The West Indian Bundle of Sticks. 259 



from the time of the convening of the Conference u ion 

 fie New Guinea question, in 1883, to the common action 

 taken in 1889 in favour of granting Responsible Govern- 

 ment to Western Australia. There are unmistakeable 

 signs in South Africa that colonies and republics, both, 

 will ere long join hands, and the tendency thus to com- 

 bine forces will receive an impetus so soon as Natal 

 obtains Responsible Government. In the West Indies 

 alone, of the large groups of colonies, is there stagna- 

 tion. It is true that, in recent years, a Federal Govern- 

 ment has been invented for the Leeward Islands, and 

 that the Islands of St. Kitts and Nevis in that Govern- 

 ment have together been incorporated into one colony. 

 It is also true that Tobago has been tacked on to Trini- 

 dad, with the proviso that the revenue, expenditure, and 

 debt of each colony shall be kept distinct. The colonists, 

 however, have but little sympathy with these more or 

 less official arrangements, and, after all, something 

 stronger than red tape is needed to hold the Bundle of 

 Sticks together. An examination into the nature of our 

 West Indian Polity wi'l convince any thinking person 

 that the tendency of existing arrangements is to keep 

 the colonies apart, rather than to draw them together. 



When, in February, 1889, the present Governor of 

 Jamaica, set out from England for his Government, The 

 Times, supposed to be well-informed in matters 

 of State, described Sir HENRY BLAKE as Governor and 

 Commander-in-Chief of the West Indies. Were it not 

 for the blighted hopes of several worthy colleagues who 

 are awaiting promotion to their proper sphere and duty, 

 one would be inclined to express the hope that The 

 Times spoke prophetically. Far different, however, is 



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