ABSTRACT
Sir Henry Barkley met the legislative bodies in October, and on the 18th, delivered his opening speech: the session did not terminate until the 13th of April, 1854. During this protracted sitting no bill was passed to which he was unable to give his assent, though to one of a questionable character it was only given in consideration of the prevailing distress. This was a bill sanctioning an issue of £100,000 in island notes and certificates, secured by the promised loan of the imperial government. £500,000 had been offered to relieve the distress into which the colony was plunged, on condition that the constitution of the island should be changed in some important particulars. There was, for some time, danger of collision between the assembly and council as to the details of the new measure, but all difficulties were at length overcome. It was arranged that an executive committee of not more than four persons should be appointed as responsible advisers to the governor, with whom alone all measures requiring an expenditure of public funds must originate, thus taking away the power originally possessed by individual members of introducing bills involving a charge upon the island revenue. It was hoped that a proper equipoise would in future be established between income and outlay, and the annually increasing deficit of former years avoided. This plan also provided a way by which the views of the governor could be communicated to the assembly without the perpetual recurrence of those questions of privilege which had done so much mischief in former years. In consideration of the adoption of this plan of responsible government, and the provision of an income of £25,000 per annum, to be appropriated in payment of certain salaries, the imperial government guaranteed a loan of half a million sterling, the repayment of which, within thirty years, together with interest at the rate of four per cent., was secured by a sum of £30,000 per annum. This arrangement secured
proportion of the claims then outstanding, and placed the salaries of the judges, the executive committee, the receiver-general, and many other public officers, beyond the danger of being interfered with by the legislature.
