WELLINGTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2118, 4 October 1867, Page 1 (Supplement)

WELLINGTON.

[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.] -.-,:- .Monday; Sept. 9.. : The debate oh.'the motion ; for going -into Committee..of:, Supply, instead of eomirig to : a close on Wednesday cbhtmued with a single important intermission; till twelve 6'clockon Friday night. No ■■ less than forty-twospeeches irere 'deliyered;'pn-..'the ...subject, including the replyof the Colpniai....Treasurer. It would; be impossible, without wearying.your readers,: jo give a transcript of.: all the speeches, deli-; Tered since I last;wrp%,hbrjdo I ; tliink that it would serve to; elucidatethe question, as the majority of the speakers approached,the subject: merely fromfi local point of:>iew;' This was more ■ especially observable in the; case of the Auckland speakers, who seemed, to feel that it toshew cause yhy : debits, to a large amount/ should be remitted in their'favour at. a time when every asset; of the/colony bughttoie. carefully husbanded and turned to its fullest account,- If.the Auckland members did not. succeed in doing.this -they certainly, diinot; fail in shewing; most clearly that- theiV-pror yinceis in.a state of utterly hopeless bank-, ruptcy. : Anyone; who .reads;' the voluminous eztracta ■ gyptedVby '''relatire:' to the financial condition of- Auckland; must at once perceive-that the■. government of that: province can only.bei.kept, j.upat of the rest of : the colony. I think, it is capable of!.. demonstration ■'-by; : ' : ;the; commonest calculation, that;, Auckland must comedown again .to.■.■th'e; : :' , ..Geri'eral.:'.'Go-' in-aid. /';jt is;; therefore, well,for. the people .of .Ithe:/MiddleIsland tounderstand; that they have now to. provide not only-for their own local; Governments 'but:fpr'Mpie:of , their;'.'' ,, p6or.brethren in the.JN.orth." . r;8ay; : -thpse, ; because',Tarki; : nakiisin much the same;state as Auckland, though the,- expenditure: is of course oh,:a, much smaller scale';-: ■-■ ■"■■',■■'- ■■■ An Incident /occurred during the, debate; TThichscaused: some and the waste of. some valuable hours.. In. the .course' ■ of.his. speech;; Mr'; Macandf evr. alluded, to certain cruelties alleged to. have been committed by the.colonial troops, .under.; Colonel McDonnell upon, the Maoris,;'and;. said "it bad been :.often stated that unarmed; men and women; had been killed; by',■ half-" intoxicated soldiers,.or hemight term''them' demons in human shape." -Mr Stafford ira-' mediately rose, ana moved that the words be

taken down as being disgraceful, The motion was put and carried, and the words, were taken down. Mr Travers then rose to a point dfiorder, and endeavoured Ho" shew that the words used were not "disorderly" in a parliamentary sense, and being within the rules of "debate had no business to be taken down at' all. ..The Speaker, however, ruled against. Mr Travers, and it was moved that the words should be considered on the following day, When: the time arrived, the Speaker anpounced that he had re-considered the subject, and now thought kU former „ ruling ttpbe'; wrong, and '.3hatV.'; : the 'motion ought in his. .opinion,' to' : he dropped. ■: This' would probably liave been.done .had'not'.'.■Mr Stafford made some unhappy;' allusion to. the allegations against the troops.. .This: brought Mr.G. Graham to hisj'feetjiarmed.;with'.ah' immense mass of evidenced wtiichviie.■proceeded to read to the House... Mr G. Graham:' is a philo-Maori of the most, prominent type. Hi's s»le business, indeed, appearsI', 1 ', to; 'be. that of a self-constituted champion of the native racej and.iri' the performance of this "duty, what he lacks in judgment he makes up. in zeal...He has: the appearance of an honest' enthusiast afflicted with a dangerous tendency to monomania.. On this occasion he occupied the House about two hours with the "laboured recital of a mass of correspondence', relating to an.attack upon a Maori pah, in which a native..wasshot,and a iwomari.wounded or killed. A long debate ensued, in the course ofwhichi'Mr Travers-made a.violent.attack upon.the ..Commander of the. colonial'forces.' The House did; not -.appear; •.to indorse yhis l Ti'ewß,.buttather. ■ , those' : sensibly expressed by? Mr. .-Richmpnd, "to thfe" effect.that'.we v were'.. all: responsible for the necessary'evils of.Var, and that it was .wrong; to prejudge an .officer; conducting oneratiorisTfithiriadequateforces against, a,"wi'ly racebf• savages,.orindeed to.'judgehim at..all .except with, thei deaf est,evidence,: an.d;'after making; the fullest .allowance for every .extenuating; circumstance;;: -.The;'- motioh:.to ; take.Mr'Mae-:

