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Date: 1850-06-05
By: Province of Canada (Parliament), The Globe
Citation: “WEDNESDAY, May 5” The Globe (6 June 1850).
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WEDNESDAY, May [sic] 5.

The Contingent Committee made their second report. It appeared that on the 17th April, 1849, there was a balance in the Clerk’s hands of £561 4s 1d, and that he had subsequently received £6000 in consequence of two addresses being passed in April and May, 1849. That he had disbursed £4331 7s 1d—leaving in his hands a balance of £22300 17s. Hon. J. MORRIS thought it was only due to himself to say that if he had been present last session when the last address was passed by the House, so large a balance very probably would not now be in the hands of the Clerk. It was a thing altogether unusual, and very possibly was matter of surprise to some hon. gentlemen but he and the gentleman who usually acted with him had been absent when it was passed. At present, the money was in the hands of the bankers, but he hoped that in a few days it would be available for the uses of the House. The report was then adopted.

Hon. Mr. DEBLAQUIERE moved for a call of the House, on the 18th inst., to take into consideration the address to Her Majesty, on the Independence of the Legislative Council, of which he had given notice on a previous occasion. He would not make any observations on the present occasion, with respect to the address, but content himself with saying, that in discussing a question of so much importance, he thought it desirable to obtain the attendance of every hon. gentleman who had a seat there.

Hon. Mr. IRVING was not prepared to dissent from the proposition of the hon. gentleman, as the session was still young—very few bills had been brought before them—and he believed that very few were to be expected, owing to the obstructions thrown in the way of the Ministers elsewhere, and which he hoped would soon be remedied; bit he would submit whether this was a matter of so much importance, that it could not be considered in the ordinary routine of business, without calling together gentlemen from all sections of the Province. If it were a proposition for the establishment of an Elective Council, he could then readily understand the necessity for a call, and if that question ever did come up, he would be prepared to meet the observations that had so frequently been made elsewhere, respecting the talents and business habits of that House, and would very gladly consider its discussion as a test of the talent to be found in the two Houses.

The motion was then passed.

The Reciprocity Bill was read a second time on motion of Hon. Mr. LESLIE.

The Silver Currency Bill was read a second time.

Hon. Mr. DEBLAQUERE said, he had hoped this bill would have been extended by the hon’ble gentleman who is at the head of the Fiscal department, so as to assimilate the value of the Mexican silver dollar to what it is in the States. It would be remembered that a bill had been brought in by the Hon. Inspector General with the concurrence of Lord Sydenham, but it had been afterwards amended by the Council by the advice of Lord Sydenham in order to assimilate the silver currency of this Province to the gold currency of England by raising the dollar one penny in value. In his opinion, that amendment had produced very unfortunate consequences, and he should have been glad to see the value reduced, so as to adopt the silver currency of these countries instead of adhering to the gold currency of England.

The Bill to provide for the survey of the township of Ameliasburgh, in U. C., was read a second time.

A Bill to prevent the multiplication of unnecessary law suits was brought up from the Lower House and read a first time. The House then adjourned.