WELLINGTON. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) July 15.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3750, 26 July 1869, Page 4

WELLINGTON. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) July 15.

siNCB J last wrote a M - ' , linr , *"'*, Vl ", nfinal fiiMi*. «" -"Stry has baea formed. As moßtd-' 1 V a »»* 'l^uilry in effecting tins ..n-ate of opornt on« ,• the right mm would not; ftccept, and fcha wrong wen w»re angry at not being asktd. No doubt there has been disappointmead; but the House, as a whole 4 is not open to the charge of place-hunting. The present Government will hold office as long as the Middle party please, and no longer. TiVy wore in grave peril on Tuesday night, the Middle party objecting to the second of Mr. Fox's resolutions restricting the war expenditure to £150,000, and which was construed to mean that such amount had to be voted. Stafford had an amendment in his pocket which would have obliged the Government to nail their colours to the mast. But before it was moved Stevens (Middle party) rose, and, either in the spirit of conciliation or to put Fox more completely in the wrong, requested him to postpone his resolutions until after the financial s'",temenr. This proposition, ooming from one who had voted the Stafford Ministry out, enabled Fox to beat a retreat with tolerable grace. He offered, by way of compromise, to postpone the second resolution, that is to say, tlie one objected to, while pressing the first, which was considered as harmless. But a question of order arose, whether the resolutions could be separated, at that stage of the proceedings. Moreover, though ifc w.»s not argued, it was really a question whether the resolutions, which were drafted as two, were in reality two, on account of the word "therefore" in thesecond, which seemed to connect it very closely with the fiiafc. Ihe question cf order was of extieme importance ; it being understood that the Opposition would have a majority of one if the two resolutions were put together. The Deputy-Speaker ruled in favour of the Government, using words however which implied doubt m his mind whether tho ruling was correct. Ife was represented *o him that the practioe of the Speaker was to permit the division ; and the Deputy declined to alter the practice of the Spanker in his absence. This, of course, was decisive of the result j for Stafford's amendment was framed against the two resolutions, toy some inexplicable reason — ptrhaps inconsiderately, he moved his amendment against the firat resolution, which alone remained. Of course tlie chance of carrying it was gone ; and the main objeot of the amendment, that of hindering the Government from cariying resolution No. 2 before the financial statement, had been already attained. The House is now in full ciy upon Slovene's resolutions against the piovinces. They are too uutntrms to be carried, as a whole ; one member objtCting t@ one portion, nnd another to another portion. The best chance for success is sbortuees. But the subject will be well ventilated, preseuted imder every conceivable aspect, and a complete store house of argurnHnt will be opened, in <l Hansard," for the use of those who are dispo»ecl to raise the question at the next general election. But the chance? of dissolution ore small to what they were. The Governor has made no spciefc that, acoo T ding to his private letters, theie is no chance of assistance from the Home Government. The general feeling of the House appears to be that of hewildeiment. I do not believe that anyone — Li 1 her the Govenment side or Opposition — knows which way to turn, Never was there &uch a complication of difficulties before. There seems to be a feeling among tho Opposition that it would bo best that the present Govdrrnnent should have a far lea'-e of offie?, iv order that their failure (which must be) may be palpable and complete. Moreover, there is not much personal feeling again-t the Ministry, takeu as a whole. The Oppositim, which had feared the exaltation of the roughs, teems to be most agreeably disappointed. One good thing has been done — an understanding come to with the Government that a ledistributiou of scats shall take pi. ice before going to the countiy. It is expected that the. Mouse .\ill l>e cub down to s xfcy members— quite enough. If they only hkve the good sense to equalise the lepresenUtiou of the two islands, thirty to eaoh, and to kt'ep it equal under all < jrcuiustances, much futiue jea'ousy will 1 be avoided. ' July 17. Since I last wrote a division has taken place on ! Mr. Sfeevens's atiti. provincial tesolufcions, with what result you will learn by tim n< wspapeid It was . never expee'ed that they wculd be can led ; they contained too many propositions for success. One j man objects to one proposition, agteeing to all tho j rest; anotlnr agiees to that proposition, but iliSß^nts fiom something else; and so opposmo l becomes cumulative. A resolution of one line, " That the piovinces be abolished,'' would hi>.\e bad a muoh better chance It miißt be admitted, however, that it was almost obligatory upon the movtr to bhow a complete scheme upon paper. But tt l »c House, after the raauy changes which have taken place, is ceitaitily more provincial than it wan last session. AttliH commei'Ct-ment of last session, the tiling could have been carried with ease, had the Staffed Miuistiy only had the pluck to thu** down the glove. The Middle puty seem a little ooMieiorl, finding themselves no long r nii4t sof the situation. They had the power once, nn I did not czo ib. Pov.ci is sensitivo, and se'd'^u ofivjg hei'elf a second time after having been once leluscd. Doubtful \otes a>v sure to agglomerate round ,i Ministry which li.is mod its h'idt batfclo ; and the impulsion is, that unless they make touio gieat bl ind r tliey will sfc.md. The Middle p.irty suffered the saddle to bo put; on their backs, and are vow surprised that they cannoi undo the girths witu their teoth. One great blunder the Government have made already, iv their tieatment of M.ij .r Brown. And what makfcS it worse 15 tine, — iliaL before he Wont on service after Titokowaru, the late Government, under the impressiou that he w.is going to vote against them, weufc so far as to offer him a pau ! Those who were prating about free liberty in voting, when the ballot was under cons deration, aie now the first to giv^ cause for the introduction of vote by ballot in the House. I have not heard that the threatened dismissal has actually taken place, as yet It is rumoured tuat the Government have taken fright. They have lost much ground, however, by whab thoy have alioady done. Tho Speaker may have returned by Wednesday next, the day for which. M-ijor Browuhas given notice of njoliou The Deputy-Speaker has avoided ruling on the point »i privilege, in order to leave the mattei, if possible, to the decision of t- ir David Mouro. But he intimates that he ia prepared to rule, if required to do so.