The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-04 00:00:00

OPENING

or
PARLIAMENT.

(THIS DAY:)

l'cir some years past, whenever her Majesty has
111 pleeTdPcaorrilgiazieanit, in person, the atmosphere has been
vet,
t and it has therefore become a pro
al "Ying that she hardly ever appears in public
ithout the occasion being favoured with bright,
d sunshiny weather. Never before, however,
hit 3 she opened Parliament on so brilliant a day as the
Pr
"pt- It seems more like the middle of May than
e commencement of " February fillditch," as the
mth was formerly described, and at the time these
" ea are penned the air is soft and mild, while the sun
al s 1 nes forth from his meridian height in glorious
" No wonder, then, that the Park, and, in-
, •
r , the wool© line of route from Buckingham
slue© to the House of Lords have been, or
es Aber are at this moment, thronged with a joyous-
lag multitude, decked out in holiday attire, and
;goer to greet the beloved Sovereign of these mighty
11 alms with a universal cheer of welcome. Long ere the
}ur arrived for her Majesty leaving the Palace floods
'4 people rushed from all quarters of this great
;')dtr°P6llB towards the scene of the pageant,
every available spot from which a
18 l . glimpse of the state carriage could be ob.-
( ae,d was pounced upon at once and retained with ex-
'lharY patience till the procession had not only passed,
t repassed too. Not a few either had devoted the
LI rl4 Y Part of the morning to visiting the wonderful
1,, ?ding for the great Exhibition, and Oxford-street,
-cadilly and Regent-street, presented throughout the
as crowded and bustling an aspect As the
roughfares leading directly to Westminster.
ttirallY enough vast numbers of persons were
ountered whose costume and language at once bespoke
‘" to be foreigners,
k
I.! • and whose lively clatter and re-
,,, "lag vivacity added vastly to the interest of the
at' "e 1 while the display of colours which made up the
4,4 re of the fair sex, who never fail to muster in
im-
ej Ise force on these state exhibitions, gave a pleasing
,tttr tY to the thickly-packed multitude. Every window
tic: balcony down Parliament-street was tenanted,
Was there any want of temporary platforms,
Pe
Bch were also speedily bought up, but the police
ta ptorily forbade their erection in the park, which
V kept in excellent order, an I everybody appearing
roue to accommodate his neighbour, the procession,
ill moved slowly but majestically along, was seen from
sot Points with ease and advantage. Some time, how-
-441 Parli before it reached the Horse-Guards, Charing-cross
„ Parliament-street were in a state of indescribable
t
th, owing to the great quantity of vehicles, from
tt,.o emblazoned equipage of the patrician to the donkey-
db bf the coitermonger,that would persist in going in the
1; etion of the New Houses of Parliament, and the con-
),„4 14ence was that carriages, cabs, gigs, dust-carts, and
iA.ewers' drays, got jammed up together, to the great
tirY of coach-pannels, the alarm of perfumed and
114.wdered footmen, and the annoyance of the police,e
1:,„11.?" inventive faculties and industry were called into
i—ta,titviecoprltseysetowagsetexthpe road clear by the period that the
ected. Time and patience, however,
etrrieeityier fails in these disasters, rd. by dint of a good
h; of shouting, backing, kicking, and swearing,
ch appeared vastly to amaze our continental
isitors, the street was got into something like order at
'east half an hour before her Majesty's escort began to
emerge from the gateway at the Horse Guards. The
t
.I.°ceasion began to move from Buckingham Palace
t4hb(r)tit "lf•Past one o'clock, and passed uninterruptedly
-iough St. James's-park, Whitehall, Parliament-street,
‘,l
Lace yard to the royal entrance to the old House
Lords, where her Majesty was received by the
great Officers of State amidst a flourish of trumpets
t'ad a Salute of ordnance, and conducted to the robing
imber, Her Majesty was accompanied by his Royal
°l4aaa Prince Albert, the Duchess of Sutherland
the
eistress of the Robes), her two Maids of Honour, and
great Officers of her Household. She looked ex-
ttremely well, and was greeted on all sides with oedema-
: 0:8: ifraftia.lecioelk.
oys,:ayrlakhannbo d,owthledhgeerd.Majesty and the Prince
I,Vireestminst er-bridge
uniyond that even a iindtoeedth,
efrvomiettohreiaveTryower, cornerayoef,
the crowd was overwhelmingly tre-
„el:ldeas, and as her Majesty descended from the car-
.4fre • .
5 their enthusiasm knew no bounds. They
t 9 give vent to it through a con-
.atinous
thundering cheer, which was immediately
snatched up, and re-echoed along the line of procession
4_,s far as Richmond-terrace, while the windows of the
different mansions in Palace-yard itself and the leads
of the temporary buildings surrounding the New House
ekf Commons displayed a forest of snow white hand-
kerchiefs
which fluttered in the breeze, and told at once
the feeling of delight that animated those who waved
eta- Indeed her Majesty's reception was most
cordial and enthusiastic throughout the entire
oute. The cheering never ceased from one end I
tO the other. Cries of "No Popery !" " Down with
the Pope and Cardinal!" were mixed with the acclanaa-
liens of the crowd on all points of the line, and this
anti-Papal expression of feeling was not partial, but
universal and unanimous. The royal state carriage
Was preceded by six of the royal carriages, containing
the usual officers of state. As we before observed, her
Ilajesty looked extremely well, and seemed much pleased
with the cordial reception which met her.
After the proceedings in the House and the reading
of the Royal Speech, which occupied some quarter of an
hour, her Majesty left the House and re-entered the
royal carriage. The cortege then reformed, and re-
turned to Buckingham Palace in the same order in which
;
't had atrived. The same manifestations of loyalty and
eetbusiasm marked her return. We may say that the
ehlY drawback to the thorough enjoyment of the day
W 8.5 the dirty state of the streets, which in some places
were ancle deep-in filth.