andrew's words', down was. ultimately with- • drawn, and the whole proceedings ordered to bejexpungedfrorn tfaejpurnaia;.6f' : the.' , Kear : ly. at the close of the debate on finance, Mr. Stafford .spoke, and succeeded ; in making a very good debating;, speech.' '"A'-large' part of. his, remarks' was,-ijiplied to ..Mr Stevens, with the object apparently of ■ h'lirling'J thiit'-' gentleman down from.the pinnacle on winch" lie has been.for so lprig. helping ..to raise liihi; MrStaffpr.d'B'rem.arks ; :di.d .not lack, point, but he did noli address himself';■ to ; confuting. Mr Stevens' .'theory, of direct taxation 'by' the provinces.:':-.. After.a few wbrdsirom'Mr Harrison, it was found tliai; the House 'liad:-'iex-hausted.the subject, and .MrFitzherbert.rnslj to reply..,' He spoke at some length,, .'and: Mr;. Stevens:-was f again favoured: with a few.depreciatoryTemarks,. which" Idaresay afforJed thatgeritle"man>'further.fpr6of. of: the. vanity of all human';greatness, 1 and,the instability of political favour. . Mr' Fitzherbert. wound, up with a hit. at. Mr;.Vogel, and. quoted a telegram':';frqrri -the \> Otaqo Daily: Times, to prove that the extension of tlie £3,b(Jo,oob loan; had been chosen deliberately by. Mr'VbgeTas/ the weak piiiht .in-'the Government scheme, i he' i 'ihWeVe , '«ould'''.nbt;iillow:-M'r Vogel-to/withdraw; his ameadment... (inthe Other side I .\lr:;y;pgeT:appealed to Ministers to. be allowed .-to. withdraw, his ; , amendment. on' the grpunl. .that they' liad acceded, to the m »h-of ;! tlie\-Housei- , r'.aM-:-proroije'd''noV :: 'to raise any more: money., under .It-hei Act, arid was -nb ; issue .before tlie House. ■Miii'i.sfersi'howeveri'.-jrere'firm'iai'tKe'ir'' Kfusal, aiidMr.:Voger'and;' tliosevwho',were opposed.to the government scheme of finance *»lked out of the house, iThus the rribst important debate of the "session; ended without * division, and tke. House went into Com ; Jittee of Supply, a; conclusion.-.which...will doubtless,-appear, to many of- your; readers both lame;and impotent, riot be supposed .'from" this that 'Ministers.. are out of 'he, wood; /Several prominent ,queßtionsj especially that of the repeal; of the. Loan Al«>cation Act, will corrie" before tlie House in committee; andtest tb:the utmost the. strength. of j thegovehiment.;"V V: j ')/::■.'■ The recent (l.ebate, though ..ostensibly conr. sned to the 'Bubject-6f;fiharicti:has travelled ?7 er '^%- w Jde'r/a"rea,'"and:;liM'-incl.u^ied' ; 'al!' those topics.of vital .interest,w.hicliare.evblyed «om th« complex and ehaotit; political cpristi"itibn of: the ciilbnj,; /It con, c eive the:extentpf^difference|wliich.. exists, n the opinions of the' House;''' Inthe govern - juent,for irta.tance,.l believe, there Is hb.perrect agreeinentliupbhany one,distinct ,prin : ' Cipiedf policy, ■ ■ Some, are.in. advance, others., wg behind,. a)i'(),th)s,cb'nilVined-. with, the p'res-: Wre from-'wiihouri: results I .ih;feeble'.■a'tfemp'tsoemgMde to;:vindicate; priiiiiplvs followed "y still feebler and '.more, humiliating,- con>■'■ PTomise9;\iii oriJerto.retain (lie commanil of , we Jielrn.'. ,But, if; the : government is' weak nom divisibn,ithc House helpless

from its utter disintegration. Out of ail the seventy members I do not believe that you could find half-a-dozen of those who trouble themselves to think at all who could agree spon a definite course.- of policy, or a dißtinct line of action. .As a matter-of course in; these circumstances,-there is-no leaderandno Opposition. The primary cause of/this must be attributed to the comparative isolation oi the provinces: -Men come up to the/Assemby charged to the muzzle with their; own . local,: concerns,: and it takes ; a month; for most of them to get rid of preconceived, notions,,: and realise the idea that they form part of a legislature whose business th« affairs of the colony; With .theseimperfect tools we have to' tinker a.Unstitution which does'not work'smoothly,' and > which,, as the writer of an article in today s Advertiser says, very truly,' is upon itstrial. /.By the way, I refer you to that article,' as worthy to be republished.;;;:!' cannot^ who the author is, unless it be Mr Richmond,/ who: appears; to me.to be more capable of, tanking, out;the'principles of Government than.-any of his colleagues, and of whose w-, cuhanties the article in 1 question bearssome internal evidence/:';; ■'■"■■■■..■""

