The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-05 00:00:00

OPENING

PARLIAMENT

BY
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN.

(THIS DAY.)

Though there is not the comparative novelty in
the fact that Parliament was to be opened to-clay by the
Queen in person which existed last year, and though Par-

liament itself is not so unknown in its quality as on its

first session, unusual interest, nevertheless, has been felt
in the proceedings of to-day. The contents of the Queen's
speech have been kept so completely secret that from all
parts of the country we hear of a good deal of excitement
as to its nature, and much of this feeling has been ob-
served in the metropolis. The one question was, " What
are they going to do about reform ?" and this was the
constant theme among the thousands who gathered on the

route along which her Majesty was to pas.
Shortly before 10 o'clock, the Queen, accompanied by
their Royal Highnesses Princesses Louise and Beatrice
and Princes Arthur and Leopold, and attended by Lord
Charles Fitzroy, Lord Torrington, Colonel the Hon. D. de
Ras, General Seymour, Lady IVaterpark, &c., left Windsor
Castle for the Great Western Railway Terminus at Wind-
sor. The special train consisted of a magnificent locomo-
tive, called the Lord of the Isles (which was decorated
with the Union Jack and other flags, while the royal arms

_ .
were placed on each side of the engine over the driving
wheels, and the Prince of Wales's feathers in front of the
boiler), two royal saloons, and their composite carriages.
The morning was fine at the time fixed for the Queen's
departure, and a large number of the townspeople congre-
gated at the station. The Queen proceeded from the
Castle by way of High-street in a close carriage, the snit*
following. Her Majesty left Windsor at 10 o'clock,
Captain Bnlkeley, Mr. Greirson, Mr. Tyrrell, &c., accom-
panying the royal train to Paddington, where it arrived at
10.40 cm.

At Paddington the usual preparations had been made
for the Queen's reception. Part of the arrival platform
had been carpeted, and banters erected. Around these a
great many spectators were collected. A guard of honour
consisting of a troop of the 14th Humus was present. Her
Majesty and the royal family on quitting the train were
received by Sir Daniel Gooch, the chairman, and Mr.
F. Saunders, the secretary of the company. Her Majesty
immediately afterwards drove from the station, escorted
by the guard of honour, to Buckingham Palace.
Her Majesty was received most enthusiastically every-
where.

Between the Horse Guards and the Housesof Parliament,
the temporary constructions for the reception of visitors to
witness the procession were on a more extended scale than
last year. In Parliament-street, in almost every instance
the windows and balconies were draped with crimson and

green cloth. During the morning the streets were alive
with sight-seers wending their way in the direction of West-
minster ; and by 10 o'clock numbers had already stationed
themselves in the park, and around the several approaches
to the palace. Precisely as the clock struck 11 the appear-
ance of one of her Majesty's outriders (still wearing the crape
on his arm) with a mounted soldier on either side indicated
the arrival of the royal party from Windsor. Accompanied
by an escort of the 14th Hussars, a private carriage con-
taining the Queen soon entered the palace gate, the gen-
tlemen present raising their hats. No sooner had
the royal party entered the palace than the
rain began to fall, scattering the people in all
directions. Towards 1 o'clock, however, dense crowds
had assembled along the whole line of route, but, with the
aid of a body of mounted police, the best possible order
prevailed. One of the articles offered for sale in the
street was the " Panorama of the Queen's Speech—only a
penny." It was arranged that her Majesty should enter
by the peers' entrance. The number of spectators
in the purges of the building was therefore
necessarily limited. In other respects the day's pageant
was conducted in much the same way as last year.
From shortly after 11 o'clock an uninterrupted line
of carriages, occupied almost exclusively by ladies,
stretched down Parliament-street, and on to Old Palace-
yard to the rear of Westminster Abbey. The ladies were
dressed in evening costume of different and brilliant
colours ; and in the Chamber itself, their dresses, the
scarlet cloaks and barred ermine of the peers, together
with the uniforms of the diplomatic corps, gave to the
spectacle that peculiar variety of shade and light which
always leaves a distinct impression on those who are privi-
leged to witness it.
The Royal Speech was as follows :
MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,
In again recurring to your advice and assistance,
I am happy to inform you that my relations with
Foreign Powers are on a friendly and satisfactory
footing.
I hope that the termination of the war in which
Prussia, Austria, and Italy have been engaged,
may lead to the establishment of a durable peace
in Europe.
I have suggested to the Government of the
United States a mode by which questions pending
between the two countries, arising out of the civil
war, may receive an amicable solution, and which
if met, as I trust it will be, in a corresponding
spirit, will remove all grounds of possible misun-
derstanding, and promote relations of cordial
friendship.
The war between Spain and the republics of
Chili and Peru still continues, the good offices of
my government in conjunction with that of the
Emperor of the French having failed to effect a re-
conciliation. If either by agreement between the
parties themselves, or by the mediation of any
other friendly power, peace shall be restored, the
object which I have had in view will be equally
attained.
Discontent prevailing in some provinces of the
Turkish empire has broken out in actual insur-
rection in Crete. In common with my allies, thi
Emperor of the French and the Emperor of Russia,
I have abstained from any active interference in
these internal disturbances, but our joint efforts
have been directed to bringing about improved
relations between the Porte and his Christian sub-
jects, not inconsistent with the sovereign rights of
the Sultan.
The protracted negotiations which arose out of
the acceptance, by Prince Charles of Hohenzollern,
of the government of the Danubian Principali-
ties have been happily terminated by an arrange-
ment to which the Porte has given its ready ad-
hesion, and which has been sanctioned by the con-
currence of all the powers, signatories of the
treaty of 18116.
Resolutions in favour of a more intimate union
of the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New
Brunswick, have been passed by their several legis-
latures, and delegates duly authorised, and repre-
senting all classes of colonial party and opinion,
have concurred in the conditions upon which such
as. union may be best effected. In accordance
with their wishes a bill will be submitted to you
which, by the consolidation of colonial interests
and resources, will give strength to the several
provinces as members of the same empire, and ani-
mated by feelings of loyalty to the same sovereign.
have heard with deep sorrow that the calamity
of famine has pressed heavily on my subjects in
some parts of India. Instructions were issued to
my Government in that country to nuike the
utmost exertions to mitigate the distress which
prevailed during the autumn of last year. The
blessing of an abundant harvest has since that
time materially improved the condition of the
suffering districts.
The persevering efforts and unscrupulous asser-
tions of treasonable conspirators abroad have,
during the last autumn, excited the hopes of some
disstreeted persons in Ireland, and the apprehen-
sions of the loyal population ; but the firm, yet tem-