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LUMI ET,

A WEEKLY JOURNAL OF POLITICS, LITERATURE AND NEWS.

senses renner penn~ nen toners startin ————————e

Public, man speak free.——EURIPIDES, {EDITOR ann PUBLISHER.

No. 4.

Vou. VIL.

TOWN, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 1857.

Colonial Legislature.

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY. Tuvrspay, April 9. | PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.

On motion of Mr. Perry, the House went into committee of the whole on the further consideration of the Report of the Special Committee on Public Accounts. Mr. Muifhead in the chair.

The Hon. SPEAKER said it would be rather a satisfaction to the public to know the consumption of the various principal | articles which were imported into the Colony the past year. He had prepared a statement of the several articles on which the consumption was the greatest, which, by permission of the Committee, he would submit as an addition to the report. The consumption of tea, which was the principal article, was 300,659i0s. Many persons who consumed it, could form very little idea of the eum raised from the duty on it. He regretted very much that a few years ago there was a reduction made of Id. per |b. on tea; for his maxium was, that if duties were reduced, they should be reduced largely, otherwise it would | be no benefit to the consumer. Some years ago they had | anticipated that the schoo! fund would be increased ; and this} year they had to increase ed valorem duty, which was rendered | necessary on account of the increase in the number of schools. | They had then also taken off the duty on molasses to the extent of Id. per gallon. The quantity of that article on which duty had been paid the past year, was 106549 gallons; besides which it was likely that a large quantity had been smuggled ‘The quantity ef tobacco on which duty had been paid amounted | to 90,6851b., wine 3,100 gallons gin 20,279, a very great|

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increase in that article; brandy 3,853 gallons, and home) distilled 3.197 gallons. Adding the quantities of the several kinds of spirits together, there had been a consumption of the | rate of one gallon to every inhabitant of the Island ; but he | was pleased tosee that the consumption of tea was about 4 lbs. to each individual, showing a vast inerease in that article. | As he had said before, he thought it might be satisfactory to| the peblic; and therefore he submitted Uiat as an amendment | to the report.

‘The amendment was then adopted.

tion. COL. SECRETARY offered some explanations respect- | ing the charges for coal to which allusion had been made when | the subject was previously discussed, showing that the auditors |

i

had not carried out the full explanation of the different uwems, | and that the amount charged for hauling the coal also included | payment for claiming out the cellar and stowing away the coal. |

Hon. T. H. HAVILAND directed the attention of the Com-_ miitee to several items in the accounts exibitiag a discrepancy between the different amounts, and yet the auduors had given no explanation respecting the way in which the discrepancy occurred. The only way to arrive at a correct knowledge of the facts as stated by the Committee on public accounts, was to request that the documents referred to might be laid before the | xe in order to prove if there was so great a discrepancy as there appeared to be, He moved a resolution in accordance w th the opinion he had expressed.

Hon. COL. SECRETARY entered into some explanations respecting the ivems referred tv by the hon. member, Hon. ™ H. thaviland, showing the manner in which the apparent discrepancy had originated in not carrying some of the balances to ther proper piaces; but not blaming the auditors for any | neglect of duty. At his suggestion the items in question were changed in a satisfactory manner.

After Hon. Mr. Palmer had offered a few remarks on the subject, only wishing to see the accounts corrected, and Hon. Col. Secretary had made some further explanations, Hon. T. H. Haviland withdrew his resolution. R. Larap, Rep.

Mr. PERRY.—The amount paid to the Surveyor Genegal is large. Would it not be as well to embody a paragraph in the report, that if in want of the Surveyor General’s services the commissioner should be instructed to notity him of the same ; but not toemploy him unless his services are actually required.

