is now much less than 6,000,000. If the population of the Colonies fifty years hence, compared with that of Great Britain, will be greatly more than it now is, that of Ireland will be much less important; and yet there are statesmen whose dim mental vision is unable to peer through the haze of the dim and distant future, and who would despise the alliance offered by these great Colonies, and yet who, forming a distorted opinion of that which is near at hand, would tremble and yield if the people of Ireland should demand to be separated from the people of this country.

Sir W. L. DOBSON (Chief Justice of Tasmania): I feel I shall best consult the feeling of the audience, who have heard so many able speeches to-night, by foregoing my privilege of addressing them. I feel I could add but little to what has been said, and I will not tax by repetition an endurance which has already been severely tried.

The CHAIRMAN (the Right Hon. the Marquis of Lorne, K.T., G.C.M.G.): I shall imitate the Chief Justice in the example he has set, and make my words as few as possible in asking you to give a hearty vote of thanks to Sir George Bowen. I may say, for my part, I have never been at a Colonial Institute meeting which has interested me so deeply. We have not only had an able paper, but also an extremely interesting discussion. Too often we have gone on merely saying ditto to our neighbour, and not really had a threshing out of what must yet be considered really difficult and rather shadowy questions. I ask you to notice one important step in the direction of Federation, and that is that the Colonies are taking the initiative in the most practical manner by sending us their very best men. You would discover that from the speech of Mr. Graham Berry. The day when the Australasian Colonies would send to England a mere emigration agent has, I think, already passed. In Canada in the old days there was the same difference-almost distrust of her representatives-but that has also changed, and she sends us a representative not only to look after emigration and commercial matters, but who has a right to say to the British Government that he expects to be consulted in foreign affairs. Foreign Ministers and Colonial Ministers cannot be adequately instructed unless they have first-rate men from the Colonies to keep them up to their work. For the present there are two things we ought to ask the Government to do. The first is that they should accede to the request of the Canadian Government to establish in connection with the Pacific Railway a postal service

across the Pacific in ships that might be readily convertible into ships of war. They are ready to give us three or four steamers for a merely nominal sum-vessels that might be turned in time of war into formidable fast cruisers. In the next place, we ought not to let the Government put out of sight that question of the New Hebrides. I do not believe there is on the part of France an intention to violate treaties, but the semblance of such a thing is an evil. I move that we give our most cordial and hearty thanks to Sir George Bowen for his extremely interesting and able paper.

Sir GEORGE F. BOWEN, G.C.M.G.: I thank you sincerely for the kind expression of your feelings of regard which you have made in my favour. I assure you I shall always be most proud and most happy if any efforts of mine, either now or hereafter, succeed in attracting attention to this most important subject. We have heard many most able speeches to-night. Two of the speakers, I am proud to say, have been my Prime Ministers-Sir John Hall in New Zealand and Mr. Graham Berry in Victoria. Both generally endorsed my views, and I am sure you will be glad to see in that fact a striking proof of the excellent relations which exist between the representative of the Queen and the representatives of the people in these great Colonies. I have received to-day letters from statesmen of both parties, expressing the deep interest they feel in this question, and regretting their inability to be present, partly owing to the Whitsuntide holidays and partly to the stress of politics. I am sure we are all very glad to have had in the chair to-night Lord Lorne, a statesman who has had great experience as the Governor-General of the great Dominion of Canada. I am sure you will join with me in giving him a vote of thanks by acclamation.

CONFERENCES ON COLONIAL SUBJECTS

HELD IN THE

CONFERENCE HALL,

AT THE

COLONIAL AND INDIAN EXHIBITION,

By permission of the Royal Commission.