Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government - OCR - Flipbook - Page 65
A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Responsible Government
Included in [4/1337] is Duplicate Confidential Despatch of
15 December 1852: the Secretary of State informing that, since
having prepared his Despatch of today's date, a copy of the
"Reply" by the Legislative Council to Earl Grey's Despatch of
23 January 1852 had been received by him but that there did not
appear to be anything in its contents to render the previous
Despatch inappropriate or inexpedient.
Confidential
The Confidential Despatch includes the previous Despatch',
Despatch No.95 of 15 December 1852. In this the Secretary of
State, Sir John Pakington, conveys the decision of Her Majesty's
Government on the petition of the Legislative Council adopted in
December 1851 and informs the Governor of the concessions
which Her Majesty's Government is prepared to make to the
Legislative Council on certain conditions.
But they have arrived, after full consideration, at the conclusion
that under the new and rapidly changing circumstances of New
South Wales, the time is come at which it is their duty to advise
Her Majesty that the administration of those lands should be
transferred to the Colonial Legislature ... They believe that the
rapid progress of New South Wales in wealth and population
renders it necessary that the form of its constitution should be
more nearly assimilated to that prevailing in the Mother
Country, and should be better adapted to the enlarged
functions and increased responsibilities which will now devolve
on the Legislative body.
Sir John goes on to state that it was the wish of Her Majesty's
Government that "the Council should establish the new Legislature
on the bases of an elective Assembly, and a Legislative Council to
be nominated by the Crown adopting this general outline they
would leave it to the judgment of the Council to determine the
numbers of the two Chambers, and if they think it necessary, to
make any change in the constituency by which the new Assembly
is to be elected: subject to the approval of such changes by Her
Majesty when the Act is submitted to her".
A further inclusion is printed Parliamentary paper, tabled on
11 May 1853, entitled "Petition of Grievances; —New Constitution",
which comprises copies of the despatches between the Governor
and the Secretary of State in 1852-53.
1853 Despatches
Box [4/1338] contains two despatches relating to the General
Grievances of the Legislative Council Duplicate Despatch No. 12 of 25 January 1853: the Secretary of
State acknowledging receipt of the Governor's despatch, No. 130
of 20 August 1852, in which was enclosed the Legislative Council's
reply to Earl Grey's despatch of 23 January 1852. "But as the
questions raised in these documents have been for the most part
disposed of for the present by Sir John Pakington's Despatch of
15th December last, No.95, and the remainder must for the
present await the further communications which I expect on the
subject of Constitutional reform, I do not think it advisable now to
enter into any further discussion of the subject".
64
NRS 4512,
[4/1338]
Despatch No.12
State Records Authority of New South Wales
