IN THE GALLERY AND ABOUT THE LOBBIES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LII, Issue 5805, 3 October 1879, Page 6

IN THE GA LLERY AND ABOUT THE LOBBIES.

[feom otte own coeekbpondent] WELLINGTON, Oot. 1. Last night the great battle of the session commenced in real earn* st, both sides marshalling their forces in strength, and every inch of space in the galleries being occupied by intensely-interest listeners. Early m the day it was understood that the Address in Reply would not be moved until 7.30 p.m., ,but tho promptitude withvvhlohthepreliminary business was cleared off the .notice Paper in the afternoon led to a re-arrange; meat, and both the mover and the seconder got through their speeches before the dinner adjournment. Indeed, the anxiety t S_ a division as quickly as possible is^very marked on both sides, it being 8 0l ?® , ceded that no eloquence within the wails of the House—whatever may be accomplished outside—will influence a single vote. lhw r morning Mr Reeves returned from a hurried visit to Nelson, bringing back with him Mr J B Fisher; and as Mr Pyke is understood to be on board the Ringarooma, now at the Heads, all the members who can take part in the division are now ou tho spot. I should Bay it must come off this week, even if, in order to do so, the debate should be earned up to midnight on Saturday. As the final struggle approaches, the posi tion of parties becomes more and more closely defined. This morning it is as follows : Opposition: Bain, Beetbam, Bowen, Brandon, Bryce, Licfe, Driver, Fulton, Gibbs, Hall, Hirst, Hursthouse, Hislop, Johnstone, Kelly, Kenny, Levin, Mason, M‘Cau S han. Moorhouse, Murray, Oliver, Ormond, Pitt, Richmond, Rolloston, Russell, Saunders, Seymour, .Stewart, Stevens, Studholme. Sutton, Trimble, Wakefield, Whyte, Willis. Wright. Government.—(4o) -Allwright, Andrews, Ballance, Barron, Brown, Bunny, Colbeok, De Lautonr, Finn, Fisher, J. T., Fisher, J. 8., George, Gisborne, Grey, Hamlin, Hams, Hurst, Hutchison, Ireland, Macandrew, McDonald, Montgomery, Moss, Beeves, Reid, Shanks, Seddon, Sheehan, Shephard, Slmmski, Speight, Swanson, Tainui, Tawhia, To Wheoro, Thomson, Tole, Turnbull, Wood, Wallis. Paired—Whitaker and Lundon. Doubtful (3)— Pyke, Masters, Tomoana. Non-voters (2) —The Speaker, and Thames vacant. The following, then, is a summary of the (position at the present moment: — Ministerialists ... ... ••• 40 Opposition 41 Doubtful ® Paired " Ken-voters , ••• 2 Total 88

Ifc Trill tbua be Been that the iflaao lies in the hands of the three “ doubtfuls,” whom I ehall now take in the order named. Bespectmg Hfr Pjke, I wrote or telegraphed to you to the -■effect that hehad telegraphed that he would vote for the Government. I have since ascertained that the exact wording of the telegram (in reply to one, be it remembered, from a supporter of the Ministry) was, “ I will rote straight.” Mr Pyke’s enemies say this leaves him open to be got at by either parly up to the fast moment, but I hope to be able to wire you long before you receive this that my first interpretation of his message was the correct one. If so, this will make the voting even, with two doubtfuls still in the field—Mr Masters and Tamoana. I have no desire to speak harshly of Mr Masters—in the first place because, however vacillating ho may nave shown himself to be, I have for years inown him as a man of high personal honour, and utterly incapable of selling himself to any parly. Yet, his unfortunate change of sides at a critical moment has laid him open to it. If any member of the House was elected on “the Grey ticket” it was he. His printed address, his speeches at Greymouth and Kumara, his replies to questions on the platform, and his private assurances to electors are all being quoted against him. The simple fact is that Mr Masters, politically speaking, has not, as the phrase goes, “ a mind of his own,” and when I mention that Mr George M'Lean had him all to himself on board the Hawea the cause of Ms secession need not be looked farther for. Indeed, the member for Greymouth, said to a West Coast colleagne-’who was indignantly expostulating with him, “ Well, if you had heard all that I have heard about the Ministry, you would do the same.” From whom did he hear “all about the Ministry ?” Perhaps the honourable member for Wakonaiti can answer this question. But it is not certain that Mr Masters will Vote at aIL To-night an indignation meeting is to be held in Greymouth, and to-morrow, he will meet his West Coast colleagues in consultation. They are simply furious at the endangering of the best interests of the Coast in consequence of the position taken up by one of their own number. It is, therefore, quite on the cards that he may either wholly repent at the eleventh hour, or he shamed into abstaining from voting. Tamoana is the last on the list. Yesterday evening I was assured confidentially by one who ought to be in the secrets of the Maori members, that he will vote for the Government; and I am personally aware that Tamoana expressed himself much pleased at the promptitude with wMch the Ministry yesterday morning, acceded to the request for a second interpreter to sit with the Maori members in the House of Bepresentatives. The gentleman to be appointed will doubtless be Mr Gannon, who, from ninety-six licensed interpreters, has been unanimously nominated by the four Maoi i members. On the whole I am inclined to tMnk Tamoana will vote on the Ministerial side, thus giving them a majority of one—presuming Mr Masters abstains from voting. Some say that Mr Levin is still to be ranked as a “ doubtful,” but I scarcely think this is correct. There seems every reason to believe that he has “ ratted.”

