The Delegates from the Australian Colonies, New Zealand, and Fiji
met at Sydney on November 28th, to consider the question of Federation. The debates are secret, but by December 5th the Conference had agreed unanimously to the following seven resolutions :-1. That any new settlement of a foreign Power anywhere in the South Pacific would be injurious to Australia and the British Empire. 2. That the Conference believes her Majesty's Government will promptly adopt the most effectual measures for preventing such settlement.
3. That so much of New Guinea should be incorporated as is not claimed by the Government of the Netherlands.
4. That the British Government should, as agreed with France, respect the independence of the New Hebrides, but should endeavour to acquire them by negotiation. 5. That the Australian Governments represented in Conference will endeavour to provide for their share of the expense of carry- ing out these resolutions. 6. That the Conference protests in the strongest manner against the French project for sending convicts to the South Pacific, and asks Government to interfere. 7. That "this Convention expresses the confident hope that no penal settlement for the reception of European criminals will long continue to exist in the Pacific, and invites her Majesty's Government to make to the Government of France such serious representations on this subject as may be deemed expedient." These resolutions amount to a claim to control the whole Southern Pacific, and to tolerate no rival there, a claim which would seem extravagant, but that Federated Australia will in a few years be able to enforce it.
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