:;A.mong the few other- matters of-interest ffhiclv; have/ occurred here.l must give the first place to the passing of an address by both Houses :.of the Legislature to Sir G, Greyfon the occasion of his recall;/: The -address :is unusually/full;. 0 f matter, and/ is: evidently meant to be more thanamerefornial 'I understand .that': when'-■:the Speaker l and: members/of: ; he:,Upper 'House waited upritf. :Sir; George, to: .present."the;-address, /His; /.Excellency exhibited very .marked: emotion, and delivered his reply with evident difficulty;: The Lower-House does not present the address till tq-niorrbw.. :'.'.;;.--... ! /; '.'-:■;' . i-V/Mbbday,' 16.■.}'*: ..- iiubther: week's close'sitting has hot 'dbne; asmuWasmight have been"expected towards expediting, publicvbusiness. "FreshLSubjects j crop'up.frbm time;^Jo;,'tim«liba promiscuous' I unexpected way, ani-some bf therii heingvof / ' great interest--consnme good deal/bf time. On/Tuesday the'Lower; House, headed by the Speaker,; .Waited upon Sir,.G.:Grey,to present/an/aadresspassed by the; House bnithe notification of His Excel-: ;lency' s recall; /The reply to; tlie addrbss;'con- ; ; tains sufjaeierifc evidence. to B that the/ despatch; from]the Home Government: has '■' raised an.unpleasant feeling in'the Gbverhbr's mind;. ;Qh; the; same';day Mr:Tahcrec[ ! p re . sented; a : :.petitibn-/front;'-tUe'direc'tOTß^of: : the High Schiiol, relative : ;.'tb; the establishment of University:schb}arships. : .tee,; appointed tb consider : this '.'subject; -has. 1 .broughtupavreportAvhich; recbmmeiids the' establishment of eight exhibitions v: ;be ■' open.: each year. The committee; dots':n'di',

think the time.has,arrived -for establiihirig a University .for; tlie colony,;..but recommends |:that;apprtibn.of'the confiscated /lands should, be set apart as an, ; endowment, .anil tliat tlie provinces should helinvlted to grant lands for' the same purpose; .Ari.iidditidn to; eutiye;;has .beenmade.in the person bf the Hon ,X Hyde Harris; ,tte; "present:, Mayor of; I Duriedin.; is^a;;lawyer, : :and : will make himself; useful ,to the Government by taking charge.of legal.; arid' other bills in the Upper,House,^'of; which lielisa/member; Whether';he;;takes;. : tlie';t|tle..bi/' : Solicifor;; General or riot T cannot/say;.;. .It was said at; one time that Mr Travers.'-was to ,; be invited'' to fill some such ofßceV;.but; the;views : of the Government seem to have' altered.' It 'is, also rumoured that: Major :Riohar<kop. w\l\ presently retire .from;the/Government,:and that. : :he will probably' accept .the/office- of. Speaker of; the .-.■ Upper House,. which is. likely/.to, be'vacanfibeforeiong.; .■ • . -Among..other/new., measures, the.Goyern-,meht;;has::brought'-in-a:bill to subsidise /Maori'schools to.:the extent.of •£4riprj.a : yea'r ;for/the hextßeVerijeara. -It.is avsigiiificant fact that the proposition: to:establish ■?cholarr, ...sliipsfbrour'b'wn.racehas stopped short.at the report of a select committee, whereas .a; sub-, sidy':oi;£2B,optfMs ..ybted. .for//Maorl schools' ■with a few comments, and';one.o.r"two-.eco-nomical objections, on the; ;part;of.members..; Sueh, facts as; these— and.therb are many of the; kind^bugh t:to dispose'bf the : reckless accusations made against .'Europeans of injustice to; ; the : ;Mapri race; ■-There; ;is some hope, tbp,;.that;in this case the, money/will'/be':' applied.to thepurpose.for; which''-.'it is voted, as it appears;,that Mr. Rbileston will exercise asiipervisibn• over/theibritlay. Mr;Cracroft Wiispn■.introduced. ..'a ■- motion' t'f or/ ■" .rodiici n'g .'■ The.; House, apparently; thought .this/would; ; haye;:been::.a;: : too ; severe.:-;..use:.--- : bf- ; - the pruning-knife,,arid\modified;the reduction :by brie-half,, Itisto beliopedihat Gbyernpr -willihearof.. the Vprbposed. change, heforb he leaves/ Englandi and .thus escape," wliatmight proverather a severe disappoint-' ment. /.The incomirigmail;wiij/prpliably in-, bounce the fl'arn'eof Sir.Gr.; Grey's 'successor, ■Lord Alfred Churchill, and' Mr Kennedy, late Goyernpf.of Vancouver's Island; arespbkeh' 1 ofas likely raeri,but' tlietrutb. is thatnothhig I atall isknbwri about'the matter; ■■'': .. .1

