The Federation Convention of Australia is a little slow to
get to business. Up to yesterday, the whole time at its dis- posal was consumed in speeches in which the delegates one after another expressed their ideas at large. There has been no voting, and no debating of single and definite clauses of the Constitution. We should judge, from the speeches as yet telegraphed over, that the majority of the delegates were in favour of the dangerous plan of leaving all powers not directly surrendered to the Colonies, though Sir George Grey, on behalf of New Zealand, made a powerful speech against that course, and in favour of stricter federation. All agree to the Federal control of the national forces, though we note the American tendency to keep them as small as possible ; but there is no appearance of agreement about tariffs, about the dis- tribution of revenue, or about a very burning question, the right to partition over-large Colonies. There is also, to our surprise, much difference of opinion about the creation of a Supreme Court with the powers of the English Privy Council, as well as the right of pronouncing inter-Colonial decisions, and a question—raised by Western Australia— whether population alone should be the basis of representa- tion. We suppose, however, that all this while the real debating is done in secret, and that presently we shall have a Constitution offered for debate by the majority, with, let us sincerely hope, a Referendum clause in it allowing of subsequent modifications.
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