Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4548, 18 October 1875, Page 2

Our Parliamentary report on Saturday left the House sitting at 3.30 a.m. Honorable members sat or slept until 4.40 a.m., and, with intermissions of fiery oratory from Mr. O' Conor, disposed of business sufficiently rapidly. The public works appropriations were passed, and the Colonial Treasurer intimated that the financial debate would take place to-day. During the last hours of the sitting on Saturday morning some incidents not altogether devoid of interest occurred. Mr. O'Conor wrought himself into a patriotic passion over an expenditure for a water-race in a West Coast district other than that he represented, and felt much insulted when Major Atkinson said hewas neither honest nor straightforward in the matter. Mr. McGlashan told Mr. O'Conor that he was " making a fool of himself," and Mr. Murray moved that these words be taken down—which they were not. Mr. Murray addressed himself at some little length to the question of the water-race aforesaid, and would have prolonged his remarks but for the earnest entreaties alike of friends and foes; that bad as that kind of thing was at any time human patience could not stand it at that hour of the morning, and that there was no knowing what the consequences might be if he persisted; that the House was now in fact, to alter Byron—

.... one polished horde ■ Formed of two parts, the borer and the bored, and that the sufferers might sacrifice their persecutor on the' altar "of their vengeance. Mr. Tribe, in subsequently speaking, candidly told Mr. Murray that the difference between them was that he, Mr. Tribe, knew perfectly. well what he was talking about, whereas Mr. Murray was quite ignorant in regard to the same. Mr. O'Borke, Chairman of Committees, contributed his mite towards the brief but happy moments of hilarity that occasionally relieved the general monotony. On the question of the Thames water-race coming up, several gentlemen slowly uncoiled "themselves from attitudes of repose, and essayed to speak. Mr. o'Eorke, instead of saying, " Mr. O'Neill was

the first to catch my eye," said " Mr. O'Neill, I think, was the first gentlemen who awoke," aad in virtue of this precedence Mr. O'Neill got first turn at speaking. The proceedings terminated by a fearful insult offered by the Minister for Justice to the hon. member for Wakatip. Mr. Fyke, who had been moving amendments of equal inutility and coherence throughout the night, gave written notice of another just before the Speaker left the chair, whereupon the Hon. Mr. Bowen pointed out to him that he was only wasting paper. Mr. Pyke, "with eye dissolved in dew" at such unkind words, and in a voice rendered indistinct by emotion, declared his intention not to be diverted from the duty he owed his constituency by all the Governments in heaven above or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth ; and then the members went home through the early air, while b Morn, wak'd by the circling hours, with rosy hand Unbarr'd the gates of light.