A ..■ Abill was.intrbduced by. Mr! Cox;pn tubs-, day;evening, which,'if it:;passes, ■'wili'.mat'e-: irially affect the future position' of ;ybur pro • yince. The bill,' which'ris" entitled':"The' Timaru arid ..Gladstone .Local Board; Bill,'' proposes■to;unite'the''Geraldine,. : ',the Levels,: the.Waimate, and the Mount Cook road;;dis-.

tfictsihtb ageneral Board of Works, .under the above title. This Board is tobe endowed with a fourth part of the. gross land;revenue (including pasturage rents) raised within the districtiarid the proceedsl'pf ';.23p,ol)0 ; of:u l e- : bentures put ofl.tlie'.'unraised. portion; of .the loan is also.:to be'.'handed,, over to tlie .Board? :.The eilectqf this. bill Ji) ■to:; render ; a* large portipiv of. the. province''''independent in a great degree of the .control of : the Provincial Government and. Council. ' It is the flrtstep in tlie.directibn of;, what/wilt be and most important, interference on the part .of the.' General Government": with tlie'l'profyinces,; It .carries put in a particular locality the main; principle involved ,'in ; the" .Local' Government Bill, whichwas'brought, iii by .the; .Min'istrycearly " .'.'in; 'the''' session,".' arid : rejected by the .House.;; : In;;;intrbdiieing .the ..bill, ..'Mr..... Cox ;.;cbnflned''himself to "making a simple statement of. the wants' and/grievances of the district lie 'represented, anil unfortunately, for Canterbury many; of the facts he(adduced are perfectlyuriariswerable7'> Moreover, MrCox is'supported by. nearly, all the; Canterbury members themselves,' 'Who appear to unite in nothing bo readily as in a measure which threatens the integrity of their own province. Four or five of jour members are supporters of what may ne; termed justice to: the outlying districts, 1 and are prepared to go any lengths to carry out the idea. .Utterly ignoring the financial ; difHculties in' which the province has been plunged during the last two years, and which seem to me to have'aloneprevented the fulfilmerit;of the -justice they, so;much admire, they invite tlie 1 General 'Government to enter in and compel the province to do what it is .nowjrady to do, but what has been hitherto impossible. But they forget, or: are careless about the obvious;danger'.'of -establishing a precedent which"-willmost certainly be/carried still further, to- the detriment and-'ulti-rrniic destruction. of; the; provinces. Two or threei-'pf your members are avowed opponents: of ■ Provincial institutions, arid these ;are only carrying:but iheir : principles, to a reasonable .conclusion 'by,' voting for this : measure. . But there are.tineor.two others whose ebiiduct''l confess-puzzles rite;beyond jheasiire; Professed friends', of. ,Proyinciar,'gbvefnment;'. tlieyyet vcte for a bill which aims, a'deatlibloiv.' at the province, and: excuse?themselves; with, a : variety of ingenious arid, in. 'my opinion; unsatisfactory. Reasons. /Altogether,; poor' ■ Canterbury. .is sadly:..;deserled,;the only members who .vote fbrher in

this pinch being Mr Moorhouse, Mr Reeves, and Mr Macfarlan. I can hardly imagine that the people of your province really desire the interference of the General ...-Government, in this matter, or really.wish to see their province made an : example by the Central party by being cut up into a;; number of indepen-. dent districts--but perhaps. J.may.b'e wrong/ If I am not, the. only, .logical, result. is.;,that

