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

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

MELBOURNE : GOLD.—The price of gold remained at
£3 16s. 3d., with a quiet market. The escorts for the week
had brought in 43,712 ounces, making for the year 1,767,000
ounces. Exchange on London : Drafts were selling at 1 per
cent. premium. Freight on gold delivered in London, 40.
per ounce ; insurance, two guineas per cent.
WooL, &c.—The news, per Sussex, that the prices at the
London wool sales had gone a shade easier, caused less
spirit at the last public sale, and prices realised were not
quite so firm. Some large parcels were knocked down for the
owners, and out of the whole offered, say about 300 bales, only
a small quantity changed hands at previous rates. Prices of
tallow still remain at about late quotations. Mutton tallow,
a fine sample, sold at £45, and inferior at £4O per ton. In
hides there were no sales to report.
BREADSTUFFEL—Fine flour, £5O per ton ; seconds, £4O
ditto ; Haiall flour, £5O ditto ; Chilian, £6O ditto. Wheat
bought at 17s. to 18s. per bushel. The reports froth the
western districts of the appearance of the crops continue to
be of the most promising nature, and additional mill-power is
being erected to meet the requirements of the coming harvest.
Ten tons of wheat from the Chatham Islands, grown by
native labour, and exported in bags of native manufacture, has
been received in the Melbourne markets.

LABOUR MARKET.—The Argus states,—" We have to re-
port another very favourable week in the labour market.
Suitable men for the country are getting scarce. Orders for
female servants are freely coming in from the gold-fields,
which, we are glad to state, are freely accepted by the most
respectable class of servants. Wages are advancing ; but still
low in comparison to our former rates ; still they are ad-
vancing, and labour getting scarcer, which must soon raise
the prices."
GEELONG.—GOLD.--There is no alteration, nor appearance
of any, in the buying price of gold. It still remains at 755. 9d.
There has been about the usual quantity offered in town. The
news from Magpie Gully is still very encouraging. Sinking is
light compared with Ballarat, and success more general.
Fiery Creek is reported as having fallen off a little. At Steig-
litz, the few who have struck the quartz vein are doing re-
markably well, the stuff got out showing very rich; but, it is
supposed, that from the vein being narrow, and sloping so
much, it will be rather laborious work, so much overlying
stuff having to be cleared away. However, those at work
there seem generally hopeful and in good spirits. Since the
last report, there has arrived by escort 26,318 ounces.
WooL.—The first weekly produce sale held bad taken place,
when the following prices were realised :—Handwashed slipe,
124 d. per lb.; fleece wool, in grease, Bid. ditto; sheepskins,
mixed, 3s. each,

