NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, January 4, 1854.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 879, 4 January 1854, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, January 4, 1854.

Yesterday the business of the Council was over at an early hour. The Provincial Secretary had gone to look after his sheep at Rangitiki, and had deputed to his learned colleague, who is not a host in himself, the task of carrying on the Government business. The principal measure brought forward was a Bill for regulating fencing which was read a second time, and was attempted to be pressed through the Council by the legal adviser of the Province with the most unseemly haste; but the attempt was very properly resisted by Mr. Wakefield, who asked for at least sufficient time to read the Bill and make himself master of its contents, which he had not had the opportunity of doing, not having been furnished with a draft of it. As far as we could gather from what took place in Council, the Bill appears to contain several objectionable clauses, and we think it ought to be postponed at least until the settlers are in a position to form some opinion of its provisions. We have been unable to obtain a copy of it as yet, but shall endeavour in our next number to publish an analysis of its contents. The discussion was varied by a declaration on the part of Mr. R-evans, referring to one of the provisions of the Bill, that "he should disregard all British law and Acts of Parliament" The hon. member in making such a declaration must surely for the moment have fancied himself in a committee of Canadian sympathisers or Californian miners, — certainly not in a Legislative Assembly of British subjects, — since instead of being promptly called to order, he was suffered to proceed without interruption by the Speaker, who sat placidly smiling as if nothing unusual had happened. We may remind the hon. member, however, that such legislation, to say the least of it, will be but lost labour, seeing that all acts of the Council which show a " disregard of British law," or are in anywise repugnant thereto, will infallibly be disallowed.

An attempt is made in Saturday's Independent to transfer to the Superintendent the credit of the . recent purchases of land from the Natives in the Wairarapa and its vicinity. Of course this is only of ft piece with the system of misrepresentation invariably pursued by that paper and the party to which it belongs, towards Sir George Grey; their prac tice, as is well known, has- always been to depreciate or misrepresent his acts, and when it

was impossible to deny their good effects, to claim the credit of them for spme other person. In this instance no one can be deceived by so silly a story, since it is notorious that the Superintendent has nothing whatever to do with the waste lands ttf the Province, or the purchase of land from the Native's, which is under the exclusive control of the General Government ; that the Governor made great peroonal exertions and put himself to considerable inconvenience to procure those districts for the settlers ; and that one of the largest public demonstrations that ever took place in Wellington, was made in grateful appreciation of the services His Excellency had rendered the community in effecting those purchases. Wemayadd,whatperhaps isnotsogenerally known, that when a difficulty occurred in obtaining money from the funds of the Province in payment of the Natives for those purchases, his Excellency generously advanced to the Province, from his own private resources, the sum of £-2000 for this purpose without interest, and this too when he was on the point of leaving the colony.

We observe that Mr. Clifford has written a letter to the Independent on the subject of his late vote in Council on the payment of members, with a few last words on the Speaker's salary. It must be -confessed it does not look quite ex cathedrd to find the Speaker of the Council, — who prqfesses to follow as his great example the Speaker of the House of Commons, — entering into a newspaper controversy for the purpose of setting himself right with the public. If his conduct in Council requires to be vindicated or explained, the Council Chamber is the proper place in which the vindication should be made, or the explanation offered. If the course he has pursued with reference to any particular question is displeasing to his constituents, let him meet them fairly, and if they are dissatisfied with his ex-planations,-*-as he has taken the pledge, — let him resign. He seems to have shown more discretion in giving a silent vote, than in afterwards giving reasons for his vote, as nothing can be more weak or inconclusive than the explanation contained in his letter, except his extenuation of his conduct with regard to the Speaker's salary. With reference to the latter, he says it is not his fault that he is to pocket £-200 a year of the public money, and that at present, he does not mean to appropriate it to his own use. "If blame ii to be attacked to any one for that appropriation of the public money, certainly lam not the person to bear it," — " the inference to be drawn from my speech on the subject certainly would be, that if a salary was voted, I should not appropriate it to my private use, which under the present circumstances of the Province, I assuredly shall not do" If it be wrong to vote Mr. Clifford £200 a year, surely it is equally wrong in him to receive it, nor is that wrong in any degree lessened by his assurance that under present circumstances, — until the storm of public indignation is blown over — he does not mean to put the money in his own pocket. Such an assurance is, in fact, a tacit admission he is ' not fairly entitled to the money. Nothing ' was easier for Mr. Clifford, if he really wished I to avoid all blame, and shew a little of the independence of which he boasts so much, than to persuade his friend the Provincial Secretary not to propose any salary for the Speaker, or resolutely to decline it when proposed. The inference from his remarks in Council is decidedly a determination to take the money, if only from a tender regard for the interests of hissuccessor who, poor man, may want the money more than he does. And now that he finds popular opinion to set in dead against him, he tries to retrieve himself by a species of vicarious liberality, and would fain atone, By giving what is not his own.

A ball to celebrate the commencement of the New Year took place at Barrett's Hotel, on Monday evening last, and was very numerously attended. Dancing was kept up with great spirit, and the assembly did not separate until an early hour in the morning.

Pkogbamme of the performance by the Band of the 65th Regt., at Thorndon, on Friday, January 6th : — 1 . Overture — Fair Maid of Perth Waddle 2. Selection— Daughter of St. Mark .... Balfe 3. Phantom Dancers Quadrilles Juliien 4. Cavatina — Eterna la memoria — Aliza. . Verdi 5. The Garland Walt* Koenig 6. Fitzroy Schottische * Steir 7. La Sentinelle Polka D' Albert

Militaby Meeit. — On the last day of the old year no less than 4 good conduct medals were presented on parade, by Lieut. Colonel Gold, to the following good and faithful old soldiers of the 65th Regt, privates Bennard, Phillips, Mcc, and Desmond. The commanding officer briefly addressed each of them, and congratulated them on having earned this special mark of her Majesty's favour ; and encouraged their younger comrades to emulate their meritorious conduct.

We have the melancholy task to rdcord the death of Messrs. Charles and Henry Mills, of the schooner Emu (which was wrecked off Port Elliott, South Australia, on the Ist May last) hoth sons of Mr. C. Mills, of this place.