622 PARLIAMENTS OF THE DOMINIONS [PART III
The Assembly had claimed no more than the privileges of
the House of Commons, but the Council had gone far
beyond that.
The Parliament of Canada had, after a long trial of an
elective Upper House (from 1856 to 1867), returned to the
system of nomination, which was a success in New Zealand,
New South Wales, and Queensland. The system of nomina-
tion would really be the proper solution of the difficulties
in Victoria, but if an elective House were insisted upon he
suggested that if a Bill were passed by the Assembly in two
consecutive ordinary sessions and were twice rejected by
the Council, then either the two Houses should sit together
and the decision of an absolute majority should be final, or
both Houses should be liable under certain conditions to be
dissolved.
On February 17, 18791 the Secretary of State replied, re-
viewing at large the arguments of the Governor in favour of
his conduct. He still was of opinion that he should not have
consented to the removal of the judicial and civil officials.
Refusal to remove would not necessarily have involved the
removal of the ministers or their resignation ; the ministers
had been induced by him partially to retrace their steps,
and he might have succeeded by pressure in securing that
they should not adopt the proposal which they finally
adopted.
In a dispatch of December 2, 1878, the Governor sent to
the Secretary of State a petition to the Queen from the late
Chief Engineer of Water Supply, who had been dismissed
from the service in the financial crisis. His ministers were
prepared, as a result of pressure which he had brought
to bear upon them, to offer to the officer one year’s salary
and allowance if he withdrew. the petition, although he was
entitled to only £582. It was the duty, in his opinion, of
Mr. Gordon to bring his case before the local legislature,
which could vote him further compensation and could censure
ministers for their conduct towards him. His Government
were satisfied that Mr. Gordon had no legal grounds for the
\ Parl. Pap., C. 2217, p. 75. t Parl. Pap., C. 2339, p. 1.
