The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-09 00:00:00

448 Vrecc6inp in V arliannnt. HOUSE OF LORDS. BOTH houses of the New Parliament have met to swear in members each day up to Thursday, when they assembled for the first time for the despatch of public business. In consequence of the absence of her Majesty, the ceremony was shorn of its usual pomp; and in place of the usual brilliant assem• binge of Peeresses, Foreign Ministers, &c., there were present in the Lords but a few ladies, who occupied the back seats on the Opposition side of the house. At two o'clock the Royal Commissioners, the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Stanley of Alderley, and the Earl of liarrowby, entered the house and took their seats in front of the Throne, and the Usher of the Black Rod was immediately directed to summon the Commons to the bar of their lordships' house to hear her Majesty's Most Gracious Speech on the occasion of the opening of Parliament, read by Royal Commission. In a very short time, the Speaker attended by a large number of members appeared at the bar, and the Clerk at the table read the Royal Coin mission. HER MAJESTY'S SPEECH. The Irmo CHANCELLOR then ruse and real ter Majesty's Speech as follows: Illy Lords and Gentlemen, We are commanded b inform you that her Majesty has availed herself of the earliest opportunity of having re• course to your advice and assistance after the dissolution of the last Parliament; and her NI ajeaty trusts that there will be tound saffi3ient time during the present session to enable you satisfactorily to deal with various important matters, some of which had occupied the attention of Par liament in the beginning of this year. We are comm in led by her Majesty to inform you that the general aspect of affiira in Europe affords a well grounded confidence in the continuance of peace. All the mini stipulations of the Treaty of Paris have been carried into execution, and it is to be hoped that what remains to be done in regard to those matters will be speedily accomplished. The negotiations upon the subject of the differences which had arisen between the King of Prussia and the Swiss Confederation, in regard to the aff.ti.s of Neufchatel, are drawing to a close, and will, her Nf ijesty trusts, be termi nated by an arninvinent honourable and satisfactory to ail parties. The negotiations in which her Majesty has been engaged with the Government of the United States, and with the Government of Hon•luras, ia regard to the affairs of Central America, have nut yet baea brought to a close. We are commanded by her Majesty to inform yon that a treaty of peace between her Majesty and the Shah of Persia was signed at Park on the 4th of March, by her Mnjesty's Ambassador at Paris and by the Ambassador of the Shah ; and her .Majesty will give directions that this treaty shall ba hid More von as soon as the ratifications thereof shall have been duly exchanged- Her Majesty com•nands us to express to you her regret that, at the dite of the latest advises from China, the differ ences which had arisen between the High Commissioner at Canton and her Majesty's civil an I naval officers in China, still remained unadjusted. Hut her Majesty has sent to China a Plenipotentiary fully instructed to deal with all matters of difference, and that Plenipotentiary will be supported by an adequate naval and military force, in the event of such assistance becoming necessary. We are commanded to inform you that her Majesty, in conjunction with several other European Powets, has con cluded a treat) with the King of Denmark fur the re• demption of the S)und Dues. This treaty, together with a separate c invention between her Majesty and the King of Denmark, completing the arrangement, will be laid be• fore you, aid her Majesty will cause the measures necessary for fulfilling the engagements thereby contracted to be submitted for your consideration. Gentlemen of the Holm! of Commons. Her Majesty has directed the Estimates for the present year to be laid before you. They hive been prepared with a careful attention to economy, and with a due regard to the efficiency of the departmmt of the public service to which they severally relate. fy Lords and Gentlemen, Her Majesty commands uy to recommend to your earnest conn lera . imi measures which will be proposed to you for the cons dilation and improvement of the law. Biis will be submitted to you for improving the laws relating to the Testamentary and Matrimonial Jurisdiction THE PRESS. now exercised by the Ecclesiastical Courts, and also for checking fraudulent breaches of trust. Her Majesty commands us to express to von her heart felt gratification at witnessing the continued well-being and contentment of her people, and the progressive de velopment of productive industry throughout her domi nions. Her Majesty confidently commits to your wisdom and care the great interests of her e•npire, and fervently prays that the blessing of Almighty God may be vouchsafed to your deliberations, and may lead you to conclusions