COLONIES AND THE MOTHER COUNTRY. 255 



contrary, a remarkable democratic advance was made. Eecognizing 

 that though 'politics lie outside the profession of merchants' (as the 

 Swedish and British governments deerared), yet trade is eminently 

 within their scope, the restored monarchy set up a Council of Trade 

 and Plantations, of whose forty members twenty were elected repre- 

 sentatives of the five merchant companies and the incorporated trades. 

 But there was ever a tendency, at least under the despotic rule of the 

 Stuarts, to revert to the privy council, and in 1674 a standing com- 

 mittee of it was appointed Lords of the Committee of Trade and Plan- 

 tations. The change appears to have been unimportant. Trade still 

 governed the committee and shaped its policy. 



The Board of Trade set up in 1696, rather by the House of Com- 

 mons than by the Ministry, marked the more popular character of the 

 revolution of 1688, and lasted for ninety years. As if foreshadowing the 

 despotic character of the English reaction against the greater French 

 revolution, this board was abolished by an act introduced by the chief 

 reactionary — Edmund Burke. A committee of the Privy Council for 

 Trade and Plantations was in 1786 again resorted to, and this committee 

 in a shadowy manner survived (perhaps it still survives) till 1849, when 

 it was for the last time summoned by Earl Grey. But the real adminis- 

 tration of the colonies had long been in the hands of a department of 

 state, directly responsible to Parliament, though it was still a department 

 that dealt with other affairs as well. Specialization began in 1702 by the 

 colonies being assigned to the Secretary for the Southern Department. 

 In 1768 a separate department with a secretary was created for America, 

 where almost all of the colonies were then situated. After the loss of 

 most of the American colonies the new department was abolished in 

 1782. The colonies were then annexed to the home department. In 

 1794 the newly created war department nominally included the colonies, 

 though these were not actually united with it till the Committee for 

 Trade and Plantations ceased to act, seven years later. In 1854 a 

 separate colonial department, with an independent secretary of state, 

 was finally created.* 



As there were twenty-three secretaries in forty-one years, it will 

 be readily understood that the practical work of administration re- 

 mained with the permanent officials. With a longer tenure of office, 

 previous training and thorough mastery of details, they held all the 

 threads of colonial administration in their own hands. A newly- 

 appointed minister, with little knowledge of the colonies and no ac- 

 quaint; nee at all with the business of his department, was no match 

 for an x perienced officer who had colonial affairs at his fingers' ends. 



*T!u- historj of the relations between the in>VHrnni< nt of Great Britain and her colonies will 

 be found M many books, but best in Mr. EKt-rmii's comprehensive survey of British colonial 

 policy. 



