810 PARLIAMENTS OF THE DOMINIONS [PART III 
action, and petitions were sent home and presented by 
deputation to the Secretary of State. 
On April 9, however, the Governor telegraphed that 
Parliament had been prorogued, that the Appropriation and 
other Bills had been passed, that the political excitement 
was subsiding and that the Colony was tranquil; the 
deputation to Sir Michael Hicks-Beach was therefore dis- 
missed with vague assurances. The petitions also received 
no definite answer, on the ground that the difficulties had 
been disposed of by agreement.? 
On March 17, 187832 the Governor reported that he 
had consented to sign a warrant prepared in accordance 
with the resolution of the Legislative Assembly, and 
authorized by the forty-fifth section of the Constitution 
Statute, whereby the costs and expenses of the collection 
of revenue were constituted a special appropriation. The 
Governor had consented to sign it on the written opinion of 
the law officers of the Crown and a certificate from the 
Commissioners of Audit. Moreover, the sum was necessary 
to keep the Government going, and it was only to be used 
if the Upper House declined to pass the appropriation. 
His ministers, however, were not prepared to refer the 
question of its legality to any tribunal whatever, and they 
were dissatisfied with the action of the Governor in sending 
home the question with a request for the advice of the law 
officers of the Crown in England? The questions at issue 
were being adjusted by a compromise, and the Appropriation 
Bill was passed and Parliament prorogued. The Governor 
sent home long dispatches on the 11th and 12th of April 
18785 in which he defended his action and explained the 
steps he had taken to secure the settlement of the deadlock. 
It was of vital importance, in his opinion, to avoid the 
removal of a Ministry by a Governor’s own individual act 
on account of proceedings of purely Colonial concern. He 
justified his action by the precedents of Lord Elgin in 
Canada from 1848 to 1851, and of Lord Dufferin in the same 
' Parl. Pap., C. 2173, p. 22. * Ibid., p. 30. s Ibid., p. 32 
+ Ibid. pp. 50, 51. § Ibid., pp. 54 seq., 63 seq.