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VICTORIA

We have, by way of Sydney, two days later news from Melbourne, extending to the 6th, of July.

In the Legislative Council on the Bth July, Mr. Miller gave notice of his intention to ask the Government, whether they would proclaim the Sydney coin a legal tender in the colony. Mr. Aspinall proposed a resolution declaring it to be inexpedient to proceed to the settlement of. the land question until a reform of the Constitution had secured a more efficient representation of the people. He contended that the country had condemned the Land Bill, whilst the House itself had acknowledged its defective constitution. A measure passed under such circumstances would have no moral obligation. He denied the necessity of hurrying on this question. Supposing the Bill to be a good one, and the motives of its supporters pure, why not admit the forty coming members to its adoption ? The House ought to deprive every man in the colony of the right of complaining that he had not a voice in the adjustment of this exciting topic. If the measure was passed now, it would be repealed by a reformed House, at the cost of a violation of public faith. Mr. Humffray seconded the motion. The Attorney-General characterised Mr. Aspinall's1 speech as a " baseless tirade." The motion was an arrogant one, and intended only to raise a good cry. It was part of a systematic policy of obstructiveness. The House was the same now as at the commencement of the session. If incompetent to deal with this question, its incompetency extended to every question that had come before it. He denied that the House was destitute of representative authority, seeing that the digger, whose want of representation had been insisted on, could obtain the franchise by the payment of a pound for a miner's right. Proceeding to defend the Land Bill itself, the learned member said its leading idea was the settlement of the people onthe land on the easiest terms compatible with justice to existing interests, and complained of the misrepresentations of its provisions, which had gone forth to the country. Substantially the bill was an embodiment of resolutions already agreed to. Mr. Michie concluded by severely criticising the real motives of the resolution,_and protested against the doctrine, that the legislation of the present Parliament was without public obligation. Mr. O'Shanassy said, the male adult population of the colony was a hundred and ninety thousand; making every allowance, the electoral basis should comprise at least a hundred and twenty thousand voters. The present roll contained only sixty thousand names. The laws emanating from, a .Legislature acting on so limited an authority could not possess the same weight or stability as the enactments of a body elected by universal suffrage. The census returns were now before the House, and the delay of reform was no longer excusable. Ministers themselves had promised a Reform Bill within a few weeks, and he held it to be perfectly reasonable to ask them to postpone a question so vital in its character until then. He replied to the charge of factious obstructiveness, by citing the rapidity with which the Treasurer was allowed to carry the estimates through the

House. . , Mr. Aspinall having replied m a speech characterised by considerable humour, the House divided. The motion was lost by a majority of ten votes, twenty-nine voting for, and nineteen to the 'Herald' of the Bth, "a meeting of those members of the Assembly who usually support the Ministry was held the day previous, for the purpose, it was stated, of considering certain alterations and amendments m the Land Bill." The ' Herald 'of the same date says— Ihe rule nisi moved on Saturday last by the Solici-tor-General, calling upon Mr. G. M. Stephen to show cause why he should not be disbarred, will not be r.r mcd till next lerm. Mr. Stephen stated that he should not be prepared to show cause to-day, and the Court did not think it likely that four judges could sit together to hear the case any day out of term." There has been a collision between the Europeans and Chinese at Buckland. The ' Ovens and Murray Advertiser ' speaking of the affray says « The Chinese question has entered on a new phase. Exasperated by the perpetual iajierfer-

ence of the Celestials with their mining pursuits, and alarmed at the overwhelming numbers eontinuallypouring in upon them, the Buckland diggers of European origin have talcen the law into their own hands. On Saturday a large body of the latter collected, and attacked the Chinese in their tents, drove them out, set fire to what was inflammable, and literally consumed their habitations and their stores. Pursuing the miserable Mongolians down the river, each of their encampments and its tenants in its turn was served in the same way, until some fifteen hundred Celestials, trembling and panting before their pursuers, evidenced their manhood and their courage by fleeing before two or three hundred angry members of the Anglo-Saxon race. The only account which has reached Beech - worth, but which was thoroughly reliable and authentic, computes the damage done to thepro* 1 perty of the Chinese at £2000. In the course of the fray it is stated that some of these unfortunate men were severely wounded, but whether their wounds were of a fatal nature or not the information does not say. The fugitive horde i did not rest until they had placed seven miles of bush between themselves and their assailants. The account we have received left the main ! body encamped at that distance from the Bucki land diggings, though three or four hundred of those to whose flight fear lent wings of strength had readied the Ovens crossing-place at Porepunka. "

One of the guards of the Melbourne and Geelong Eailway was killed on the Bth July, by falling from a carriage whilst the train was in motion. It was his duty to collect the tickets, but not whilst the engine was in spped. His name was Joseph Grard, and a verdict of accidental death was returned by the coroner's jury.

i The " Argus " of the 4th gives this mforma- : tion as t° the revenue of the colony for the past . quarter : —" There is a net decrease of £84,987 :on the year; the condition of the revenue, how- ' ever, is, according to these returns, well main- ; tamed. In the Customs revenue there is an ; increase on the year of £128,317, and a decrease ion the quarter of £50,679. This latter sum is I exclusively'traceable to the export duty on gold. jln the three months ending 30th June, 1856, the largest quantity that was ever shipped in the like period was despatched from these shores. In the corresponding period of the current year there has been a temporary lull in shipments. There fis a decrease in the direct revenue'on the year from the gold-fields of £19,682, of which £14,047 is in the fees derived from business licenses, and £3,626 in those for the granting of miners' rights. On the quarter there is a slight increase in this branch of the public revenues. In the Port and Harbour dras there is an increase of £334 on the quarter, and of £4,194 on the year; Owing to the state of uncertainty which exists as to the annual amount to be levied on spirit merchants and publicans, very lai'ge sums remain unpaid under the head of licenses, and the returns show a falling off in consequence, to the amount of £43,000 on the quarter, and £56,000 on the year. The fines, forfeitures, and fees of , court have been maintained and nothing more. In the miscellaneous receipts there is a small ; increase on the quarter, and a decrease of £25,068 on the year. In the territorial revenue there has been a very considerable falling off, arising entirely from the fact that a much smaller acreage of land has been submitted at auction. The decrease amounts to £57,189 on the quarter, and to £83,337 on the year. In the funds specially appropriated there is a considerable increase both on the quarter and on the year."

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18570815.2.13.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 499, 15 August 1857, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,354

VICTORIA Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 499, 15 August 1857, Page 5

VICTORIA Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 499, 15 August 1857, Page 5

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