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Che Examiner.

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‘He ERGTSLATMRS.

House of Assembly.

THE APPROPRIATION TO THE LIEUTEN- ANT GOVERNOR. (Concluded.)

Mr. J. Loneworrn could not concur with the gen-

jeman who had spoken before him (Mr. Whelan), in his views respecting our payment of the Civil List. He Mr. L.) thought that when the time arrived, if ever it syould arrive, when this Colony would be called upon o pay it, it would not be found a trifling or unimportant matter. He did not participate in Mr. Whelan’s appre- hension, that because this Colony did not pay its Civil List, it would not be allowed political privileges similar io those which the other Colonies enjoyed,—there was nyo good foundation for such an assumption. It had been asserted, by way ef argument, that the Lieutenant Governor asked the House of Assembly for no increase of Salary—this was true enough; and this was, indeed, one of the reasons why he (Mr. L.) gave his support to the measure, because he wished to see the Governor in a position independent of the House of Assembly ; and had His Excellency asked for the appropriation, he (Mr. Longworth) would very probably have opposed it. It was a@ mere cavil to assert that £1,000 is sufficient to maintain the expenses of the establishment, in accord- ance with the dignity of his station, which devolves upon the Representative of Majesty. The appropriation then proposed, it should be recollected, was much less in amount than what had been urged upon the local Legislature by the Home Government some years ago. Qn condition of our making some such provision, we would not be required to pay our Civil List ; and it was of much importance to compromise the matter, by giving in the manner now proposed, 500/.; and have the ex- penses of our Civil List still discharged by the British Government. It seemed toescape the attention of hon. members that the money proposed to be given to the Lieutenant Governor would come out of the pockets of the proprietors, and could not, therefore, be considered as a burthen to the country at large. The remainder of the Tax, out of which this appropriation is to be drawn, was to be devoted to the encouragement of Education ; and by agreeing to the contemplated increase of the Governor’s Salary, there would be a better chance of securing the Royal assent to the Land Tax Bill than if no such appropriation was included in it; and by doing so, the House would thus materially advance the cause of education. Acting under this view of the case, he did not hesitate to give his cordial support to the resolu- tion before the Committee.

Mr. Cuarx thought the reasoning of some hon. members both mean and degrading. It seemed as if they doubted whether the Lieutenant Governor would fairly administer the Government of the Colony or uot, unless he should be bound to a just and even course by an additiun of 5001. a year to his Salary ; and that, there- fore, they were anxious to carry the measure. He (Mr. C.) was very far fromagreeing with these hon. members in the entertaining of any such doubt, or in being actuated by any such motive ; and, indeed, if he thought a just administration of the Government could not be procured without purchase, he would say let the Colony rather be without it. But he could not believe that 5001. or even 1,000/. a year, in addition to his Sa- lary, could or would cause His Excellency to turn either to the right or to the left. His (Mr. C’s) mind was im- pressed with many strong reasons againsi the measure ; the principal of which was, the conviction which he entertained that the day was not, and could not be very far distant, when the Colony would have to provide for and pay its own Civil List; and that, as it then stood, would be found sufficiently heavy, without adding to it an additional 500/. a year; by which amount it would certainly be increased, should the Legislature then oe to make the proposed addition to His Excellency’s Salary.

Mr. D. Macuean believed that the misrepresentations to the prejudice of the Colony, made by the late Gover- not to the Home Government, arose from, and were dictated by, the resentment which he conceived towards the House of Assembly, for refusing to augment his Salary. He (Mr. D.McL.), in the time of the late Governor was opposed to an increase of his Salary ; but he then saw that it would have been wise to have con- ciliated him by such a Legislative measure ; and, more- over, was convinced that it would be good policy so to increase the Salary of the present and future Lieutenant Governors; as by that means, it was more than probable

from the burthen of its own Civil List, and secure to it many other advantages.

the payment ofthe Civil List. On the contrary, he did not think there was a single member of the House who would

spect to the question under consideration, it had been

agitation previously to the meeting of the Legislature.

tween Britain and Prince Edward Island. (Hear! hear!)

j other view than that of saving the Colony from the pay-

z

CHARLOTTETOWN, P. E. ISLAND, MONDAY, JUNE 26, 1848. _

“THIS IS ‘TRUE LIBERTY, WHEN FREEBORN MEN—HAVING TO ADVISE THE PUBLIC, MAY SPEAK FREE.” —Evripimes.

