WHAT OUR COLONIES COST ITS.
The total amount of the expenditure of Great Britain for her Colonies in the year 1853-'4 was the respectable sum of 3,288,338!.; but though this large outlay is called " Colonial Expenditure," an examination of the items will show that a very considerable portion is not in fact Colonial. For instance, "Military and Naval Stations" cost no less than 1,556,387/. The chief items under this head were-Gibraltar, 238,911!.; Malta, 292,415!.; the Cape, 513,969/.-476,426/. of which was military expenditure; the Mauritius, 104,674!.; Bermuda, 130073!.; St. Helena, 47,6.51!.; the Ionian Islands, 149,376!.; Hongkong, n,466t. Three smaller places-As- cension, Heligoland, and the Falkland Islands-complete the list. "Plantations and Settlements" cost 1,240,205!.; Jamaica figures for 152,536!.; the other West India Islands and Guiana, 333,519!.; Bahamas, 25,1341.; Honduras, 15,932/. The British American Colonies cause an ex- penditure of 436,63*!.: Canada, 283,6131. ; Nova Scotia, 120,9431.; New Brunswick, 9474!.; Prince Edward's Island, 20711. ; Newfoundland, 20,537/. The African settlements of Sierra Leone, Gambia and Cape Coast, are down for 74,4921. Ceylon costs 94,7651. ; South Australia, 10,250!.; New Zea- land, 87,326!.; Labuan, 96131.
" Penal Settlements"-New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land, and West Australia-make up a heavy total of 469,4351. The account is closed by " General Charges," 22,299/. Grand total, 3,288,338/. The reader can form an approximate estimate of how much of it is for the p
colonists, and how much for the maintenance of our supremaeMe he tinodf our
and sea as a great nation, and for the getting rid of our criminals.
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