Hon. Mr. PALMER said the views of the hon. member who spoke last were good, and it wou!d be well to abolish the office | of Surveyor General altogether, for, he said, would not one | one Surveyor be enough ; and even his services would not be | required all the tune if more land was not added to the public | estate. Hv stated the fact that many land proprietors, employ only Surveyor, and then only for a portion of the lime, as they | should need his services,

Hon. COL. SECRETARY said the hon. member should bear in mind that many who had farths before the Goverement became possessed of the Public Lands, were found to be in possession of more land than they were entitled to, not to epeak of the constant applications of purchasers, whose lands required to be surveyed. ‘he Surveyor General had been| e:aployed in re-surveying the Worrel! Estate, and laying out new roads, the making out of ‘plans and surveying, which has kept him employed for over two years. He agreed with the Hon. Mr. Paimer that there was no need of employing a’ Sarveyor all the time, and thought if his services were required | twenty shillings a day would psy him well enough; and when the new roads were completed there would be no necessity of paying him a fixed salary; but employ him by the day.

Hon. Mr. PALMER alluded to the accounts of the Road Commissioner for the twelfth district of Queen’s County ‘Charlottetown and Royalty) from which it appeared that the Commissioner (Mr. John Williams) charged for the hire of his own horse and servant man for the period of 123 days, at 10s. per day, for which there was no other voucher than the team- driver. He (Hon. Mr. Palmer) thought that labor on the roads might and ought to be put up at public contract. The hon. member then proceeded at some length to disapprove of the mode of working his own team onthe public roads to the exclusion of others, as pursued by the Commissioner, and submitted a resolution censuring, in view of these facts, the Commigsioner for so doing.

Hon. Mr. LORD did not see why the Commissioner had not a right to employ his own team, as to hire others ; besides, it | had this advantage, that his tear» was always on hand. If, | however, Mr. Williams charged more for his team than was) paid by the City Corporation of Charlottetown, it ought to be deducted from his account, because fixed prices are brought in by the City. |

Mr. YEO said the general rule was for the Commissioner to let the work out on contract; but if he were allowed to keep his own accounts, how was 't known that they were correct? Who was to keep an account against him ?

Hon. Mr. LORD thought that complaints were brought in by the minority against persons, on no other grounds than that; they were liberals. He metioned acase where a foriner Com-| missioner was compelled to turn out his own teams on account | of the party tendering failing to appear.

Mr T. H. HAVILAND did not care whether the Com- missioner were a jiberal or © what-not.” fle only wished to see that the Coumissioner was justified, and if so, in what way, | in employing his own team in preference to others. But he | thought tue present way, was like (sar appealing to Caesar.

Hon. COL. TREASURER opposed the motionof Hon. Mr. | Palmer, apd cited some incidents to prove how tnuch more | efficiently «ne road work was done by the present Commissioner than by former ones.

Hon. Mr. LONGWORTH was opposed to the method | pursued by Mr. Willians emp! ‘ying his own team, not because | he supposed there was any sleight-of-hand dealing inthe matier, but upon the princip'e, which he considered was wrong.

Mr. CLARK thought if two competent men as Commissioners could be obtained who would do the work, without trusting to, Contractors, it would be better. In extenuation of what was}

| charged against Mr. Williams for employing his own team,

he (Mr. ©.) said it was a difficult thing to get trucks or teams

at all times, when required. ‘I'he hon. member also bore

testimoney to the excellency of Mr. Williams, management, and

ent te on the streets of Charlottetown and the Royalty oacs,

Mr. T. H. HAVILAND said that Mr. Clarks idea might be a good one afterall. If there were two Commissioners they could watch each other,

tion. Mr, MOONBSY said that there were never good roads until Mr. Williams was nade Commissioner. He did not think it just or manly for the minority to persecute one individual because of his political creed—to make him the scape-goat for all offenders.

Mr. PERRY thought ten shillings a day very high to charge ; as, in the country a team could be had for six shiliings per day ; but in Charlottetown the case might be different. He did not think Mr. Williams was so much to blame for employing his own team ; perhaps he could get no other at the time.

Mr. MACINTOSH said it was not Mr. Williams, but the system that should be persecuted,—a system which, if carried out, would, he thought, be establishing a wrong precedent. He hoped the public money would be better applied in future.

o COOPER agreed with the remarks made by Mr. Mac- intosh. :

Hon. COL. SECRETARY defended the conduct of the Commissioner at some length, and showed plainly that Mr. Williams was justified in employing his own team.

Mr. LAIRD thought the resolution was unnecessary.

Hon. Mr. PALMER said he would not press it.

And so the motion was withdrawn. T. Kirwan, Rep.

