The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-01-31 00:00:00

SPEEC.H.

" Mr. President, andi-IWOraledentleinenqf the Council ;
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of Assembly
" When I closed the last session in the month of October,
it was not My intention so soon to have re-assembled the
legislature, but the pressing•necessities of the utterly helpless
poor have compelled. me to resort to this measure, and
there are other subjects to be considered. andexperience (19..
not seem to have proved the superior advantage of our meet-
ing in the summer, I shall bring
,under your, notice
public business, both regular and incidental, trusting that the'
whole may be completed before the . commencement of the
seal fishery.
" Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of Assembly,
" The most urgent matter for your consideration is the
present. condition of the sick and impotent poor, of orphans
and idiots, combined with the just claims of thoSe benevolent
and industrious individuals who have long watched over and
protected the two last named classes of sufferers. Since
April nothing has been paid on this account, and 1 shall
place before you-afilidting statements of consequent want and
wreteliedness.

" I am well aware that in no part of the world should
eleeniosynary aid be given with more caution than in New-
foundland, but the infirmities of nature and the misfortunes
occasioned by the character of our occupations, are surely
entitled to public cominisseration and relief.
" I have transmitted on all occasions to the respective
legislative bodies, copies of such despatches as regards my
conduct in conjunction with their proceedings.
" By regulations prescribed by her Majesty's government,
the house must be sensible that it is my duty rigidly to
abide ; and, it will consequeutly be pemeired, that had the
poor bill, as sent up towards the conclusion of the late ses-
sion, been fully adopted by council, it could not possibly
have received my assent.
" I mention this to prevent misconception, and to obviate
any future misunderstanding.
" In an address from the. House of Assembly to her Ma-
jesty, passed at the close of that session, the subject of the
Contingency bill is discussed at some length. As a consider-
able time must elapse before Any answer can be• received, I
would venture to suggest, without at all anticipating what
the answer may be, that a bill embracing such items as were
originally undisputed, might, in consideration of the painful
position of various claimants, be at once advantageously
prepared.
" I have formerly laid before you statements of the de-
fective condition of the building in which we are now
assembled. I shall transmit to you the report of a survey
thereupon, just made by my direction, to which I beg to call
your particular attention.
Mr. President, and Honourable Gentlemen of the Coun-
cil; Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of
Assembly :

" I shall-bave the pleasure of transmitting to you, as soon
as printed, a report from the Geological Surveyor, containing
much interesting information. He will be prepared to pur-
sus his arduous and important labour at the earliest practical
period.

" I have received a despatch from Lord John Russell
announcing that it is no longer desired that measures for the
alienation of the Crown Territory should be delayed.
" I shall, therefore, supply you with copies of correspond-
ence on this head, which, with the documents already in
your possession, and your own local knowledge, will, I hope,
enable you to frame and act suited in every particular to the
exigencies of the colony.
" I invite your early attention to this, because as the Bill
will probably require a suspending clause, procrastination
may occasion the loss of the fine season to applicants for
grants of land.

" The subject of a Road Bill will,. I presume, occupy your
deliberations.

" The benefits arising from good roads are so well known
that observations respecting them would be trite and uninte-
resting, but it appears to me that while pursuing so useful an
object, we should carefully avoid the evils which would una-
voidably result from any heavy accumulation of public debt.
" I have, therefore, recommended some points which I
still believe to be worthy of your consideration. Upon them
and others I shall always be happy to afford such information
as I may possess, and to assist, as far as my humble means
permit, your efforts for the general good."
To His Excellency's speech on this occasion we think
fewer exceptions can be taken than to any former one—not
so the Patriot, who, being of opinion that " there are sins of
omission as well as of commission" in it, will, we presume,
favour the public with the model of what it aught to have
been. We shall, therefore, patiently await the commentary
which we are promised on Saturday, and we have no doubt
that both the time and labour which His Excellency may
hereafter occupy in speech making will in consequence be
considerably lessened.

The prinCiPal object which the Governor professes to have
in view in thus again assembling the legislature, afterso short
a recess, is that some provision might he made for the sick,
infirm, and helpless poor :—other matters are also pointed
out for consideration—that is (we presume) provided the
Assembly evince any disposition to go into and get through
with the legitimate business of the colony. But we have
been informed within these few days that they entertain no
such disposition, nor feel the least desire to second the laud-
able object of the government. For our own parts we won-
der how His Excellency could have. formed any such expec-
tation. Has he not already had abundant evidence to prove
to him the futility of looking to that quarter for any
co-operation in his " efforts for the general good ?"
If he has not, we think the result of the present ses-
sion will amply furnish it. Personal rancour and the
most vindictive private feeling against individual officers of
the government are the ruling passions of those who falsely
call themselves " the representatives of the people," but
who no more represent the wishes or views of the people of
Newfoundland than they do those of the inhabitants of Ota-
heite or ICamschatka.