ent resigned, the lieutenant-governor sent for Mr. Fisher, and
entrusted to him the business of forming a new government. The
government thus formed comprised the Hons. James Brown, S. L. Tilley,
William Henry Steeves, John M. Johnson, Albert J. Smith, David Wark and
Charles Watters. The Hon. Charles Fisher became attorney-general, and,
resigning his seat, was reelected for the county of York prior to the
meeting of the legislature on June 24th, 1857. The session lasted only
until July 1st, being merely held for the purpose of disposing of the
necessary business. James A. Harding was elected speaker of the House,
and the legislation was confined to the passage of the supply bills, and
matters that were urgent. Tilley took no part in the legislation of this
session, for his seat immediately became vacant by his appointment as
provincial secretary. The other departments were filled by the
appointment of Mr. Brown to the office of surveyor-general; of Mr.
Charles Watters, to the office of solicitor-general, and of John M.
Johnson as postmaster-general.

The legislature met again on February 10th, 1858, and the speech from
the throne dealt mainly with the financial crisis, the Intercolonial
Railway, and the progress that was being made in the construction of the
line between St. John and Shediac as a part of what was termed the
European and North American Railway. The speech also referred to the
fact that the surplus civil list fund had been, by arrangement with the
British government made the previous year, placed at the disposal of the
House of Assembly. It was soon seen that the government was strong in
the House, the first test vote being that taken on the passage of the
address in reply to the speech from the throne. This came in the form of
an amendment, regretting that the arrangement in regard to the surplus
civil list fund had been acceded to without the consent of the House.
This amendment to the address received the support of only six members.
A return brought down at an early period in the session showed that the
revenue of the province for the fiscal year, ending October 31st, 1857,
amounted to $668,252 an increase of $86,528 over the previous year. Of
this sum upwards of $540,000 came from import duties and what were
termed railway impost, which was simply duties levied on imports for the
purpose of defraying the cost of the railways then building. The casual
and territorial revenue yielded only eighteen thous