The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-02 00:00:00

424 `Vractbings in Varlianunt. THE NEW PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. The first session of the fifth Parliament sum moned in her Majesty's reign met on Thursday, at two p.m., in both houses. In the Lords the session was inaugurated by commission, the Commissioners being the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Argyll, Earl Spencer, the Earl of Harrowby, and Lord Stanley of Alderley. Amongst the very Itnv other peers present were the Bishop of Gloucester, Earl Beauchamp, Lord Pantnure, Lord Belper, Lord Aveland, and Lord Godolphin. . . . . The letters patent constituting the commission having been read, the Commons were summoned in the usual form. On their arrival at the bar, The LORD CHANCELLOR said : My lords and gentlemen, I have the commands of her Majesty to let you know that, as soon as the members of both houses are sworn, the cause of her Majesty's calling the present Parliament will be declared to you. It being necessary that. a Speaker of the House of Commons should first be chosen, it is her Majesty's pleasure that you, gentlemen, shall proceed to your place of meeting, and there make choice of a fit and proper person, whom you shall present here at two o'clock to-morrow for her Majesty's royal approbation. The Commons then retired, and the Commis sioners having unrobed, the Bishop of Gloucester said prayers. The Lord Chancellor then took the oaths and signed the roll. _ The return to the writ to elect the sixteen Scotch representative peers was then presented and read. Their lordships present then took the oaths, and the swearing in of the peers continued during the ternoon. Their lordihips rose at twenty minutes past four. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Half an hour before the time appointed the mem bers began to enter the house, and before two o'clock upwards of 400 were present. Amongst the first who entered were Lord Hotham, Sir James Duke, and Colonel French. Mr. Hayter followed, then Mr. A. Stafford, Lord Elcho, Admiral Walcott, Sir James Graham (who took his old seat on the second bench of the Ministerial side below the gang way), Sir Joseph Paxton, Mr. Keating, Q.C., Mr. W. Jackson, Mr. W. J. Crawford, Baron Rothschild (who was warmly received by a crowd of members), Mr. S. Herbert, and Mr. Gladstone. By two o'clock the house had becomo well filled. Amongst the occupants of the Treasury benches, were : the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir George Grey, the Attorney• General, Mr. Fitzroy, C. Wood, Mr. Labouchere, Mr. B. Osborne, Mr. V. Smith, Lord Alfred Paget, Sir B. Hall, Mr. M. T. Baines, Mr. Massey, Mr. Hayter, Lord Mulgrave, and Mr. R. Lowe. On the Opposition benches were Sir Wm. Jolliffe, Mr. Hamilton, Sir F. Kelly, Mr. Newdegate, Mr. Butt, Major Beresford, Sir F. Thesiger, Mr. Walpole, &c. The old members chiefly occupied their own seats; the new members either stood in groups on the floor or seated themselves near their friends. After a short time spent in shaking of hands, mutual introductions and congratulations, the Deputy Usher of the Black Rod appeared at the bar, and, approaching the table, summoned the House to att3nd in the House of Lords to htar the Royal Com mission read. Sir Denis Le Marehant, the chief clerk, followed by about one-third of the members present, imme diately proceeded to the House of Lords. On their return, at a quarter after two, Sir Denis took his seat at the table, the Speaker's chair remain ing vacant. ELECTION OF SPEAKER. After a short pause, during which Lord Palmers ton entered the house, and was loudly cheered, The Clerk rose, and pointed with his finger towards Lord Harry Vane, who was seated on the third Ministerial bench. Lord 11. VANE rose, and in a brief speech proposed Mr. Evelyn Denison, the member for North Nottinghamshire, "do take the chair." The noble lord described the onerous character of the duties devolving upon the official director of their debates, and for whose performance there was required a rare combination of qualities. After referring in a tone of warm eulogy to the eminent services of Mr. Shaw Lefevre, Lord Harry Vane expressed his conviction that Mr. Denieon would prove a fit successor to the office, and, briefly sketching the parliamentary career of that honourable member as affording grounds to believe that the selection would be appropriate and successful, formally concluded his speech by pro posing that Mr. Evelyn Denison be Speaker of the House. Mr. THORNELY seconded the proposition. The qualities necessary in a good Speaker were expe rience, patience, firmness, and impartiality. All of time he believed that Mr. Denison possessed, in THE PRESS. addition to great industry and tact in the transaction of that vast am aunt of private business which was annually increasing in magnitude and importance. The hon. member took the opportunity to suggest some