The Lyttelton Times. Saturday, June 19th.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 587, 19 June 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. Saturday, June 19th.

It is a wonderful proof of actual prosperity and of fearlessness as to the future, that the southern provinces take so quietly their partial disfranchisement and non-representation in the General Assembly. We don't know what is doing at Auckland, what our legislators are saying,—what liabilities we are incurring ;— and yet the electors of the south have taken no active steps to remedy the evil. They grumble and growl now and then, —but, in any case, they would exercise this inalienable birth right;—>they threaten sometimes, and sometimes even get into a passion;—but in this too they have appeared more to be exercising a constitutional privilege or principle, than to he expressing themselves in earnest. _ Unless we are much mistaken, this Session is likely to see the last of this state of things. A mass of crude legislation is going on at such a distance from us that we know nothing about it. We are handed over bound to the tender mercies of the Auckland Members, —the representatives of avowedly the most corrupt constituency in the whole of New Zealand. Such a state of things cannot last. Our last advices from Auckland are dated 14th May, and what has been done since we have not the means of even conjecturing. What has been done about Electoral Reform P Are we southerns who have never breathed a wish for such measures as are proposed, who a%far as can. be gathered are tmanimously attached%> the old English system of representation, to be handed over to second-hand Americanism ? Because Auckland elections have become a bye-ward, is New Zealand generally to be proclaimed unfit for an open exercise of British institutions ? The voice of the Middle Island is decidedly against written nomination and vote by ballot, but what signifies that, when it has no opportunity of making itselt heard at the seat of the " Central" legislature. Still more important; to us is the question " What is to be done with the waste lands F For all we know the subject may have been already discussed, and some new act may have been passed. It is to be hoped that no breach of faith to the province has been committed. But we can, only hope j the large body of men who have purchased land and entered into contracts on the faith of our land-regulations have no opportunity of hearing of what is going on, much less of expressing an opinion npon it, It is true enough that when we allude to New Zealand politics we harp for ever on the same string.—•'The seat of Government andot legislation must be removed from Auckland. This is not to be wondered at when we have nothing else to consider but our want of vi* formation. There was great discussion in Canada as to the proper seat of (Government. The Colonist could not decide it. Upper and Lower Canada were at loggerheads on the subject; and^ the question \yaa offered for decision tP fcbe British

Lverhment. - Her Majesty's advisers have _j ted Ottawa, as the most central position ____ could be found, notwithstanding the great ] _C tige of Toronto, Montreal, or Quebec. _Trf Q Ur legislators cannot settle the vexed _ ation of the seat of Government in New lU!ILdl U!lLd let them agree to abide by Her Maftv's decision. The Colonial Secretary will ■doubtless weigh the arguments on both sides of She Question impartially. We have wrang ed , " enough ; and are as far as ever from a setoff of the difficulty. Let us follow the examTof Canada, and request Her Majesty's Lvernment to giv^ instructions to the Gover- " as to the place where he is to fix his Head Quarters, and to which he is to summon the Houses of Assembly.