The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 294, 25 August 1855, Page 3

The Lyttelton Times.

Saturday, August 25.

We publish to-day His Excellency's Address on opening the Houses of the General Assembly, and the debate which ensued, as reported by the Southern Cross. The Address, as was probably intended, means nothing. The delay in calling the Assembly together after the Appropriation Act 'had expired is not alluded to ; no reason given either for such delay, or for the strangely irregular manner in which at the last members were summoned. The question which has unhappily of late assumed a most painfully prominent position—that of the Native disturbances at Taranaki, is touched upon by his Excellency in such a manner as to rouse the indignation of the New Plymouth members, and e^en of strangers to that Province. The members for New Plymouth stated in the House that they must return immediately, as they did not even know whether their homes and families were safe. It is not likely that without good cause men would make use 'of, in so public a manner, language calculated to disparage their Province as a place of residence. There is a strange contrast between the report of their remarks, and the address of the head of .the Government on the same subjectOn Friday, the 10th inst., Mr. Sewell moved an address, which is characterised as a civil, but dry and formal reply to His Excellency's opening speech. We cannot find it published in the papers which have readied us. Mr. Sewell, in moving the address, stated his conviction that so thin a house ought not to take upon itself to pass the Pension Bill sent dowu by his Excellency preparatory to the establishment of Responsible Government. In this, we most fully agree with him. All the shuffling connected with the calling together of the General Assembly seems to have had one object,—it is intended by the General Government to smuggle through a House almost unattended by southern members, a bill for granting pensions to the present office-holders, without enquiry, under the specious pretext of expediting the establishment of Responsible Government. We hope that those members who have attended the Session will be too watchful and too honest to allow such a scheme to be successful.