[3rd Earl Grey; Guiana] Substantial Autograph Letter Signed Grey to Thomas Baring who has requested advice on the latter's eventual petition (3 July 1857) of the immigration of free labour [as opposed to slaves as in the USA) into Guiana.

Author: 
Henry George Grey, 3rd Earl Grey (1802 – 1894), statesman, sometime Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies and later Colonial Secretary.
Publication details: 
Howick, 25 June 1857
£250.00
SKU: 23456

Six pages, 12mo, good condition. He finds it difficult to give advice because of his being so imperfectly informed as to the present state of the question of immigration into Guiana. - It is obvious that the course which ought to be taken must depend upon whether the Colonists have or have not reason to complain of the conduct of the Government.- If they have, & if any facilities for obtaining labour which might be granted to them have been with-held then a discussion would seem to be desirable, & in the present [word obscured] of the session & if parties in the House of Commons I do not see how you could ruin a discussion except by asking a question & making a statement in explanation of it going into Comm[itte]e of Supply. But if the Govt (as I think it most likely) sincerely desire to do all that can properly be done to encourage immigartion & only refuse to consent to measures to which there is a just objectn, it would seem to me doubtful whether there w[oul]d be any advantage in bringing on a discussion, or whether it w[oul]d be quite right to do so. - For this reason if I had remained in town & had had [words deleted] to present the petition to the House of Lords, I w[oul]d in the first instance have called upon the gentlemen connected with the colony in this country for a clear explanat[io]n of what they want, & of the grounds on which they think the government ought to do more for them, & I w-oul]d have endeavoured to satisfy myself whether they are right or wrong in order that in presenting the petit[io]n I might express the opinion I had formed, which you know is allowed in the House of Lords. [...].