ROYAL GAZETTE. 
     
    
   
   
    
     541 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ OF HIS HONOR 
     
     Sir ROBERT HODGSON, Knight, 
     
    
   
   
    
     Administrator of Government, (90., 
     
    
   
   
    
     AT THE OPENING OF THE LEGlSLATIVE SESSION, 
     
     IVEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1869. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     le'r. President and .Honorable Gentlemen of the 
     
     Legislative Council: 
     
    

    
     Jlfr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of 
     
     Assembly : 
     
    

    
     In the absence of the Lieutenant Governor, the 
     
     duty of Administering the Government having, 
     
     by Her Majesty’s appointment, devolved upon 
     
     me, it affords me great satisfaction to meet you 
     
     on this occasion. 
     
    

    
     Your Address to Her Majesty, adopted in the 
     
     last Session, on the subject of the payment, by 
     
     the Colony, of the Lieutenant Governor’s Salary, 
     
     was duly forwarded, but as yet, no answer has 
     
     been received to it. 
     
    

    
     The money appropriated by you, in your last 
     
     Session, to assist destitute Settlers in the purchase 
     
     of seed grain, under the grave apprehension that 
     
     without some such assistance, much land would 
     
     remain untillcd, was judiciously expended, and, 
     
     no doubt, under God's blessing, has been the 
     
     means of averting much destitution. 
     
    
   
   
    
     JlIr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of 
     
     Assembly : 
     
    

    
     The Accounts of the past year and the Estimates 
     
    

    
     for the present year will be laid before you. The 
     
     Estimates have been prepared with the view of 
     
     combining a due regard to economy with the 
     
     efficiency of the several branches of the Public 
     
     Service. 
     
     1 The Revenue for 1868 evidences a steady in- 
     
     crease in the trade of the Colony, although the 
     
     expenditure is in excess of the Receipts, caused, 
     
     in a great measure, by the purchase of Lands and 
     
     the advances for seed grain, which have as yet 
     
     been only partially repaid. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Mr. Tresident and Honorable Gentlemen of the 
     
     Legislative Council .- 
     
    

    
     Jllr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of 
     
     Assembly: 
     
    
   
   
    
     A period of Eight years having elapsed since 
     
     the last census was taken, I now call your 
     
     attention to the necessity of adopting measures to 
     
    
   
   
    
     renew it. 
     
    

    
     A measure will be laid before you providing for 
     
     the appointment of a Board» of \Vorks, to talfc the 
     
     charge and supervision of the Roads, Bridges, 
     
     “Tharves and Public Buildings of the Colony. 
     
     By means of such a Board it is believed that the 
     
     efficiency of the Public \Vorks Service will be much 
     
     increased and economy greatly promoted. The 
     
     present system has been found inadequate to the 
     
     public wants, and unsatisfactory in its results. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     In connection with this subject, your attention 
     
     will be called to the propriety of appropriating a 
     
     sum of money, to be expended under the direc- 
     
     tion of the Board of Works, for the purpose of 
     
     making permanent improvements in the High- 
     
     ways. 
     
    

    
     Intersecth as this Colony is in so many parts 
     
     by navigable waters, the want of Railroad Com- 
     
     munications may, to a certain extent, be remedied 
     
     by a judicious encouragement of Steam Naviga- 
     
     tion. I invite your attention to this subject, and 
     
     feel confident it will receive from you that con- 
     
     sideration which its importance demands. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The rapid increase of business in every depart- 
     
     ment of the Public Service demands increased 
     
     accommodation. The present General Post Office 
     
     is quite inadequate to the requirements of the 
     
     sermcc. 
     
    

    
     The Supreme CourtRoom, in the Colonial Build- 
     
     ing, is not sufficient for the purpose, and serious 
     
     inconvenience has been felt from this. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Additional space is required for the Customs 
     
     and other Public Departments. The Records and 
     
     Public Securities in the Office of the Registrar of 
     
     Deeds, and those in the Prethonotary’s, Treasur- 
     
     er’s and Probate Offices, are not sulliciez'itly 
     
     protected from accidents by fire. 
     
    

    
     Impressed with the Conviction that no time 
     
     should be lost in a matter of so much public im- 
     
     portance, a measure will be submitted to you to 
     
     provide for the erection of a Building in Charlotte- 
     
     town, which shall be adapted to meet the different 
     
     exigencies alluded to, and I recommend this 
     
     matter to your serious Consideration. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Representations have been made to me on the 
     
     necessity of appointing an additional Judge in the 
     
     Supreme Court. Papers on this subject will he 
     
     laid before you, to which I invite your attention. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Telegraphic Communication between this Col- 
     
     ony and the Continent has been suspended since 
     
     August last, in consequence of thcbreaking of 
     
     the submarine Cable. Steps have been taken to 
     
     secure the laying down of a new one; and also 
     
     thc,_extension of inland Telegraphic Communica- 
     
     tion, the particulars of which will be laid before 
     
     you. 
     
    

    
     Since the Close of your last Session, a visit was 
     
     paid to the Colony by a Committee of the Congress 
     
     of the United States. The object of their mission 
     
     was to obtain information in connection with the. 
     
     subject of reciprocal Free Trade between this Island 
     
     and the United States. A Report of Members of 
     
     the Executive Council in relation to this matter, 
     
     addressed to His Honor the Lieutenant Governor, 
     
     will be laid before you, together with Communi~ 
     
     cations on the same subject, which have passed 
     
     between the local Government and Her Majesty’s 
     
     Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies. 
     
    
   
   
    
     You will be gratified to learn that the lill for 
     
     the settlement of \Vilderncss Lands, passed by 
     
     you during the last Session, has resulted satis- 
     
     factorily. Under its provisions 13,368 acres of 
     
     Land have been taken up, in most instances by 
     
     substantial Settlers. 
     
    

    
     Three ltlstates, comprising in the aggregate 
     
     17,352 acres, have been acquired by the Gov- 
     
     ernment, under the Land Purchase Act, since you