[No. 47.

_Mr. Rak had never said that any one, either on his side of the House or the other, was prepared to vote for

dare to do so. As for himself, if such a question were proposed, he would walk out of the House. With re-

hinted to him, before he came to Town to attend to his legislative duties, that he ought to support such a pro- position; which shewed that the question had been in

He was of opinion that the determination to bring it forward originated in Britain, or if not in Britain, be-

If the question were left to the decision of the Electors, he was satisfied that not one in ten of them would support it. It was not the Colony that fixed the Governor's Salary at the first. It was the British Government that named it, and agreed to pay it; and it would be absurd to suppose that they did not then fix it, at what they conceived to be an adequate amount or reward for the services to be performed for it. In fact, the Home Government having fixed the Salary, were the House to interfere, it would amount to little less than telling them (the Home Government) that they knew not how to conduct their own business. ‘The Governor himselfhad made no application to the House for an enhancement of his Salary ; and he(Mr. Rae) understood that, twelve months before, when he (Sir Donald Campbell) applied for the Governorship of the Island, he knew full well the amount of the Salary attached to the Appointment ; and it was not at all reasonable to suppose that, if not satis- fied with it, he would have left the British shores to assume the Government. It was possible that one in- dividual member of the House might have promised His Excellency that the proposed addition to his Salary should be made; but such a promise, if made, as His Excellency was very well aware, could not in any wise, be binding upon the House; and, therefore, it was not reasonable to suppose that he would take any offence at their refusing to fulfil it. If the Salary of the Governor were compared with the resources of the Colony, it: would be found to bear as fair a proportion to them, as the Salaries of the Governors in other Colonies or Pro- vinces bore to the respective resources of such Colonies or Provinces. The hon. member for King’s County (Mr. Thornton) had held out an inducement to the Com- mittee to comply with the motion, in the consideration

that it was not 5001. they were called upon to vote, be- cause 100/., for travelling expenses, and an allowance; for coals were to be deducted. Buthe begged leave to ask that hon. member whether, as soon as sufficient) moneys should be derived from the Territorial Revenue, the Governor could not take his annual allowance of 100. a year for travelling expenses from that source? It was certain he could; and as the Legislature had no | control over that Revenue, and as, in that case, the coals only would have to be taken off, the amount agreed to, if the motion were carried, would be 460/., instead of 350/., as stated by the hon. member Mr. Thornton. The hon. member Mr. Rae concluded by saying that he would move a resolution in amendment.

The Spraxer said that if the hon. member (Mr. Rae) had alluded to him as having, in England, promised or pledged himself to advocate in the Assembly, an increase of the Governor’s Salary, he could assure him he was altogether wrong in his surmise.

Mr. F. Loneworra was convinced that it was ex- pedient and politic to agree to the motion, if with no

ment of its own Civil List. Upon a former occasion, when an increase of 1,000J. a year was asked for, he considered it his duty to oppose it; and he would have opposed any proposition for an increase of Salary to the late Governor. [t was true, indeed, that the late Go- vernor never directly applied to the House for an in- crease of his Salary; but he had, otherwise, sufficiently manifested an anxiety to obtain it; and, by soundings in different quarters, found that an application to such effect to the House would be useless. His answer, when the House offered to reimburse him in 290/.which he had paid for furniture, left by Sir Charles Fitz Roy, was sufficient evidence of his wish. He refused to be reimbursed, but referred the House to a Despatch re- lative to the pay of Governors of the Colony; and, afterwards, gave the strongest indications of the chagrin which he felt at having been disappointed in his wish on that head.

