365 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Qua i, iS M . 
idand into Electoral Dist'ii's, w th' ut 'lie Queen's 
commands ; and up t) the p esent moment, no such 
alteration in the consiituti iu > f the Co'inci has hi en 
suggested, much le-s urged up n hi u by address or 
petition, from any section of ihe community. 
4. Indeed it must be obvious to every refle ting 
mind, that the difficulties a' tending the change, if 
seriously contemplated, can ha dly be over-rated. 
The trui rrinci les of R presentaive and R.-spo ei- 
ble Government ca no* i e introduced into a Colony, 
the p.ipulati n of which consists of six or eight 
hundred European sett ers —a small, though intelli- 
Rent, cla-s of Bureheis, — mil two millions of Cingba 
lese, Tamils and Mo^v u u, equ il to th Bar pens 
in al legxl rights. I n; wh lly unacsustonied to the 
working of a con.i.i utional system. 
5. In such a community, the C own must It n 1 hold 
the balance between conflicting interests, if ord r is 
to be prise ved, — legislation iiu parti lly con ueted, 
—and capital app'ied t p rposes of gene al improve- 
ment. BesiJ s — even amongst, th Europeans, there 
is no large prop ietary c!a s. with lei.-urc and moi ■ 
to devote to public affairs All are men of bus*ni*SB 
a'l look to England >s their home, and seek to 
Bhorten the peri d of thoir absence by incessant ex- 
ertions—and under the ci cum lances though the 
Governor is far from sajing that ch nge is impossible, 
it is evident 'hat it must le gradual, and cautious. 
6. The first step was that which has been alien dy 
taken, by substitui ing real for virtual Represents 
whe^e there was a body, like the Chamber ol < om- 
merco, or the Planters Associ lijn, to exercise the 
privilge ; and it wou'd be unfortunate if, at a time, 
when the Presidencies of India are striving to arrive 
atsomething lik ■ the same extent < f elf-governm ut. 
that exists in Ceylon, the European residents here 
should repudiate this right because ihe sacrifice o' lime 
t at must be made to public duty, trenches largely 
upon the more pressb g demands of private business. 
7. The G-vernor is aware, f.om former proceedings 
of the Association, that other reasons have been 
assigned for the reluctauce evinced, at the present 
moment to accept the olfic of a member of the 
Legislative Council. It wou'd Lava been a more 
manly and digivfied course, had these rea-ons been 
assigned at the time when they are supposed to havs 
occurred, or at all events, befoie the complainant left 
the island — and if just cause ot offence had been 
given Bis Exce ieney would have been the first to 
express his regret for it. But i hough, in a sma'l 
deliberative assembly there may be gin lemeu of 
such very delicite susceptibi ities as to lake umbrage 
at marks of assent or dissent, occuring in ihe course 
of debate, wh'ch no man. however high his position, 
would find fault with in the House of Commons, Hs 
Exc llency can affirm, unbesita'ing y, af er a long 
experience in public life, that there are few p'.aces 
where a man ol good business habits, and clear head, 
carries more weight, tlian in the Legislative Council 
of Ceylon, or may combine more fiiendly relations, 
with his official colleagues, with the firn.est asser- 
tion of his own independence. 
8. His Exce leucy appeal with < onfider.ee t> the 
amount of useful work done in the last fo ir years, 
and to the expre-sions of satisfaction, which ic has 
elicited from Merchants, Planters and Natives, to 
shew that the system cannot be a ve y bad i ne, 
that has produced so much unanimity. A-y change 
however, that can be suggested in the standing ord rs 
of the Council, tending to expedite he work of ihe 
Session, or to enable me nbeis to originate bill , — 
not being money bills, — for these must follow the 
same rule as in England, — shall have His Excellency's 
willing consideration, and he trusts t at, aftor these 
explanations, both the Planteis' Association and the 
Chamber of Commerce will feel that their own credit 
is concerned in the proper working of the system, 
under which they live, and that if they wish to e tend 
popular rights, "the best course wib be to make so 
good an use of the power that they have, as to 
shew the policy of increasing it. 
I lave the 1 oi our to l e, Sir, 
Yoar n < st obedient servant, 
(Signed) J. Bailey, Asst. Col. Secy. 
Ami further in a second letter from the Colon- 
ial Secretary it was stated : — 
"It wa->to Mr. Wall not to the Planters' Asso- 
ciation that His Excell-uc) lefcrrcd iu 6a ing 
that it would have b -en a more mail y, and d gniHtd 
course to have expressed his dis Mfiliirliin when 
the cause of complaint occurred, instead of rescr\ ing 
it for a time when bis departure lrom < eylon len- 
dered reply or e*plau ti n, in possib e. It certanl. 
never entered into the Goveruei's mind nfter CM ding 
the proceedings at the last net-ling, to my that t e 
members, who took part in i , had not been sufficiently 
' outspoken'; njr. I am directed to assure jou 
did t eir ' candour '' leav beh.nd the least i.np.easaut 
impression. 
This led to a reconsideration of their position 
by the planters and, accordingly, Mr. Tytler, 
Major H. Byrde, Mr. A- Niool and Mr. H. J. 
Corbet accepted the post in rapid rooceaaion. 
Before Mr. Wall's return to the Colony, Sir 
Henry Ward had left for Madias and died 
there to the deep regret of all who knew 
him. For his successor in Ceylon we got a very 
different type of man in polished, scholarly, but 
inert Sir Charles 1 acCartby. In I'M Mr. Wall 
(v ho had returned from home, married a second 
time, iu 1861,) once ngaiu entered Council as 
Plan ting representative. 
RETURN To TH li LEGISLATIVE council IN 1S63. 
The writer's first acquaintance with the Legisla- 
tive; Council and with the subject of this notice as 
a public man began about the >unie period, 1803. 
The times were stirring, not to say exciting, in 
a political sense. The coflee industry was in the 
full flow of prosperity : t lie Railway bo Sandy (of 
the successful issue of which Mr. Wall had always 
been, and continued, sceptical) was properly com- 
menced iu February of this year through a respon- 
sible contractor (Mr. W. F. Faviell) ami under the 
direction of a competent Engineering Stall' headed 
by Mr. (now Sir) Guildford Moleswortli ; but the 
roads throughout the planting districts and those 
to the sea-horde bail got into a frightfully neglec- 
ted state. This was due to the niggardly policy of 
Mr Colonial Secretary W. C. Gibson who could not 
bring himself to 1 elieve that the coffee prospeiity 
which brought him an overflowing exchequer was 
going to continue, and who therefore declined year 
after year, to elite 1, in the estimates, the full 
amount of the votes deemed necessary by the 
head of the Public Works Department. It was 
only, indeed, by going to the Governor direct 
and interesting him personally, that Major 
Skinner seemed a vote tor his new load from 
Balaugoda to Haputale, in express opposition to 
the Colonial Secretary. And yet in the one 
year ISC:-!, there was a .surplus of 112,145,960 out 
of a total revenue of R9, 527, 900 ; while in the 
five years (1801 ft), no less than million of mpies 
accumulated as surplus revenue which could u t 
be touched without the express pe> liii.-sion i f 
the Secretary of State. The consequence was 
that in 1S04 Mr. Cardwell swooped down and at one 
stroke of his pen appropriated various considerable 
