THE ANGLO-SAXON CROSS-MIGRATION.
Barrisic statesmanship must not console itself with the idea that it can permanently purchase quiet by staving off great frontier questions. The Order of the Lone Star is not the only movement going on in the Colonial world; it is rather a great type of a gene- ral movement ; and that commotion is visiting British territory in forms too active to be evaded.
The colonists of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are not in- clined to be content with that settlement of the Fishery question which has created so much satisfaction in Downing Street. The colonists understand the practical bearing of the settlement, and they see that it is a delusion. The Downing Street triumph lies in having obtained a concession from America, in return for the concession made to America : the English diplomatists have ob- tained from America the right to fish in American waters and they have conceded to the Americans the right to fish in English waters. But the right to fish where the fish are not found is an exceedingly small equivalent for the right to fish where the fish are. The owner of the trout stream who permits his neighbour to angle in his waters on condition that he may angle for trout in the neighbour's rookery, has achieved that kind of triumph which the English diplomatist gained; but the fishermen of Nova Scotia know better than to be very much delighted with permission to fish in a rookery. They altogether deprecate that "settlement" of the question, and they stand by the old treaty. To the Lieute- nant-Governor of their colony they speak in terms of exhorta- tion; to the Queen they use terms very like remonstrance. It is evident that they are angry. The next thing will be, that if they cannot obtain from England protection against American encroach- ments— if they cannot be guaranteed a substantive existence with- out being over-ridden by their formidable neighbour—they are not unlikely to supersede that oppression by joining the oppressor —to over-ride American encroachment by annexation with Ame- rica. It is true as we have shown when the question was mooted some years back, that the British colonists, on the whole, would not gain by that kind of process ; but there is no doubt that now their anger is raised. It is a mistake of diplomacy and states- manship in the present day to overlook the operation of temper in great political movements. Nations have their spleen and their headstrong impatience as well as individuals ; and if a colony finds that the mother-country will not make a return for its allegiance, it is very likely to throw off that for which no quit-rent is paid. With this menacing aspect of a British colony in North America it is impossible to avoid coupling another cloud coming over the destiny of a British colony in the opposite hemisphere. A regular stream of emigration has set in from New York to the Gold Dig- gings of Victoria in Australia "another batch," numbering 233, sailed on the 29th of last month ; to be followed by five ships of considerable size, already announced. The Americans are attracted by the gold ; but they carry with them something else than avarice, and they will find something besides the metal. They carry, with them a spirit of political propagandism, great ambition, and good rifles. They will find there, the Anti-Convict League, a widespread and continually expanding spirit of democracy, and the Five-star banner of the AuStralian Colonies.
While hundreds of thousands are leaving our own shores to settle in America, it would be impossible for the Government of this country to exclude a few thousands of Yankees from British terri- tory. There is, however, this difference in the moral effect of the migration. The emigrants from England to the United States adopt their country and merge themselves into it ; the emigrants from the United States have been in the habit of adopting the country to themselves and merging it in their own great republic. It is true indeed, that the Yankees are not very likely to cast loose the Austilalias from their moorings and convey them bodily to the American main ; but they are likely enough to raise that great idea of federation which has already been adumbrated in Australia itself.
Nor can we, although this survey has been made before, omit a glance at the actual position of the Cape; where General Cathcart has recently insulted the colonists by threatening to withdraw : my army." Such a measure as that which he has threatened would be equivalent to a severance of the connexion by the act of Great Britain herself. It is not probable that the Government will carry out that threat ; but how detrimental is it to British influence that the threat should remain on record ! Sir Harry Smith, with ten thousand troops, besides volunteers, levies, an other auxiliaries, has carried on the war against the natives for some years. General Cathcart superseded him for the purpose of terminating the war forthwith : it still goes on ; and after this protracted struggle the colonists are threatened with being aban- doned. An American, it is said, has before offered, for the pay of a very much smaller force, to exterminate all the Blacks within practical range of the British settlements; and there is little doubt that a Yankee contractor, with a band of Yankee condottieri, could accomplish that feat. The people of the Cape may contrast this offer with the threat of her Majesty's representative. At the pre- sent time the officials of the colony are carrying on their iunctions under many circumstances of illegality ; another method of beating down the influence of the British Government. Altogether, the feeling of allegiance at the Cape of Good Hope has become a very abstract virtue indeed, without any very good snbstantialigrounds to justify it in the eyes of ineffectual in political sceptics. Monarchy, which
can do no good, is paling its fire various parts of the British dominions before the flaring "go-ahead" "devouring ele- ment" of active Yankeeism. It is not only on the shores of Cuba, on the fertile fields of the Lobos Islands, that English statesman- ship has to encounter this obtrusive spirit; it will have to be en- countered before long upon the outposts of the British empire: and now is the time, before matters have gone past remedy, for English statesmen to repair their past omissions, and make good a real footing amongst the Colonies.
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