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

ON Thursday, the Queen went in state to open Parliament.
Notwithstanding the coldness of the weather, the inhabitants
of London flocked in multitudes to!itness the accustomed
spectacle, and greeted Her Majesty with loud cheers along the
whole of her route, till, amid a flourish of trumpets and the
thunders of a royal salute from the Park guns, she disappeared
beneath the grand archivay of Victoria Tower, marshalled on
her path to the House of Lords by the great officers of state
and a long procession of heralds, pages, pursuivants, and other
accessories of such solemnities. It was twenty minutes after
two o'clock before the Queen entered the Chamber of Peers,
and for more than two hours previously that noble apartment
had been gradually receiving within its gorgeously-decorated
walls an assemblage, if not quite suitable to the occasion, at
least well calculated to give the highest pictorial effect to the
pomp of the opening ceremonial. For two long hours they
came trooping in, from the girl in the freshness' of her
teens to the mature dowager, all in full evening dress, and
displaying a variety of toilette which made, the House
bloom like a vast flower-bed. At one time the space
reserved for the spiritual lords appeared to be in serious
danger of encroachment ; the diplomatic seats also narrowly
escaped invasion, and wistful eyes were even cast upon the
woolsack itself. The strangers' gallery was filled with ladies ;
so was that which runs round the house immediately beneath
the stained glass windows, and the benches on each side, with
the exception of the front rows and those usually occupied by
the Bishops. The Chamber of Peers did seem for a time en-
tirely given up to petticoat government;" but soon after one
o'clock noble lords, in their robes, and the' representatives of
foreign powers, in their official costumes, began to make their
appearance. The Earl of Clarendon was the first member of
the Cabinet who appeared. Lord Campbell and Lord St.
Leonard's were also among the early arrivals. Serjeant Man-
ning, as senior serjeant, claimed his seat with the judges ; and
among the latter were the newly-created Justices Willes and
Bramwell. Immediately under the seats reserved for the
diplomatic corps the right rev. prelates assembled to the num-
ber of five or six, with the Archbishop of Canterbury at their
head. Among them were the Bishops of Oxford and Exeter.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and Lord Pan-
mure entered the house about the same time, and shortly after
them the Duke of Newcastle, with a well-developed Crimean
beard, as an evidence of his recent tour in the East. By this
time the House had assumed a very animated appearance, the
Lords spiritual and temporal chatting together in groups, the
ladies all settled in their places, and the doorways on either
side of the throne thronged with Gentlemen-at-Arms in their
glittering uniforms. The diplomatic corps had already
mustered in considerable strength and in every variety
of official costume, when his Excellency the American
Minister " sloped in," in plain evening dress. There was
a pause of expectation in the House, and it was soon
manifest that the Queen had arrived, but neither the
sound of the Royal salute nor of the trumpet flourish pene-
trated to the interior of the House, the doors of which were
carefully closed. Suddenly, at twenty minutes past two
o'clock, they were thrown open, and the procession of heralds,
pursuivants, lords-in-waiting, and great officers of State,
swept in. The Queen, leaning on the arm of his Royal
Highness the Prince Consort, ascended the throne, the as-
semblage standing up to receive her. Having desired that
they might be seated, Her Majesty forthwith despatched the
Usher of the Black Rod to summon the Commons to the bar.
Here an interval of several minutes elapsed, during which
solemn silence was observed, and spectators who beheld the
scene for the first time had ample time to observe all its well-
known details. Except in the personages, there was no
departure from the prescriptive observance of centuries in the
formalities of the ceremonial. Lord Granville, on the left of
the throne, bore the Sword of State ; Lord Harrowby, on the
right, the Cap of Maintenance ; and beyond him were the
Lord Chancellor and the Marquis of Lansdowne, bearing the
Crown upon a velvet cushion. Beside them, on the steps of
the throne, stood the Duchess of Sutherland and the Duchess
of Wellington; and on the other side, near the chair of the
Prince Consort, the Marquis of Abercorn and Sir Augustus
Clifford, who, in the absence of Lord Willoughby D'Eresby,
officiated as Lord Chamberlain. And now the trampling
sound of many footsteps was heard at the entrance to the bar,
and the Commons came surging up to that constitutional
barrier with the vehemence and force of their popular origin
symbolised in the movement. Pressing forward in a dense
column, with Mr. Speaker and Black Rod at their head, they
quickly filled every corner of the vacant space. When they
had settled sufficiently to have silence restored, the Lord
Chancellor approached the throne, and, kneeling, presented to
Her Majesty the copy of her speech, which she proceeded to
read with her usual distinctness and sweetness of intonation.

HER MAJESTY'S SPEECH.

Mr LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,

Since the close of the last session of Parlianient, the arms of
the Allies have achieved a signal and important success.
Sebastopol, the great stronghold of Russia in the Black Sea,
has yielded to the persevering constancy and to the daring
bravery of the Allied forces.
The naval and military preparations for the ensuing year
have necessarily occupied my serious attention'; but, while
determined to omit no effort which could give vigour to the
operations of the war, I have deemed it my duty not to
decline any overtures which might reasonably afford a pros-
pect of a safe and honourable peace. Accordingly, when the
Emperor of Austria lately offered to myself and to my august
Ally, the Emperor of the French, to employ his good offices
with the Emperor of Russia, with a view to endeavour to
bring about an amicable adjustment of the matters at issue
between the contending Powers, I consented, in concert with
my Allies, to accept the offer thus made, and I have the
satisfaction to inform you that certain conditions have been
agreed upon, which I hope may prove the foundation of a
general treaty of peace.
Negotiations for such a treaty will shortly be opened at Paris.