After Hon. Col. Secretary had made a few remarks res- pecting a small deficiency in the accounts, resulting he con- sidered from a mistake of £3 in some place, Mr. Macdonald

‘moved that the Speaker take the chair, and the chuirman

report the report of the Special Committee agreed to with certain amendments. The Speaker then took the chair, and the report of the chairman was agreed to by the House. Hon. Mr. Palmer moved that the resolution which he had submitted in Committee be added to the report. [See debates of Thursday, evening, April 9th, for Mr. Palmer's Resolution. ] Hon. T. H. HAVILAND seconded the motion. He con- sidered the resolution of very great importance; because if the loan were effected which had been agreed to by the House; the Commissioner of Crown Lands would have a large sum of money in his hands; and other cases might

\arise similar to those which had already occurred ; and there-

fore he thought that the law on the subject should be strictly adhered to.

Hon. Mr. LORD said, as he had stated before, that it was impossible for the Commissioner of Crown Lands, in going to the country, to employ men there, unless he paid them at the time. Was it likely that he could employ them, unless he psid them when the work was done? He had voted against the resolution before, and would still vote against it.

Ifon. COL. SECRETARY said, he had stated already that the Commissioner of Crown Lands had paid the money in question by the authority of the Governmeat. He then

entered into an explanation of the accounts of the Commis-

sioner similar to what he had before made. That gentleman also had vouchers for the sums he had expended. He hoped the House had a better opinion of the Commissioner than pass the resolution ; and he did not think that the hon. mover and the seconder of the resolution doubted his honesty, yet they said there were no vouchers; and the resolution was to the effect that he had paid that money. As to that part of the resolution which stated that he should not have paid the money without the authority of Government, he (hoa, Col. Seeretary) had already stated that the Government had au- thorized him to pay those small sums. Still there must be some discretionary power ia the kands of the Commissioner, as was the ease with the Commissioners of Roads, for the warrants required to be drawn from the Treasury. He did not think it was worth cavilling about those small sums; and he thought the hon. member had better withdraw the reso-

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lution.

Mr. T. H. HAVILAND did not see the matter in the same light as the Hon. Col. Secretary. He considered the resolution of great importance; because why should the House pass acts from time to time, if the Government could say they were not to be carried out. Tue Hon. Col. Secre- tary had said it was understood that the law would be dis- pensed with ; but he (Mr. H.) said it was not the practice of the Imperia! Government to dispense with law. If the Government could not kecp the law, could the House expect that the public would do so ?

Hon. COL. TREASURER would merely state the fact that the auditors of the public accounts had seen the vouch- ers alluded to. He himself had applied to the Commissioner for information on the subject; and he stated that they had seen every one of them.

Mr. COOPER said, there was no person but must ac- knowledge that the money had been drawa contrary to law ; and the law ought to bea guide for the Government, nor should they deviate from it. Certain hon. gentiemen on the opposite side of the House had paid a great deal of atiention to the public accounts ; and if there was anythog of impor- tance astray, it would be worth while to pass the resolution ; but there would be no occasion to do that, if aay error had occurred merely from the want of consideration on the part of the Commissioner, and if there was nothing criminal in it he did not think it necessary to push the matter so far as was contemplated by passing the resolution.

Hon. Mr. PALMER, from what had been said respecting vouchers, was willing to have that part of the resolution which related to them, struck out; and that being done, he did not think the resolution contained any such censure on the Commissioner of Crown Lands as the Hon. Col. Secre- tury thought it did. It was found that an officer had devi- ated from the Act of the Legislature in expending money. The first year it had been done by statute, and then by war- rant, and as the money increased in his hands, they gave a dispensing power not to require it. He saw many reasons why the House should not permit proceedings of that kiud to pass unnoticed. ‘The resolution contained no censure upon the officers; it merely stated that the Act had not been car- ried out.

Hon. Mr. LORD would move that the hon. member have leave to withdraw his resolution; for it contained a direct ceusure upon the officers.

It was then agreed that the part of the resolution which related to vouchers be struck out. R. Laixp, Rep.

Tue question was then put on Hon. Mr. Palmer’s resolu-- tion, as amended, and was lost on the same division, as in

Committee, with the exception that Messrs. Clark and Muirhead voted against it instead of the Speaker, who was in the Chair.

