Governor Pope Hennessy delivered a lecture on the British settlements
in Western Africa before the Society of Arts on Tuesday evening. Since the days when Mr. Hennessy figured as the connecting link in what Lord Derby called the "natural alliance" between the Roman Catholics and the Conservative party, and since he tried to induce the Emperor Napoleon to go to war for Poland, he has travelled farther than Ulysses, and governed several islands, more considerable than Ithaca, remark- ably well. For one principle of policy which he seems to have uniformly pursued he deserves distinction. He has invariably endeavoured (unlike, according to our experience, Irish officials in general,) to raise the status of the native or other foreign populations with which the English Government in its de-
pendencies comes in contact. For example, the Chinese now bury their dead in Labuan„—that is to say, Labuan is now recognised as a Chinese as well as a British colony. Mr. Hennessy, on his way from Labium to the Bahamas was diverted by Lord Kimberley to Western Africa, where he carried out a considerable annexation from the Dutch, and not- witnciamiling the ferocious mortality of the place, which slew his only son, -was settling down heartily to his work, when the Colonial.Crffiee :sant out Mr. Keate (since dead) to relieve him. His account of this lethal region is at once circumstantial and pathetic. We rejoice that he has escaped from it to the balmier, though not fever-free air of the Bahamas, and to know on his authority, that if all the whites on the Gold Coast should die the black death, there are as many black sages and statesmen qualified to take their places.
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