The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-22 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

By the Harbinger we learn that the session of the
Legislative Council was opened by Sir C. Fitzroy, on
the 10th of May, at Sydney.

The following is the Governor-General's address :
" Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Legislative
Council,
" In meeting you again in session it becomes my duty
to declare to you the objects for which you are thus as-
sembled. I have called you together at an earlier period
than usual, in compliance with the request conveyed to
me in your address of the 21st of December last, and also
because there are some matters in respect of which I am
anxious to avail myself of your advice and assistance with
as much expedition as may be consistent with their proper
consideration and satisfactory settlement.
" I desire first, however, to acknowledge with gratitude
to Divine Providence the general prosperity enjoyed by all
classes of the community. At no former period of the
existence of the colony has the material condition of its
inhabitants, I believe I may confidently assert, been in a
more satisfactory and progressive state. Although the
prices of the necessaries of life have very considerably ad-
vanced, yet I am happy to say that they still continue
abundant ; while the increased means at the disposal of
the people generally have enabled them without difficulty
or inconvenience to meet the additional expenditure to
which they are subjected. I must except, however, from
this satisfactory state of things, the paid servants of the
Crown, whose incomes, fixed with reference to former
prices, now prove very inadequate to their proper position
and reasonable support. It will be my duty, therefore,
to invite your concurrence in such an advance on their
present remuneration as the altered circumstances of the
colony may appear to render just and expedient.
" While in the enjoyment of so large a measure of mate-
rial prosperity, we must not forget the duty which devolves
on the Legislature to make some corresponding provision
for promoting the intellectual and moral advancement of
ttoheyocoumfornruaniugnaty.entelagsures will accordingly be submitted
the amount allotted for education,
with a view to the extension of primary schools, as well
as to the encouragement of institutions destined to promote
the higher branches of literature and science.
" It is with lively satisfaction that I am at length en-
abled to place before you the decision of her Majesty's Go-
vernment on the representations contained in your peti-
etieomnptloainheiergMoafjetryta, aindogripteedvoaneet sth of December, 1851,
Majesty would be pleased to adopt the and
necessarypra n g thatmeasures her
for their redress. The dispatches of the Right Hon. Sir
John Pakington conveying this decision, and of his Grace
the Duke of Newcastle, confirming the same, on behalf of
her Majesty's present Gtovernment, will be immediately
laid before you. To these documents I would, therefore,
refer you for the detail of the terms upon which the con-
trol of the administration of the Crown lands, and the ap-
propriation of the revenue arising therefrom, will be trans-
ferred to the Legislature of the colony, as well as those
upon which other important concessions will be made,
rather than attempt any recapitulation of them here. It
is sufficient to state that everything, of material consequence
will be granted upon conditions which I doubt not will be
considered satisfactory both by you and the colonists gene-
' rally. It is a matter of unfeigned gratification to me that
these important concessions have been consented to during
thetime that I have the honour to administer the govern-
ment of the colony, as I entertain a confident and earnest
hope that, by a wise exercise of the additional powers of
self-government which will thus be conceded, this rising
and important dependency of the Crown will rapidly ad-
vance in its social, moral, and religious condition ; and I
cordially join in the expectation so ardently expressed by
the late Secretary of State, that the effect of these impor-
tant measures may be such as to cement and perpetuate
the ties of kindred affection and mutual confidence which
connect its people with that of the United Kingdom.
" I have the satisfaction to announce to you that I have
received advices of the arrival in England of the remit-
tances made in the month of August last for the purposes
of immigration, amounting to about 105,0001. The ad-
ditional funds thus placed at the disposal of her Majesty's
Land and Emigration Commissioners will enable them to
increase in a material degree the number of emigrant ships
to be sent to this colony during the present year. In
addition to the number already arrived, I have received
an intimation of nine ships having been taken up for the
conveyance of emigrants, and which may be expected in
the course of the next two or three months. This acces-
sion to the labouring population will afford a very season-
able relief to the pressure for additional labour which is
now so severely felt in all branches of colonial industry,
and will, I hope, tend to prevent any further rise in the
present high rate of wages. The various documents
having reference to this important subject will be imme-
diately laid before you.
"I have also to congratulate you on the highly favour-
able state of the public revenue. The aggregate amount
collected in the past year exceeded that which was received
in the year 1851 by 100,000/. This increase arose exclu-
sively in the general revenue. In the territorial revenue
there was a trifling decrease, but the funds from this
, source have at all times been liable to considerable fivatua-
tion. In the present year, however, I anticipate a much
more favourable result. Regulations have been promul-
gated for establishing local land offices, and directions
given for accelerating the survey of lands, for the sale of
which application may be made to the Government. I
confidently trust that these measures may have the effect
of greatly facilitating the acquisition of land, and thus, by
affording a safe and profitable investment for the funds
which under the propitious circumstances of the colony
have been so largely accumulated by the community
generally, tend materially to promote its social and
moral advancement objects which, it will be readily
conceded, are much more important and gratifying
than the mere financial advantages which the mea-
sures in question are also calculated to produce. The
usual abstracts of revenue and expenditure have been pre-
pared and printed, and will be immediately presented to
you

