WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2239, 11 July 1870, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(from our special correspondent.) July, 7. Instructed to keep your readers fully acquainted with the proceedings of this perhaps the most important Parliament in the history of .New Zealand, I cannot commence my proper duties without a word or two about the Empire City. Never was a title so inapplicable. A long struggling village winding parallel to the shore, with a few houses, and these not close together, between the main street and the shore. Wellington is as far removed from our notion of a city as can well be imagined. The streets are only partially metalled, and any new metal you see spread seems to have been put on in handfuls. In the morning you may see two men, with a melancholy expression of countenance and steady ‘‘ Government stroke, " tilling a cart with dust ofi' the streets ; while the third, with an unswerving devotion to the principle of division of labor, calmly looks on, until the cart being full it becomes his duty to cart it away. Instead of tilling np holes, they Clink they do better by carefully cleaning them of dry dust, and so the streets resemble those of some old-fashioned villages at home. Two or three policemen, of irregular size, may be seen slowly walking up and down the street, but they seem to have received instructions to avoid any undue activity. A glance at the town at night, and the charge-sheet before the Resident Magistrate in the morning, are sufficient proof of this. There arc some fine shops here which will compare with similar establishments in Dunedin, and even the “old identity ” are now advancing in this respect with the times. No theatre, no music hall, no public place of entertainment —the town at night has a gloomy stillness that is quite oppressive. Hotels are numerous, and S'me of them extremely well-conducted. The Parliament House is fully a mile from the Empire Hotel, and is very prettily situated on a ridge, whose verdant slopes, covered with native hushes and trees, are grateful to the eye. The house itself is ad that it should not ho—small and badly designed, aesthetically and acoustically, it cannot compare with the Council Hall either of Dunedin or Christchurch. The .Speaker's Gallery is small, dark, and treacherous ; for on every occasion I have been in it, 1 have stumbled on some dark object or acclivity. When thoroughly tilled it will hold nine persons, By-the-byo, when you read in a Wellington paper that the Ladies’ Gallery was “ ci owdecl to excess ” at the opening of Parliament, your readers must not picture to themselves a galaxy of beauty ana fashion, but three or four married ladies, with the youthful members of their families ! \ our leaders may bo incredulous, but, although it grieves me to the heart to dispel the charming illusion, the fact remains that no more than nine crinolined spectators can possibly bo accommodated with seats. Apropos of this, 1 read this morning in one of the papers that Lambtou Quay presented a busy aspect with the loading and unloading of certain vessels ; and I hurried down to sec this unusual scene : but the impression made on my mind may be imagined, when I tell you that the melancholy induced by my visit to the scene of bustle, I have not yet been able to sljakc off'. So much at present for the town—l hog pardon—the Empire City, Turn we to polities. The financial statement of Mr Vogel has elicited expressions of admiration from men of all parties. The large and comprehensive measures, (he mastery of finance, and the moderate and convincing tone of the language employed in his elaborate statement, have diawn” forth from even his bitterest opponents the acknowledgment that it is the most complete and statesmanlike financial statement ever made in the House. Indeed, up to the present time, the Opposition seem fairly ilabherga-dod with it. some of the Opposition members loudly declare that it is copied from the Stafford party, while others as stoutly contend that it is original and extravagant. Sumo say that it is unintelligible aiiil sophistical, but they cannot themselves point out anything that is obscure or controvertible, but wait till Mr Stafford or Mr Fitzherbert demolishes it. Certain it is that never was statement so closely scanned, and you will see members with praiseworthy earnestness making appointments with each other for reading it over together for their mutual imurovement., To-night it comes on for discussion, and I) shall keep your readers well informed of all the sayings and doings of members (especially from (.Hago) with petard to it.

Last night the vexed question of the Hundreds Regulation Act came on for discussion. Mr Macandrcw, “ as the mouthpiece of the Provincial Council,” brought forward the amendments proposed by Mr J. C. Brown and carried in the Council His speech was cl ar, and calm, and convincing, and the House listened to him (as indeed they always do) with breathless attention. Indeed the House seems to respect a member who only speaks when he has something to say, and who says that something in the shortest way. You will see from Hansard that Mr Brown has a Bill on for the second reading for repealing the Bill, and as it seemed better to dispose of that first, the discussion was postponed till after its fate is decided. This I think was the proper course, and I shall write you a letter, as the lawyers say, “long and snecial” upon the debate that will then and thereupon lake place.