GENERAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Thursday, August 2nd.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 424, 25 August 1849, Page 3

GENERAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Thursday, August 2nd.

Present — His Excellency the Govemor-in-Chief, an 1 all ihe members. The Attorney- General, pursuant to notice, moved the first reading of the bill intituled "An Ordinance for Quirting Titles to Land in the Province of New Ulster." After a few words from Mr. Kemfthorns, the Colonial Secretary, and Mr. Merriman, relative to the pitting of the leturns lai.l on the table yesterday, the bill was read a first time. A bill intituled "a Bill to regulate the occupation ol Waste Lands of the Crown in the I Province of New Ulster," was on the motion of the Colonial Secretary read a first'time. Mr. Merriman moved that the whole of the returns laid on the table yesterday he forthwith printed. lie thought it was of the greatest importance that members shoulti.be placed in a position to give their most careful attention to the whole of these returns helore going further into the consideration cl the bill. Mr. B.irstow was of opinion lhat there were many pot lions of the bill which could only be fairly adjusted by the members of co.incil being in full possession of the awards of the Commissioners, and other parti-.-uhrs, and secon ed ihe motion for the printing ot the returns. " \ His Excellency asked if the Council desired to have the returns printed »ith all the remarks; Mr. Merriman thought it important that they should be printed with the whole of the remarks, unless his Excellency could point out an) that were of a private nature, and which it would not be adwsai le should be punted. His Excellency said it rented with the members themselves.* He would be inclined o recommend to the Council that the bill sh'uil'l be read a second tim-% and the principles on wh eh the measure is recommended would be thoroughly understood. He thought that before the Council went into committee they should have ihe returns before them. The Attorney-General said that tin course ] which had been recommended by his Excel- j lency was precisely that which had occurred ] to himself. He thought it would be be>t to take the second reading, and then to examine the measure in detail. His Excellency &aid the remarks could not be said to be made by authority, th»y had been drawn up by cleiks in the office lor his own information : and he did not think the Council could give any weight to them. Mr. Kempthorne was afraid that without going Mearfily through the returns it would be impossible to proceed satisfactorily with the measure. His Excellency rematked that the observations were, he believed, simply notes taken from" the papers. The Attorney-General suggested that a committee be appointed to mark out the observations that it would not be necessary to print. Mr. Merriman thought there were certainly some observations it would be mere waste of tims to print ; he therefore would withdraw his motion and second that of the AttorneyGeneral. The original motion was withdrawn, and it was agreed that Mr. Merrirmn, Mr. Barstow, and the Surveyor-General, should form a committee to detei mine which portion of the remarks were necessary to be printed. The Attorney-General gave notice that at the next meeting of Council, he would move the second reading of tiie Crown Titles Bill. The Colonial Treasurer, after some remarks, gave notice that he would, at the next meeting of Council, move that a part of the prayer which the -chaplain read yesterday, might be selected and adopted, and read every morning before the rommeucemeut of the business ol the Council. The Colonial Secretary gave notice that he would at the next meeting of Council move the second reading of the Crown Lands Bill. His Excellency laid on the table a despatch he had received from the Secretary of State, containing papers relative to a memoiial ol J. S. Polack, praying, for indemnification for loss of property at Kororarika during the war, in which despatch bis Excellency was directed to recommend to the Council a vote to indemnify Mr. Polack. Mr. Merriman wished to ask if that was the whole of the correspondence. His Excellency replied that the correspond dence consisted of the memorial from Mr. Polack to the Secretary ot State,— his own d-spatch transmitting the merooriil.^and the Secretary of State's reply. Any further correspondence would be submitted iLthe Coun- - cil desired it. -.. .in s —;.--. Council sdjourntfl to£ o'clock on S*tuiday.