The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-08-08 00:00:00

THE LAST SCENE IN THE DYING
HOUSE.

The following sketch of the prorogation of Parlia-
ment is from the pen of the London Correspondent ot
the Lirerpool Albion :
There waa a very fair stir in the Commons on Friday,
at half-past one, when the Speaker took the choir. One
Petition was presented to the dying House, and Mr. 11. B.
nheridan hail the courage to give a notice if motion for" next
session." The hon. member cruised a visible grin when he
put in the condition" should I have the honour of a seat in
the next Parliament." Mr. Alderman Lawrence put
three questions, lint only got on answer tin one, the First
Commissioner of Works not being peeked at the moment to
answer two of them which were addressed to him. When
"the Commons," headed by the Speaker, readied "the Lords"
they found the Royal COIIIMISI3IOIIOI, perched on a long stool
at the foot id the throne, and looking for all the world like
Brobdingnag specimens of " industrious canaries "as these
birds are dressed for exhibition in the showinnit's hand-
barrow. Their lordships, like the canaries, were all cocked-
hatted, and red-cloaked, no feature being oistinctly viailde
but the nose. As regards heat-deem, the Lord-Chancellor
was a ridiculous exception. looking somewiat more absurd
than his four cwmpanions by reason in his three-cortiered
hat and full-buttoned wig. Five smell tiuys never were
carted about London MI the fith 111 NOVeniller. Ihe
110.iSe " COnSiSted Of turee Ministers on the Treasury bench
and time independent supporters of the Government There
was not a simile noble lord on the oppiedtion side; the
sole occupants of the henci•es to the left of the throne being
a tails rend a little girl. One peeress sat all alone in her
glory in the extensive gallery set apart for that high order
of the feminine portion of our aristocracy. About a dozen
gentlemen were seated in the little balconies to which
members of the House of Commona have a right of entry;
but there were more than a score of them around the
Speaker at the bar, the Hebrew physiognomy of Mr. Dix-
nieli 'wing prominent among the faces in that quarter. As
usual, a lot or bilis had to get the Royal assent, which, on
a wink from the Lords Emninissioners, was pronounced in
the •Id Norman French by Sir John Shaw Lefevre, the
Clerk of the Parliaments, with that awful gravity which, in
tone and gesture, lie in 11110111. to BSSIIIIIIO 011 .111111 11C1,011112111.
This dreadbilly melancholy pnicem having been gene
through, the Lord-chatwellor, in his clear I Inter accent,
firoceeded tn read the Queen's Speech. After a 4;o.Bliter:dile
amount of softeawiler, there came the announcement that
it was her Majesty's i, tention to dissolve the Com +oils
House of Parliament as soon as ever arrangements could Ire
made for elec, mg its successor. A suppressed. but neverthe-
less audible, sigh ascended from the liar as this intelligence
came front under the three-coniereil hat. It was 'tabling
that hon. gentleman had not known before ; bur the ,igh
was only natural. Even if one is aware that he has an in-
curable malady, he does not like to be reminded that his
death is looked fir as desirable result, and that everything
that his friends can 110 will he done to bring It al.init earlier
than it could occur if time and nature were left unassisted.
When the speech came to an end, the speaker, closely followed
by Mr Disraeli and a bevy of the meinbersof the Government
who hove seats in the UOlOlllllllB, return. il to their own House,
where that ceremony was performed which irrestably putathe
spectator in mind of the readiog ot a will after a funeral.
The members. as usual on prorogation otcasions, gathered
together at either side dose to the table ; not the Speaker,
in bigoted.ns otterings, announced that he had neeived a
copy of the Royal Speech which had just been read 1,, the
other use 10111 shich, na in duty hound, he would read
for his Ilouse Then Die speech WWI read all over again ;
and then nil the members present walked out between
the Treasury bench and tlw table, shic.ing hands with
the Speaker, who stood MI the lowest atep of the chair,
as they pint and congratulated him on the temporary
close of Ida 1111,10‘11.0. I say " temporary," became it In woke-
stood that Mr. Denison will be a candid de on the firtt
iy of the first session eif the next Parliament for the
high office he HOW hOidil, but his occupancy of which will
expire with this Parliament. It is further believed that
though he is a very indifferent speaker indeed there will
be no opposition to his re-electi n. The fact is, there is
no one tilted to fill It who would have any chance of
election.

A Herefordshire correspondent gives a sad account of
the remits of the hot weather —"We: have had no min in our
district for nearly four weeks; the gram lands are scorched up,
stockid every kind is decreasingin value, and the consequences
are really serious. Where early sown root crops escaped the fly
the rinds are now seized by the maggot; the hop yanls,
which a few weeks since lmikeil vo promiaing, are fin4ging
awl going buck; sheep are 'differing terribly treat the
maggot-lly. The harvest is nearly stile. and this Is the only
coodert we have. The salmon and trout streams are drying
op in every direction, nod hundreds and thousands of fish
said to have perished. The Wye never was no low in the
memory of man.