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THE FOUNDING OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA.


persons who acted with him in the committee were not influenced by any pecuniary motives; their sole object was to do a thing which they agreed in thinking was fraught with public benefit. He then adverted to the large powers which were asked for the trustees, and said that it was necessary to mention some things in relation to them, more especially as they were not dwelt upon in the printed statement issued by the association. The first was, that the trustees were to be uniformly approved by the Crown; and the second that all laws were to be submitted to the Privy Council before being enforced in the colony. Any other provisions would be cheerfully acceded to which would have the effect of making the trustees responsible (without pecuniary loss) for the performance of their duties.'

"To this Stanley replied 'that numerous important alterations had been made in the plan since Mr. Whitmore sent him the paper before him, and he gave a decided preference to that original proposal as regarded certain provisions. By the present plan, that power was to be placed in certain irresponsible individuals which belonged properly to the Colonial Office, and not only were these individuals irresponsible, but they were not influenced by any pecuniary motive in seeking to govern well. By the present plan, the colony would be a republic, and as the officers were to be appointed by the trustees, the colony would be wholly independent of the mother country.'

"This was answered by Grote, saying that, 'whatever the powers might be which were sought for the trustees, they were no more than those which had been granted in many instances by the Crown, and more especially in the charters for founding the settlements in America and the colony of Sierra Leone.'

"Stanley remarked that 'nothing could be more vicious in principle than the plans of these charters; by them large blocks of land were given to individuals, and by their general mismanagement the colonies there