improvements in the conduct of debates, re commending especially the abbreviation of speeches, and the earlier commencement of important dis cussions : Much may be done (said the honourable member) by the Speaker, but there is much which must be done by members, and, though I may be travelling a little out of the ordinary course, I µ•ill take the liberty of suggesting, on this very important occasion whether we might not carry into effect a plan which was discussed some time ago for shortening the speeches of our members. I would appeal with great respect to the leading members on both sides to commence important speeches at live or six o'clock, after the private business is over, rather than wait till ten or eleven o'clock, keeping us here out of our beds. No other candidate being proposed, the resolution Was carried unanimously. Mr. E. DENISON, speaking from his place in the house, briefly returned his acknowledgments for the honour conferred upon him. He recognised the importance of the duties he was called upon to assume ; but although conscious of many deficiencies in ability, promised to dedicate whatever talents and faculties he possessed to the service of the House of Commons. _ _ _ ...........______ The Speaker was then conducted by his proposer and seconder to the chair, and took his seat after another expression of gratitude and devotion to the house. Lord PALMERSTON congratulated the right hon. gentleman on his elevation, and the house generally upon their judicious selection of a Speaker. lie felt assured that the choice they had made was approved by the members of every party. Mr. WALPOLE, speaking, as he said, in the acci • dental absence of Mr. Disraeli, owing to a mistake as to the hour of meeting, addressed Mr. Speaker, observing,with reference to Mr. Disraeli's absence : Had he been here, I am sure that he would have joined with the noble lord in congratulating you upon being placed in that chair. In his absence 1 will venture to say, referring to those observations, marked equally by good taste and good feeling, which have fallen from you, that there is not a member on this side of the house—for those on the other side the noble lord has already spoken —who will not heartily join with you in maintaining the dignity and authority of the Chair, and who will not, in the public proceedings of this house, or in the transaction of private business, render you every possible assistance. We shall be happy to find that you equal, although, as the noble lord has said, you cannot surpass, the admirable conduct which Marked the career of your predecessor. The house then adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS,-FulDAy. Their lordships met at two o'clock. The Lords Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor, Earl Granville, the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Harrowby, and Earl Spencer. _ . The LORD CHANCELLOR then ordered Sir A. Clif ford, the Usher of the Black Rod, to summon the members of the House of Commons to attend at the bar. In a few minutes afterwards Mr. John Evelyn Denison, accompanied by his mover and seconder, Lord H. Vane and Mr. Thornely, and surrounded by a great number of new members, appealed at the bar. Mr. J. E. Dextsois then addressed their lordships, saying that, in obedience to the commands of her Majesty, the House of Commons had proceeded in the exercise of their undoubted right and privilege, and had elected their Speaker, and he had to acquaint their lordships that ho was the object of their choice, and with all humility he now asked for her Majesty's most gracious approbation of the choice. The LORD CnaNcEr.r.on said : Mr. John Evelyn Denison, we have the command from her Al ajesty to assure you that her Majesty is so fully Ben• Bible of your zeal for the publics good, and your sufficiency to discharge the arduous duties to which you have been elected by the members of the House of Commons, that she fully approves and confirms you their Speaker. The SPEAKER expressed his profound respect and gratitude, and said he bowed to her Majesty's com mand. It now became his duty, in the name and 1:x the House of Commons of England, to lay claim, by humble petition, to the free exercise of all those ancient and undoubted rights and privileges —more especially those of freedom from arrest and molesta tion for themselves and their servants—freedom of speech in debate, free access to her Majesty when occasion required it, and that her Majesty would be most graciously pleased to put the most favourable construction on all their proceedings and actions. For himself, he entreated that if he committed any errors, they might be attributed to him, and not to her Majesty's most faithful Commons. The LORD CHANCELLOR : Mr. Speaker, we have it further in command from her Majesty to assure you that her Majesty most readily confirms all the rights and privileges of her faithful Commons, which have ever been granted by her Majesty's royal