Wednesday's newspapers publish a circular despatch, dated February 15th, addressed
by Lord Elgin to Governors of all Colonies relative to the part taken by ex-Governors of Colonies in the organisation or direction of companies formed to operate in territories which they were recently administering. After declaring that he has every reason to believe that "the strongest motive which actuates a former Governor'in engaging in a commercial enterprise in a Colony with which he has been connected" is his desire to benefit the Colony, Lord Elgin says that he cannot help feeling that " retired Governors would be well advised in most cases to refrain from taking a prominent part" in the management of companies of the kind specified. We are in entire agreement with Lord Elgin, but we should like to go further than be does, and to make it anabsolute condition of the acceptance of a Governorship that the Governor should not take part in the direction of such companies on his return home. We believe that the great majority of ex-Governors would welcome such a rule, for it would free them from the pressure to which they are now exposed,—pressure which they often cannot resist without seeming churlish or indifferent to the interests of their Colonies. It must be remembered, also, that if some such rule is not made, Governors during their terns of office may be exposed to the temptation of looking out for "good things" in which to participate when their time expires. The imposition of such a rule as we desire of course carries with it the obligation to pay generous salaries to those who have to submit to the self-denying ordinance.
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