conversation; avoid the mention of any one whose career might be influenced by the Baron's retirement; and talk of him less as a human being than as an institution that is destined to endure as long as the British constitution."

"I wish it was a woman-if it was only a woman I had to deal with, the whole affair might be deemed settled."

"If you should be able to do anything before the mail goes out to-night, perhaps you will inform

me," said Pemberton, as he bowed and left the room. And these are the men they send over here to administer the country!" muttered he, as he descended the stairs

"such are the intelligences that are to rule Ireland! Was it Voltaire who said there was nothing so inscrutable in all the ways of Providence as the miserable smallness of those creatures to whom the destiny of nations was committed."

Ruminating over this, he hastened on to a nisi prius case.

As Colonel Cave re-entered his quarters after morning parade in the Royal Barracks of Dublin, he found the following letter, which the post had just delivered. It was headed, "Strictly Private," with three dashes under the words :

"Holt-Trafford.

"MY DEAR COLONEL CAVE,-Sir Hugh is confined to bed with a severe attack of gout-the doctors call it flying gout. He suffers greatly, and his nerves are in a state of irritation that makes all attempt at writing impossible. This will be my apology for obtruding upon you, though perhaps the cause in which I write might serve for excuse. We are in the deepest anxiety about Lionel. You are already aware how heavily his extravagance has cost us. His play-debts amounted to above ten thousand pounds, and all the cleverness of Mr Joel has not been able to compromise with the tradespeople for less than as much more; nor are we yet done with demands from various quarters. It is not, however, of these that I desire to speak. Your kind offer to take him into your own regiment, and exercise the watchful supervision of a parent, has relieved us of much anxiety, and his own sincere affection for you is the strongest assurance we can have

that the step has been a wise one. Our present uneasiness has, however, a deeper source than mere pecuniary embarrassment. The boy -he is very little more than a boy in years-has fallen in love, and gravely writes to his father for consent that he may marry. I assure you the shock brought back all Sir Hugh's most severe symptoms; and his left eye was attacked with an inflammation such as Dr Gole says he never saw equalled. So far as the incoherency of his letter will permit us to guess, the girl is a person in a very humble condition of life, the daughter of a country doctor, of course without family or fortune. That he made her acquaintance by an accident, as he informs us, is also a reason to suppose that they are not people in society. The name, as well as I can decipher it, is Lendrich or Hendrich - neither very distinguished!

"Now, my dear Colonel, even to a second son, such an alliance would be perfectly intolerable-totally at variance with all his father's plans for him, and inconsistent with the station he should occupy. But there are other considerations—too sad ones, too melancholy indeed to be spoken of, except where the best interests of a family are to be regarded, which press upon us here.

The last accounts of George from Madeira leave us scarcely a hope. The climate, from which so much was expected, has done nothing. The season has been unhappily most severe, and the doctors agree in declaring that the malady has not yielded in any respect. You will see, therefore, what a change any day may accomplish in Lionel's prospects, and how doubly important it is that he should contract no ties inconsistent with a station of no mean importance. Not that these considerations would weigh with Lionel in the least: he was always headstrong, rash, and selfwilled; and if he were, or fancied that he were, bound in honour to do a thing, I know well that all persuasions would be unavailing to prevent him. I cannot believe, however, that matters can have gone so far here. This acquaintanceship must be of the very shortest; and however designing and crafty such people may be, there will surely be some means of showing them that their designs are impracticable, and of a nature only to bring disappointment and disgrace upon themselves. That

Sir Hugh would give his consent is totally out of the question-a thing not to be thought of for a moment; indeed I may tell you in confidence that his first thought on reading L.'s letter was to carry out a project to which George had already consented, and by which the entail should be cut off, and our third son, Harry, in that case would inherit. This will show you to what extent his indignation would carry him.

"Now what is to be done? for, really, it is but time lost in deploring when prompt action alone can save us. Do you know, or do you know any one who does know, these Hendrichs or Lendrichs-who are they, what are they? Are they people to whom I could write my self

or are they in that rank in life which would enable us to make some sort of compromise? Again,

could you in any way obtain L.'s confidence and make him open his heart to you first? This is the more essential, because the moment he hears of anything like coercion or pressure his whole spirit will rise in resistance, and he will be totally unmanageable. You have perhaps more influence over him than any one else, and even your influence he would resent if he suspected any dominance.

"I am madly impatient to hear what you will suggest. Will it be to see these people? to reason with them to explain to them the fruitlessness of what they are doing? Will it be to talk to the girl herself?

