The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-06 00:00:00

THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

The most important ceremonies of a peaceful and
wall-governed county are apt, the Times observes, to be-
come dull by repetition, but it is far otherwise to-day.
About 200 members of the Home et Commons are new to
their work ; the work itself is new ; the Queen is new,
from her great gild and her long seclusion, and there is
aovelty even in the Ampler taste which to-day, and
probably henoeforth, Wee the royal procession.
Here is a novelty, most welcome to all beholders,
in the royal pair who will sit next to the these, suggesting
alternate memories and forecasting& The Home of Corn.
mons hes to give its confidence to a new meatier, and accept
for itself • new leader. The unusual crowd of novices has
been carefully scrutinised, and the result is said to show
that the new parliament is characterised by greet indepen.
deuce of feeling, great wealth, and en minuet desire to do its
duty. The fact that the reformed legislature, maintained
by frequent appeels to the people, has risen ia chamber in the
course of the 34 years gape 1832, supplies an argument that
we ought to have another reform because the first has suc-
ceeded, and because the experience of • whole generation
establishes the absolute safety sad eventual wisdom of
fresh and fresh extensions of the constituency and amis•
sioes of the popular element. With the mighty task
that looms before us, and that impends like a prophetic
doom over the House of Commons, we cannot but trem-
ble for the ordinary work to be done, and whisk is
said to exceed that of any former parliament. Will it be
pcssible to satisfy that portion of the public which has bills
to pass, °clears to be amended, while another portion wishes
to recommence legislation on some entirely new basis, and
with • total change of deliberative agency! However,
there are matters that cannot be pat a. There is a good
deal to be done at once, and in a few weeks we may begin
in understand better than we can now the position in err ioh
we are left by the conflict of political pledges and altual
amenities.

The Poet sees in the Speaker at the House of Commons a
dignitary whose firmness, temper, amistracy of judgment,
and discretion will MOM for him the respect and the
support of the assembly which he guides, though
some might possibly wish he was a shade firmer.
A lugs number of those who compose the new
house are unused to parliamentary usages, and we as
only hope that their modesty will induce them to refrain
front any active part until such time as they shall have
made themselves familiar with the tone and manners of
the assembly into which they bays entered. Towards
these gentlemen the. attitude .of the Speaker can-
not be too firm, if be detects any tendency to overstep
the reasonable limits of liberty of debate. A yet

poster inflosami is mareised over the posealesedast of the
members by the leader of the home. Oa two er three re-
markable eociadons. when Maass had memeitaled the
Assam of Lord Palosentoo, the greatest reprematative
assembly in the world vomited a sane worthy et a bear
garden. The demised statesman poneseed extraerdi-
nary toot, sod it is warmly disparagiag to Mr.
Gladdens to say that he as. mover hope to
rival Lord Palmerston is as act which the latter
made entirely his own ; bat Mr. Olaristosis ie not se
egotistic es to be blind to his own defects, and will probably
display la hie new °ipso* a prodeace sod discretion
which, ft must be confessed, he did not oft= manifest wises
holding the position of lientemat to his late illustrious
chief. As regards the house itself, ft is composted ors the
whole of what, to know a slang ezpreseirm may be termed
s redden of atm, isootainiag several members who see oon-
siderehly above the average standard of intellectual capacity.
Ws do not know, however, that the corresponding gain to
the public is proportionately great. There is a consider-
able different* for example, between snob men as Mr.
John Stuart Mill end Mr. Ooz, Out we are by no means
sure that the nadisceraing common sense of Um one would
not prove in the House of Commons almost, if not entirely,
as serviceable as the logical and highly-trained Mod of
the other. Mr. Cox, though so ezirense reformer, would
never have thought of giving the franchise to his wile or
housemaid, and, without exactly being able to tell why,
would have lees there was something impractical in the
fanciful theories by which Mr. Hare sad his followers seek
to moue the representatioa of minorities.
It I remarked by the Star that the ceremony to be per-
formed ie Westminster Palma to-day awairmes a perms/
sad a profound interest is emery heart which is British
or soknowleges British sympathies. The opening of a
semi= of parliament has perhaps never before—not
eves when our Queen, then a young girl, ap-
peared for the first time to address her Lords
mad o=moms—brought with it so strong an appeal
to the feeling of the nation. To-day, for the Met time
afterra seclusion of more than four years, her Majesty ad-
dresses her people from the throne—to-day for the first
time since her youth she goes through the ceremonial un-
supported by the loved presence which so lone brightened
and strengthened her life. She has Pl.ll her head from
the prostration of grief, but the sorrow still abides
in her heart, and it needs all the love that family
can give, all the sympathy a peop'e as demonstrate, to
cheer her through me ordeal which mutt reopen to same
extent the old and deep wound. The " sorrow's crown of
sorrow," the " remembering happier th'ege," is a diadem
oar Queen must wear to-day. Borne, as it will be, meekly
and nobly, it adorns mere graciously than the material
crown of regal ceremonial. It solemnises and sanctifies the
occasion, and will make it cam of abiding presence in the
memory of the cation. •