The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-01-08 00:00:00

OPENING OF PARLIA.MENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-THURSDAY.

The eecond session of the tenth Parliament o
her Majesty's reign was opened by Royal Com-
mission. The doors of the Upper House were
thrown open at half-past one o'cleck, and the
benches on the Opposition side were filled with
ladies. though well-known peeresses were absent
both from the floor of the House and in the side
galleries. The Royal Commission comprised the
Lord Chancellor, Earl Sydney, Earl Spencer, the
Earl of Cork and Orrery, and Lord Morison, and
their Lordships took their seats in front of the
Throne, which, as usual, was uncovered. Lords
Sudeley, Templetown. Cottesloo, Napier, and
Ettriek were amongst the first Peers to arrive,
and the Bench of Bishops was represented by the
Bishop of London.
The Lord Chancellor directed the gentleman
Usher of the Black Lod to desire titc attendance
of the Commons to their Lordships' House, and, in
obedienco to the summons. the Speaker and a
large number of members of the Lowor House ap-
peared at the bar.
The Lord Chancellor then read :

THE QUEEN'S SPEECH.

MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN.

I have e,died you at a period earlier than usual
t.) the re.umption of your labours, as some sffaiis
of more than common urgency demand your at-
tention.

My relations with Foreign Powers continue to be
friendly and harmonious.
The main question relating to the frontier
between Turkey and MonteLegro has bLen settled.
The Powers a.te now engaged in communications
which have in view the determination of the Iron-
ter between Turkey and Greece.
Some important portions of the Treaty of Berlin,
which have so long remained without fulfilment
continue to rorm an object of my anxious atten-
tion, _

ising in the Transvaal has- rec:-ntly imposed
loon me tl!e duty of .takiilg military measures
h a view to the prompt vindieution of my ,tu-
tdoritv, and has of necesity- set aside for the time
plan of securing to the European settlers th 4
ull coutroi over their own local affairs, without
or,judive to the interests of the natives, which I
n:d been • esirous to confer.

I regret that the war in Basut,land still con-
tinues, notwiths•anding the efforts of to Cape
Government. It would cans.) me much satisfaction
if a suitalile occasion should present itself for
fri.:adly action on my part with a view to the re-iteration of peace.
The war in Afghanistan has been braight to a
close, and, with the exception of the Can atm
force, my troops have been recalled within the In-
dian fronlier. It is not my ittention th,t the °e-
-1 cupation of Candahar shall be permanently main-
med but the still unsettled condition of the
,untry, and the con,egaent difficulty of establish-
ii a Native Government, have delayed for a time
the withdrawal of the army cn !hat po-itiou
Pap r- on the several ,a.i.p..cts to which I have
a lvert d, aq wed s further C-rrespondence on the
Militr:ty Estimates of India, will be presented to
yon•
GENTLEMEN CF THE HOTIkE OF COMMON:3.

The Estimates IFor the services of the coming
year are in a forward state of preparation, and will
will be speedily laid before you.
MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN.
There It is been a gradual, though not very rpi j,
improvement in the trade of the con try:: and I am
now able to entettain a more favourable exieetation
of the lievenue for the y: ar than I could form at its
commencement
The anticif,ati,in. with which I last addressed you
of s great d.ii,:inution of' the distress in Irc'aild,
an ,buuda.ut harvest, was.renlistA ; but I
grieve to rta e that the social condition of the
country has assumed an alarming eha:acter.
Agrarian crimes in general have multiplied for be-
yond the experience of recent years„A.ttempts upon
ife lave n,.t grown in the same proportion as other
o e.iLe3 ; oat 1, must add that •fforts have been
wade for per3onal protection far beyond all forniz9

pi-er‘edent, by the police, under the direction of the
Exf:cutive. I have to notice other evils yet more
widely spread ; the adminstration of justice has
been frustra,•ed with respect to these offences,
through the hn possibilty of procuring eviden-e • and
an extended syteenk of terror has thus been e.,tao •
lished in various parts of the country which has
paralysed alm at alike the exercise of private rights
and the performance of civil dutie=,
In a state of things new in some important re-
spects, and hence with little of available guidance
from former precedent, I have deemed it right
steadily to put in use the ordinary powerelof the law
before making any new demand. But a don.-m-
-stration of their insufficiency, amply supplied by the
present circumstances of tie 'country, leads me now
to apprise you that proposals will be immediat&y
submitted to you ioe. entrustinv me with additional
powers, neccessa,ry in my judgment not only for the
vindication of order and public law, but likewise to
secure, on behalf of my subjects, protection for life
and property, and personal liberty of action.
Subject to the primary and imperious obligations
to which I have just referred, I continue to desire
not less than heretofore to prosecute the removal of
grievance and the, work of legislative improvement
in Ireland as well as in Great Britain.

The Irish Land Act of 1870 has been productive
of great benefits, and has much contributed to the
security and comparative well-being of the occu-
piers of the soil, without diminishing the value or
disturbing the foundations of propeity. In some
respects, however, and more particularly under the
strain of recent and calawitious years, the protec-
tion which it supplied has not been found sufficient,
either in Ulster or th other provinces
I recommend you to undertake tbe further de-
velopment of its principles in a manner comfortable
to the sptoial wants of Ireland, both as regards the
relation of landlord and tenant, and with a view to
effective efforts for giving to a larger portion of the
people by purchase a permanent propriety interest
in the soil. This legislation will require the removal
Lr the purposes in view, of all obstacles arising out
of limitations on the ownership of property with a
due provision for the security of the interests in-
volved.

A measure will be submitted to you for the estab-
lishment of couity government in Ireland, founded
upon representative principles, and framed with the
double aim of confirming popular contr 1 over ex-
penditure, and of supplying a yet more .z.,iioue want
by extending the formation of habil s of local self-:
government. _ _

- Bills will be laid before you for the Abolition of
Corporal Punishment in the Army and in to Navy.
• You will be asked to consider measurens for the
furtier reform of bankruptcy ; for the conservancy
of rivers and the prevention of floods ; for revising
the constitution of endowed schools and hoFpitals in
Scotland ; for the renewal of the Act which estab-
lished secret voting, and for repressinc, the corrupt
practices of which, in a limited number of towns,
there were lamentable.examples at the late Gen:-ral
Elect ion.

I trust that your labours, which will be even more
than usually arduous, may be so guided by Divine
Providence as to promote the happiness of my
people
The sitting was suspended at twenty minutes past
two o'clock.