In conducting those negotiations, I shall be careful not to
lose sight of the objects for which the war was undertaken :
and I shall deem it right in no degree to relax my naval and
military preparations until a satisfactory treaty of peace shall
have been concluded.

Although the war in which I am engaged was brought on
by events in the south of Europe, my attention has not been
withdrawn from the state of things in the north, and, in con-
junction with the Emperor of the French, I have concluded
with the King of Sweden and Norway a treaty containing de-
fensive engagements applicable to his dominions, and tending
to the preservation of the balance of power in that part of
Europe.
I have also concluded a treaty of friendship, commerce, and
navigation, with the Republic of Chili. I have given direc-
tions that these treaties shall be laid before you.
GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,

The estimates for the ensuing year will be laid before you.
You will find them framed in such a manner as to provide for
the exigencies of war, if peace should unfortunately not be
concluded.

MY LOADS AND GENTLEMEN,
It is gratifying to me to observe that, notwithstanding the
pressure of the war, and the burdens and sacrifices which it
has unavoidably imposed upon my people, the resources of my
empire remain unimpaired. I rely with confidence on the
manly spirit and enlightened patriotism of my loyal subjects
for a continuance of that support which they have so nobly
afforded me, and they may be assured that I shall not call
upon them for exertions beyond what may be required by a
due regard for the great interests, the honour, and the dig-
nity of the empire.
There are many subjects connected with internal improve-
ment which I recommend to your attentive consideration.
The difference which exists in several important particulars
between the commercial laws of Scotland and those of the other
parts of the United Kingdom has occasioned inconvenience to
a large portion of my subjects engaged in trade. Measures
will be proposed to you for remedying this evil.
Measures will also be proposed to you for improving the
laws relating to partnership, by simplifying those laws, and
thus rendering more easy the employment of capital in com-
merce.

The system under which merchant shipping is liable to pay
local dues and passing tolls has been the subject of much com-
plaint. Measures will be proposed to you for affording relief
in regard to those matters.
Other important measures for improving the law in Great
Britain and in Ireland will be proposed to you, which will, I
doubt not, receive your attentive consideration.
Upon these and all other matters upon which you may deli-
berate, I fervently pray that the blessing of Divine Providence
may favour your councils, and guide them to the promotion of
the great object of my unvarying solicitude—the welfare and
the happiness of my people.
At the close of the speech, Her Majesty withdrew from the
House, and ukarued to Buckingham Palace, with the same
ceremonial o vances as had marked her advent. She wore
a magnificent white satin dress, brocaded with gold, and over
it the purple robe of State, with its train borne aloft by pages.
Her head was surmounted by a magnificent:tiara of diamonds.
The halls and corridors leading from the royal entrance to the
House were filled with spectators, who rose to receive her at
her coming, and as she retired.

HOUSE OF LORDS.
THURSDAY. •

Their lordships re-assembled at five o'clock, when there was
a full attendance. The ministerial bench was occupied by the
Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Clarendon, Earl Granville,
Lord Panmure, and the Earl of Harrowby ; Earl Grey, the
Earl of Aberdeen, and the Duke of Newcastle taking up their
usual position on the ministerial side of the House. Among
the other peers present were observed the Earl of Derby,
Lord Lyndhurst, the Earl of Malmesbury, Lord Campbell, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of Oxford, Lord St.
Leonard's, Lord Redesdale, the Earl of Shaftesbury, the Earl
of Hardwicke, the Earl of Eglintoun, Lord Monteagle, the
Earl of Albemarle, the Earl of Cardigan, &c.
Her Majesty's gracious speech having been read by the
Lord Chancellor, and afterwards by the Reading Clerk at the
table,
The Earl of GOSFORD moved the adoption of the address.
Adverting to the advantageous position which England had
achieved through the prowess of her arms, he considered that
the prospects were bright as regarded the future. Matters,
however, had taken a new turn, and their lordships were in-
vited to take into account the probabilities of peace. His own
opinion was, that the conditions accepted by Russia contained
the basis of an honourable and lasting peace ; and his earnest
hope was that ministers, taking into account the objects of
the war, would succeed in bringing about such an arrange-
ment.

