WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3010, 11 October 1872, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(FROM our,own correspondent.)

October 5. It is unnecessary for me to give you a summary of proceedings that took place in the House last night, as you will have all the information in the columns of the Independent, Mr Vogel’s speech, vindicating himself as 'iresaurcr and Mr Ormond’s as Minister of Public Works, were well received The castigation he gave to the gentlemen on the Ministerial benches was thoroughly appreciated, and caused much arausenien”, Purely a well-educated people, like those who are denizens of Dunedin and its suburbs, will have seen ere this through the flimsy veil of that party who condemned the Fox-Vogel Administration. In everything they have taken up the views of the late Government, go far as immigration and pubjic works are concerned ; but can a set of men who originally condemned that policy be in earnest in carrying it out to a successful issue? If they are hopcst men ttyey cannot do so. The question is, are they hopest? I, for my part, do not believe in thoir sincerity. The elements of which the Government were

composed are such that it would be impos* sible for them to be sincere—and to destroy the scheme Mould be simply Well, they have, through the arrogance displayed by them in the short time they have been in office, shown their unfitness to rule over the destinies of a country whose future, as Anthony Trollope has said, will be great if properly developed by railways and roads ; and the representatives of the people, _ by their late vote, have come to that conclusion. The promises abundantly showered forth by Stafford and Co. to secure the votes of representatives, they have already seen, in the twenty-eight days the Government have held office, to be mere moonshine ; and, had it not been that the cunning of the acute statesman Stafford had secured the written pledge of members for the session, the ma* jorily on this occasion M'ould have been very much greater. Now they have, from the defeat of jthe Stafford party as a Government, been relieved of that pledge, and the future Administration will rapidly acquire strength from the ranks of the motley party. The scene in the House last night, notwithstanding that there was no expectation of a division being called, was equal to that on the former division of “no confidence.” The Upper House— at all events, all that could get admission —were there to hear Mr Vogel, and it was a surprise when Mr Vogel sat down that a call was made for a division. It was the usual party tactics—thinking that their opponents were not prepared for them ; but in this they made a mistake. An adjournment for twenty minutes was called fur, which gave an opportunity to collect the forces. On the Speaker taking the chair, one of the Government supporters appeared to be absent, and Mr Stafford, who would not reply, rose to say a few words to gain time. The member, however, quickly appeared, and, on the Government whip going "p to him, and, in a voipe that many could hear, telling him that the party were all in the House, Mr Stafford sat down. The division list shows the result. The cheering that took place was loud, prolonged, and so joined in by the strangers’ gallery, that rather astonished the discomfited party, who slunk off. and were seen no more in the House, whilft the majority made a jubilee of it,