The New-Zealander. AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11, 1854.

New Zealander, Volume 10, Issue 886, 11 October 1854, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11, 1854.

He just and fear not: Let all the ends thou aim'st at, be thy Country's, Thy fion's, and Truth's.

A scries of Government Gazettes now in course of publication contains the Acts passed by the General Assembly at its late Session, in the complete form in which they received the assent in Her Majesty's name of His Excellency the Officer administering the Government. We have already in more than one form, stated the design and leading provisions of these Acts, but it may bo convenient that we should briefly refer to them again in the order in which they appear, namely that in which they stand numerically as the Acts of the Session, specifying the "Short Titles'' by which, according to clauses introduced at the end of each, they respectively " may be cited and referred to."

No. 1 is "Tho English Acts Act, 185 V" It adopts certain Acts of the Imperial Parliament, which it enacts " shall be taken to extend to this Colony, and shall be applied therein in the Administration of Justice in like manner as Acts of Parliament passed before the establishment of tho Colony are applied." The Schedule enumerates seventeen English Acts which are so adopted. It was stated in the House of Representatives that means would be taken, either to print in tho colony, or to obtain from England a sufficient number of copies of these Acts to enable the colonists to acquire that information respecting their provisions which is obviously essential to a popular recognition of their value, and compliance with their requirements. This is the more desirable, as some of them relate to subjects of general interest, such as the making of Wills, Trusteeship, the relations of Landlord and Tenant, &c. The Act is to come into operation on the 31st of December next.

No. 2 is " The Naturalization Act, 1854'' It confirms the Naturalization of nineteen persons, whom the Governor had previously declared Naturalized until the next session of the General Legislature, under the provisionsof the Colonial Ordinance Sess. 12, No. 4, and enacts the Naturalization of nine in addition, who had not been so proclaimed. The third clause vests in the Governor as heretofore a right to naturalise persons by Proclamation until the next Session of the Legislature, providing against the deficiency in the statement of particulars which was remarked on in one or two of tho cases by members of the Legislative Council, requiring that "every such Proclamation shall contain

the description, occupation, or calling of the person or persons therein named, and of his or their residence at the dato of such Proclamation."

No. 3 is " The Dower Act, 1854." It consists of a single enactment, extending the provisions of the Act 3 and 4. Wm. IV. to the Dower of Women married before the 2nd of January, 1834; the object, as stated in thy Preamble, being to remedy " considerable expense, inconvenience, and delay in the alienation of Real Estate," occasioned by the rights of women married before that date to Dower out of the Lands and Tenements of which their husbands may at any time have been seized during their coverture." No. 4. is " The Nelson Trust Funds Act, 18"4 " As the title imports this Act is only of local importance; but locally—at Nelson —it was called for by an urgent necessity. The nature of this necessity is stated in the Preamble at such length as to occupy three pages of the Gazette, giving what may be called a history of the Trust at Nelson, which will be valuable to all who desire to make themselves acquainted with the affairs of that Settlement, especially in its relations to the New r Zealand Company. The enacting clauses provided for the election of Trustees by a constituency composed of resident owners and occupiers of land, who arc to have votes, up to the maximum of three, in proportion to the value or rental of their land. They also make various arrangements for tlie supply of vacancies, the formation of rules for the conduct of business, the election by the General Constituency of Auditors, and an annual publication of a Iteport and Balance Sheet.

No. 5 ia styled " The Licensing Amendment Act, 1854," —a title which may mislead persons not acquainted with its nature into a supposition that it effects some alteration in the General Licensing; system in relation to the Public Houses of the colony; whereas it is really only the, now celebrated, little Act authorising the sale of Fermented and Spirituous Liquors by an unlicensed person, " within any building 1 used for the purpose of the meeting of the General Assembly of New Zealand." Though numbered 5 in the order in which the Acts received his Kxcellency's assent, this was the first Act passed by the Houses, both of which suspended their Standing: Orders that it might be carried through all its stages without delay.