"My first thought was to send for Lionel, as his father was so ill, but on consideration I felt that a meeting between them might be the thing of all others to be avoided. Indeed, in Sir Hugh's present temper, I dare not think of the consequences.

"Might it be advisable to get Lionel attached to some foreign station? If so, I am sure I could manage it-only, would he go? there's the question-would he go? I am writing in such distress of mind, and so hurriedly, too, that I really do not know what I have set down, and what I have omitted. I trust, however, there is enough of this sad case before you to enable you to counsel me, or, what is much better, act for me. I wish I could send you L.'s letter; but Sir Hugh has put it away, and I cannot lay my hand on it. Its purport, however, was to obtain authority from us to approach this girl's relations as a suitor, and to show that his intentions were known to and concurred in by his family. The only gleam of hope in the epistle was his saying, 'I have not the slightest reason to believe she would accept me, but the approval of my friends will certainly give me the best chance.'

"Now, my dear Colonel, compassionate my anxiety, and write to

me at once-something-anything. Write such a letter as Sir Hugh may see; and if you have anything secret or confidential, enclose it as a separate slip. Was it not unfortunate that we refused that Indian appointment for him? All this misery might have been averted. You may imagine how Sir Hugh feels this conduct the more bitterly, coming, as I may say, on the back of all his late indiscretions.

"Remember, finally, happen what may, this project must not go on. It is a question of the boy's whole future and life. To defy his father is to disinherit himself; and it is not impossible that this might be the most effectual argument you could employ with these people who now seek to entangle him.

"I have certainly no reason to love Ireland. It was there that my cousin Cornwallis married that dreadful creature who is now suing him for cruelty, and exposing the family throughout England.

"Sir Hugh gave directions last week about lodging the purchasemoney for his company, but he wrote a few lines to Cox's last night-to what purport I cannot say-not impossibly to countermand it. What affliction all this is!"

As Colonel Cave read over this letter for a second time, he was not without misgivings about the even small share to which he had contributed in this difficulty. It was evidently during the short leave he had granted that this aquaintanceship had been formed; and Fossbrooke's companionship was the very last thing in the world to deter a young and ardent fellow from anything high-flown or romantic. "I ought never to have thrown them together," muttered he, as he walked his room in doubt and deliberation.

He rang his bell and sent for the Adjutant. Where's Trafford ?"

asked he.

"You gave him three days' leave

yesterday, sir. He's gone down to that fishing village where he went before."

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Confound the place! Send for him at once-telegraph. No-let us see his leave is up to-morrow?” "The next day at ten he was to report."

"His father is ill-an attack of gout," muttered the Colonel, to give some colour to his agitated manner. "But it is better, perhaps, not to alarm him. The seizure seems passing off."

"He said something about asking for a longer term; he wants a fortnight, I think. The season is just beginning now."

"He shall not have it, sir. Take good care to warn him not to apply. It will breed discontent in the regiment to see a young fellow who has not been a year with us obtain a leave every ten or fifteen days."

"If it were any other than Trafford, there would be plenty of grumbling. But he is such a favourite!"

"I don't know that a worse accident could befall any man. Many a fine fellow has been taught selfishness by the over-estimate others have formed of him. See that you keep him to his duty, and that he is to look for no favouritism.”

The Colonel did not well know why he said this, nor did he stop to think what might come of it. It smacked, to his mind, however, of something prompt, active, and energetic.

His next move was to write a short note to Lady Trafford, acknowledging hers, and saying that Lionel being absent-he did not add where-nothing could be done till he should see him. 'On to-morrow-next day at farthest-I will report progress. I cannot believe the case to be so serious as you suppose: at all events, count upon me."

"Stay!" cried he to the Adjutant, who stood in the window awaiting further instructions; "on second thoughts, do telegraph. Say, 'Return at once.' This will prepare him for something."

.

THE future historian of the British Empire will find it a hard task to justify the dealings of the mothercountry with her colonies during the past half-century, or to trace in their sequence the smallest thread of consistency. The West Indies, long defended with British blood and treasure, and raised to the utmost height of wealth and prosperity, were ruined by our own decree, and thrown back into poverty and barbarism at the cry of an ill-ordered philanthropy. The Ionian Islands, held by us as the trustees of Europe, and steadily improving under a firm enlightened rule, were roused by the fatal gift of a democratic assembly into discontent, thenceforward to be made so chronic as to weary us into presenting our ungrateful dependency to an insolvent neighbour, ready to extend the dominions which he cannot protect. The local disputes of Canada were fomented by our chronic neglect and want of precaution into a rebellion. Our Western American settlements were abandoned, where chiefly worth the keeping, to the demands made by Yankee cupidity without the shadow of a legal claim. The vast territory of the northern portion of that continent has been bound over, term after term, as the hunting-ground of a company of fur-traders, to the injury of the adjoining colonies and the exclusion of our own emigrants. And yet these form but a part of the problems which present themselves to the inquirer who proposes to examine fully the connection of Great Britain and her dependencies; for other not less striking instances of weak and vacillating policy arise to make him doubt whether the boasted enlightenment of the age has advantaged our empire as a whole, whether our rulers have ever fully understood the responsibility which attaches to

VOL. XCVII.-NO. DXCVI.