Then the House adjourned.

| [The following is an abstract of the Report of the Committee but unimportant discussion, the Houseresumed. The Chairman

on Public Accounts, as agreed "to by the House :] | reported ~ Bill agreed to without amendment, which report : : ; was received,

“Your Committee appointed to examine and report on) y4;, \y", 1j, Haviland then moved the Bill be referred back to public accounts for the past year, have to submit that after to Committee, which, after some further discussion, was reject- examining the different accounts to them referred, they find | ed on the following vote, viz:—Ayes,4; Nays Il. The Bill the fiuancial affairs of the Colony to stand as follows: was then read ‘a second t'me and engrossed.

Government of Prince Edward Island. wiakboeak atabeoaioe daietde.ee er ae Wont

Dr. Hon. Mr Palmer moved an amendment to the first clause of

Warrants unpaid, 31st January, 1857, £22,687 7 0} | the Bill, that the words ‘* or in the event of the occurrence or Treasury Notes, 11,500 0 0 contingency,” be struck out, which was also rejected after a good deal of discussion, on the same division as Mr. Haviland’s

Debentures, 21,450 0 0 ' ¥ motion was lost ou. 7 - atts ds The Bill was then read a third time and passed. £595,637 7 OF The first order of the day was then taken up,—the Bill rela- ; Cr. tive to the Office of Surrogate, &c.,—and referred to next By assets in Treasurer's hands, 31st session.

The House then went into Committee of the whole on the report of the address in reference to the late Treaty between England and France in reference to the granting to the latter certain important fishing privileges on the coasts of Newfound- land and Labrador. Mr. T. TH. Haviland inthe Chair, After

£32,833 13 03 22,803 14 0

£55,637 7 03

January, 1807, Balance,

—-- some time spent therein, the House resumed. The Chairman Dr. reported that the Committee had gone through the report with- To balance against the Colony, 31st out any amendment:. Adopted. January, 1856, £13,101 18 1} OO

> WepwnespayY, April 15.

Hon. Mr. Whelan moved the petition of James Douglas, Bay Fortune, be taken up, read, and referred to a Select Committee to report on the same next session, which, afier some modifica- tion in the wording of the same, was passed, and Hons, Col, Secretary, Mr. Lord, Mr. Whelan, Messrs. Cooper and MclIn tosh appointed as the said Committee.

Acjourned for one hour.

22,803 14 0 AFTERNOON SITTING. ee tie And being met, some unimportant routine business was £63,466 10 93 transacted, such as receiving reports of Special Committees,

“The revenue for the year ended 31st January, 1857, is respecting thedelivery of addresses to His Excellency on ‘a-

= : ; > ae ee rious subjects. A message was received from the Lieut. Gov- £1418 5 44 less than that of the previous year. ernor, requiring the attention of the members of the House at

“ Your Committee have examined the accounts of the | the bar of the Council Chamber; and they having attended ac- Commissioner of Public Lands, and from their sales they find | cordingly, His Excellency closed the Session, after giving, in that the sum of £4,086 1 4} has been paid into the Trea- Her Majesty’s name, his assent to the twenty-one Acts passed

sury, and there is yet to be paid, for Lands soldge£10,641 during the Session. T. Krrwan, Rep. 14 4}, exclusive of interest. = ey Correspondence.

Ex, enditure during year 1856, ended 3lst January, 1857, 50,364 12 8}

£63,466 10 93

Cr. By receipts at Treasury for 1856, £40,662 16 92 Balance, including all Debentures and

Treasury Notes,

“The Committee remark that although the revenue for

the past year is £1418 5 44 less than that of the previous year, yet the deficiency on the Impost duty is but £20 17 To raz Eprror or tuz Examiner. G4, while they understand that £730 of Impost duty has Sin;—I some. time.ago forwarded s. communication®to the been paid since lst January, at Three Rivers, on goods for| gqior of the Islander, in reply to one which appeared in his this winter’s consumption, and which amount does not appear |} paper over the signature of “A. E. Holland ;? but he has, for in the accounts reported on. This they ean not but consider | what reason [ am totally at a loss to know, thought proper not as an indication of a more prosperous state of commercial} 'o give it a place in his journal. Consequently, sir, | send you business than was generally anticipated by the members of |* Copy, from memory, and if you will be kind enongh to give it this House last session, when the opinion was generally ex-|% Piece 1 your journal you wil! confer 2 great favor on

pressed that the revenue for 1896 would be from three to Bedeque, July 20th, 1857. oy ae

five thousand pounds less than that of 1855, bal * By order, “ANDREW A. MACDONALD,

* Chairgian.”