The Earl of ABINGDON seconded the address, and expressed
similar sentiments as to the prospects of peace. He was satis •
fled that ministers would never consent to terms of peace ig-
nominious to their country. If anything could convince him

that due regard would be paid to the honour and interests of
England, it would be the fact that the Earl of Clarendon was
entrusted with the conduct of the negotiations. Should the
hope of peace be disappointed, Her Majesty might re'_
assured that every support would be given by Parliament t"
enable her to carry on the war.
The Earl OF DERBY fully agreed with the conclusion of,
Lord Abindgon's speech, and declared for himself and those
who acted with him, that he had no intention of interfering o
any manner to prevent the address being carried up to the
throne. The speech itself, however, he criticised severely
i
They did not, in such documents, expect to find the graces °f
style and language; but, treating the present speech strictb'
as the work of the ministers, he described it as the least satin
factory he had ever heard. It was bald and meagre beyond al
former precedent. It contained no information respecting
the trade and finance of the country ; it did not mention
a.the,
;
empire of India, its state and prospects it said nothin, ()1
their colonial possessions, nothing to indicate that the people
of England were not indifferent to their condition. Ile
strongly denounced the omission of any warm or hearty,
acknowledgment of the courage, endurance, and services 0_
the army—a recognition, he was sure, which would have
been made had Her Majesty been left to express her Inv_ri
sense of gratitude. He pointed out the omission of °I,
reference to Sardinia, an ally, and Turkey, a princiP
in the present war. He still more strongly denounced the
silence with which the gallant , defence of Kars had been
passed over. But Williams, Teesdale, and their brave coal'
panions in arms would hear in their captivity that the sY,„ln'e
pathy of the house and the country was with them. P
contended that the fall of Kars must be the subject of
searching inquiry, that the blame might be fixed on whoever
was responsible for it. He could not believe without positive
evidence, that the blame could be attributed to Lord Strat:
ford de Redcliffe. He hoped all the papers on the subject
would be laid on the table. As to the pending negotiations
for peace, the noble earl said :—I can join with the nale
earl who seconded the address, as entertaining no views °'
objects more extensive than those laid down by the Secretary
for Foreign Affairs, at the commencement of the war. I,.°°
not give way to those exaggerated opinions, and soinew°3t
Utopian projects, which have received, indeed, the sanction
and approval of my noble friend opposite, who thought thil
this war ought to be treated as a war for the relief of oppresseo
nationalities. Ido not agree with my noble friend in giving;
that character to the war ; and, if I remember rightly, t°'
Secretary for Foreign Affairs laid down the objects of the II
to be the securing effectually the integrity and independence°
the Turkish empire, the introduction of that power as a OM'
ponent part of the great European system, and the taking
effectual and ample security for curbing the ambition and re'
pressing the future aggressions of Russia. Those were the
objects which the noble Earl intimated to be the objects of the
war. With these effectively secured, I confess that I shoal°
be satisfied; with less than these effectually obtained, neither
I nor this country will be satisfied. With regard to the detail'
of the arrangements I forbear to say a single word ; nay, more,
I profess to the government that during the course of the 11.,_e•
gotiations which are now about to take place I shall carefraY
abstain, and would impress it upon those over whom I have
the slightest influence, from any comments, or conjectures, or
observations which may unnecessarily embarrass the govern,
ment in the course and conduct of the negotiations. It may
.
be gratifying to the self-love of some in either house of part's'
ment to believe that, in matters of this kind, they are to 7
the daily and constant advisers of the Sovereign and her ro';
nisters. I have not, however, so read the constitutional
history of our country. The prerogative of
.peace and sv,.°
rests with the Sovereign, and with the Sovereign alone. The
prerogative of the Sovereign is exercised by the responsible
minister of the Sovereign; and in the exercise of that pre'
rogative he has the power to bind and tie the nation, inns'
much as he is entrusted, or supposed to be so, with the con°,
dence of the Sovereign and the country. Such is the P°'",
which the constitution assigns to the constitutional minig.e:
of the crown ; and the duty of Parliament, I humbly subnu "
is, not to interfere injuriously and mischievouslyjn the discharge
of that office, but to allow the minister, without impediment'
to pursue the course most consistent with the ends to be
attained ; and when the minister shall NAT performed bl't`
task, it is the duty of the Parliament to signify its approval Ord
disapproval of the course which the minister has taken, at
the measures which he has adopted. Such, I know, is not the
popular doctrine of the day, but such, I believe, is the theory
1 of the constitution, and great would be the evils if, in prgctice,
we departed from it. I can, therefore, assure the governmeot
—though I regret to say that I do not entertain that cot*
dence which the Sovereign and the majority of the country
reposes in it— that, so far as I am concerned, they shall be
vexed by me with no unnecessary or injurious questions, or any
interruption to the course of proceeding, until they shall have
brought the negotiations to the issue of a successful an°
honourable peace, or the prosecution of a just and nee°.