predecessors; and with respect to yourself, sir, SATURDAY, although her Majesty is sensible that you stand in need of no assurance, her Majesty will ever put the most favourable construction upon all your words and actions. The Speaker then bowed to the Lords Commis• sinners and retired from the bar. The Lords Commissioners shortly afterwards left the house. The Lord Chancellor, having divested himself of his robe as a Lord Commissioner, re entered the house, and took his seat on the woolsack. The swearing in of peers was then proceeded with, and Viscount Eversley, the late Speaker of the House of Commons, took the oaths and his seat as a peer of the United Kingdom. The noble viscount was• introduced by Viscount Combermere and Viscount Torrington. HOUSE OF COMMONS—FrunAr. The SPEAKER took the chair shortly before two. o'clock. The hon. gentleman did not wear his official robe. He was habited in full court dress, with a barrister's wig. The mace was laid on the table, and not on the floor, the form observed on Thursday. _ Sir AUGUSTUS CLIFF ORD entered the house, and,. addressing the Speaker, said the Lords Commis sioners desired the immediate attendance of the house in the House of Peers. The SPEAKER then proceeded to the House of Lords, accompanied by nearly all the members pre sent. On his return, and having taken the chair, he said he had to state that he bad that day been to the House of Peers, where he communicated to the Peers present that the house bad proceeded to the election of a Speaker, and that its choice bad fallen upon himself. The Lords Commissioners on behalf of her Majesty confirmed the choice, and also her Majesty's most gracious approval. He had, on behalf of the house, laid claim to the ancient and. undoubted privileges heretofore presented by the house, especially the privilege from arrest, the free dom of debate, and free access to her Majesty at all reasonable times when the house desired it, and that her Majesty would put the most favourable construc tion upon the words and actions of the Commons, and the Lords Commissioners had conceded the privileges. Having made this communication to the house, his next duty was to subscribe to the oaths. The SPEAKER then informed the house that the members would besworn in in the alphabetical order of the counties. The Clerk then commenced the list with Bed ford county, and, having read about a dozen names, the respective members advanced to the table and took the oaths in the prescribed form. THE PERSIAN EXPEDITION. THE news from the Gulf is very scanty. Prepara tions were being made to embark a large part of the force for Mohammerah, at the mouth of the Kuran ; but the operatics was much delayed by the preva lence of violent north-west winds which characterise the period of the year. The latest despatches received at Bombay reached to the 6th March. At that date the force for Mo hammerah was being embarked with all speed. The guns and men of the third troop of Horse Artillery sailed for the mouth of the Euphrates on the sth. Other portions of the force had already preceded them, and the rest would shortly follow. The fleet was to rendezvous at the entrance of the river, and then to proceed up to Mohammerah by the channel called Shatt-el-Arab, which was being carefully buoyed. The capture 01 Mohammerah was expected to take place about the 20th March if the intelligence of peace did nut arrive in time to stop operations. The troops were healthy. A letter from an officer of the Political Agency of Bagdad gives the latest news from the head-quarters of the Persian expeditionary force. It will be seen that only by a happy accident could the attack on Mohammerah be averted : Yesterday evening we had a special tatar from Constan• tinople, who brought us news of peace, but the terms were not known. 1 despatched a messenger to Bussorah immediately, but he will not be in time to save Moliaturnerah, unless Outram had news by way of Aden. My last date from Bussorah is the 17th of March. On that day the general was to leave Bushire for the river, where all the transports were collected, and probably on the 21st they would go to Mohatninerah. I inclose a rough tracing of the place, which shows where the Persians have raised their earthworks ; they are described as being very creditable pieces of work, and considerable resistance was expected. We may have news before the post closes, but I do not expect it till tomorrow. I have two tatars ready for Constantinople. The force at Mohammerah was said to consist of 8,000 regulars, 4,000 Arab levies, 1,500 horsemen, and 29 guns, of which two are 24-pounders, four are 18 pounders, anti the remainded 9 and 12 pounders, including one mortar. Seven regiments of infantry, 1,20 a horsemen, and about 700 Arab matchlockmen are encamped on the north side of the Mohammersh river ; the rest on the south side. The intelligence of the Treaty of Peace arrived at Bagdad on the 27th of March. Mr. Murray was at Bagdad,