No more encouraging evidence could be produced of the chainge? which has come over public feeling with regard to the colony; and Ministers, therefore, very rightly give special prominence to the matter in his - - - " Turning to that part of the Speech which gave an outline of the measures to be submitted for the consideration of Parliament, it will be observed that members.will have plenty 4 of work to occupy their attention-for some con siderable , time, even if every, hour of the session is usefully employed. To begin with* there are five .large questions mentioned in the

Speech wtijcU.. Ministers consider require dealing with. First o£ all Par liament will be invited to approach important subject of the reform of the! Legislative Council. This matter has) been talked of at various times during! the last tew years, but nothing hie) ever been accomplished. But matters have reached such a pass now that something must be done to place the. Council on a satisfactory footing.; Owing to deaths, absences, and the increasing age of many of the mem bers, it is becoming every year more difficult to find a sufficient number of members willing and competent to , dis charge the duties which devolve on Committees. Unless, therefore, some measure of reform is it will become the daty of the Government to fill up the gaps recently made in the ranks of the Council. We trust that the passing of a measure of reform this session, which will have the effect of placing the Council more in touch with public opinion, and at the same time of preserving to it its perfect independence, ■ will render such ap pointments unnecessary. So much for the reform of the upper branch of the Legislature. Ministers, however, do not intend to confine themselves to this important piece of Constitutional reform. They propose, also, to deal with the even larger question of a change in the laws regulating the election of members of the House of Representatives. It is intended to submit a measure embodying the Hare System, and, we presume, to use all the influence which Ministers pos sess to carry the. measure through the Legislature. We have at various times'expressed our conviction that such a reform would be attended, with the most beneficial results. It would at once raise the standard r df polities! life,. 