The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-10 00:00:00

will be reintro luced.
" Outside the walls of Parliament," says the
Argus, " the effects of the ministerial declaration
have operated diversely—all moderate men have
resented it as a species of incipient dictatorship, whilst
the more violent section of our politicians have felt
encouraged by it to carry political agitation to the
very verge of sedition. A demonstration against the
upper house has taken place in Melbourne, which
assumed the shape of a torchlight meeting and pro-
cession. The latter, after parading the principal
streets of the town, invaded the Parliament reserve,
where various extravagances were committed in the
shape of oratory, the display of banners bearing
strong sentiments, &c. Large numbers of persons
assembled to witness the unwonted spectacle, but that
the mass consisted of curious and amused spectators
merely was evident from the fact that -an attempt to
repeat the demonstration the following week was a
miserable failure."
The following
.is the.dadress delivered by his Ex-
delleney the Governor an the occasion of proroguing
Pitiliament on the 4th June :
Mr. President and Hon. Gentlemen of the Legislative
Council—Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the Legislative
Assembly,—l rejoice that I ant at length enabled to release
you from your attendance in Parliament. Owing to the short
duration of recess, aed after a very protracted session, you
have been called upon to attend to your Parliamentary duties,
with • very little intermission, for upwards of 19 months.
Upon the inauguration of a new constitution, and with the
ministerial changes that have taken place, this was un-
avoidable. Moreover, the great and continued increase
of the population of this country, and the rapid
development of its resources, under circumstances almost
unprecedented, necessarily gave birth to a large amount
of legislation of a new and experimental character. It will
be within your recollection that the principal object which
I had in view in calling you together in December last,
was that of laying before you certain measures for the
amendment of the constitution. I then announced that it
was not the intention of my advisers to submit for your con-
sideration any subjects in respect of which legislation was
not immediately required. My present advisers upon taking
office concurred hi that view, the more especially as tire
recent extension of the franchise rendered it bath just and
necessary that measures of itnpottance affecting the interests
and welfare of the whole community should be considered by
a Parliament elected upon the broader basis of the extended
franchise. This view has been as far as practicable observed.
The bill for altering the electoral districts of the country
and for increasing the number of members of the Assembly,
passed by the house into which it was introduced, and the
constitution of which it exclusively affscted, has not se-
cured the concurrence of the Legislative Council. I have no
desire to interfere with the deliberations of either House of
Parliament on the subject. It tuust, however, be obvious to
you that in the present state of the constitution representa-
tion is very unequally distributed, whilst the present Legis-
lative Ass, nobly is too limited in paint of :umbers for the
proper conduct of Vie legislative business of the country ; it
will therefore be the duty of my responsible advisers, imme-
diately upon tie re-assembling of Parliament, again to intro-
duce the bill in questrien for your consideration. The bill fin
shortening the duration of PEnliament was passed by the
Assembly without the carscurreuce of a majority of the whole
house. I have been advised that such a majoi Ay was neces-
sary under the Consti ution Act, aid that it was also requi-
site that it should be reserved for the signification of her
Majesty's pleasure. To have transmitted to the Secretary
of State a bill which had beerriregularly passed would have
been to incur the risk of having it retuned to tne for re-
introduction. As a mewls of avoiding this delay I have
disallowed it, with a view to its early introduction in the
present session. As it caul I not take effect, even with
the present Parliament, until the end of next year, this
delay will ha of no eonseatenee, and it can be re-
enacted, reserved, and received back frem England
canlong ber
foareiset t
.he
The
erioietshttr pobsils;sb le
which per d i,
havfeorbt oppaezead.
present session, and to whjoit I have given her
illuallug
Majesty's
sassent, though not involving questions af consti-
tutional importance, are ne„vertheless of a valuable character.
amt, will,rio ns
io naite fso
nto-
i
The bill for the sitnplification of the oaths of office
denominations
places
of
cespersonsof ini
equality, and its
ac
doubt, promote, as intended, the haromay read we'fare
of her Maksty's subjects in this colony. The hill to facilitate
the firm:llion of mining associations has been framed with
especial reference to i he requirements of the raining coma:u-
nit v, and will, I trust, be found to promote that 00-apetation
of capital and ).boar without which no productive industry
can flourish. Tee bill to enable roe to appoint a vice-presi-
dent of tire Board of Land and Works has- been render( d
necessary by the great increase which has taken place in the
business of the departments under the control of that board,
consequent upan the commencement elate oitcat trunk lines
of railway. I trust that it will be found to relieve the re-
spansibile head of that deparnnent from a portion of its
arduous labours. The other bills to which I have resorted,
in her Majesty's name, though of a highly useful charaoter,
need no particular olservation from'Toy hear wit-
ness, however, to the care with which you have considered
the public welfare. Since the passing of the acts of the
last session for the construction and maintenance of rail-
ways, active measures have been adopted for carrying their
provisions into immediate operation. A
contract has
been taken for the construe ion of the main trunk line
front Melbourne t r SandltUrsi, and the works will be
commenced anal prosecuted nithout delay. The tenders for
the line from Geelong to Ballarat were, in the first instance,
such as it wasdeemed advisable to accept, and the line
and sections were re-advertiscd. New tenders have been
opened, and there seems no reason to doubt that the
Government will he enabled to carry on this important
line concurrently with tint from Melbourne to Sandhurst,
Negotiatiors have been for some time pealing for the tile.
e pos - I of the deben4ures, which you have atiehoriserl to be
issued ; a communication was acHressetl in December last
to the eminent house of Baring Brothers, inviting them to
state the teems on which they mialit be disposed to nego-
tiate the whole of the loan. A communication was received
from them in reply, which reached Inc in April last, to the
effect that they would send a con id
Laential agent to this
country with full powers to treat with the Government on
the subject. In c.
msequeece of tins communication toy ad-
visers suspended all action in the matter until the arrival
of the agent, which took place in Slay, when he immediately
placed himself in communication with the Government.
The terms he was enabled to offer were, however, deemed
by my advisers to be of a not sufficiently advantageous
character to justify them in recommending their acceptance.
In the meantime certain proposals were made by our principal
banking ills itutions, and after some negotiations an arrange-
ment has been finally concluded, upon a basis which will, I
hope, prove very satisfac:ory. I have directed that the whole
of the correspondence on the subject shoal I bit laid before
bath houses of Parliament. You will Ebro that precautions
have been taken to secure creole means for the purpose of
carrying on the great works you have authorised, without in-
terruption ordelay, and to effect this with as lit le disturbance
as possible 0 the ordinary relations of commerce. The hn-
portance of these measures cannot be over-estimated; they
will receive the unremitting attention of myself and my ad-
visers during the recess, and the fullest information as to their