As soon as the Colonial Secretary gave notice of resolutions to the effect that there should be one chamber, that the representatives should be reduced in number, and that six electoral circles should be established, each electing three members, a series of propositions equivalent to the abolition of the existing constitution-Mr. Molteno gave notice that he would move: That the time had come for the introduction of responsible government, and in his introductory speech clearly summed up the situation. He said:

That though the question had much ripened since he addressed the House four years ago, he would even now have been inclined not to bring it forward, but in view of the Government proposals to abolish representative institutions, he felt it desirable to place this resolution on the paper. The matter had been very thoroughly discussed in the press and in the country, and all agreed on the desirability of the introduction of responsible government, but hesitated to apply it. The east favoured it, but wished for terms; but the subject was one of good government for the whole Colony, and no party was to specially benefit by it. The present position was intolerable, and was admitted to be so by all parties, even by the Government, witness their scheme of improving matters; responsible government was the legitimate goal of representative institutions, the Colony did not wish to go back, but would go forward to reach this goal-other colonies had responsible government and prospered very well with it. Why should this Colony form an exception? During the thirteen years that representative institutions had existed they had not made any progress, and he saw no reason for waiting. What could they wait for? Another reason which gave urgency to the question was the withdrawal of the troops announced by the Home Government. He had opposed the Retrenchment Committee last year because he considered it would be powerless to do anything, if the Government refused to really work with it. When, however, the House decided to have such a Committee he did his best to make it a good one; but it was of no avail. The House passed resolutions, and the Government ignored them, and refused to carry them out.

Mr. Solomon supported the resolution, as did Mr. Rutherford, the leader of the eastern party; while Messrs. Wood

and Ayliff said they would prefer to give retrenchment a further trial, but would vote for responsible government in the succeeding year if a more satisfactory state of things had not been then achieved. A compromise had been suggested by the east, that the representation of the east and west should first be equalised, and that thereupon responsible government should be introduced. Mr. Molteno did not see his way to consent to this, for he held that the interests of the whole Colony would be legitimately represented in any ministry which might be formed; indeed no responsible government could be carried on unless the interests of the whole Colony were regarded, and the whole country took part in the administration. The easterns now voted against the motion which, though enjoying the support of all the leading members of the House, was lost by the addition of the Conservative vote to that of the east. The Government announced at a later stage that they would withdraw the resolutions in regard to the alteration of the constitution.

In this session Mr. Molteno again drew attention, in connection with the proposal to hand over the construction of the main roads to the Divisional Councils, to the serious fact that the Government had entirely ignored the resolution of Parliament passed in the preceding session, and expressed surprise that the Government had not carried out the resolutions of the House. A committee was appointed to return the Bill to the Governor as amended by the House.

Mr. Molteno now introduced a bill for reducing the sentences on persons convicted of stealing cattle, from the minimum of three years, and for giving a larger jurisdiction to magistrates for dealing summarily with small offences. The Attorney-General again attacked Mr. Molteno, accusing him of the desire to repress crime by making punishment lighter. Mr. Solomon opposed this Bill, but the House was thoroughly with Mr. Molteno in his efforts to obtain a

workable measure and one which would not throw an undue burden on the country. The second reading was eventually carried without a division.

In dealing with the speech of the Colonial Secretary upon the budget, Mr. Molteno stated that there was as much taxation as the country could possibly bear, and further that the revenue was large enough to meet all the legitimate demands of a proper administration of the country. The cost of such administration must be brought within the

revenue.

He spoke strongly against the Paper Currency Bill as a dangerous experiment without any compensating advantages. The Attorney-General immediately arose, and attacked Mr. Molteno as usual, concluding by saying that he quite agreed with the hon. member for Beaufort as to retrenchment, and, waving his hand round the House, invited the members to lop off the estimates by reducing the cumbrous machinery of Parliament.' For this improper statement he was immediately rebuked by Mr. Solomon, the concluding portion of whose speech will help to explain the unfortunate position of affairs existing between the Executive and the Parliament :

The Attorney-General had suggested that they should 'lop off the cumbrous machinery of Parliament,' and that the country called for this change. The Hon. Attorney-General knew nothing of what the people wanted or the feeling of the country on this point. How could good feeling exist between the Government and the Parliament when the Executive, or some member of the Executive, lost no opportunity of sneering at the representatives of the people, and making remarks which were offensive to the Parliament and to the country? When officials came to this country with strong feelings against the Colony, and against its best institutions, these remarks caused a bitterness of feeling between the Government and the people, which made it impossible for things to go on smoothly, or for the relations between the Government and the Parliament to be at all comfortable. He would advise the Attorney-General not to listen to everything that was whispered in his ear about the Parliament and the people of this country. No people in the world,

wherever representative institutions existed, so far as he knew, gave them up or suppressed them, or suffered them to be taken from them, except by force as the consequence of a revolution, and he would be sorry to believe that the colonists of the Cape of Good Hope were willing to forego their rights as British subjects and give up their parliamentary institutions at the dictation of any

man.

The principal objections, in fact, to responsible government were three in number. The first was the departure of the Imperial troops, looked upon as certain to follow upon its advent: this was now to take place in any event. The next argument was the difficulty of placing native policy in the hands of a Colonial Legislature. This was an imaginary difficulty, for subsequent experience has shown that there was no danger in so trusting the care of the natives to a Colonial Parliament. With responsible government came a new interest in the civilisation and development of the natives, the valuable effects of which were attested by Lord Carnarvon himself.1

From necessity, if not from choice, a Colonial Legislature was aware that it was impossible without a force entirely beyond their means to treat the natives unjustly. It was reserved for the Imperial representative, Sir Bartle Frere, to make his famous declaration, that no chief should be permitted to survive his pro-consulship, and no native to carry arms. The further objection which was urged, and urged strongly in the east, was that with the present majority of representation in favour of the west, the east was not likely to get fair play if responsible government were now introduced.

The conflict between east and west was maintained during this session, a resolution being proposed that the Parliament should be summoned in the eastern province, and that the seat of Government should be at some more

'As will be found later, the natives themselves sought annexation to the Cape in very large numbers after the introduction of responsible government.

central place than Cape Town. Mr. Solomon and Mr. Molteno opposed these resolutions successfully.

The condition of the country remained one of extreme depression; the population was emigrating, a large relief fund was collected for those in distress, soup kitchens even were opened, and a large amount of charity dispensed to the unemployed. Such was the stagnation due to the political troubles brought about by an unsympathetic and unenterprising Government.

But little occurred in the succeeding session of Parliament in 1868. It was the expiring session of the Parliament-both Houses were dissolved upon its prorogation, and a general election took place in April in the succeeding year.

The sole questions before the electors were those of responsible government and equalisation of revenue and expenditure without fresh taxation. A number of new members were elected to this Parliament who subsequently became prominent in the politics of the Cape. Mr. Merriman was returned for Aliwal North, and Mr. Sprigg for East London; Mr. Solomon failed to be re-elected for Cape Town, while Mr. Rutherford had refused to stand. To compensate for the loss of Mr. Solomon, Mr. Molteno, now more prominently than ever the leader of the House, was supported by Mr. Porter, his closest personal and political friend.

The most important announcement in the Governor's speech was connected with the state of the finances, which had now become very serious. The revenue had totalled 564,8677., while the expenditure, estimated at 645,3781., totalled 656,1737., while for the current year the revenue was estimated at 615,000l. and the expenditure at 666,000l. To meet the current expenditure temporary loans had been raised. The deficiency was to be met by an income tax of 3d. in the pound. The country received the proposal for an income tax with indignation; they considered that the course