26 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT [PART I 
[n 1852 the Legislative Council of New South Wales ap- 
pointed a select committee to prepare a Bill to carry into 
effect the powers conceded by the Imperial Act. This 
committee drew up a Bill in the form of an Imperial 
Act, with two Bills attached to alter the constitution and 
to grant a Civil List. This form was adopted because of 
the necessity of securing the repeal of the Imperial Acts 
which regulated the sale and management of waste lands in 
the Colonies and the appropriation of the revenues thence 
arising, which the Colonies desired to have under their own 
control and management. 
In a dispatch of December 15, 1852.1 Sir John Pakington 
announced the decision of the Imperial Government with 
regard to the future of the Colony. They were prepared to 
grant responsible government in view of the discoveries of 
gold and the influx of population ; they were also willing 
to concede the control of the waste lands and the appro- 
priation of the proceeds, of which already one half was 
applied to the general purposes of the Colony and the other 
half to immigration. They were not able to accept the 
proposal that the right of the Crown to disallow Acts should 
be restricted in any formal manner to Acts of local interest, 
for they could see no means of drawing a satisfactory 
distinction in these matters; but they approved of the 
creation of two Houses, and of the adoption of ministerial 
responsibility. 
A copy of the dispatch to New South Wales was simul- 
taneously sent to Victoria, with an intimation that the views 
therein laid down applied equally to that Colony, and thus 
the Legislative Council was invited to follow the example 
of that of New South Wales, and send forward detailed 
proposals for a new constitution.? No criticisms were offered 
on the draft sent by New South Wales, which was not 
received by the Secretary of State until January 22, 1853, 
for it was thought better to await the receipt of the draft 
as finally passed by the Council. A copy of the dispatch 
* Parl. Pap., March 14, 1853, pp. 44 seq. 
Ibid., p. 57.