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WEDNESDAY, API-IT- 80toX$f$j
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Why Lord LoftuM Is Coming.-
It iB gratifying to know that Lord
Loftur is coming to New South Wales
with a clearly defined object. Tho high
reputation which his lordship has earned
"dnnng-'liiH 7 long tenure of office at St."
Petcrabarg and.elsewhere, should:suffice
to make lu'b coming- to any of Uio colonial
dependencies of. the . Empire a cause of
congratulation. . As ambassador at the
i Cjsar's capital for nearly ten .years,. Lord.
J-fjirt?sJhas. hail:a /trying iuid arduous
"rouHil,p_f duties to fulfil, and.it would bo
hard'io estimate iiow'roiieli the nation ib
''indebted'to lrini for the faithful: Borvices
which, an' alarmingly unsettled
tim_,liiayo.lind;no other.end than __(enco.'
Wo'mny_""in'tlib absence of any jiroof to
the conii-afy, ! nssumo ' that our coming
Govcrnor-iii-Chicf is regarded by lii'b
snpcrjjrs a*;? ;,and on tliis
assumption his choice for the special
.-. ?mission., above, ..alluded to. is .in no ] way
antegenis'tib to bur (ideas [of: Uiefitncs? of
..'things*'.'-"-Tliis'"'mission is, 1 according to
the London -correspondent of the Afel
boiinie -Age, to bring about the federa
tion of.the .Australian colonies. Wo do
not know—wo have no means of knowing
,-?; —who, tbo gciillcmnii is to whom wo are'
. indebted for this explanation of an
appointment which some have thought
savour's' little of promotion, niid Ilia
assertions must therefore bo taken for
what they are worth. Wo will let him
speak for himself. He says :—
'... "The appointment,of Lord A, Loftus te
the position of Governor of New South "Wales
has caused a great deal of commont in poll*.
. tjcal circles. It was thought for some time
that : Pope Hennessey would haro been the
fn-ourecl man. for it is no secret that ho Is
is one of-the favourites of Lord B-Hconsflcld.
But it was feared that Mr. Hennessey'would
scarcely bo strong enough for thu plncc, and
that his tnleuts forgetting into hot water
with his advisers and with tho colonists woro'
. not quite tho qualifications necessary In tho
ndmialstrntlonsof tho affairs of Now South
Wales. Lord Adam Loftus is n veteran
diplomatist, has up to tho present been in
..charge., of a ilrst-olass embassy, that of St.'
Petersburg*, and although not of such high
rank as your own Governor is perhaps tho
raost'dlstingulshad man who over accepted
the position of v colonial pro-consul, always
excepting Lord Dufferin. It Is whispered
that Ix-rd Loftus would not have, entered
upon a new caroer had it not been that ho
will bo sent to Now South Wnlos In order te
- carry out a distinct policy,- that of bringing
about tbo federation of tho Australian
colonies. About tbo merits of tho scheme,
nhd'tho changes which aro necessary before
It con bo brought about, you are bettor judges
-linri'l'can bo. ! But I think there is very
little doubt that Lord Loftus would not have
loft Kuropo if it had not beon Intended that
ho should play n very different and much
mora distinguished role than that of his
prodocossors. '* ....-,.-,
There'is something attractive, not to say
'fiiHcinuting, about tho idea of forming
'the United States of Australia, after the
. pattern, way, of tho Grout Republic, with
republicanism loft out. But wo fenr tho
? day that will see that dearest .wiah of
somu eminent men, our late Governor,
for example, curried into effect,, will be
. beyond the span of years allotted to his
lordship, our coming Governor, and
ninny less distinguished people. Thoro
iM nn unexpressed . feeling evidently
imbuing the minds of colonists through
out nt least the principal part of this
continent, thnt the several colonies have
not been Huflk-icntly long in the eiijoy
numt of separate and irresponsible exist
ence as regards each other 'to make
federation n thing very much to be
desired. Willi most of them division,
rather than unity, seems to bo the pre
vailing idea. Internal evidences of
much diflfcrenco_ of thought nnd senti
ment and interests nro not wanting, and
tho apostles of federation will ho moro
likely to see tho desired fruit of their
preaching wlion there is more unity in
tho colonic- ns individual ntntes. There
are ninny questions which they nro
nimbi." to decide by the light of their
collective wisdom now, nnd we can
hardly expect theso will ho more easily
solved when Hie governing power is more
remote from the reach of each class of
disputants. In Now (.otith Wales we
have, bo, far, failed to master tbo lands
question ; electoral roform has been
talked of for n decade and more to no
purpose ; the prineiplo of local self;
government is yet fnr from having been
generally espoused by our rulere nnd
legislators ; tho education question is an
open ono Btill; and oven finance lias
never : yet been considered as amongst
the things thoroughly understood. In
Victoria protection rages, whilo free trade
?is -a settled ?prineiplo in Now South
Wnles.. In tho former colony a dispute,
surrounded by curious and unique cir
cumstances, lias'been going on between
tho two branches of tho Legislature for
years, and land difficulties nboimd thero
also. New South Wales is falling out
in her; Legislative circle's, too v and tho
two Houses woro perhaps never.moro
divided than at tho present time.. We
-leod-not look at tho state, of iuTnira in
the. minor, colonies, though wo know thnt
in Now Zealand 'there are internnl
troubles for which nny amount of federa
tion could scarcely bo bold to promiso a
cure. .'???? ? _?",
.We aro not now prepared.to argue the
point as to whether theso' vari-iis diffi
'.ulliosaro the result of the nbsencc of
federation in the past, or whether it 1b
owing solbly to youth and incxporienco
that thoy. havd nrison, and thnt thoy still
remain.- Orio thing, howover, is toler
ably certain, namely, thnt all tlie colonies,
will continue to show a desire to ncquiro
.more, experience in tho art, of self-'
and to sottlu those -various
domestic questions which now absorb tho'
attention of their sovcral political circles,
boforo they consent to mako n*:.rial of
tho bonolits likely to accrue froni their
erection into a confederated empire.
We boliovo that federation is desirable,
and will ultimately be agreed upon, but
at pre?ont there seoins ao little hope of
bringing it about that tho question
arises n? to whether wo should not show
groator wisdom by dovoting our time to
the consideration and completion of .less
remote objools.
Tho additional letter receiver near tho
Courthouse is likoly to be k groat couvonii
coco ft \h% public,
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