(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1630, 26 August 1871, Page 9

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

August loth. Although Parliament was formally opened yesterday, the real opening and the Governor's Speech are to come to-day. At two o'clock yesterday there was a large nmster of the members of each Chamber, and the Hon. Major Richardson, the Hon. Major Richmond, C.8., Hon. Mr Sewell, and Hon. Mr Domett, took their seats as His Excellency's Commissioners. The Clerk of the Council was then despatched to the Representatives to invite their attendance. Entering the box and addressing the members, lie invited them to attend in the Legislative Council Chamber to hear the Commission read. Then there was a rash ; and when they had all got in the Commission was read. The Hon. the Speaker then told the Representatives that their first duty was to elect a Speaker, advised them to return to their own Chamber and do this, and then to present the man of their choice to His Excellency on the following day, when His Excellency would declare to them his reasons for calling Parb'ament together. Returned to their own Chamber, Judge Johnston, in full costume, was introduced by the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Clerk, calling over the roll, the members, as they were named, came up to the table by fours and took the oath of allegiance. Singularly enough, |Mr Andrew being away Mr Bell chanced i to be the firpt member to tajse the oath '

'As the members were sworn they signed the roll and retired. It was rather amusing to watch the different ways in which the members acted when being sworn. The old hands seemed to care very little about it, but the young members appeared deeply impressed with the solemnity of the performance, and the dignity of their own position. All who were present, some sixty odd, being sworn, Sir David Monro came forward to the table and, addressing the Clerk, said that as their first duty was to elect a Speaker, he was about to propose a gentleman to fill that position. He said it was usual in such assemblies for the Speaker to be a person approved of by the party in power, and for the proposer of a Speaker to be a strong Government supporter. He believed the gentleman he was going to name would be fully approved of by the Government, but he was not himself a Government supporter, as the views lie had elsewhere expressed Avere antagonistic to those of the Government. Still the circumstances of the colony wore now so critical that he deprecated all mere party strife, and the Government would not find him an unreasoning opponent. Some months ago Mr Dillon Bell had written } asking if he adhered to the determination jhe had announced last session, of not I becoming a candidate for the chair. He replied in the affirmative, and Mr Bell then said he intended to stand, and asked him to propose him. Remembering that on two occasions Mr Bell had proposed him, and having known that gentleman for 30 years, lie had no hesitation in at once acceding to the request, and now according to promise he proposed Mr Bell as Speaker. He then dwelt at some length on Mr Bell's qualifications for the chair, and on his long public career. Mr I Brandon in a few words seconded the | proposal ; and there being no other candi- [ date, Mr Bell, standing in. front of the chair, in very graceful and well chosen words, acknowledged the honour done him. He was then led to and installed in the chair by Ms proposer and seconder. This done, Mr Fox rose and congratulated him, reviewing at length his long connection with the colony, both before and since his arrival in it. Referring to Mr Bell's efforts on behalf of colonisation under the New Zealand Company, Mr Fox expressed an opinion that it must be very gratifying to him that, before attaining the position of the first commoner in the colony, he had been a prominent member of the Ministry winch had once more revived the drooping spirit of colonisation, Mr Fox concluded by moving the adjournment of the House, which was of course carried. In the Legislative Council, matters did not go quite so smoothly. The Commission under which the Parliament was | opened rendered it necessary that all the j members of both Houses should be sworn. The Hon. Mr Waterhouse objected veiy strongly to the Councillors being reswom. ; He said they were appointed for life and sworn for life, and that the dissolution of the other Chamber did not affect them. Several other members took the same grounds of objection, but the terms of the Commission were imperative, and it became apparent that either the Councillors must consent to be reswom, or a new one would have to be issued and the ceremony of opening again gone through. Under, these circumstances, the Councillors gave way, and took the superfluous oath under protest. Looking down from the gallery on the new- House of Representatives, the first thing which strikes one is the great number of new faces. The old ones are thrown quite into the shade, and if there be any truth in the science of Lavater, I should say that the present House is intellectually very far below the standard of the old House. The absence of many old faces impresses one almost painfully. Carlcton, Stevens, Jollie, Cracroft Wilson, J. C. Richmond, Travers, and a host of other old familiar faces,, are no more to be seen, and their s\iccessors look very inferior men, whatever they may prove themselves. Of political news there is neither word nor rumour, but in a few days things will, I suppose, begin to shape. The West Coast members, Mr Stafford, Mr Curtis^ and several others, arrived to-day.

We learn from the Nelson Examiner that the highest flood witnessed in the Upper Buller for the last eleven years, was experienced there a fortnight a^o, causing an immense amount of damage, both public and private. Roads and bridges 'were swept away, sheep drowned in paddocks, fluming washed down, and the total loss, we fear, will be found exceedingly heavy. The streams most heavily Hooded were those which drain the Owen range, on the north side of the Buller, the warm rain bringing down the snow in such masses that the Buller rose in places, in a feAv hours, forty-rive feet, the channels in the canons or gorges not being sufficiently large to admit of the ready ontllow of such a rapidly augmented body of water. The Inspector of Public Works left town to see what can be done in the way of repairs to roads and bridges, as the traffic of the djptrjet |s completely stopped,,