WESTERN AUSTRALIA. [From the Maitland Mercury.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 828, 9 July 1853, Page 4

WESTERN AUSTRALIA. [From the Maitland Mercury.]

We have Perth journals to the 29th April. i The Legislative Council was opened on the 4th April. la the Governor's opening speech he stated that he had prepared Supplementary Estimates for 1853 to the amount of £9,155. The sum already voted for 1853 was £20,990, making thus a total expenditure for the year of £30,145. To meet this sum the Governor anticipated an increase on most of the items of the revenue, estimating the total reveuae for 1853 at £27,870, to which adding £5,773 in haud at the commencement of the year; made a total of £33,643 available for the year 1853. In 1854 the Governor anticipated that one-half of the anneal Parliamentary grant to the colony would be taken off, in accordance with his suggestions to the Home Government ; this would reduce the revenue for 1854 by £3,110, but allowing, for an increase on all other items, he estimated the total revenue for 1854 at £30,460. Tbe Cyuncil, on subsequent days of meeting, proceeded with ordinary business. Mr. Clifton, the leading member apparently among the nonofficials, moved a resolution asking the Home Government to withdraw the whole of the Parliamentary grant in the year 1854, and thus place the colony in a position to claim representative institutions. This was opposed by tbe Governor, and nltimately lost. Itatber an amusing episode occurred in consequence of Mr. Clifton calling on tbe Governor to leave tbe question an open one with the official members ; and tbe Governor's retorting by remarking that Mr. Clifton need not arrogate to himself any peculiar representative position, as he was only the nominee of the Governor, while the official members were nominees of the Crown. Mr. Clifton fired up at this, and pursued the subject by formal motions on subsequent days, declaring that he would walk out of the house instanter unless the Governor admitted that be (Mr. Clifton) was free as air to speak and vote as his conscience dictated. A kind of Parliamentary retractation was ultimately made by tbe Governor, but this affair, and a subsequent opposition vote given by an official member, elicited from him a distinct opinion that the officers of Government were quite free to adopt or oppose any of his propositions in tbe Executive Council, but that whatever the majority of the Executive Council decided on must, when introduced into the Legislative Council, be supported by all the official members, concurring or not. It is not distinctly stated, but it is implied, that all ibe official members of the Legisld'ive Council are also members of tbe Executive Council.