England as the nursing-mother of rising nations.

Much of the uncertainty which has defaced our policy is undoubtedly due to the fact of the actual distance of the colonies from the mother-country. It is difficult, indeed, to raise in any nation a feeling of strong interest in countries which the vast majority never expect to see; and it requires more public virtue and disinterestedness than have of late been seen in our government, to cause the ministry to attend to questions, the dexterous dealing with which will neither strengthen their hands directly, nor add to their popularity. The neglect of Indian affairs, and avoidance of Indian debates, by the House of Commons, is so notorious as almost to justify the present Cabinet in leaving their conduct to one "to whom heaven has denied the gift of plain speech;" and a similar difficulty usually besets the Colonial Secretary who would bring to light the intricacies of the petty wars and internal disputes of the scattered empire over which he presides. Yet this sort of national selfishness must be a reproach in the eyes of strangers, and is not very pleasant to regard with our own; and the ignorance of the wants and wishes of the younger members of our great family which it implies, has led us into more than one great difficulty, and lost us many a glorious opportunity.

We are about to take the special case of New Zealand as an illustration of these remarks. In tracing its past history briefly, it will be seen how much a vacillating and uncertain policy on the part of the Imperial Government has to do with the present difficulties. It will be shown also that, in laying out the future of her colony, Great Britain cannot with any justice evade her own share

3 D

of the responsibilities which attach to her self-assumed position as guardian of the mixed races at the antipodes. Finally, in examining the recent events, it will appear that the sudden change of system lately adopted, is one of sound rather than substance, and that the solution of "the native question" is by no means brought near by it, as a great portion of our press has too hastily assumed.

Our first connection as a state with New Zealand dates from the year 1833; but before that time a very considerable English population occupied certain parts of what now forms the province of Auckland. Church missionaries, and those of the Wesleyan body, had long been established among the native tribes of the north, and by dexterous dealing with the chiefs, and giving them practical proofs of the value of the white man's arts, had occupied a tolerably secure position, even amid the constant tribal wars, which, from time immemorial, had formed the chief occupation of the Maori race. But side by side with this civilising element-and with all their weak points, no unprejudiced person who knows the history of New Zealand will deny that the missionaries did much to raise the status of the native there grew and increased a lawless population of the worst type of the European desperado. A mixture of runaway sailors, wandering ex-convicts from Sydney, and petty colonial traders, were dispersed along the rivers and harbours of the Northern Island, having succeeded the original "Pakeha Maori," or adopted single white man of the native tribes. At the first these immigrants had been accustomed to pay toll to the chiefs on their profitable bargaining with the rest of the tribes; and as trade with Australia increased, and whalers in greater numbers came in for supplies, they acted as middlemen between their former protectors,

grown more greedy of gain than ever, and the ship-captains or supercargoes. Many of these gentry had left the adjacent colonies, because preferring the good old rule of the strongest hand to the modern innovation of a Court of Queen's Bench; and as a class they were wont to repay themselves for discreditable subservience to the chiefs by insolence and violence towards the weaker natives and unprotected Europeans. Firearms and gunpowder had been lately introduced by them in large quantities; and a series of desolating wars, beginning in the north about the year 1825, and conducted by the tribes first armed with their new weapons, had sent a wave of slaughter and conquest throughout the country, resulting in a diminution of the population from which the race has never recovered.

From the first the interests of these two elements of New Zealand society-the missionary and the adventurer-were directly opposed, and in their existence may be traced the germ of the contending opinions between which the action of the Home Government has hung indecisive. The one desired the security of British law; the other wished for nothing less than the trammels of civilisation which they had already fled from. But as might be expected, the complaints of the missionaries and the more peaceable members of the community of the lawless nature of the society which surrounded them, at length took effect with the Governors of Sydney, who had always held the affairs of New Zealand as falling within the limits of their commission; and the first step was taken towards the assertion of a British protectorate by the appointment of a Resident at the Bay of Islands in the year before-mentioned. The independence of the natives was, however, acknowledged for the six years that followed; and it was not until much pressed by local representations of the neces