sary war. One of the noble Lords used the phrase
" resumption of hostilities." The language of the ad-
dress is, that "in conducting those negotiations I
shall be careful not to lose sight of the objects f°r
which the war was undertaken ; and I shall deem it right in nu
degree to relax my naval and military preparations until
satisfactory treaty of peace shall have been concluded."
confess that the alteration of a few letters would have mac"
this paragraph more satisfactory to my mind. I should have
liked "operations" instead of "preparations." I trust that
it is not the intention of the Government to grant an
uncertain and undefined suspension of hostilities, and to
waste in negotiations, which may be protracted the earl/
months of that season which is now fast approaching, and for
which we have made such vast preparations. I trust, above:
all, that there is not to be an armistice by sea. I hope tho!
the Government will be exceedingly careful how they consen'
to any armistice whatever. Armistices, of whatever descrir
tion, must be favourable to Russia. An armistice will give
to the enemy in the Crimea a full and indisputed right to
move from point to point—to move his troops where be
pleases, without impediment, without let or hindrance—t°
provision and reinforce Sebastopol by land, and possibly W.
sea also; while we, on the other hand, who have the uncon'
trolled command of the sea, shall derive no benefit from the
suspension of operations on land, being in an enemy's country
and tied down to a particular spot. No armistice, I say; if it
be possible, no armistice. The season, the weather, prevent
any military operations for at least six weeks ; and before that
time elapses I trust that the great question of peace or Or
will be brought to an issue. Are we to have peace, or are we
to have war ? That which I most deprecate, and that which
Russia is most desirous to obtain, is an indefinite prolongation
of, perhaps, fruitless negotiations, whereby she may be able
to renew her strength and recruit her forces, which, if no
totally exhausted, have been considerably crippled by the
operations of the allies. The next paragraph in the speech 15'
I confess, one of a very singular character. Her Majesty WO
been advised to say, that, although the war in which she i‘
engaged was brought on by events in the south of Europe,
her attention has not been withdrawn from the state of things
in the north, and, in conjunction with the Emperor of the
French, she has concluded a treaty with the King of Swedei
and Norway. I shall not say a word against this treaty, as
believe it is one of a highly satisfactory character—certainly
of a satisfactory character to the King of Sweden and Norway'
for it was an engagement entered into with him very
much as if a man were to make a treaty with his neighbour
that he would undertake to guard his house provided be,
would not let the burglar in at the back door. The treaty "
this, that we bound ourselves to prevent Sweden and Norway
from being robbed by sea, while the king of those countri.,ei
binds himself not to give up any land. But, my lords, winle
Her Majesty's mind was engaged in this geographical too!'
and examining our relations with Sweden and Norway,. iC
would have been satisfactory to know what thoughts °couple!!
Her Majesty's mind with regard to the east and west ; andi
strikes me as being very singular that no mention whatever 111
been made of our relations with any other part of the world.
should like to know, my lords, what is going on at Teherso3,
for our affairs there are of such a nature that our minister b°s
withdrawn from that court. I should have thought that this
circumstance, and our relations with the Cabinet at Washing'
ton, were of quite sufficient importance to merit a passing
notice in the speech from the throne ; but Her Majesty's o°'
vernment have thought it fit not to notice our relations in the
east, in Asia, or in the west, in America, and I am unwilling
to deal with them further than this, that, with respect to the
t first, the matter appears to be of so trivial a character, tha
can almost forgive the noble earl for not noticing it at all ; bto
if there is anything really threatening in our relations With
America, there being no country with whom we are bound 121
such close ties of amity—none'to which we are bound by such
close commercial relations—none to which we are bound by
laws and language, and with whom a rupture would be so OW
tually suicidal, as that, I do not think it a subject wholly 101.:
worthy of notice. The noble earl concluded by alluding to toe
recent creation of a peerage for life in the case of Lord Weill.;
leydale, stating that an exercise of the prerogative so unnsuo'
ought not to pass without mention on the first night of the
session. He suggested that the new peer's patent should be
laid on the table before he took the oaths, and that the (Inee'
tion would be discussed without party feeling.
Lord CLARENDON described the proceedings of the Court
of Austria in reference to the present negotiations, and state'
that, though they could not enter into any discussion as t°
the duration of the armistice, he thought it ought to be short.
The Emperor of Russia bad shown moral courage in accepting
the terms of negotiation, and he hoped he would continue tn
do so by maintaining the letter and spirit of the agreement'
Should this be the case, there was a speedy prospect of ..1111),
honourable peace being obtained ; but it must be honoura'
to Russia also, or it would not be lasting. He had been cot
manded by Her Majesty to conduct the negotiations at Par.':
on the part of this country, and be would not undertake the
task for any other purpose than that of bringing them to°
satisfactory conclusion.
The address was agreeed to, and the House adjourned si
five minutes after eight o'clock.

