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tants purchased from the Government the land upon which the City is built, and in its neighbourhood, at prices unprecedentedly high under similar circumstances, and expended their capital in buildings and improvements on the faith of its continuing to be the capital city of New Zealand, and that the Seat of the Central Government and Legislature could not therefore be established elsewhere without a violation of the public faith towards them.

4. That in no part of the world could the centralization of the Powers of Government be attended with greater difficulty or with less advantage than in the Islands of New Zealand. The proofs of which proposition will be found at length in a Despatch from Sir George Grey to Your Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated August 30th, 1851, and more particularly in paragraphs from 25 to 29 inclusive.

5. That Your Majesty’s Petitioners believe that it would not only be disadvantageous and difficult, but absolutely impracticable to administer the affairs of the New Zealand Colonies under the provisions of the Constitution Act, and they consider that the Governor-in-Chief has virtually admitted this impracticability by submitting upon his own authority to the Provincial Councils the appropriation of the Revenues which under the existing laws can be legally appropriated only by the General Assembly.

6. Your Majesty’s Petitioners further humbly represent that under the late Constitution much inconvenience and loss resulted to the inhabitants of this Province by the Acts of the Lieutenant-Governor residing at Auckland, having been subject to the revision of the Governor-in-Chief when residing at Wellington, and that the present Constitution gives to the Superintendent and the Provincial Council no independent jurisdiction whatever; that the most trivial as well as the most important acts of the Superintendent are subject to revision at the will of the Governor-in-Chief; that the acts of the Provincial Council even in matters of an exclusively local character are subject to be nullified by acts of the General Assembly; that such a distribution of the powers of Government and Legislation is not more unusual than it is calculated to impede the administration of public affairs, and to add to its expense by the multiplication of unnecessary offices, and that it affords no advantage whatever to compensate such evils.

7. That the only reason of any weight alleged by Sir George Grey in recommending a Central Government to control that of the Provinces is the necessity of maintaining the protection of the Crown over the native race, but Your Majesty’s Petitioners humbly represent that not only could this protection be afforded in this Northern Province where most of the natives reside much more efficiently by the constant residence of a competent authority in the Province, but that the presence of such authority is essential to the public safety in order to the settlement on the instant of any dispute with the natives which might arise.

8. Finally, Your Majesty’s Petitioners humbly represent that the only way to obviate the insurmountable obstacles which oppose themselves to the establishment of the present Constitution, and to deal fairly with the conflicting and irreconcilable interests of Your Majesty’s subjects in this and in the Southern Provinces is to constitute the Northern Province of New Zealand a separate Colony, with a Governor or Lieutenant-Governor to be appointed by Your Majesty, and to be responsible only to Your Majesty through Your Majesty’s Constitutional Advisers in England.

9. Your Majesty’s Petitioners therefore humbly pray that the Northern Province may be so constituted a Separate Colony accordingly, assuring Your Majesty that its Revenues are amply sufficient for the support of a Government suitable to their condition, and that there is in themselves, and as they believe, generally in the inhabitants of the Colony, every disposition to provide liberally for the maintenance of the public servants, and the economical administration of the public affairs of the Colony.

And Your Majesty’s Petitioners will ever humbly pray that Your Majesty may long continue to reign in the affections of an united and happy people.

Mr. Porter, according to notice, moved the appointment of a Committee respecting the discharging of Vessels, &c. Agreed to.

Mr. Clarke, according to notice, moved that the business of the Council be uniformly commenced by prayer. Mr. Williamson