Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 501, 22 August 1857, Page 3

Colonial.

VICTORIA,

We find in our Sydney files news from Melbourne to July 20.

In the Legislative Assembly, on the 9th instant, Mr. Haines moved the second reading of the Bill for amending the Law relative to the Gold Fields. He admitted that the system now in force did not work so satisfactorily as the Government had expected. He thought that the miner's right created an antagonism between labour and capital, and regretted the Want of co--operation amongst the miners. This arose partly from the limited idea assigned to each, and a desire on the part of all those who mined for gold rather to try and enrich themselves suddenly than to look to gold mining as a steady employment, and to be content with fair wages. It was not proposed to abolish the right. The honorable member referred to some statistics, showing that co-operation and machinery tended, on the average,' to increase the receipts of individuals far beyond the receipts on fields where there was little cooperation and machinery. This Bill proposed to separate the legislative and judicial functions of the Local Courts. The judicial functions would be handed over to a court of Mines, to which appeals would be made from the decision ot the wardens, who still would retain power to adjudicate on cases of encroachments. It would also have power to decide on all disputes relating to mining. The members of this court would

be elective, the gold-fields being divided into districts, each of which would return a. certain number of members, and so counteract the influences of the heavy masses of population at the larger gold fields. Mining on public reserves" would be prevented, but a privilege of cutting water-courses over Crown Lands would be conceded to the holders of miner's rights. Those who mined without the right were deprived of their power of suing in the Court of Mines.

The speech of the honourable member evoked a protracted discussion, and on a division the Government carried the se6ond reading by 27 to 11.

Mr. Childers has resigned his seat for Portland. The 'Age' says, "we are are still in the dark as to whether he retired long ago, or despatched his resignation by the last mail. Which? Has the seat for Portland been really \acant since Mr. Childers left the colony^ his chivalrous colleagues concealing the fact to suit their own object and opportunity ?. A curious speculation this. [Perhaps softie honorable member would" help to unravel the mystery."

A ri^tional convention is about to be held to consider the Land. Question. Delegates will be appointed from the principal seats of population. The 'Portland Guardian 'says; " in such numbers'have the been {crowding to the diggings overland from Guichen Bay, that as many as 4,000 have passed by one station near Barrow, within the last month."

DKEABFUL EtBE AND LOSS OF MFE AT ; „ -BALLAAEAT.

A terrible conflagration took plaGe at BailaaiEt on Thursday last, the 9th instant. The "Star," of the following day, has the subjoined account of the disaster:—■

Again we have been visited by one of those terrible conflagrations which ever and anon 'threaten us with destruction. Last night, about a quarter before eleven, the alarm of fire was given, and was found to proceed from the shop of Mr. Phillipson, watchmaker and jeweller, on the main road, about midway between the Victoria and Caledonian Hotels. A strong wind was blowing from the north-west, with a sharp, clear atmosphere, and in less than ten minutes the fire spread through the fragile wooden walls of no less than six stores and buildings, covering a space of about 130 feet^in length. The fire brigade was promptly on the spot, and the police under Superintendent Foster and Inspector Taylor, arrived almost immediately afterwards. Nothing «ould be accomplished by them, however, in saving any part of the burning buildings, and their attention was directed towards preventing, if possible, the further spread of the fire. Water was obtaiued from the creek which crosses under the road about 8 yards below, and the tenements and shops above and below were kept constantly wet, while a good stream was directed on the burning pile to prevent the live embers from being caught up by the wind and carried elsewhere, and in this they were successful. But little property was saved by the unfortunate occnpiers of the burning premises, and all will be heavy losers, as no insurance risks were taken by any of the offices in that quarter. The parties burnt out are, Mr. Phillipson, watchmaker; Kirk, tailor; Perry and Wicken, ironmongers; Issacson and Rosenwortz, clothiers and outfitters ; a milliner's establishment, but recently occupied by two females, and Gainsboro's hay, corn, and produce store, Mr. Gainsboro being the owner of the three last-named premises. The gap occurring between the hay store and the Red House restaurant aided materially in saving the latter from destruction, the walls being kept soaked with water by two men who took charge of it. The rumour, at the outset, that two children had met a horrible death, proved upon examination / to■: be-but tJo true. Their charred aiid blackened trunks were drawn from the smoking ruins by their father, assoon as the subsidence of the fire permitted!1 -and presented a horrid spectacle; the limbs were entirely burnt off, and it was with difßculty the human form could be recognised; So far as we could ascertain, it appeared •that two sons of Mr. Martin, shoemaker— one of them a sharp lad about nine years of age, and the other comparatively an infant, being in his fifth year—had been left by their parents for the night, to mind the premises of Mr. Phillipson. in his absence, and, as the fire originated there, it is supposrd that some incautious use of a light, or neglect of the fire by them was the origin of the calamity,;from which so many have suffered, and to which they themselves were the victims. As an inquest will be held today, we refrain from further comment, trusting that the fullest inquiries will be instituted by the proper authorities. The estimated loss of property is about £5.000.

