722646-1859-VOTES-AND-PROCEEDINGS-OF-THE-LEGISLATIVE-COUNCIL-OF-HONGKONG-NO-7-OF-1859-WEDNESDAY-21st-SEPTEMBER-1859- — Page 1

Son

THE

مزارع

Government

GAZETTE.

NEW SERIES.

VICTORIA, SATURDAY, 12TMн NOVEMBER, 1859.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.

VOL. V. No. 234.

The Contract for publishing this Gazette, entered into on the 24th September, 1853, was terminated on the 30th ultimo ; and notice is hereby given that a NEW SERIES of this Gazette will be published hereafter, to commence from the 7th instant, under a New Contract, and that

"THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE” will, as before, be the only Official Organ for PROCLAMATIONS, NOTIFICATIONS, and PUBLIC PAPERS, of this Government.

By Order,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Victoria, Hongkong, 2d July, 1855.

W. T. MERCER, Colonial Secretary.

VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF HONGKONG.

No. 7 of 1859.

WEDNESDAY, 21st SEPTEMBER, 1859.

PRESENT:

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR AND ALL THE MEMBERS, EXCEPT MR JARDINE, WHO WAS ABSENT AT CANTON. The Council met to-day by special Summons.

Ae Minutes of the Council held on the 18th May last, were read and approved.

is Excellency The Governor announced to the Council the arrangements made with the view of supplying the

vacancies amongst the Official Members.

Mr W. H. Adams, Attorney General and Acting Chief Justice, had been appointed provisionally to be a Member of the Legislative Council until Her Majesty's pleasure should be made known.

Mr W. H. Rennie had been requested to retain his seat, and The Governor had recommended to the Secretary of State that his provisional appointment should be confirmed in the room of Mr Tudor Davies, resigned.

Mr F. W. Green, the Acting Attorney General, had been appointed to a provisional and temporary Seat in the Legislative Council.

Messrs Adams and Green being in attendance were accordingly sworn in.

Excelleney then made some observations as to the present constitution of the Legislative Council, expressing his opinion that for the future the Official Members should never bear to the Non-offical Members a greater proportion than two to one.

e Governor stated that the Colonial Estimates for the Year 1860, were in course of preparation, and would,

when ready, be submitted to the Council.

66

ad Despatch No. 39 of 9th April last, from the Secretary of State, respecting the Resolution of the Legislative Council of 8th December last, on the subject of the distinction to be preserved between the "Fixed Establish- ment " and the annual Estimates ;" and His Excellency remarked that, until further instructions, the whole of the Expenditure for the Civil Service for the Year 1860, would be submitted to the Vote of the Council. the representation of the Governor, that several heavy articles of Furniture are wanting at Government House, which should be provided by the Colony as is usual in other Colonies, it was unanimously agreed, that the Surveyor General be directed to procure the same at the public expense, their cost being hereafter included in a Supplementary Estimate.

e Colonial Secretary was desirous of giving Notice of motion on the subject of the Press of the Colony, and intimated that, with the sanction of His Excellency The Governor, he would at the next Meeting of Council submit a Resolution thereon,

Upon the form of Resolution he would decide when he handed his written Notice to the Clerk of Coucils; at present he would simply state that his object was to give either the Council collectively, or the Members individually, an opportunity of expressing an opinion on the present state of the Hongkong Press.