576 PARLIAMENTS OF THE DOMINIONS [PART 111 
Council. Ministers were in a weak position, as the election 
which had just taken place had resulted in a change of feeling 
in the country, and he had demanded before he accepted 
their advice an assurance that their advice was given less 
to reward party services than to strengthen the Upper House. 
He had accepted their advice, although it was probably the 
case that they were in a minority, partly because the practice 
of giving rewards on the retirement of a Ministry was well 
known in England. In 1877, it was true, Lord Normanby 
declined to accept advice as to the appointment to the Council 
of Mr. Wilson while a vote of non-confidence in his ministers 
was pending, but on the vote being rejected he acted on the 
nomination of the Prime Minister. That action had been ap- 
proved by the Secretary of State, but the circumstances were 
somewhat different, and he hoped his action also would be 
approved. In a further dispatch of January 24, 1891,! Lord 
Onslow reported that his ministers had asked for the appoint- 
ment of not less than eleven councillors ; the Premier had 
urged that the Governor should either accept their advice or 
dispense with their services, but he had finally induced them, 
with the assistance of Mr. Bryce, formerly Minister for 
Native Affairs, and their most prominent supporter in the 
House of Representatives, to retain office on his making six 
appointments on the strength of a formal assurance that these 
names were recommended solely to add strength to the House 
and not for party purposes. On the other hand, a petition 
was presented by forty members of the House of Representa- 
tives, asking that no more members of the Council should 
be appointed until after the meeting of Parliament, although 
the appointments had already been made on January 20. 
He explained that he had not felt justified in refusing the 
advice of his ministers in a matter which concerned the 
Colony alone, which neither affected the royal prerogative 
of mercy nor the question of an appeal to the people, and 
was in consonance with accepted constitutional practice. 
It was not seriously maintained that his action was uncon- 
stitutional, in view of the English practice, but there was 
t Parl. Pap., H. C. 198, 1893-4, p. 15.