The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-05 00:00:00

FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

MONDAY MORNING,

THE Royal_Family and the Court 'still rethain at Windsor
Castle, thesojourn having been interrupted for a brief period in
the middle of last week by the journerof HER MAJESTY and the
PRINCE Co :4'0022 to London, for the opening of Parliament.
On Monday evening, there was another dramatic performance
at the Castle, when Tom TAYLOR'S new comedy, " Still
Waters Run Deep," and J. MonTON's farce of "A Game at
Romps" were enacted for the amusement of the Qussmi, the
Royal Family, and HER MAJESTY'S distinguished guests.
The whole of the visitors left the Castle on Wednesday morn-
ing, and, soon after their departure, the SovEREIGN and the
Court left Windsor for London, and arrived at Buckingham
PalaCe at a little after noon. In the afternoon, HER MAJESTY
held a Court and Privy Council, and, in the evening, accom-
panied by Prince ALBERT, and attended by their suite, the
QUEEN honoured the Haymarket Theatre with her presence.
Theisame day, there were political meetings, under the name
of full-dress dinners,given by the leading members of Govern-
ment, Lord PALMERSTON entertaining a select body of his
supporters in the House of Common's at his residence in Picca-
dilly; Earl GRANVILLE, Lord President of the Council, giving
one to a party of peers, at his residence in Bruton-street. At
both of these re-unions, the speech which was delivered from
the throne next day, and which had been submitted to HER
MAJESTY at the Council, was read by the hosts to their
respective guests. On Wednesday evening, the leading Con-
servative peers were entertained by the Earl of DERBY, at his
mansion in St. James's-square. Among the guests of his lord-
ship were the Dukes of MANCHESTER, MONTROSE, and
CLEVELAND ; the Earls of EGLINTON, CARDIGAN, LUCAN,
HARDWICEE ; and Lords REDESDALE and ST. LEONARDS.
On the same evening, Mr. DISRAELI received at dinner, at
his residence at Grosvenor-gate, a select party of members
of the time of Commons. At both these latter banquets
the tactics of the Conservative members of the Houses of
Parliament were understood to have been brought under con-
sideration. The course of action, although pretty well known
to have been previously arranged in its broad and general
features, was here to receive direct " form and body." Some
difficulty as to this particular was thrown in the way of a
definite arrangement, by the absence of any outline of the
royal speech, which, for a good many years past, was fur-
nished to the various morning journals, and was pretty freely
discussed in the clubs and political gatherings on the evening
of the day before its formal delivery, but which was this year
sedulously kept out of view. This change in practice with
respect to the royal speech has been freely, but in general
favourably commented on by the leading journals. The pro-
seeding was altogether an anomalous one, and could scarcely
be productive of any good, while evil might and awkwardness
was sure to follow the observance of such a practice, which was
introduced as one of the many strange ways of courting popu-
larity by the Whigs. The inconvenience is said to have
attracted the attention and remonstrance of a highly illus-
trious personage, on whose representation the change referred
to has been brought about. The Morning Post, with the
good taste and sense which generally pervade its columns, ap-
proves greatly of the new arrangement, declaring its approval
of the new and more dignified plan, and states also that the
other- was, as HAMLET held the drinking bouts of Denmark,

