CHAPTER IX.

Bill to make the Legislative Council elective——Chauge of Government—Ad- dress to the Queen, craving to give effect to the Commissioners’ Award-— A Review ofreccnt Proceedings in regard to the Land Question—The As— sembly willing to meet the views of Proprietors in regard to the appoint? ment of Commissioners—The Assembly and the Commissioners right, and the Colonial Secretary wrong—The Reason-why givcu~The rejection ofthe Award unreasonable—~Delegates sent to England on the Land Ques- tion—The Result.

, XHE house of assembly met on the second of December, 1862, for the purpose of considering the present posi- tion of the land question, with a View to a speedy solution. In his opening speech, the lieutcnant—governor stated that, he had received a dcspatch from the colonial secretary, informing him that the royal assent had been given to an act (which had been introduced by the Honor- able Mr. Haviland) to change the constitution of the legis— lative council, by rendering the same elective. This made it necessary to dissolve the house before it could enter on the special business for the transaction of which it had been convened. The new election would afford an opportunity to the people to express a decided opinion as to the award; and the issue was looked forward to with deep interest. The election resulted in a large majority approvingr of that document. The new house met early in l\Iarch. The opening pa‘agraph of the governor’s speech referred to the marriage of His Royal Highness the Prince of ‘Vales to the Princess Alexandra, of' Denmark, which had been recently consummated. Reference was also made in the speech to the decision of the colonial secretary, that

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