5 6 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



Bligh's friends. Bligh himself was doubtful of the expediency 

 of forming a Council, especially one with law-making powers. 

 " It would," he said, "require a very just and wise man to go 

 among them to form any code of laws." l John Blaxland, a 

 "gentleman-settler," made a somewhat similar proposal for "a 

 humane and enlightened Governor assisted by a Council ". 2 A 

 Committee of the House of Commons on Transportation, which 

 examined witnesses on the condition of New South Wales in 

 1812, also recommended the formation of a Council. 3 They 

 considered the power exercised by the Governor of issuing 

 regulations which might create new offences and assign new 

 punishments too great to remain in the hands of one man. It 

 had, they pointed out, already created dissatisfaction, and it 

 could not be expected that, however well exercised, it would 

 ever cease to do so. They proposed that the Governor should 

 retain a right to act contrary to the advice of his Council, but that 

 the dissentient members of the Council should in such a case 

 be entitled to protest, and to demand that their protests should 

 be transmitted to the Secretary of State. " The acquiescence of 

 the Council would give popularity to the measures of which it 

 approved, and its expressed approbation might have the effect 

 of checking such as were evidently inexpedient." 4 



This Report was sent to Macquarie in November, 1812. In 

 the covering despatch Lord Bathurst wrote that to this recom- 

 mendation " His Majesty's Government feel no disposition to 

 accede ". The Governor was to be left unfettered by a Council. 

 The difficulty of selecting suitable members, the discussions to 

 which their opposition to the Governor and their protest against 

 his conduct might give rise, the consequent formation of par- 

 ties, the long time which must elapse before decisions of the 



1 Evidence to C. on T., 1812. Bligh perhaps thought it better to leave things 

 as they were than to attempt to find such a Governor. 



2 Blaxland to Liverpool. H.R., VII., p. 230, 27th November, 1809. 



3 There is also an interesting paper of suggestions in the Colonial Office 

 Records for 1809, and printed in H.R., VII., p. 113, etc., written by a Mr. T. W. 

 Plummer and endorsed in Macquarie's handwriting. Plummer was probably the 

 friend mentioned in Macarthur's letters who was a merchant of London. He 

 proposed a Council for the Governor with legislative and judicial but not 

 executive functions. It was to consist of the Governor, three officials and two 

 magistrates elected by the inhabitants. The Governor was to have the power ot 

 overruling a majority of the Council. 



4 C. on T., 1812. 