Mr. Macrinrosn said he would make only a few re- marks. He did not think so contemptibly of His Excel- lency, as to suppose that an addition to his Salary as proposed, would sway his judgment, or determine his

wish to be niggardly, provided he (His Excellency) rendered good service to the Colony, he would desire to see something and to have more experience of his administration of the Government, before he would con- sent to vote an augmentation to his Salary. To do so then would be a mere voting away of the Revenue of the Colony in the dark ; for it might easily turn out that no value was to be got in return for their premature liber- ality. He felt bound to protest against the proposed allowance, on the ground that His Excellency had not asked for it. That fact excited asuspicion in his mind, of a rather unpleasant nature. The friends of the Family Compact might, at that moment, be secretly at work to promote their own separate interests. He would have been much better pleased if His Excellency really wanted the additional allowance, had he come boldly forward, and directly asked it fromm the House; as it was reasonable to suppose he would have done, had he thought of endeavouring to procure it. The course adopt- ed was well calculated to create misgivings as to the honesty of the intentions of those who had brought for- ward, and advocated the measure. He strongly suspected they had some selfish end in view, which, to those on his side of the House, was invisible ; as invisi- ble as was the good bargain of which they talked so much when they supposed they could stave off the pay- ment of the Civil List, by increasing the Governor’s Salary. If he could perceive any great advantage to the Colony, to be derived from making the proposed addition to His Excellency’s Salary, he would gladly support those who proposed it; for he would, at all times and on all occasions, when he saw that any thing was to be done for the real good of the country, like to have a hand in it, and to participate in the credit due to those who had accomplished it. The proposal under consideration he, however, was convinced, if ‘aceeded to by the Legislature, would be attended with conse- quences, the very reverse of beneficial to the Colony ; and he would, therefore, oppose it.

The question was then put and the Resolution agreed to with a blank.

Mr. Patmer then moved that the,blank be filled up with the words ‘ Five hundred Pounds, exclusive of the vote for travelling expenses and that for coals ;” which having been agreed to, the Committee rose, and the House having resumed, the Chairman reported the Bill agreed to with amendments. On the question’s being put on the motion that the Report be adopted, Mx. D. MacponaLp moved that the words “ Five hundred” be struck out. The House divided—ayes 10, nays 11. The same hon. member then moved that three-fourths of the Tax be applied to the purposes of general education ; which motion was agreed to without division. Three several motions of Mr. F. LonewortH—one, to appro- priate 5001. to His Excellency, and the residue to edu- cation; a second, to fix the Tax at Five Shillings on Wilderness, and Two Shillings and Sixpence on cul- tivated lands; anda third, as to the title of the Bill, were severally put and lest. The Report of the Com- mittee with amendments was, thereupon, adopted ; and, at an unusually late hour, the House adjourned.

On the following day, on motion of Mr. Parmer, the Bill was re-committed : and, after a brief discussion, 2 motion was made that the Bill should come into opera- tion as soon as it should receive the Royal Assent ; which was agreed to.

A motion of Mr. F. Loneworrn, that the Tax on Wilderness Lands be 5s., and that on Cultivated Lands, 9s, Gd. the hundred acres, was also agreed to; as was likewise a motion of Mr. Parmer, that the Governor, for the time being, shall receive 500/. out of the Tax per annum, so long as the Home Government shall con- tinue to pay the Civil List of the Colony, and no longer ; and that the residue of the means, raised by this Tax, be appropriated to the purposes of general education.

Legislative Council.

LAND ASSESSMENT BILL. 95th APRIL. The Hon. Mr. Swasey moved that this Bill be read

a second time.

The House resolved itself into a Committee. Severa!

clauses having been gone through and agreed to,

The Hon. Mr. ANDERSON rose and said—It would be advisable, and, therefore, he would move that in the

case of Towhships which were subdivided, to require the parties paying the tax to specify the particular

division or portion of the Lot on which the land was situated for which they were paying, so that no miscon- ception or mistake might afterwards arise a5 to that portion of the land which remained unpaid, for frequently

‘he Legislature might, for many years, save the Colony!

line of policy; but, although he (Mr. Mcl.) would not

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great difficulty was experienced by the Sheriff in ascer-

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