The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 578, 19 May 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Wednesday, May 19. v We have received by the Harp Auckland papers of the first week in May, being twenty-three days later than those brought by the Spray or the Swan. We have not, however, received the complete file, for the papers from April 14th to May Ist are wanting, having been probably sent southward by the Henry, which took despatches to New Plymouth and Nelson about that time. We cannot, of course, under present circumstances summarise the proceedings in the Assembly up to the latest date; in fact the curtain is raised upon them but for the space of three days, to give us a transient peep at the close of the first month's debating. The scene is somewhat curious. First we catch sight of a few bills in various stages of mastication: their names are given, but tho matter of them is scarcely hinted at. There is a " Church of England Trust Bill,

which has passed the Upper House and been read a second time in the Lower. It was prepared by the Bishop of New Zealand and embodies the Church Constitution adopted last year at the Convention. An " Interpretation Bill" had nearly passed both houses on the 4th May. A " Banker's Draft Bill," legalizing the practice of crossing drafts, was read a second time that day. The " Boundaries of Provinces," " Absent Debtors," "■ Unstamped Instruments" and "Absent Defendants" Bills, were read a third time and passed in the Lower House that day. A " Wool and Oil Securities", " Foreign Seamen," " Election Writs," " Militia," " Special Partnership," " New Zealand Post-Office," " District Courts" and " Customs Regulations" Bills are also spoken of in different stages of progress, besides some others. This is a mere catalogue, but it indicates much work in hand. We shall endeavour to scrape together in a future issue the information as to the substance of each bill which can be gathered from the passing remarks of the newspapers and from other sources. These names, however, are grouped almost as closely in the Auckland papers as we have given them. The bulk of reported debating concerns Auckland alone. Having, apparently, the field pretty well to themselves (the number of Auckland members being filled up by fresh elections) and the two parties in that province being nearly equally represented in the House of Representatives, they have taken the opportunity to fight all their old battles over again, to call for correspondence at any length, for the amusement of the official clerks, and to make the General Assembly of New Zealand appear to a strange observer a riotous body, by reason of quarrels which are simply those of Auckland.' We thought the objections to Auckland as a seat of Government were strong enough before, but it is beyond endurance that our national council should be so prostituted in consequence of its position. The few representatives of this and other provinces, with the ministry, We observe, do their best to prevent the importation of local squabbles into the House, butthe majority are too powerful. Our representatives will be weary indeed ,before the session comes to a close.