) your representatives here do riot express the i will of the people on this, subject'.;, .Whatever, 1 that will may be it" is time; that it 'should be ■ clearly and unmistakeably expressed, and that t the measure/now,: introduced should -either l have: the- approval of k the. people; or ; the .■ reverse.^ltis notjt jthat/ai/bill whicliihf volves a serious change, in the. existing form. , of government should: pass without a-full ■'• expression of. public .opinion. '-I -trust -that: i this measure.will.either, be speedily endorsed' ,'- or condemned by.yourpeople. ; ;;;' '•'■ .It,, might, have, been; reasonably. expected. ,- that a;bill of .this; riatare would /have'.raised,. E. a' ; long;;debate;von the; second;,reading■■.';.buV, ; 'Strange tosaythis was: hot the case; The only.: ■■■■ member, who spoke:'in.':its was:the 5..: introducer ) ..Mr.Cox,.and riot eveivMrTravers,. : ;.who-drafted; the bill,. and. ;wlio ia hot '■: silence; W a rule; ;liad a word ! to./.:say: : ; for ;it.. ;Satisfied/apparently,;. r; with"' mnjprity known.'. to; have'; been • f secured in its /favour, the supporters' of the; !■ billsat silent and:contented. Mr. Moorhouse ; alone spoke..against : ,; ; out ; ; the various/arguments iagainst its intro-; : duetionV.:He argued well and. at, length, but had; he. Bpbken. with the tongue bf an arisei,'; i,' it;wou!dhav-e.beeriail.thesame,for ; tlie:wliole strength of, a Centralist"Governmeiit was at... : Mr Coxk back, ;'large.;miijorityjforthe f secbnd,re'!iding.:' : tlius.;.was;.pa6se : d,almost;in : silence;a measure I ; o fas.great,importanceto.;Canterbury and'tp. - /the: ■colony,; as'any' that: has.'.ever, 'beeri'.irtr trbducedinto:the Assembly. ' The division' slio wed—Ayes, 32; Noesj : - On Thursday, a determine! opposition was: ;, made tp.tlie; Bill going! ihtoi. Committee,' but .though the diyisiohywas ■■im'prdyedj the. ■■ desired, result: ; was;,;not : attained,; ."6ii lliis" occasion: several of. the. Canterbury ■'•'members''' ;spoke;;farid I commend their speeches l to your' f as .worthy : ;of • : re-publicatipri in sp;; : ;far;as; .reaspnVare given; in justirlcatipn. of ;their lyotes.; ...On !this: occasion ; rigairi the : weight of tlie-bat tie fellalmbst entirely "tiripn ;Mr .Moorhouse,;-who acquitted himself like a man; Afterthe.first.divisibrihad been taken .ahd,;;the: pUl;had; gbne;:into;cornmittee,he' ap.nOunced his ihtention ofbpnpa.inpr'it.at'eV.ery stagey and by;every legitimate means' in his ■power, in order to gain ,■.. The annals of the.New: Zealand parliament ■afford:in.ore than one.remarkabie instance of: ithe successfullapplication: ofthis last resource of .a |esperate''party; .On'-this .obbasidri Mr : '■ Moorhouse was.exce'ssiyely 'amusing.' Though .greatly excited'heikept 'his temper perfectly' well, arid made:'some remarkably;happy.hitsj : .. which lalmost regret to say you will notfind • recorded in ftanstird. .After several divi^ sions..had.beeh,taken, and two or three hours. had elapsed, the performance was bronght to ■.a'clbseby'the'consent'on the part ;bf' : Mr'Gb'x.'. toppstppne the commitmen'ti bf the'bili till', \thjs; eyehing. ; When I finish this letter to-!/ ; .raorrowjjshall\beable;to tell you lib'w far it has.proceeded to-night. ' ! :';.--The Government is making progress with itsfinancial/measures,"and i's.'strong enough , 'tpcarry-them:intheir;entirety; TlieSurplus 5 Revenues: Adjustment':Bi!l,:by;wliicli ; :a^sum of dne:.from;the;/Drovinces tothe ' (jeneral Government; is,partly:wiped off and , . partly adjusted,,has passed its last stage, with v ':& few;unimp6rtant;:amendments. Whiie : the ; Ml was; passing through, cbriimittee, the i House:presented the ; edifying spectacle of.*. \ ..scranibleambngthe■representatives of. niost; ' of .the;proyinces;for what.they coiiidpick up, ".; Ireading.withoutadivisiohjasignthat members ■': are'getting tired 'of .the sessibn, for this bill is'', j perhapsthe mostimpprtaht yet brought for- ■ ■ ; Ward;:by..th'e' : ;Governmeiit. It is no secret '! | .that the/bill.has;, been framed by MrFitz-: : , .Gerald, ; ah;.(i in; the opinion of those who have' '■' carefully studied it, it is calculated to'destrpy ; ; the provinces. The Governmerit have stiil to !,carry the; repealofthe Loan Allocation Act and,the'■■Consolidation of Loans, and then ■they.willbe comparatively happy,,andmernbers will begin to think of gpihg/boiiie..""" Tuesd;iy,, ; Sept..l7,: ■'.; A long debate occurred in cbminittee on ■ the.Tim'aru and ■■Gladstone.' Bill. An objeq- ! ;tion ; waf raised..;tb prbceedihg/any, further:'! ■ with it ..lastbiglit.oh' the ground that it was-a ~ tioii;..of the Governor. The objection': was' i ruled tohe/yalid; ahd;the;hill will'bere-intrb- ' ducedto-day, Megfaius iiave.beenhanded about : this morning, among members bf the ..House giving., the. resolutions.passed, at a J meeting held yesterday in. your city,' If. I.:■; am,rightly informed,... a: .resolution, was passed expressing, a full belief in'the power' ; /and will/of the Assembly todeal, Out .justice.': ;fo all-parts. of the province. This ex/pressionof,faith appears \ tome'tb do hiore ; 'i credit/to; the. hearts than _to .'the" .heads' ; ■ ofitsframers.; AJittle.closer acqnaihtanee ■ * with■■the i hist6ry/otth'e^c^lp'ny r ,and'..'w.ith 'tue''" constitution/of partiea.inthe'liouse of.Kepre- ;I ■'seritatives;. wduld:'da inuiih to dissipate;: tliis ■: ' A has iiever : "..had : ■'■hiore'/ thap'very scant iustice.dphe to .her ; aiidj I i ;say,this without any;,fear.Pf'.edn'tradictioii '■ \ therelsnowinthis placea.veryuriited/band of gentlemen who,; :if;they ebiild' : command'a ] majority, would leave her in. muchthe siune' ■ I plight;as .the. man .who. fell 'among -thieves; T'mayj.'perhaps,/ ■bo/perinitted ..to.give. your" ° friends alittle wholesom ad vice, and tliat is " v :w!hateratheirlo>al'q'uarrels'miiy.'lio; ) ;h bitter.:their)privaterdisssensions—d'oii't invite ? those to settle themwliowill.tiirn the oprioftmiit}' to account, to carry .out a ■pblicy.'of.' : ; Bpoliatiori.-.',Keiiiember'tliis:alwayß|'tli:it'tJa'n-' • h terbury 'is;'nn .a /measure/specially endowed^' ■" anil that a large part of. the rest of the., colony ? desires r notliingmorer'than to ; nialce.theland : v fund of the Middle Island conm.bn. property. ■■■" l 'This, is what/manyvmean. by .tlie/crylofli :'' United Colony, and those whoqiiarrelambiig c