a custom

More honoured in the breach than the obaervance.
Even the great potentate of Printinghouse-square makes vir-
tue of necessity, and grumbles approbation.
The absence of any hint as to what was to be the leading
features of the royal address piqued the curiosity of many,
and gave zest to the speech as it was delivered, of a kind
and to a degree that it has not enjoyed for many a day.
The morning of Thursday was dull and cloudy, and the
metropolis wore an aspect more forbidding than has of late
been customary on the eve of a royal pageant. Notwith-
standing this, however, from a comparatively early hour the
line of procession was the scene of gay displays of spectators
all the way from Buckingham Palace to Westmister ; and
any spot of "'vantage ground" which promised a good view
of the royal cortege was densely crowded. Although no
inkling'of the speech had been allowed to ooze out, everyone
felt assured that the present position of the belligerents and
the prospect of a termination of hostilities must form
leading features in the speech, and each was anxious to learn
the first tidings of what they looked on as an official declara-
tion of the state of affairs. Impressed with this feeling and
belief, the pageant itself assumed a new importance in the
eyes of the anxious beholders, and this was heightened by the
concourse of distinguished public characters who congregated
from all quarters to take part in the imposing ceremony.
There seemed an unusual attendance of foreign ministers,
besides the ordinary array of state officials. These different
individuals were received with more or less marked courtesy
accordingly as they were known and popularly appreciated.
The French Ambassador, the Duke of CAMBRIDGE, and
Lord PALMERSTON forming distinguished marks on which
the populace poured their warm and hearty applause.
HER MAJESTY was everywhere received with marks of
repectful homage, and shouts of enthusiastic loyalty accom-
panied her progress from the palace to the House of Lords.
The interior of that noble chamber presented an imposing
and fascinating spectacle. Crowded as it was in all quarters
by an array of peers and peeresses—of native and foreign
statesmen—of rank, wealth, and beauty, it acquired a yet
higher interest than the mere display of official dignity and
the presence of personal worth could bestow on it. Peace or
war, was the alternative which each anxious listener
expected to hear announced in measured cadence from
the royal lips, and the hopes and fears of each rose and
fell from time to time as the minutes rolled along in
slow suspense. As HER MAJESTY entered, a momentary feel-
ing of'pleasure brightened up the scene, and once more the
silence of intense expectation settled over the brilliant throng.
Shortly after being seated on the throne, and the Peers and
Peeresses, in conformity with the royal intimation, having
resumed their seats, HER MAJESTY, who remained sitting, in
her usually clear and firm tones read the speech, amidst the
breathless attention of the audience. Immediately on having
finished the reading, HER MAJESTY was conducted from the
chamber by Prince ALBERT, and the ceremonial portion of the
day's proCeedings terminated. The QUEEN and Prince AL-
BERT returned to Buckingham Palace, and having remained
there for nearly =lour and a half, took their departure thence
for Windsor at 20 minutes past four, arriving at the Castle in
about an hour after.

No sooner were the pageant and ceremonial ended, than all•
ranks and degrees of the people were deep in cogitation on the
contents of the official manifesto. Of course different opinions
prevailed in different quarters, and conflicting views of its
meaning were elicited from opposite commentators, the pre-
vailing declaration being that most matters touched upon in
it were left much in the same position, as before. In the
speech, the nation was informed that Russia had expressed
willingness to accept the Austrian propositions as the ground-
work to negotiate a treaty of peace. That, however, the nation
had been apprised of before. Doubts were insinuated rather
than expressed, that Russia is not quite so sincere as she
professes to be. In that sentiment the nation at large had
long before, and emphatically, expressed concurrence. In
the speech it is distinctly intimated that the naval and
military preparations for next campaign will not be relaxed
until a satisfactory peace has been concluded, That was
at once admitted to be a true expression of the national
will, although a considerable section of the people and the
Parliament are prepared to adopt Lord DERBY'S suggested
amendment, that it would be a better reading to make it
that " I shall deem it right hallo degree to relax my naval
and military operations," instead of preparations, "until
a satisfactory peace shall have been concluded." One 'an-
nouncement in the speech, which also had been popularly un-
derstood, was made officially clear, that a treaty has been
entered into with the RING of SWEDEN and NORWAY. So
far all that had been inculcated through semi-ministerial
agency in reference to the mighty issues of peace or war hive
now been officially confirmed; but really, as yet, the Cabinet
has made but little way in the " diffusion of useful knowledge,"
by means of the royal speech. If its positive information on
these heads be meagre, its promises are even more hazy and
quite as little inspiring, as to the contemplated course of in-
ternal improvement. True enough, towards the end of the
document there is a sort of generalised intimation that there
exist differences "between the commercial laws of Scotland
and those of other parts of the United Kingdom ;" that the
crude and hastily concocted law of " Limited Liability" is not
satisfactory ; that complaint is made of the " local dues or pass-
ing tolls" levied on mercantile shipping ; and that something
is not quite right in "the law in Great Britain and Ireland."
Measures to remedy all which are promised with the
easy off-hand air which is so peculiarly characteristic of the
Panmien's senatorial eloquence.
If liable to such objections in regard to its intimations of
fact, and the mysteriously mud-foggy style of its promises, it
is quite as remarkable for the cautious and unsatisfactory
silence which it observes in relation to the threatened com-
plications with America, which are believed by many well-
informed parties on both sides of the Atlantic to be matters
justifying anxiety, and far, indeed, from being unworthy of
attention. The omission of any allusion to the disputes
between the cabinets of Washington and Great Britain is
quite as likely to generate irritation as to soothe excitement,