WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5524, 29 October 1879, Page 2

WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

(from otjr own corres':poni>eni)J y ' { ■ - ■ ;:i .'; '.;',■:■. Wellington, Tuesday. This morning the Neio Zealand Timies ;' stated positively that the Opposition h^d , made overtures to the Government to ~ take in Messrs Macandrew and Sheehan to the Ministry. Mr Macaridfew positively denied this to-night, and Colonel^ Whitmore fully exposed the utter , xm~ '■■■■. truthfulness of the statement in a letter to the Chronicle to-night. ,; /; A caucus of the Opposition was. held to-day, when it was resolved not to pro? , ceed with the no-confidence motion, but. to try and get the agreement with" the .; Auckland members produced. : ; When the House met, Mr Hall laid on the table a statement from Mr Under- 3 " Secretary Cooper, stating that there was no official correspondence behyeen „the , Government and the Auckland members. Mr Hamlin then, as a matter of privilege, - moved for a committee to examine onroath into the matter, and on this a warm ~ discussion ensued. Mr Swanson admitted that he held a written and signed memdranduin of" terms, but he said* that as, it was marked " confidential" ' no power on earth Bhould make him produce - it without the . consent of the person who had signed it. r Captain Colbeck defended his conduct. Mr John Lundoh then got up and was in the midst of an extraordinary and characteristic speech when the dinner hour arrived. The matter was then of course stopped. On the House re-assembling the orders of the day were gone on with. On the House beiug moved into Committee of Supply, Mr Macandrew intimated his intention to abandon the noconfidence motion and let the business of the country be gone on with. A little v later the motion of no-confidence.. Was." called on, and as Mr Macandrew' did hot.' rise to move it, it lapsed.

Sir George Grey behaved to-day in a rather undignified manner in throwing obstacles in the way of Mr Richardson taking his seat for Christchurch, but the Speaker was exceedingly calm and firm in his ruling, and put Sir George Grey down properly.