4
BRITISH COLONIAL POLICY
(3.) and of the granting of responsible government.
when ripe, fell off, and the experience of the American War of Independence appeared to prove, in a singular manner, the truth of these words. The old Colonial policy had been based on the theory of monopoly, but the new doctrine of free trade was sapping that theory at its roots. If the principal good of Colonies was to afford a monopoly of trade for the Mother country, and if such monopolies were at once theoretically unsound and practically led to revolution, the consequence seemed to follow that Colonies were not really of use to the Mother country. We seem to be approaching the triumph of laissez-aller views. In fact, however, the English have never been a strictly logical people, and, in any case, new ways of regarding the Colonies presented themselves which were sufficient for the day. In this interval, between the virtual abandonment of the Mercantile theory and the extensive growth of laissez-aller views, a period short in time, but of great importance, intervened, wherein a genuine attempt was at least partially made, to develop colonization on some sort of scientific principles. To some extent, at least, the theories generally associated with the name of Gibbon Wakefield, made converts of English statesmen, so that for the time the unwonted spectacle was seen of English practice following, though in a very halting and doubtful fashion, instead of anticipating, theory. In the nature of things, however, such interference on the part of the Mother country was only possible in earlier stages of development, and, as the Colonies grew to manhood and aspired to self- government, the period of systematic colonization naturally came to a close.
There remained, however, the important and worthy task of returning to the original lines of British Colonial policy, and of securing to the Colonies complete self-government in purely local concerns. Reasons will be found in the sequel for denying that this movement was in any way connected with a policy of dismemberment : but when this final work was for the most part practically accomplished, the question could no longer be averted, What, then, is the real good to the Mother country of maintaining Colonies ?