con ducive to the objects of her Majesty's constant solicitude, the welfare and happiness of her loyal and faithful people. After the Royal Speech had been read, the Speaker and the members retired, and their lordships ad jout•ned until live o'clock. At a quarter past five the House of Lords re assembled, when the LORD CIIANCELLOR having read her Majesty's Speech, The Marquis of TOWNS/TEND moved the Address. Adverting to the wars in Persia and China, he coun selled a policy of firmness and energy, declaring that barbarous nations must, upon occasion, be forced into civilisation. Among topics not mentioned in the Speech, but " sure to find discussion in Parliament," he noticed parliamentary reform, the abolition of Jewish disabilities—if which he professed himself an earnest advocate, willing to see a Jew sitting, not only in the House of Commons, but in the hereditary branch of legislature—and the settlement of the question of church rates. He had no doubt the noble lord at the head of the Government would propose a measure of reform quite as extensive as most of their lordships desired, and perhaps a good deal more so than some of them would like. The Earl of PORTSMOUTH seconded the Address. The Earl of MALSIESBURY, regretting the absence of the Earl of Derby, and expressing his hope that there would he no difference or opinion among; their lordships on the subject of the Address, observed that the noble marquis in moving the Address had intro- duced one or two topics not in the 11, - iyal Speech— parliamentary reform and church rates : Now, I do think that if any one desired to raise a dis cussion, the best thing he could do would be to select either one or both of those subjects, which her Majesty, in my opinion, wised, omitted front the Speech, but which the noble marquis introduced. However, the speech of the noble marquis was subsequent to the Speech of her Majesty, and it is the Speech of her Majesty alone which is to be looked upon as authentic in this house, and in respect to which the Address is to be voted. 1 think, then, that the Government do not take too sanguine a view when they express a hope that "there will be found sufficient time during the present session to deal with various important in itters," fur though the time be short I must say that the list of measures proposed to be brom;lit forward is also so small that we may fairly hope to get through it in the present session. We sitting on this side of the house cannot but share in the pleasure expressed by the mover and seconder of the Address in reference to that paragraph of the Royal Speech which announces that the peace of Europe is likely to continue undisturbed ; and I wish it could have been added that peace in Asia is also assured. I am of opinion that the peace of Europe is secure so long as that important alliance now upon so happy a footing be- tween ourselves and France continues; an I I believe that for its continuance nothing is required but a judicious con sideration of the different positions of France mid England, both geographically and constitutionally. I say this be cause I have sometimes remarked a natural impatience on the part of the English people in consequence of their neighbours not having a Constitution as free as their own, forgetting what ought not to be forgotten, that the Con stitutions of both countries were created by the popular voice, and therefore, though differing in detail, th e y pro ceed from the. same foundation. The next point to which the Royal Speech adverts is that which remains to be ac complished in respect to the stipulations of the Treaty of Paris, the arrangements relative to the rrincipalities of Wallachia and Moldavia having been left in an incomplete state. Upon this point I shall only remark that I hope my noble friend opposite (the Earl of Clarendon) will not forget the original object of the war with Russia, which has now happily ceased. That object I understood to be to secure the future independence and integrity of the Turkish empire against any attack from its powerful neighbour. Now, however it might be desired to take up the cause of nationalities, I trust that the original object of the war will he kept in view, and the Turkish frontier rendered secure in the must effective manner, whether by a union of the two Principalities or by keeping them separate. In reference to the settlement of the affair of Neufchatel your lordships cannot but expresagreat pleasure, for there is always felt in this country the greatest possible sympathy with SAitzerlanil, on account of resemblance in religious and constitutional matters. With respect to the peace fortunately concluded with Persia, I trust that the Government will inform the house at what date they ex pect that the news of that peace would reach Sir James Ontram and his army, so that we may have some hope of soon hearing of an end being put to the unnecessary shedding of blood. As for the Chinese war—the most important subject of all—all he would say was, that those who had acted with him on