It is quite clear that more effective measures are demanded for organizing a larger, and more efficient fire brigade, and we think the Municipal Council will do well to look to it before we have occasion to record a still more serious conflagration. The Crown Lands Bill was considered in -committee on the I6ih. A number of new • clauses were proposed by the Government. Mr. Duffy asked if the Government had any objection to a postponement of the matter until the proposed amendments were printed. r Mr. Moore declined to accede to this proposal, upon which Mr. Duffy rose to submit a resolution. The propriety of this course ■ was disputed by several members (says the "' Argus'), and much angry recrimination . ensued. It was ultimately ruled that it was -competent for any gentleman to propose that the Chairman leave the chair, and Mr. Duffy .was allowed to prqceed, on the understanding that he would conclude by doing •tine. After enforcing for-some time the inexpediency of proceeding to the consideration of amendments without a previous opportunity of carefully considering them, the member for Villiers proposed a resolution accordingly. Mr. Michie opposed the adjournment as unnecessary, and suggested that every reasonable end might, be answered by the So» Jicitor-General's explaining verbally the, nature of the amendments to be submitted. ■

Mr. Foster was at a loss, to know what ■reason there, was for aot. printing the .new clauses. '

Mr. Fellows replied that they were not on paper until after the House met on Wednesday. The learned member then proceeded to outline the amendments proposed. The purport of his statements will be found elsewhere.

The propriety of an adjournment was very generally insisted on by the members of the Opposition, and the motion as obstinately withstood by the other side. The debate on the subject was long and heated. At eleven o'clock the House divided, and the motion was rejected by 28 votes to 22. The great sbody of the minority immediately withdrew, leaving four members only on the Opposition Benches.

The committee then proceeded to consider the clauses. The second and third were struck out, and the fourth amended; nfter which the committee adjourned. The members who retired from the House published on the morning of the 17jh the following protest:—

We felt it our duty to retire from the Assembly to-night, when the Land Bill was in committee; and we submit at once to our constituents the motives of this proceeding. We did so because the Government, after having announced^ that they had on this day determined upon important alterations in the measure, amounting to the omission of clauses, the insertion of clauses, and the introduction of new principles, peremptorily refused to postpone the bill for four-and-twenty hours, to enable the amendments to be printed before they were taken into consideration.

We felt that it is contrary to the spirit of the Constitution, and to the usages of deliberative assemblies, for the authors of a bill to make serious alterations in it, after it has passed the first and second reading, without adequate notice ; that such a course would be a precedent of the most dangerous character, enabling a government to smuggle objectionable principles into a bill without passing them through the ordeal which the Constitution provides. Under these circumstances, we decline to take any responsibility for a measure which is only before us in fragments, or to legislate blindfold upon the most important interest that has ever been submitted to our consideration.

When the Government have re-printed the Bill with the proposed amendments, we shall feel at liberty to resume the consideration of it. Parliament House, July 16th, 1857.

On the 17th, the further consideration of the Bill was again postponed till the 22nd.

The South Bourke'election'terminated in the return of Mr. Ricardo, by 333 votes against 158 for Mr. Walsh.

The proceedings of the Land Convention are reported at considerable length in the journals. Among the resolutions adopted on the 17th was the following.— r

" That a resolution be submitted to the House in session this evening, to the effect that it instruct the House in committee to appoint a committee from among its members for the purpose of submitting to the House in committee the heads of a Land Bill, by Monday, if possible. .

The lamp posts for lighting Melbourne with gas were in the course of erection.

We have been informed that some later intelligence than has reached any of the Melbourne journals, is m the possession of a mercantile firm in Melbourne, respecting Borneo. It is to the effect that a second rising of the Chinese had taken place there, and that, during the conflict, Sir James Brooke had been killed.— Age. Abandonment of Tahiti by the Fbench. —A letter from Paris states positively that the French Government has decided to abandon Tahiti.. The colony, it is said, costs a great deal and produces nothing.— Age, July 17.