The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-15 00:00:00

THE AUSTRALIAN MAIL.

Our Australian advice!' are as follows :—Queens-
Link March 17 ; Sydney, March 21 ; Melbourne,
March 24 ; Adelaide, March 27 ; Auckland, Feb-

ruary2B ; Otago, March 17 ; &o:

VICTORIA.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS.
Oar last advice' from Melbourne brought us news
that the general elections were over ; that ministers
Imff been returned, supported by an immense ma-
jority ; that the Tariff Bill, which, during the pre-
ceding session, had been twice rejected by the
Legislative Council, had again been introduced
into the assembly ; and that its second reading had
been carried by a majority of 49 to 14. Although
rumours were current that the hostility of the
council continued unabated, and that it was still
determined to reject the measure, hopes were enter-
tained that wiser counsels would prevail ; but these
hopes were doomed to be disappointed. _ _

The third reading of the Tariff or Supply Bill
was carried in the Legislative Assembly on Friday,
the 2nd of March, without a division, and trans-
mitted to the Upper House. On the following
^allay it was read a first-time, and the second
reading postponed for one week. On Tuesday, the
13th of March, the tariff was rejected by the coun-
cil for a third time. Yet the measure had been

sent, up by itself, the " tack" of the
previous session having been abandoned ;
and the preamble was also altered, in
order to meet the views of the Upper House ;
but all to no purpose. The rejection of the tariff
by the council led to the immediate resignation of
the ministry, which was tendered to his Excellency
the Governor on Thursday, the 15th March. In
tendering the resignation of himself and colleagues,
the hon. the Chief Secretary presented to his excel-
lency a minute, setting forth the revolutionary
conduct of the Upper House, its utter inconsis-
tency, and its determination to embarrass the
government by every means in its power, in order
to effect its object of regaining the control of the
public lands of the colony. The council, in reply,
put forth another minute, answering the charges
brought against them. As soon as the announce-
ment of the resignation of the ministry was made,
Mr. Cope, in the Legislative Assembly, moved the
following resolution :—" That the rejection for
the third time of the tariff by the Legislative
Council exhibited a total disregard of the opinion
and wishes of the people of this colony, as ex-
pressed at the last general election ; that inasmuch
as such tariff had been passed by large majorities
of the assembly on two successive sessions of par-
liament assembled after two general elections, that
house would withhold its confidence from any ad-
ministration which should refuse or neglect to adopt
forthwith theßill of Supply embodying such tariff, as
already submitted to the council, and with which
the rights and privileges of the assembly were
identified." The motion was vigorously opposed
by the opposition, and the debate commenced on
Friday evening, the 16th March, and was continued
all through the night, and until four o'clock on
Saturday afternoon, when the motion was carried
by a majority of 37 to 15.
Various attempts had been made by the opposi-
tion to form a new administration, but up to the
time at which the mail left they had all been un-
successful. Meanwhile the colony remained in a
most unsettled state. " There are no funds avail-
able (says the Age) for the payment of the civil
servants, or the discharge of any of the state's
liabilities, with the exception of those provided for
by special acts, such as the interest on the railway
debentures ; for, although there is an overflowing
Treasury, the Assembly is resolved to vote no sup-
plies until its rights in the matter of taxation are
recognised. The country is now thoroughly
aroused ; and, supposing there were even another
dissolution, the only result would be the return
of an Assembly still more determined than
the present one, since several members of the oppo-
sition would inevitably be rejected. In the mean-
time, the M'Culloch Administration hold office
pending the appointment of their successors. Mean-
while, the colony is suffering severely, and must
suffer until the Council is restored to its senses or

abolished."
The Argus, which is opposed to the ministerial
policy, admits that the crisis is very serious, and
that its end and consequences cannot be foreseen.
A minor incident in connexion with the crisis is
that the printer of the paper just mentioned has
been committed to prison for breach of privilege.
The Argus, it seems, in describing a speech deli-
vered by the Chief Secretary, said that it fairly
bristled with falsehood." On the following day
(Friday, March 16), the Chief Secretary had the
article containing this expression read to the As-
sembly, and then moved that it was a scandalous
breach of the privileges of the house. The printer
was accordingly called to the bar of the house, and
" refusing" says the Argus itself "to make any
further retractation than was comprised in the as-
! sertion that no imputation upon Mr. M'Culloch's
personal honour was intended," he was committed
to prison, where, at the departure of the mail, he
still remained.
The loss of the steamship London, news of which
reached Melbourne on the 15th of March by the
January mail, had profoundly afflicted the whole
colony, and for a time cast all local subjects into
the shade. " Great as was the sorrow which this
sad event caused in Great Britain (says the Argus),
here it was much more keenly felt, the personal
interest of our population being more general
and more close. Nearly all here, from
having themselves made the voyage which proved
fatal to the London, and many from con-
templating another such voyage, take a lively
interest in all such events. Nothing has hap-
pened for years that made so mournful an im-
pression upon us. The details of the catastrophe
were eagerly read by all classes • business was par-
tially suspended ; on the succeeding Sunday the
subject was introduced in the religious exercises of
all our places of public worship ; and here, as in
England, the causes of the disaster, and the means
by which similar disasters may be avoided in the
future, are being earnestly discussed."
The latest news from Victoria is given in the
following telegram, dated March 26, published in
the Adelaide papers :
The Executive Council was held to-day. It is saidlthe
Governor will dissolve the Assembly, prorogue parliament,
and govern with the Executive Council. As the constitu-
tion has failed, he will appeal to the Imperial authorities
to amend the act.