themselves 'aud/.invite the;. aid of. seeming friends.tp settle their .differences, will not live ]ong;beiorethey rue the day upon ivhicliVtheV

issued such an Yourpeople-aeunr tired; too, of their own Governm en t; : Heaven 'help them : when' they have to! look ''here, for, ;iill;they: want/ ;They; will ..crypand/ there ' shall be none to hear themV' / ■' '" : y i The Bankruptcy Bill wits re-committed last -■ night to consider sundry ameridmehts, ; wliich are believed to have been suggested by the Attorney General. :The ■ bill '.will /shortly; come before the Upper Horiso nnd.if it meets 1 ' with no obstacle there, wiU probably become'; law. 'i'A monster petition, from signed by : .two thousand six.bundred/persona' in favour of separation from Canterbury, was' presented by.Mr.Stafford.last' night;..'flsee the'new; Government cpaperj- the. \Ncio ■■■Zealand Times, notices the petition^:and.observes' that if the petitioners 1 had applied for AociU government their- prayer'woiildtiave been •more likely to have: beeri\granted;. '> Louai" 'government is the .modern; piiri'aeea for: iilli accordingvtqthut fprhVimd 'patterh the.present Government hopes to. see. Neiv'.Zealandfirst Jptolly ...disintegrated jiiid;th'eh ; :rene\ved.:and resuscitated; in.ii.glon'oiis ideal uiuted-wholeVvLaiivbjd-fashiphed enough t():b'e conservative,, and'confess that I/rejjreV ti>'lose ,or: east .aside ..old servants who 'hiiyb' 'worked well/andatti.stili able to'wo'rkC, 11, .seemsthe- fashion to, whistle the provinces:: "down'the' w|nil:H. I-,trusb : wo shiili.iiot: go.' further" and .iare..worse, but my fUitH .is not! of a jyivid.complexion,;,■and is 'not at';all, improved by. wliatl seegoiiigoh;.around' inc. here. r . ,"..'!- ; ,' ~.'i, .Jucs'day ) Sen;t..24; ' . The pressure, of the. business before the.

House is such that it has become evident to members that, if they hope to get back to their several occupations 'vithin any reasonable time, they must not object to long sittings and late hours. Conseqiisntly, in spite of sundry attempts at adjournment the House has sat till about 2 a.m. throughout this week. A great deal of wojk has beun accomplished, but', the daily "oilier paper "shews that there is a great deaj more still to be done..'At this stage of:the session,under ordinary circumstances, itwould be easy for ; an attentive observer to predict the fate of all the principal measures before the House and even to fix with probable exactness the limit of the session itself.' But these are not ordinary times, nor do we live under an ordinary Government. In the first place public opinion is unsettled and questions which involve the constitution of tie colony ate floating; in the air and waiting the current which is to waft them to their destination. Secondly, the Government itself is waiting upon/./Providence, an£ is not above catching "at any straV which seems to;;J.give: ; it a clue to its destination. : Consequently it is impossible under these circumstances to attempt to limit of the session. A notable instance in this direction has occurred at the rmbment.o'f the leaving of j this mail, A bill has; been brought in by ! message from the : Governor; ;:to create Westland a county, ■and render it politically and financially independent; of the province iof Canterbury. It caniiot: ; .bedoubted for ap instant that the ■actipn of the Government in this case has been ; prompted by the fuceess which has attended the introduction jof the Timaru and Gladstone Bill. Your readers are already :aivare..that ;a : petition was presented by Mr Stafford; signed by a large number of the electors and-others resident in Westland, 'praying:-tliat.;the district might be formed into a separate province.; The petition was referred'tb a; select committee, which in due course,;would' doubtless jhave reported its decision to the House. In the meantime the ;Government .has adopted the unusual and .unparliamentary course !of introducing a bill''to. deal .summarily |with the matter. The'reaspnfbr this courseis manifest enough. Tlie; -.Government considers itself strong enoiigh to dispense with forms, and to carry the mcca'sure.through the with a rush. Should any more tempting opportunities of ihesaraekiridoccur, it is evident that the session, inay: be: still further postponed. The House is; beginning to thjin a little, and late stearriers.havetaken away a few members to the North and South. I

