hey
present, brought forcibly to my mind the advantage of a liberal policy
in dealing with commerce. The two ports to which I refer are Singapore
and Macassar. Singapore dates from some fifty or sixty years ago at
the most, but it has grown to a magnificent emporium of trade; and how
has it reached that position? By declaring on the very first day that
the protecting flag of England was hoisted that equal privileges
should be given to men of commerce to whatever nationality they might
belong. When we turn to Macassar--a place which might be not unfairly
compared in regard to facilities of position with Singapore--we find
the Dutch determined to close it to the enterprise of every foreign
nationality. The result of this selfish spirit is that Macassar
presents all the indications of languor and decay, while Singapore
presents all the indications of prosperity and wealth. Before I sit
down, may I refer to some portion of the report, in which reference
was made to recent spheres of exploration in which the society is
interested? You refer to the exploration of New Guinea. There are some
delicate questions connected with New Guinea, on which I certainly
shall not now touch, but I may say that what I have seen of the world
has tended to impress on my mind most deeply the conviction that
latitude does fix in a very decisive manner a limitation upon the
sphere of the Anglo-Saxon race for direct physical labour. I feel
convinced that unless you have temperate weather, such as we are now
enjoying in Adelaide, to make up for the hot season, the Anglo-Saxon
race cannot undertake outdoor labour. You may direct and administer
it; you may be able to go through figures in the office; but, to go
out into the field to dig and delve is impossible. Despite this,
however, the tropical countries may prove of inestimable benefit.
Although they may not be suitable for the employment of the
Anglo-Saxons as field labourers, it does not follow that they are not
to be of great benefit--even a direct benefit--to our own race in
regard to the employment of labour. If we can succeed in developing
these tropical regions by employing the labour of the tropical races,
the increasing prosperity will serve to extend the markets for the
products of Anglo-Saxon labour in countries adapted to our race. A
visit to Australia must be a matter of deep interest to every
patriotic Englishman. In the old country we are becoming more and more
sensible that it is th