To tue Eprror or tue Isnanper.

Kixp Sir;—Will you have the kindness to permit me, brief ly, through the pages of your extensively-circulated journal, to o> reply to the prepotent and paradigimatical communication which

Monpay, April 13. | ®ppeared in the Islander of the 19th inst., over the signature ee a fe ne pee of “A. E. Holland ? 4

: The House Was engaged during the waoie of this forenoon | = "This worthy, in a dismal and very doleful, strain, complnina

in conferences with the Council, and sitting with closed-doors. | of the «flatrering” notice which appeared in the Islander of

TY. Kirwan, Rep. | the 22d ultimo, of his celebrated lecture delivered in the schoo!-

house et Searitown, on “Knowledge.” Mr, H. complains vey

AFTERNOON SET TENG. * |much of having been “ made to say,’’ that “ freedom was not

A Message was received from the Legislative Council in-| essentially necessary to the development ‘of the Arts and Sci- forming the House that they had passed a Bill to igeorporate | ences.” Mr. Holland, it appears, has by some means been ted the denomination of Christians called ‘ Bible Christians,” | to see the extreme absurdity of his proposition, consequently, and to repeal a certain Act therein mentioned; also a Bill | 2¢ ®4s thought proper wd and candidly to a M. Ac- relating to the Office of Surrogate, and to other purposes— PRT OE a PR, i ae olland,”—who don’t admire the name ?

both of whick Bills ‘they ‘daifet the “eouGiitrence of the — has appeared atbxe (0 a communication ja your journal of to bo J concurrence Of Lhe | the 19th inst., in which communication A. E, Holland, perhaps House. | by having been squeezed to excess, has been made to exclaim,

The last mentioned Dill was then read a first time ;—second |«Oh! the preposterousness of that proposition of mine;—can it reading to-morrow, be possibile that the man Hoiland, that ehining and tiving mon-

Tne Bill relating to the denomination of Bible Christians | yument of Knowledge, ever uttered, Jet alone very disingenuously having been read a first time, and the rele of the House relating | endeavored to estadlish such an extremely absurd proposition.” to Bills suspended, it was read a secoad time, committed to a} And thus has candidly and publicly confessed it to be of a very Committee of the whole House, and reported agreed to without putredinous nature; bat suggests the idea that what he “ob. amendment. [t was then read a third time and passed, served ’? on that occasion was not that “freedom was not nm -

tion Mr. Whelan, from the Svecial Committee appointed to| cessary,” &c.; but that what he observed was, that “free gov. examine and report on the petition of inhabitants of Head | ernments—such asa Republic, werenot,” &c. Holland, whilst of St. Peter’s Bay, in reference to the establishment of a school, | giving you creditefor being candid, 1 must tell you that you presented the Report of the Committee. which Report was! have penned a falsehood, or at least that you have permitted adopied and the same Committee were appointed to. prepare | one to appear in public over your signature. { leave it to those an Address to His Excellency in accordance with it, who heard you on that night on which you delivered your in-

fHlon. Mr. Whelan, from the Committee appointed on the part | imitable lecture, and on which night it seems you laboured of this House to join a Committee of the Legislative Council | under somewhat of an unenviable and peculiar kind of a spell, to prepare an Address to Her Majesty respecting the Fishery | caused, it is eaid, by the artillery emanating from the young Convention relating to Newfoundtand, presented the draft of | jadies’ eyes; if what you observed, and endeavord to establish, an address on the subject. It was then received, and the con-/ was not that “ that freedom was not,” éc., and not that ** free sideration of it made an order of the day for to-morrow. governments were not necessary,” &c. From whom did you

House adjourned. get this last proposition, Holland? Did the lawyer's brother

swe give it to you ?—or did you get it from Mr. Morrel? But, A. Turspay, Aprill4. |B. Hoiland, do you not know that it is unmistakably false for

. soa . you to deny having propounded such a proposition as the fore- ach anaaage was reccived fom the Council, informing the|Eoing? “But ogni this apethymatet Genes having eid tha

.| the soil of England was not conyeniai to thé advancement of Land Purchase Bill, to which they desired the concurrence of |, ; Teak a : ; 4 »., during the reign of Louis the % the House. Bill read a first time. Literature; G&e., during ¢ > ¢ the 14:h of France.

