OPENING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 541, 7 August 1865, Page 7

OPENING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NEW ZEALAND.

His Excellency the Governor opened Parliament at Wellington, on fhe 2Gth .Tu!\", at 2 o cloek. 1 lie weather was imt favourable for the out door part of the ceremonr. as there was <i heavy rain falling the whole time. The usual guard of honor was formed by the Wellington lJitle Volunteers under the command of Gorton. The Strangers' Gallery was erowded, and the body of the house was tilled l>v a large number of ladies. The whole proceedings seemed damped by ihe unfavourable state of the weather. The following is his Excellency "a speech : — Honokaw.e 11.! mi:n or tub Legisl.:tivb CoVNC'li, A Ges-ilkmes* i'F nil' l!ur.-i: ov KarKBSBXTATIVI'.S, — In opening tld* li.: 1, session of the Pavliamr-nt. of New Zealand, am atle U> * - t>n i*;i t ill a t you upon the partial m u: "1 p>ace ami the su.p:-'S-mo:i of in:'m'i'ei'iio.'i ia . .-veral o| tli>■ < 1 i.-ti;vln--L ilistiiets in this i.-la al. 1 nasi Ih ,i. whih 1 vising means lor the suppre.-M.>a ol outrages which still orcnv, vou will at. the sum«- time eonM.ler how to eiimuv the I'iitur:; p.-acr of the i-ouiit ry. and promote the union of the two rate.; hy tacilitatieii the adndssion of Her Majeslv'> snhje; ts of the native nice to a full and equal participation ill the piiviiegod ot .-elt' government. It is my intention to invite certain native chiefs to nii. t at Wellingt m, and a tell will he hud het re yen, enabling mo to appoint from among them a commission to report ami avlvi-v upon the hest m.-ans of obtaining ti parliamentary representation ot* the native rare.

The resolutions jby your respeetive Chambers in the la>t session "I - tile General Assembly, relative lo tho withdrawal of 11 or Majesty's land forces 'rom I lie I 'ol ny, won.' duly transmitted by me to Hit Majesty's iSocrotary of Siate. From the tenor of my most recent desp.it ill's, [ sin h-d to infer that the policy vreeil to by you In? been approved of, a'ui will ho i ni! v adopted by the 11 onic Government. The Taranaki and Waneaoui country bus long boon a focus "f disaffection and fanaticism. Peace cannot bo red or Ins'.itii; which is not p ecede 1 by tho ostab lishnicnt ol" Her M.'jo-ty's authority in these districts, to t"' permanently scoured by tho open ng of 'O-ids, and tho formation of • olf-dofeiidinj; settlements i'enditie the ihei>ion ol tho Home tluvcriiinont, 1 determined therefore to avail myself ol the services ol a loitio 1 ol' th- 1 Imperial troups. so t as they remained in th-' colony, tor tlio of order in t'r.e district between Taranahi and Wanaanui, and I issued lust rue! i■> i; s accordingly to Lieuteu.mtGeneral Cameron, wliic!'. will he laid before you.

Contrary to my ai.tioipations, how vcr, considerable del.v took place, which involved consequences fraught with disas'er, ami w i-h led to fres 1 .: outbreaks in other I> irts ol the eolonv. 1 therefore ordered tho Colonial Forces to advance against, tho Were'.'. ;t pa,—a movement which has resulted in its

capture. . lie th -inks of the colony are due to Major 7?ookes> commanding, and to tho ollieer? and men of Her Majesty's Puropenn and -Native Colonial Forces encaj d in this import mt op* ration.

I al-o reeojni-e the readine-s with win ".l Brigadier General Wa idv, C.ii., Colonel Trevor, and tho "Dicers tin i men under their command, aff Tiled mo all the a-sistanee that was in tie ir power, thoiieh precluded bv their or lers from taking any active part in the operation.-* tho enemy's stronghold.