: The important question' of the consolida(datioh of loans is in a ifair way of being settled; ,The consideration of the bill, after it ,was. reada, second time, was referred to a select :cpmrnjtteet;ffhich included five Superintenden ts;and; six others chosen with regard to their merits as/financiers. The committee haa sat and given a great deal of time to, the consideration of the subject. I believe .the;great : bbne,6f contention lias been whether ithe .colony: or. the provinces, or the holders of the bonds,;should reap the profit which may he supposed fb.(accrue from the process of ■conversion.... Tlie result, so far, is I believe in favourof thecolony, but I may beallowed todpubt.wiietherany appreciable profit will ever. be realised. Governments generally bungle this/kind of operations sadly, and I ;see.ribthiiig;in;'the composition of the present Goyerhmerit;bi\ in that part which presides over the; Treasury, to lead me to suppose that ti.o P»i«ont pi'ove-ajvexcentJonL to the rule.. Trie Treasurer,'is very fertile In ■a: tricksy sort;of contrivance. During the first great.'discussion on finance, the House alniost unanimously expressed its disapproval of, the proposal: ! to raise more money under the £3,000,000-Loan Aet, and Mr Fitzhrbert declared; lijs'intention of bowing to thedeciMori .of .the. House. But I believe he intends to.bring in a bill to extend the powers of; that .Actjj.'-and to enable him to borrow ,£260,000, .uiiiler.: those extended powers. :Tiioiigh.hpw:tliepowers of an Act which lias already fulfilled:lts purpose can be extended, I fail to, .perceive. 1 dare say that in the .present.temper and constitution of the House tliemeasure will be passed, though it is likely to.exercise effect upon the credit of the colony. ''.""

The/Timaruand Gladstone Bill has passed throngh; :ali' : .its stages, the Government having throughout postponed its own business itofprwafd the measure. On the occasion, of.:tlie, third reading, Mr Moorhouse made his last-protest against the bill. During ■.t!ie ; ■course; of ..a very able speech he took ,occasion.tOpoiritput thestrangeinconsistency , hetweeri'MrTravers' political conduct during the;,'earlier part of the session and the tone headbpted ata meeting in Christchurch. He pointed out that Mr Travers bad durngthe /session, said and done all that he could to the provinces and ;hold .tlieni: up to ridicule, and then .hadgone down fp Christchurch and declaimed :agiiirist. the : ; General Government, as their enemy and destroyer. He shewed by Mr Trayers';piyn words that he had framed an Act for grantirig.certain rights and privileges ;tb;Tiriia"rui; knowing all the time that it would inot hold water,,and that his alleged excuse ,was;tb save ithe .province from the destructive ambitibri. of ;'a .Central Government, The impression: produced by the speaker upon the House was mbst'profouml, and may perhaps hest:he : expressed : .by tlie words of Mr Cox, who in reply, said that " he should beushamed ■ to.deferid thecourse taken by thehon. member for Christchiirch.'' The only amendment of any.importance that was made in the bill was : ;the;: substitution of the words " land sold,''.', for':"territorial revenue." By this change the .Board is deprived of any share in thepasturage rents;

:■ The: Canterbury Waste Lands Amendment bill has. been read .a second lime. The object of this .measure; is;, to validate certain preemptive rights which have been granted for wire, .fencing,; to ;do away with any more being granted, to .prevent pre-emptive right holders from defending their rights by purchasing twenty'acres at a time, and generally :to carry out the resolutions of the Provincial Council, .passed,during last session. The bill, is, likely to pass with certain necessary ■ i araendments.-'' : 'VV-'

. The, es'timatcsiiave at last been commenced, and : a : ;Btrong,attempt at retrenchment was .mndej.duringthe first evening, without success, ■■The..truth, is, the Government is not .prepared to admit any retrenchment in the ivay.of salaries, and it is strong enough to carry;.what it wishes,