Holland, 1 am happy to find that you are sorry for having ad-

Hon. COL. SECRETARY, in moving that the rule of the | vanced such silly language on that remarkable occasion, and L House relating to Bills be suspended, and that the Bill be read | must certainly give you credit for being so candid as to con- a second time, explamed some of the provisions of the Bill.) fess it, and that publicly. But ye readers of the Islander, see The purport of the Bill was to remove doubts which had been | you one of A. E. Holland’s own arguments, in endavoring to expressed respecting the power of the Commissioner of Crown | establish his proposition that ‘‘freedom was not,’’&c. “Take,” Lands to convey more than 300 acres of land, which was ne-' says he, *‘a rose in your hand and compress it, and you will cessary where the proprietors could not give good titles for the | find that the more you compress it, the more fragrance wilt it land, and were then reqired to take it back again. I[n cases in | give forth; the same way with genius,” says this man of Know- which parties settled on land would not attorn, the only way | ledge, “the more if is crushed the mofe will it show itself.” was to hand them back to the proprietors, and ailow them to| Holland, what are we to learn from this argument of thine? Is deal with the parties. it not this—that the more genius is crushed the better? Is it

House in Committee on the Bill. crushed under a republican form of government? But, Holland,

lon. Mr. PALMER remarked respecting one of the clauses, | did you not go further on that occasion? Did you not go go far that there was a part of it which he did not exactly comprehend | as to say, that “ lyberty was not necessary to secure the happi- relating to various contingencies that might exist in the agree- ness of a people”? I say you did; and I also leave it with ments made under the Land Purchase Bill. It wasa retrospec~ | those who heard you, and even took notes of your remarkable tive and prospective clause ; and therefore legislation on the | sayings to determine whether or not you advanced such say- ‘subject should be approached with extreme caution. He moved ings. Ah, poor Holland, it will not do. It is impossible for a that it be struck out. nation, whose genius is crushed, and despotism takes the place

, Sh j ; of fi here liberty is not to be prosperous and happy. Hon. COL. SECRETARY offered some explanation on the of freedom, and w . Pp subject, that the Bill would not place the setiple in a warse po- God has otherwise ordained. He has made Jiberty and virtue the

is of happiness: and Jyranny, and its sure attendant, vice than they would have been, roperty had | basis © Al ’ ’ cre an rs ae o- _ fm. aa were ‘the cause ef sorrow. Hence, if we look back over the pages

After a few additional observations had been made, progress | of history we find nations prosperous and happy in proportiog was reported, and leave granted to sit again " i to the liberties of the people. We find the ancient republics, The chairman of several C mmmittees presented the drafts of “hile im the possession of liberty, CAIN ia opulence, and ip addresses'to His Excellency on subjects on which they had | Creastog in honor and happiness. W ¢ behoid them increasing previously reported, which were agreed to by the House, and their influence, spreading their conquests, end extending their

> . . 4th authority. But in process of time those republics became cor-

e sa ommittees appointed to wait on His Excellency with : a me C : Pp : j rupted: the liberties of the people died out, the temples were

. | gonsecrated to crime, and the altars stained with blood. Aa

House adjourned for one hour. tyranuy increased, the bright dream of happiness vanished be- AFTERNOON SITTING. ’ ' fore its dark and dreadful form, and one by one those nations,

Honse in Committee of the whole on the Bill to amend the | once the admiration of the word, have fallen into ruin. Where | Land Purchase Act. Mr. Clark in the Chair. After a short} are they now? Their blackened puillare, their crumbling teu-

. é

R. Latrp, Rep.

ia Oi