Important Proceedings. (From the "Pacific News," May 10.)

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 550, 23 July 1851, Page 3

Important Proceedings. (From the " Pacific News," May 10.)

Tlic destruction by the late extensive conflagration, of nearly the whole business portion of San. Francisco, and afterwards of the city of Stockton, beggaring in a few hours hundi'eds of hardworking mechanics, and enterprising merchants, has given rise to cerious reflections on the part of a number of citizens of San Francisco, as to what shall be done to render more secure the lives and property of the people of this city and State. Believing that for the fifth time the city of San Francisco has been devastated by the torch of incendiaries, convicts from the penal colonies of Great Britain, a meeting was called at Nelson's '* Laguna Pavilion," on Thursday evening, the Bth instant, at which the following proceedings were had : — On motion, a committee of three was appointed by the chair, to draft resolutions to be presented for the consideration of the meeting. The committee were J. Winchester, M. Forrest, and Charles Gough who reported the following :■ — Whereas a crisis has arrived when it behoves the Americans and the Americanised citizens to take active and efficient measures for the safety and preservation of our lives and property, and whereas we are induced to believe that the late disastrous conflagrations in this and our sister city Stockton, have been the result of an organised and systematic arrangement of incendiaries who have been imported into this State, mostly convicts from Sydney and other penal colonies, therefore Resolved, That his Honour the Mayor and the municipal authorities be requested most earnestly, to cause to be issued search warrants, commanding and directing the officers having charge of the same to enter, search, and examine, the houses of all suspicious or suspected persons, to ascertain whether there is in them any secreted goods, or merchandize, belonging to the sufferers by the late fire. Eesolved, That if any goods or merchandize be so detected, the tenant or tcnaiits in possession of the said house or houses be arrested, and as our prison has become a jest and a bye-word, he bo compelled to leave the State in forty-eight hours afterwards, or suffer the penalty an out-raged community knows how to inllict. Resolved, That no person or persons from Sydney should be permitted to land on our shores, unless lie has the certificate of the American consul, if there be any resident in such place, that he oi they have not been convicts. I That should there be an arrival in our port of any vessel from the aforesaid places, having passengers on board without the necessary certificate (if the city authorities have not the moral courage to prevent them from landing) the citizens generally be requested to " rise in their might" and cause the vessel or vessels to export back again the said convicts. Resolved, That the public authorities of the city be requested to institute a most rigorous and thorough investigation into the cause or origin of the late disastrous conflagration, and should ii, as isbelicvcd,jbe traced to the convict population, now so numerous in our midst, that measures be taken at once to rid the country of every person from Sydney or other penal colony, to the end thatthe lived, prospects, and good order of an American sovereign State be no longer made the sport oi those abandoned men. Resolved, That the influence of Ibe public press be invoked to aid in carrying out the people to prompt action, and that public meetings be called to take into consideration the present alarming condition of this city, and the Stale at large.