Tour readers can now judge for themselves as to the probable result of the division. On •one question there cannot be a shadow of a doubt, namely, that it will be intensely close and correspondingly exciting. A word as to last night’s debate. Mr Andrews, though by no means a brilliant talker, spoke fluently, and, gaining confidence as he went on, succeeded in securing the respectful attention of. a crowded House, resuming his seat amid well deserved applause. Mr Hurst’s oratory was more ambitious, and at first he floundered a little, but when, metaphorically speaking, he “ felt his legs,” he became clearer, and his peroration was no mean elocutionary effort. He, too, was loudly applauded. The Hon John Hall’s rising was the signal for loud Opposition cheers, but, after a speech of some length, he flat down amidst almost profound silence. Truth compels me to state that, as a speech, it was disappointing to those who from hearsay had expected very great things, and as an impeachment of the Government it was lame in the extreme. As one gentleman remarked to me, referring to its gentlemanly lameness, “There was altogether too much of the velvet glove without the slightest pressure of the iron hand. Fox waa quite the other way.” This, from a critic who fain would be friendly to Mr Hall! I will not go so far as to assert that it fully deserved the term applied to it by the Premier, viz., “ contemptiblebut there were those on‘,Mr Hall’s own side who in subsequent conversation in the lobbies expressed themselves grievously disappointed. Sir George Grey was in capital voice and “ form,” and spoke, as he always does, well. By “ well ” I mean that, apart altogether from the matter of his address, it is always an intellectual treat to listen to him. I fancy, however, he should have confined himself a little more to the text, although, after all, as he himself said, the Opposition had failed to furnish him with one. His peroration was one of the finest ever delivered in the Hous<>, and roused the galleries to the pitch of enthusiasm. I have here sketched, of course, only the manner of those who took part in last debate; the matter you have already By-the-way, this is how the New Zealander of to day speaks of the member for Greymouth:—"lt may be safely assumed that the minds of members are made up, that

oratoricalpowerwill not pemrie their present intentions, and that in P imcatienoa they await the signal to vote pSK to this there is one exception, the unhappy Master*, who. at this his political career, is [ au " ch ® d „ n °“ t “sunnor trouble. Pledged on the hustings to ™PJJ” perturbation d*o not belie him, allowed himself to waver. In hesitating he will be lost. Lost to the respect and confidence of his ... i. ijAtf in tho esteem of too Ho n use waman halting between two opin--10 In a former letter I spoke of Mr Dlck a* occupying a seat on the front Ministerial Bench, f n one sense it doesn t matter whether it was Dick, Tom, or Harry, but as a matter of fact I should have written Colonel Trimble. It takes some time to become familiar with so many new faces. Last night, Mr Hall* in quoting from the report of your special correspondent who recently went to Parihaka, madethe amusing blunder of attributing to him what was and Had tisfce The Hon the Minister for JNative lands will probably have something to say on the subject.