HOUSE OF LORDS.
The much-looked-to session of 1851 was opened to-
", by her Majesty in person. The doors of the House
" -Lords were opened at twelve o'clock for the admis-
:l°ll of those who had been fortunate enough
itObtain the passport of the Lord Great Chamberlain.
rtlY after that hour the Peeresses and ladies of dis-
-Letiela continued to arrive in rapid succession, and
t-„,e,,hedy and galleries of the House in a short time pre-
ale an an array of beauty, and a diversity and
.tegeaa,,_
s ' of dress, which could only be outvied
-t
her Majesty's Drawing-rooms. We were happy
bt° Bee the inconvenient and annoying feather
—Bad-dress almost wholly abandoned, the ladies appa-
tently being determined to act upon the old adage, that
beauty when unadorned is adorned the most."
'44l(3rig the earliest arrivals of the Foreign Arabes-
Liora vvas Mr. Lawrence, the American Minister, and
the Peers, Lord Camoys and Lord Poitimore.Tte
44td Chief Baron of the Exchequer, dressed in his red
rObes, and decorated with his collar of golden SS, ar-
rived shortly before one o'clock.
The Bishops of rod Worcester were among
the earliest arrivals of the bishops.
o,eftThe Duke of Wellington arrived shortly after one
i
444 Rio Gros appeared in excellent health, and

i entered into a sprightly conversation with the Peers and
Peeresses around him.
Among the peers present we noticed the Duke of
Wellington, the Earl of Bandon, the Duke of Argyle,
Lord Campbell, Lord Camoys, Lord Monteagle, Lord
Vane of Harrowden, Lord Cranworth, the Earl of
Devon, the E3rl of Cawdor, the Marquis of Clanricarde,
Earl Grey, the Duke of Devonshire, Earl Talbot, the
Earl of Roden, Viscount Strangferd, the Earl of Car-
lisle, and the Earl of Denbigh.
Among the Archbishops and Bishops we noticed the
Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of
Winchester, Hereford, St. David's, and Rochester.
Among the Judges were the Lord Chief Baron, Mr.
Justice Parke, Mr. Justice Patteson, Mr. Justice
Wightman, Mr. Justice Erle, Mr. Baron Martin, and
the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

That portion of the House which is apportioned to
the Foreign Ministers was crowded, the repesentatives
of almost all the states of Europe being present.

Shortly after two o'clock the booming of cannon was
heard outside the walls of the House, and the babel of
tongues, which for the last hour had been resounding
within it, ceased, and all eyes were turned towards the
throne. Shortly before this the Lord Chancellor en-
tered the House and took his seat on the Woolsack.

The Duke of Wellington wore a field-marshal's uni-
form, over which were his ducal robes.
The attendance of Peers was far more numerous than
usual, and the greatest merriment and laughter was oc-
casioned in consequenee of the rush among those Pears
who could not find seats to obtain, them whon additional
benches were brought in.

Her Majesty entered the House at twenty minutes
past two o'clock, accompanied by the Prince Consort,
her Officers of State, heralds, &c., and immediately took
her seat upon the throne. Her Majesty looked in excel-
lent health and spirits, and chatted familiarly to those
around her. Her Majesty was attended by the Duchess
of Sutherland and Lady Jocelyn. The Marquis of
Lansdowne bore the crown, the Duke of Wellington the
sword of state, and the Marquis of Winchester the cap
of maintenance.

The Prince-Consort wore a field-marshal's uniform,
with the order of the garter. His Royal Highness also
wore crape on his left arm as mourning for the Queen of the
Belgians. On her Majesty taking her seat on the
throne, the House presented a spectacle of such beauty
as almost to dazzle the beholders, and make them hesi-
tate whether it was a reality or some work of fairy-land.
The whole House rose and remained standing until her
Majesty requested that their Lordships would be seated.
Immediately upon her Majesty taking her
seat on the throne, she commanded Mr. Pulman,
the Deputy Usher of the Black Rod, to summon the Com-
mons to the House of Lords, and after an interval of a
few minutes, the Speaker, dressed in his robes of state,
and attended by a vast number of Members, appeared
at the bar, when her Majesty read in a clear and
distinct voice her speech opening the Parliament, (for
which see another part of our impression).
Her Majesty, who was dressed in a superb white satin
and gold dress, which was profusely decorated with
brilliants, then left the throne, and returned in the or-
der in which she entered.
The House then adjourned to Five o'clock.