Jam abe in the e eantimo t ' congratulate you on the improved state of the settlement of Taranaki ; and on tho immediate orospeet of it eea-ing to bo a source of v.-eaknes, to .Ww Zealand For this result tlie eolonv is mainly indebted to the zeal. oner.;y, and ability of Colonel Warre, 0.8., commandi 'g that di.-t;:ct, and to tic conduct of I lor Majesty's Forres, Imperial and Colonial, of both races, under lr.s command.

Additional proof lias boon forwarded throughout the operations at Taranaki and that tho colony may rely with confidoneon the skill and tra'l-intry of its own otlieers ac.d men, whilst ihe dove.ted eoui'.iee evinced by the loyal natives, has placed beyond doubt the attachment of a large portion of the native race to tho i rown, to their Tvaropean and to the cause of order against tnrbid-riiee and fanaticism.

I sh-dl now nl oti-e i<sue orders for the ".'turn to England of live regiments, which I trust and believo mav be quickly followed bv the remainder of the Imperial troops. The conditions imposed on the Oolonv fir the full attainment of constitutional Government in native as well as in ordinary affairs will thus be fultilled.

Gentlemen or the House of Representatives : The measures adopted by you in your last session have enabled ir.e, by the disposal of colonial securities, in a u'reai mea-ure to relieve the financial embarrassment in which thi (.'olony wits then pi iced. The credit of the Colony, however, in Kniiland has been and still continues to be injuriously affected hv the extent and manner in which Provincial oans have been contracted and pi-teed for negotiation on tin? Kngiish money n.arket. You will, I trust, tako into vour consideration the means by which these evils mav be remedied, and t'ie conditions under which Provincial Loans may in future bo regulated and their pavment guaranteed out of the general revenue witnsufety to the colony ant increased security to the public creditor.

hi order to provide for the burthens pressing on the colony, it is my intention to submit to you proposals for raising additional revenue by stamp duties.

T trust that by reducing to the utmost limit all extraordinary expenditure connected with the suppression of the present native insunection, or incidental thereto, and by careful economy in the ordinary services of Government you will be enabled to sustain the credit of the colony and provide for its financial exigencies, without encroaching materially on the provisions heretofore made oil! of the General Ordinary Kevenue for the .-erviees of the provinces.

It will, however, be necessary for you to consider the expedient v of modifying to some extent the present distribution of the Ordinary Kevt.uue between the General Govern neut and provinces.

It has been a source, of gieac. satisfaction tome ?lin.t my Government his been enabled by an impror*?'! system of Ireasury a r counts, to lay before the public full inf'ormuticn as to the stal«< of the Revenue and iixpeudituro of the colony to the latest possible period. I trust you will take measures for securing the permanen-'O «>f thia system, and that you wiil further provide effectual checks ngain t the expenditure of public xuojiey without authority of law. ♦

Honoraei.e Ge tlemen- or the Legislative Co"X It, AND G NTX.EMEK 01' THE UOOSE OF Ki-.i'Kesi:xtatives,—

Tho changes which have taken plaeoin tho relative distribution of population and wealth in different Districts will render it neces.sary for you to re-adjust tho Representation oi the Colony.

in pursuance of Hie power vested in mo by an Act of la<t session, 1 have agreed with the Panama, New Zealand and Australian Koyal Mail Company, to confirm, subject 10 res tain modifications, the eontract 3 entered into with that body for tlie establishment of a pofrtal service by way of Panama.

1 have also entered into an agreement with the Government of New South \N r al-s for admitting that coiony io an equal piuti'ip ition in the beneli's of the contract upon icrms equitable in themselves, and which will, I doubt not, prove equally advantageous to both colonic*.

The completion of these arrangements, with the liberty of extending them to other Australasian colonies, will require jour sanction.

The recent discoveries ol' gold on tho West Coast of the Middle Isl uid have opened new iields for colonization, and given an impetus to the development of the material resourcei of the colony.

Amongst many onuses of anxiety which have clouded our prospects, it has bi'en to me a source of groat satisfaction to observe the i-tealy advance of the Colony in population and wealth. I see noccui-e for anticipating any cheCK to this onward whi. h, wit}.-. God's blessing, cannot fail to curry it through dilttculties—temporary in tlieingelvL-s, unci already beginning to disappear.