~ A - debate occurred on a motion by Mr Reeves,: : that.:it was inexpedient to grant appropriations for; a period beyond the current financial year. The necessity for this arose;from Mr Pitzherbert having ; ; expressed; an opinion, both :public!y arid privately, in favour of biennial sessions ,of:; Parliament. Other members in the confidence'-'of■;tlie Government had also jsbunded-the House on the subj ct Whon thej.questioncaraeion, Mr Reeves pointed out "tlie gross inconsistency of endeavouring to cripple the ; legis'ative ; powers of the proyinces,: ;niid-:at -the/ same time to close the ;dopr.''.-.tpjalllegislation by postponing the session of tlie: central: Parliament for a year. ;T.he Government. were evidently divided in tlieir-opinion, tinti the resolution was carried "on. the voices. .''.' Thursday, Sept. 26, ...Scareeiyjind.the":Airedale left the wharf ,'witii;the 'last ■ Soutlfumil before Mr Stafford displiiyeiloiic.of...those curious mixtures of ■iiiMiletiiie: ami .ciinriing, which differentiate him: 'from'; the Vest of ihis species. Under tho :fl:'iii9y ..liijguisc >f a message from the Governor,iie brought down " The County of AV.estlii.iiil Bill;!.'. .Your readers will probably hardly credit.iiie when I tell them that Go-

vernment had not given Mr Moorhouse the slightest hint of their intention of introducing the bill, i onsidering that Mr Moorhouse is both Superintendent of the province and member for Westland, I think this last impertinence really caps everything in that line that even Mr .Stafford has been guilty of. The bill goes a long way further than the fimaru and Gladstone measure; in fact it is altogether revolutionary in its character. It is intituled '• An Act to establish the County of We-tland, and to make temporary provision for the Government thereof." The use of the word "lemporary" is very judicious, or rather prophetic ; for I think when King Stork has reigned a few months, the inhabitants will be heaving many a sigh for the gentle days of good King Log, The Preamble boldly states " Whereas it is expedient to provide for the separation of the district of Westland from the Province of Canterbury." By the 2nd clause the County of Westland is established, >md by the 4th all the powers now vested in the Superintendent are vested in the Governor who may delegate them to anybody he pleases. This appears to me to introduce the vicious system of nominated Superintendents under a slightly different aspect. The few next clauses provide for the establishment of Koad Boards. The debt of Canterbury is to be apportioned by arbitration, and accounts are to be kept separate. A County Council is to be established consisting of six elected members, and a chairman appointed by the Governor. Of course the Westland representatives will sit no more in the Provincial Council. Perhaps they will not be much missed, or if they are missed, they will not be much regretted. I will not say anything more on this subject, as you will probably publish the Bill, and then your readers can judge for themselves. The House got into Committee of Supply the day before yesterday, and a queer sort of rambling discussion .went on about reducing the Postal estimates. The Hon. John Hall stated how far it was possible to reduce the amount of posts throughout the entire colony, and as he went through each district in succession grunts of dissatisfaction in various keys emanated from the unfortunate representatives in turn. Finally, he said that he thought any reduction would be detrimental to the prosperity of the colony. Immediately after he sat down the obsequious Mr Bunny got up and proposed more suo a reduction of £7OOO in the Post Office Estimates, and afterwards Mr Macandrew wanted to abolish the subsidies altogether, and to reduce the estimate thereby by £16,000 The House was in a somewhat reckless humour, which was not diminished when Mr Stafford got up and said he thought the subsidies might be done away with; that brought up Mr Hall, who said he positively could not carry out the proposed reduction, and then a free fight ensued ammig Ministers, which was getting so hot I'iat progress was reported, How it will end, I cannot say, but my private opinion is th-t a large curtailment of postal subsidies v .uld be a very serious blow to the progress of the country, and I should prefer retrenchmeir in any other department. This is not the ilrst time that Mr Stafford has turned round upon Mr Hall in a way very unbecoming the chief of a cabinet. Mr Hall is the hardest working and most respected member of the Ministry, an 4 certainly does not deserve to be left in the lurch by his chief.

Last evening, not being Government night, a good many bills brought in by private members were advanced a stage. Mr Macfarlan gbTtlie TOVUruuDlll through OommUtoo, ,fl w a division, The Catholics in the House muster rather strong, and were much opposed to the measure, but the general feeling of the House was in favour of the bill. The Canterbury Waste Lands Bill, 1867, which validates existing Fencing Pre-emptive Rights but stops them for the future, passed through committee late in the evening. There were hardly any but Canterbury members in the House at the time, and they had quite a nice little family squabble all to themselves. Mr Potts carried a useful addition, providing for gates in fences. Mr Wilson tried to carry a clause to the effect, that the bill shall not commence till the Ist of May, 1868. What a rush there would have been on the stores of wire and on the Land Office! lam glad to say that this attempt was a little too highly flavoured for the committee to stomach. The last clause, which had been inserted in the Waste Lands Committee, and was very objectionable, was rendered quite harmless by an amendment of Mr Cox's. It now merely provides that squatters, who have made improvements on Crown lands, may, when the land is bought, remove the improvements within two months. This is fair enough, 1 think.

Now, I will tell you a little story. I was talking the other day to one of the members, and he said :—" Well, I suppose now Wilson will not be all alone in his glory." "How so ?" said I. " Why, Travers has been made a C.8," " What for ?" said I. " For botany, law, or photography ?" " Don't know," said he, "but I believe the letters stand for ' Cunning Beggar.' "—Laughter followed.