606 PARLIAMENTS OF THE DOMINIONS [PART III
a coalition government and he had been compelled to rein-
state Sir James McCulloch and his colleagues in office, and
the difficulty was only terminated by the arrangement under
which Sir Charles Darling, on the prospect of further employ-
ment under the Crown, relinquished his claim to the pro-
posed grant. It was clear that the feeling of the House
was very strong. He himself was prepared to undertake
the responsibility in a matter which appeared to him of
Colonial interest only, but in view of the dispatch from the
Secretary of State of January 1, 1868, he felt bound to refer
home for instructions.
In a reply of December 20, 1877,! Lord Carnarvon stated
that the payment of the members of Parliament was a matter
with which the Parliament and Government of Victoria
alone had to deal, for it involved no question calling for
the intervention of the Imperial Government on which it
seemed to him incumbent on him to express an opinion.
Under the circumstances, on further discussion with his
ministers, the Governor consented to recommend, as was
necessary under the Constitution Act, the formal inclusion
of the item in the Colonial Estimates.
On November 28, 1877.2 the Governor reported that
the question of privilege had arisen between the two
Houses on the question of a Bill for appropriating £38,000
for the erection of certain defence works recommended for
the Colony by Sir William Jervois, on the ground that the
preamble infringed the privileges of the Upper House. He
pointed out that the preamble was adopted, with the
necessary changes, from certain Imperial Acts to which no
exception had been taken by the House of Lords. The two
Houses, however, continued to wrangle, and the Legislative
Council insisted that they had powers other than those of
the House of Lords. Then the Legislative Council proceeded
to reject the Appropriation Bill, which contained the
provision for the payment of members. The ministers
then advised the Governor to make, and he made, large
temporary reductions in the public expenditure, dispensing
* Parl, Pap., C. 1982, p. 14, ¢ Ibid., p. 24,
