The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-06 00:00:00

[PRICE SD.

OPENING OF THE FIRST PARLIAMENT

IN THE CAPE COLONY.

.._ne Cape Town, Mail supplies an account of an
interesting political event in the history of thei,
colony of the Cape of good Hope—the opening of
the first Parliament elected by the colonists under
constitution granted by her Majesty the Queen.
The Mail says :
The celebration of this auspicious event took place on
Saturday last, the Ist July, and passed off with a degree
of éclat, and under circumstances so favourable, as to
afford, it is to be hoped, a happy augury of the success
that will attend the fulfilment of its high and important
duties. The ceremony took place in the state room at
Government-house, but the idea of its taking place in
the Legislative Council Chamber had only been given
up so shortly before that the greatest activity was re-
quired to complete in time the arrangements, which,
considering the limited space at command, were excel-
lent.

At a quarter to 12, the Legislative Council, headed
by their President, Sir John Wylde, in his robes,
arrived and took their seats, when the Castle guns an-
nounced the approach of his Ilonour the Lieut.-Gover-
nor. The guard presented arms, the band struck up
"God save the !Queen," and exactly at noon, accom-
panied by the Colonial Secretary and a numerous suite,
he entered the room, ascended the throne, and took his
seat. The Legislative Council rose to receive him, and
were introduced to the Lieutenant-Governor by the
Colonial Secretary. On resuming their seats, his Honour
desired Mr. Boyle, the clerk of the Executive Council,
to proceed to the House of Assembly, and command the
immediate attendance of the house. A few minutes
after, the members of the Assembly, preceded by the
Speaker, Mr. Advocate Brand, sen., in his robes, were
conducted by Mr. Boyle into the room, and, on the
Speaker being introduced, took the place assigned them.
The Lieutenant-Governor then received from the Colo-
nial-Secretary, who stood on his right (the colonial aide-
de-camp being on his left), the opening speech, both
houses standing.

The Mail here gives an address which, in re-
spect of length, bears a strong resemblance to a
President's message. The novel relation of the
speaker and audience perhaps sufficiently accounts
for:this, and the form of the address was evidently
borrowed from home precedents. His Excellency
took care to impress upon'the members of the new
Legislature that they were being dealt with in a
frank and confiding spirit by the Imperial Execu-
tive. Having remarked that the period which had
elapsed since the promulgation of the constitution
had been one of comparatively little progress in all
that regards the social and material advancement
of the colony, he added :

But this state of inaction has been the inevitable re-
sult of a strict adherence to the principle that the grant
of a free Parliament having been explicitly ',declared on
the part of the Crown, any disposal by anticipation of
the future revenue of the colony, or any appropriation
of that which might accrue during the progress of the
measures necessary to bring the Parliament into active
operation, save for the security and defence of life and
property, and the efficient maintenance of existing in-
stitutions, would be contrary to that spirit of good faith
in which the local government have desired to act to-
wards the people of the colony, and the observance of
which in this regard has been invariably enjoined by her
Majesty's Government throughout the whole of the
period referred to.

Of the proposals of the Government respecting
the defence of the frontier, he said :
I shall communicate to you such documents as the
records of the Government afford, by which the policy
of the governor in regard to the pacification and future
defence of the frontier will be explained ; and the pro-
gress which has been already made in carrying out the
measures required to give practical effect to that policy
may be understood.

The features by which the system is mainly distin-
guished are, the military occupation of British Kaffraria,
under a government separate from, but subordinate to,
that of the Cape of Good Hope.
The establishment of the head-quarters of her Ma-
jesty's forces within the colony at a point in close prox-
imity to our immediate frontier (Graham's Town being,
in the first instance, selected for that purpose) under a
commander-in-chief, whose authority extends also over
the army employed in British Kaffraria.
The settlement along the frontier of the colony of a
body of energetic and gallant colonists, the essential con-
dition of whose continuance in possession of farms, first
freely granted to them upon a perpetual quit-rent, is that
they shall be at all times prepared to serve in arms at the
summons of the government—the zeal of patriotism being
thus fortified by that resolute spirit which ever animates
the citizens of a free state fighting for the protection of
thE hearths and homes.
- me removal of an the Kafir chiefs and tribes beyond
the border, and the settlement of those whose loyalty is
most to be relied upon in immediate contiguity with it.
The location, in proximith to the frontier line, of the
Fingo tribes, whose courage and fidelity have been tested
and approved during the late war, and who are estimated
to include about 7,000 men capable of bearing arms, to-
gether with the actual enrolment, as a paid militia, of
four companies, amounting to about 240 of these people,
to serve as nuclei, around which larger corps may be
promptly formed in case of actual invasion ; and finally,
the re-election of the eastern province into a lieuteuant
government,—the power of the civil administrator being
exercised in general subordination to the authority of
the governor and commander-in-chief of the colony. Ac-
cessary to these, but for the recovery of property and the
apprehension of marauders, rather than the repression
of invasion, is the formation of the corps of mounted
police, whose gallantry and efficiency up to the present
moment have been universally acknowledged.
These measures have received the approval of her
Majesty's government.

I-am-enabled to acquaint you that the necessary pro-
ceedings for erecting British Kaffraria into a lieutenant
government are approaehing their completion, and that
an intimation has been received of her Majesty's gracious
intention to appoint a lieutenant-governor of the eastern
province of this colony.
His Excellency then touched a variety of sub
jects of local interest calling for the attention of
the legislature, and trusted that they had that day
entered upon a course of co-operation which would
result in the progress and prosperity of the colony,
and that they might long flourish under the pro-
tection of Great Britain, not only to share in but
to contribute to her honour and renown, accepting
the responsibilities and, if need be, partaking of
the burdens incident to that high mission which,
in the great scheme of divine providence, seems
assigned to her among the nations, as the protec-
tor of the weak against the strong, the herald of
Christian civilisation in every clime, and the van-
guard of civil and religious liberty throughout the
world.
The proceedings then terminated.