" The estimates of revenue and expenditure are in a for-
ward state of preparation, and will be laid before you on
an early day.
" During the recess I have received petitions adopted at
public meetings held at Sydney and Sofala, and from pet-
sons engaged in gold digging in the western districts, com-
plaining of some of the provisions of the Gold Act passed
during the last session, and of the regulations founded
thereon, and praying that the necessary alterations may be
made therein for obviating the objections to these melt•
sures, which the petitioners have thus represented, and
which I believe have also been entertained by a consider-
able portion of the community. It is my intention, there-
fore, immediately to lay before you a bill to amend this
act in such manner as I hope will remove any just ground
of dissatisfaction.

" It will be duty to lay before you a dispatch from the
Right Hon. the Secretary of State, recommending various
alterations in the law for preventing the desertion of
seamen from merchant ships, founded upon certain acts
passed by the Legislature of anada for a similar purpose,
and which have been found in those provinces highly
useful in effecting the object in view. A bill embodying
the provisions of the acts in question, and for further im-
proving the law relating to merchant seamen, will ac-
cordingly be laid before you ; and, as this is a subject of
vital importance to the commerce of the colony, as well as
to the interests more immediately concerned, I beg to re-
c o ral ebnedg that
to
ot may
recommend receive
tyoo
youu r
tho early attention.resu m p tio
investigation, commenced during the last sessions, of tthhee
important questions relating to the law of marrillagof
ande gi s tn of
subjectratio a
dibsiplosh,
the
latterr registration
bwuhriiachls'lahnadve marriages.recently On the
received
from the Secretary of State transmitting
certain forms
which have been found very
useful. for the purpose
in view
in the United Kingdom will be immediately laid before
you. The considerations involved in these questions being
so important to the best interests of society, I confidently
trust that the Council will be enabled during the present
session to place them upon a satisfactory and permanent
basis.
" In consequence of the large number of persons passing
to and from the gold fields of Victoria, and the instances of
outrage and robbery which have occurred, both on the line
of the great Southern road and in the country situated
upon the boundaries of that colony, I have found it neces-
sary to increase the police establishments for which provi-
sion was made in the estimates for those districts laid be-
fore you during the last session. Patrol stations have been
established through the whole of the line of road to Albury,
and detachments of native police have been ordered to be
_
organised
at convenient stations in the border districts. I
rely on obtaining your sanction to these arrangements, and
a
I am induced to believe from recent occurrences that
still greater augmentation of the police force of those dis-
tricts will be required.
"Notwithstanding the considerable
sums voted during
principal leading
the last two sessions for the repair of the
system
of
thoroughfares, I fear that under the present
management the object contemplated has been but very
imperfectly carried out. It is my.the requisite sums to intention, therefore, to
place upon the estimates for 1854
provide for the appointment of competent road engineers to
be provided for the esta-
blishment of railway advise and assist the local committees in the proper per-
formance of the important functions
devolving
gupon them.
Until the necessary means can
communication
on the great lines of
s most necessary that the ordinary
thoroughfares it seem
roads of the colony should not be allowed to continue in
their
present state of disrepair, whereby the cost of tran-
sit must be greatly and, as regards the interests of the com-
munity, most disadvantageously increased.
I propose to lay before you bills for improving the pro-
cedure of the Supreme Court both at common law and in
equity. These bills are founded on acts of Parliament
passed during the last session, and 1 deem it highly desir-
able that the legislation of the colony on the subject of
law reform should keep pace with the improvements
adopted iu England.
" I have received several representations from proprietors
of stock and others in the northern districts, expressing
their desire to have the country lying to the northward of
the present pastoral districts of Wide-bay and Burnett
thrown open to location. Measures have therefore been
adopted for this purpose. It will be necessary, in carry-
ing out this object, to establish an adequate police force
at Port Curtis, where it is proposed to lay out a town.
ship, and provision will accordingly be made upon the
estimates to meet the necessary expenditure.

" There are various other subjects upon, which I shall
have occasion to communicate with you during the session,
and I shall avail myself of the ordinary means of doing so
by message.

" CHARLES A. Frrzßor, Governor.
" Legielktive Council•chamber, Mry 10."