LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Friday, June 8, 1849.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 403, 13 June 1849, Page 3

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Friday, June 8, 1849.

The Council met at 2 p.m. Mr. Seymour, in bringing up the report of the sub-committee appointed to consider the subject of Education, said that he found he had a more arduous task than he had contemplated. He would observe that in drawing up the report a great number of opinions had been represented; he thought in so small a Council they would seldom find so many different opinions. The sub-committee were unauimous in their report, with one single exception. It appeared to him that there was a great difference of opinion as to how far religious instruction should be given to the children in the various schools ; he thought that the common precepts of the Christian faith should be taught in all schools, but he would avoi ! any instruction in doctrinal points. He cli 1 not think it wou'd be difficuli, if persons met in a Christian spirit, to deline where the precepts common to all Chris(irfiis terminated, and if he Jived a few years longer he hoped to see schools where such precepts were taught. Mr. Seymour then read the Report and Resolutions of the Committee on Education. Dj. Greenwood suggested that the report should lie on the table a day or two previous 10 its adoption by the Council. Dr. Monro brought up the report of the Committee on the Scab Act. The bill was <1 en read a third time, and passed. The Lieutenant-Governor laid on the table a portion of the Customs' returns; he had been unable to discover any correspondence on the subject. Mr. Hickson moved that a sub-committee, consisting of Messrs. Seymour, Moore, Hunter, Bannatyne, ami li;ik»on, he appointed, to consider the best system of levying Customs' Duties. i The Lieutenant-Governor said there was a question be wished to bring under the notice of the Council during the present session. It was one of some importance, but he felt himself placed in a difficulty with respect to it, he referred to the claim of the settlers at Wanganui whose properly had been destroyed by her Majestj's troops during the la c dis- i turbances. It had been his intention to bring j in a bill to award them compensation, but on the present uncertainty respecting the amount of the Parliamentary Grant there was a difficulty in adopting this course. All he could do therefore was to lay on the table the documents, and the Council could, if they thought proper, recommend the Government to award compensation, if it should be in their power to do so. There was another case somewhat similar, in which the sheriff had iucurred a penalty for acts which he had done in the performance of his duty. The penalty amounted to £5, the costs to some £60 or £70. He would lay the documents on the table, including two despatches from Sir G. Grey on the subject of the Wanganui settlers, and he would slate that by his Excellency's direction the question was brought before the Executive Council, who had decided that it was better to defer it till the meeting of the Legislature. The Lieutenant-Governor, in reply to a question from Dr. Greenwood, said there was some doubt whether the compensation ought to bepaid'by the Ordnance or out of the funds of the 7/ c'olony, in the latter case the Parliamentary Grant could not properly be looked to. 'The Council came to a resolution that

persons oiitfht to be compensated, and if the Ordnance declined, then it would lie a question for the Council whether the Governor-in-Clref should not be recommended to apply a portion of the Grant in aid of the funds of the colony. Dr. Monro moved that the bill to provide for the repair of streets and roads be re-com-mitted, as he thought one of the clauses required further consideration. The Lieutenant-Governor objected to establishing a precedent, by re-committing a bill for the alteration of a clause which had already been considere 1 by a full Council The Colonial Secretary thought it would be better to re-commit a thousand times than to let the bill pass with a gross error. Mr. Seymour suggested that it should be re-committed when a full Council was present. Dr. Monro withdrew the motion, and gave notice that be should move the re- committal at the next meeting of Council. Dr. Greenwood moved that tha Council should take into consideration the despatch of Earl Grey on the subject of Exiles. He did not think there would be any difference of opinion on the subject; he considered that the plan proposed would be unjust to both races, and that every exile sent out would deter at least one person from emigrating. As long as the English Government could find places to take their crime off their hands, so long would they neglect taking the proper means for the prevention of it. Dr. Monro said that his Excellency in his opening address having alluded to the subject o\ emigration, and expressed a wish that it might be promoted, he now wished to ask if his Excellency was prepared to propose any measures on the subject. His Excellency said it was a subject of considerable difficulty, he had brought the subject before them for their consideration. For his own part he did not see what they could do without a land fund, but if the Council were to come to some resolution on the subject, the New Zealand Company at home might be induced so far to modify their regulations respecting the lands of the Province as to provide the means of emigration to these settlements. Dr. Monro understood that the British government were making advances to some of the neighbouring colonies to promote emigration. The Lieutenant-Governor was aware that considerable numbers of emigrants were arriving at some of the neighbouring colonies, but he did not know how the funds were provided. Dr. Greenwood would take that opportunity of expressing an opinion that the home government had made a great mistake in giving up the whole control of the lands of the Province to a company at the other end of the globe. He thought it was the very worst system that could have been adopted. A great portion of the land of the Province was in the hands of those who merely held it as an investment. He thought it very unfortunate thai the New Zealand Company was not rep r esented in the Council. He considered a representative of the Company as necessary as one of the officers of the Government — as the Attorney-General or Colonial Treasurer for instance. The Lieutenant-Governor said that the person who represented the New Zealand Company had been offered a seat in Council, but had declined it. Dr. Greenwood gave notice that on Monday le should move a resolution on the subject of the exiles. Mr. Seymour gave notice that on Monday he should move that the Report and Resolutions of the Education Committee be adopted oy the Courcil. The Council then adjourned till Monday.