that side of the house hid been influenced solely by a sense of duty ; and though they had been accused by Lord Palmerston of willingness to accept the degradation of the British SATURDAY, declare fly for the sake of office, he would simply that such a charge was at once absurd and unworthy a the great reputation of the man who made it. With regard to the estimates, he I oped they would be framed with a due regard to economy, for in the present position of the country it could not afford to throw away a shilling. _ _ Lord GRANVILLE rose and stated that a telegraphic message had been just received to the effect that Sir James Outran had been made aware on the sth of April of the conclusion of peace between Persia and England. There need not, therefore, be any further fear of renewed hostilities in that quarter. He was glad to hear the observations of Lord Malmesbury with regard to the propriety of a unanimous Address, but he could not admit that the expressions of Lord ealmerston, who had been violently attacked by Lord Derby, ooro the construction put upon them by Lord Malmesbury. However, he did not wish to disturb the harmony of the house by matters of personal dispute, and therefore would only, after the courteous manner in which Lord Malmesbury had requested the house to adopt the Address, ask their lordships to concur in that Address, and to present it unanimously to her Majesty. The MARQUIS of CLANRICARDE called the attention of the Government to the attacks upon General Ash. burnham. Lord PAN MERE had no hesitation in saying that the authors of those attacks were utterly unfit to hold the Queen's commission, and warmly deiended General Ashburnham. He trusted that General AshLurnham, who had behaved with great gallantry, who had simply obeyed i.rder.4 at Sobraon, and who had been rewarded by being made an aide-de-camp to her Majesty, would treat these attacks and their authors with the contempt they deserved. Lord GREY agreed that a stop should be put to the pernicious practice of attacks by junior officers on their superiors. He also agreed in thinking that the Address ought to be presented unanimously to her Majesty, but he wished to remark that, as dis cussion must take place on the policy of the Persian war, it was desirable that the papers connected with that war should be laid before the house as speedily as possible. Again, with regard to China, it was absolutely neusssary that some definite information as to the real object of the expedition recently sent to that empire should be afforded to the house. At present all it knew was, that some vague extension of commerce an.l new facilities of trade were pro mised as the result of the expedition. With regard to the opinion expressed by a minority of that house as to the policy pursued by the British officials in China, he quite agreed with Lord Malmeshury in thinking that those who voted against the Govern ment had a right t complain that their motives had been misrepresented, and it appeared to him that a heavy responsibility rested with those who thus vilified their political opponents and stirred up the angry feelings of the nation against the Chinese. The Address was then agreed to. _ . Lord REDESDALE was re elected Chairman of Committees, and the usual standing orders were agreed to. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF CO MMONS.—TntmsDAY. Mr. DonsoN,mrnovng theAddr;;sOh;rMajesly, passed in rev►ew .he leading topics of the Speech of the Royal Commissioners, observing that the present House of Commons possessed peculiar advantages for carrying out measures of improvement, in the absence of any antagonistic array of interests against interest, or of classes against classes. Mr. BUCHANAN seconded the motion, and, passing from the question before the house, entered into a warm defence of the justice and humanity of the Chinese war. General TitomrsoN protested against all he had heard on the subject of the Chinese question. Coinciding with the majority of the defunct liogse upon this question, he did not intend, he said, to let it pass without bringing it before the inquest of the country. Lord R. GROSVENOR thought that, upon the present occasion, this question might be lett in abeyance, but that some notice should be taken of the wishes of their constituents on the subjects of the extension of the suffrage, certain practices at elections, and church rates. Wilt reterence to the last-named subject, if the Government did not intend to legis late, he was prepared to propose a bill. Another subject of paramount importance, he observed, was the equa!isation of poor rates. Mr. EWART regretted that no allusion was made in the Speech from the Throne to the question of a Ministry of Justice. He hoped also to hear from the Government that parliamentary reform was not. alien to the policy they had prescribed fur themselves. Lord PALMERSTON replied that the Government had under consideration the best means accom plishing the object of a department of justice. With respect to the reform of the representation, he