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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 370, 23 April 1866, Page 4

Acts and Proceedings or the Provincial Council of Hawke’s Bat.—We have to acknowledge the courtesy of his Honor the Superintendent in forwarding us a copy of the Acts and Proceedings of, the Provincial Council of Hawke’s Bay, Session IX, 1865. Deapeet.—We would draw attention to a great auction sale of Drapery (advertized elsewhere) by Mr Edward Lyndon, on the premises of Messrs A- &M. Browne, in Hastings-street. The sale commences on Wednesday next, 25th inst. This sale will be Mr Lyndon’s maiden one, and. we sincerely trust that he will acquit himself in his new occupation to the satisfaction of all parties. Hawke's Bat Agricultural Society.—An advertisement elsewhere notifies that a meeting of the managing committee, of the above valuable institution will be held in the Council Chamber, cn Tuesday, Ist May, at 6 o’clock p.m, when business of importance will be laid before the meeting. A Publisher, in Trouble. —Mr M'Culloch, the Victorian Colonial Secretary, indignant that a statement made by him in his place in the General Assembly was said by the ‘ Argus ’ newspaper to “ bristle with falsehood,” vented his indignation on Mr Hugh George, the publisher of that journal.. Mr George was cited to the bar of the House, and then-and there subjected to no little abuse. He, , pleaded justification, that the statement did bristle with falsehoods—a fact which the ‘ Argus’ proves to demonstration—and that he was justified in thus commenting on the publicly expressed opinions of a public man. The, result was Hugh George has been apprehended and imprisoned. The, ‘Argus’says:—The “padlock’’has again been applied to keep a “ poor printer ” in safe custody in the strong room of the Parliamentary-buildings- 1 over which the Legislative Assembly has control, : because ho places an interpretation on a passage, in a Isading article different from that assigned to it by the person on whom it reflects. Mr Hugh , George, the printer and publisher of the ‘ Argus,' yesterday attended at the bar of the Assembly, in answer to a summons from the Speaker, and having avowed himself to be responsible for the publication of a leading article contained in the Argus of the 16th inst,, in which a statement made-by the Chief Secretary explanatory of causes which had led to certain action on the part of the Ministry, was described as having “bristled with falsehoods” he was denied the privilege of being heard by, counsel, a ma jority of thirty-nine to twenty-one determining that counsel should not be allowed. Air George was then called upon to offer any explanation he had to make, and read a short statement (which,the House declined to receive), in which he stated that the pasage quoted, taken with what followed, could not be understood to bear the meaning ascribed to it by the Chief Secretary, and did not exceed the limits of fair criticism on a statement made by a servant of the Crown in his public capacity in a public place. A lengthy discussion followed, ending, about 10 o’clock, in the adoption of a motion by Mr Higinbotham, that “Mr Hugh George be given into the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms,” on the warrant of the Speaker. The numbers, were thirty-three to fourteen, there being a number of pairs. The warrant was then placed-in the hands of the Sergeant-at-Arms, and in a few moments more Mr George, responding to an invitation, was the inmate of the prison made three or more years ago for the incarceration of Dill, the predecessor of Mr George as the publisher of this journal. Mr Levy, before the House broke up, made an appeal; to Mr M'-CulJoch and Mr Higinbothatn to carry, the matter no farther, but, to allow Mr George to, be released on the payment of the fees, which, would already amount to about a hundred guineas., The course however, the Government refused to. take, pressed on by the majority sitting behind; them ; and the hou. member for Morrington cat, short the colloquy by saying that when Mr George, petitioned for his release the House Would' deal with him, and perhaps not vindictively. The ts padlock,” therefore, now holds as prisoner of the Assembly, for the second time, the publisher of the * jL.rgm,’ for invasion of the almost unlimited previiegeg whi«h Uw> Assembly asserts itself to possess. .