FRIDAY.
Her Majesty's most gracious answer to the Address WO
brought up and read as follows :

" I thank you for your loyal and dutiful address. ,
"I rely with confidence on your cordial co-operation in al,
measures which I may consider necessary to maintain the
honour and dignity of the empire, and to promote the Per
manent interests and welfare of my people."
TUE WENSLEYDALE LIFE PERRAGB.—Lord LYNDnvBel
gave notice that he. would call the attention of the house to
this subject on Thursday next. The precise form of motion
he would place on the votes on Monday.
Their lordships then adjourned at twenty minutes put Ave
o'clock.

HOUSE OF DOMMONS.
THURSDAY.

The House having met at a quarter to four o'clock, the fol'
lowing members took the oaths and their seats—viz., tit
Charles Napier, for Southwark ; the Hon. W. Cowper, T"',.„
Hertford; the Right Hon. R. Lowe for Kidderminster
Right Hon. Edward Bouverie, for Kilmarnock ; Major' Pr
thorp, for Lincoln ; Mr. M'Evoy, for Meath ; Mr. Bond, f_.°'.,
Armagh ; Captain Jolliffe, for the city of Wells ; Mr. Ho"
for Huntingdonshire, and Lord Gifford, for Totnes.
New writs were ordered for Taunton, in the room of ii3e
•
Right Hon. H. Labouchere ; for Leeds, in the room of the Bel,
Hon. Matthew Talbot Baines; for the county of WigtonyL
the room of the Hon. J. Dalrymple, who has accepted
stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds ; for Edinburgh, ta
place of the Right Hon. Thomas Babington Macaulay, of,i
has accepted the stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds;
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in place of John Fenwick Burgori_
Blackett, who has accepted the stewardship of the Chilte:
Hundreds; for Rochester, in the room of the Hon. Fraud
John Robert Villiers,.who has accepted the stewardship of 00
Chiltern Hundreds ; for the University of Cambridge,„
place of the Right Hon. Henry Goulburn, deceased ; for Mt:
hurst, in place of the Right Hon. Horatio Spencer WalPr.
who has accepted the stewardship of the Chiltern Hundrei4
and for Tamworth, in the room of Captain Townshend, no
Marquis Townshend.
; tPt'
GOVERNMENT MEASIIRE.—Mr. HATTER gave notice
Qll au nit day, the Secretary for the Home Department 1.11"