The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-10 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S SPEECH.

O

Parliament was prorogued this day by Commis-
sion. The Lord Chancellor read her Majesty's
Speech as follows :
My Lords and Gentlemen,

We are commanded by her Majesty, in releasing you
from the labours of a protracted session, to convey to you
het Majesty's acknowledgments for the zeal and assiduity
with which you have applied yourselves to your Parlia-
mentary duties.
Her Majesty has much satisfaction in informing you that
her relations with all foreign Powers are on the most
friendly footing.
Her Majesty has watched with anxious interest the pro-
gress of the war which has recently convulsed a great por-
tion of the Continent of Europe. Her Majesty cannot
have been an indifferent spectator of events which have
seriously affected the positions of sovereigns and priaces
with whom her Majesty is connected by the closest ties of
relationship and friendship; but her Majesty has not
deemed it expedient to take part in a contest in which
neither the honour of the Crown nor the interest of her
people demanded any active intervention on her part. Her
Majesty can only express an earnest hope that the nego-
tiations now in progress between the belligerent Powers
may lead to such an arrangement as may lay the founda-
tion of a secure and lasting peace.
A wide-spread treasonable conspiracy, having for its ob-
jects the subversion of her Majesty's authority in Ireland,
the confiscation of property, and the establishment of a
Republic, having its seat in Ireland, but deriving its prin-
cipal support from naturalised citizens of a foreign and
friendly State, compelled her Majesty at the commence-
ment of the present session to assent to a measure, recom-
mended by her representative in Ireland, for the tempo-
rarysuspension in that part of her Majesty's dominions of

the Habeas Corpus Act. That measUre, firmly but tem-
perately acted on by the Irish Executive, had the effect of
repressing any outward manifestations of treasonable in-
tentions, and of causing the withdrawal from Ireland of
the greater portion of those foreign agents by whom the
conspiracy was mainly fostered.
The leaders, however, of this movement were not de-
teired from prosecuting their criminal designs beyond the
limits of her Majesty's dominions. They even attempted

from the territories of the United States of America an in-
road upon the peaceful subjects of her Majesty in her North
American Provinces. That attempted inroad, however,
only served to manifest in the strongest manner the loyalty
and devotion of her Majesty's subjects in those Provinces,
who, without exception of creed or origin, united in de-
fence of their Sovereign and their country-. It served also
to show the good faith and scrupulous attention to inter-
national rights displayed by the Government of the
United States, whose active interference, by checking
any attempted invasion of a friendly State, mainly con-
tributed to protect her Majesty's dominions against the
evils of a predatory inroad.
Her Majesty would have been rejoiced at the close of
the present session to be enabled to put an end to the
exceptional legislation which she was compelled to sanc-
tion at its commencement ; but the protection which her
Majesty owes to her loyal subjects lewies her no alterna-
tive but that of assenting to the advice of her Parliament
to continue till their next meeting the provisions of the
existing law. Her Majesty anxiously looks forward to the
time when she may be enabled to revert to the ordinary
provisions of the law.
GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,
Her Majesty commands us to thank you for the liberal
provision which you have made for the public service,
and for the naval and military defences of the country.
MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,
Her Majesty has seen with great concern the monetary
pressure which, for a period of unprecedented duration
has weighed upon the interests of the country. The con-

sequent embarrassment appeared at one moment to be
aggravated by so general a feeling of distrust and of alarm
that her Majesty, in order to restore confidence, authorised
her Ministers to recommend to the Directors of the Bank
of England a course of proceeding suited to the emer-

gency.
This, though justifiable under the circumstances, might
have led to an infringement of the law, but Her Majesty
has the satisfaction of being able to inform you that no
such infringement has taken place, and that, although the
monetary pressure is not yet sensibly mitigated, alarm is
subsiding, and the state of trade being sound, and the
con dition of the people generally prosperous, Her Majesty
enter rains a sanguine hope that confidence will soon be
restored. .

______
Her Majesty has observed with satisfaction, and with
deep gratitude to Almighty God that he has so far favoured
the measures which have been adopted for staying the
fearful pestilence which has visited our herds and flocks,
that its destructive effects havo been in a great measure
chocked, and that there is reason to hope for its entire ex-
tinction at no distant period. In the meantime her Ma-

jesty has given her willing assent to a measure which has
been introduced for the relief of those districts which have
suffered the most severely from its visitation.
Her Majesty regrets that this country has at length been
subjected to the fearful visitation of cholera which has
prevailed in other European countries, but from which it
has hitherto been happily exempt. Her Majesty has directed
that a form of prayer to Almighty God, suitable to the
present exigency, should be offered up in all the churches
of this realm ; and her Majesty has given her cordial ap-
proval to legislative measures sanctioning the adoption, by

local authorities, of such steps as science and experience
have shown to be most effectual for the check of this fear-
ful malady.

Her Majesty hopes that those in whose hands so large
and beneficial an authority is left will not be slow to exe-
cute the powers entrusted to them, and that they will be
seconded in their endeavours by all who have at heart the
safety and well-being of her people. In connection with
this subject her Majesty hopes that a bill, to which she has
given ber ready assent, for improving the navigation of the
River Thames, may incidentally be conducive to the public

health.
Her Majesty has great satisfaction in congratulat-
ing the country, and the world at large on the suc-
cessful accomplishment of the great design of connect-
ing Europe and America by the means of an electric tele-
graph. It is hardly possible to anticipate the full extent
of the benefits which may be conferred on the human race
by this. signal triumph of scientific enterprise, and her Ma-
jesty has pleasure in expressing her deep sense of what is
duo to the private energy which, in. spite of repeated
failure and discouragement, has at length, for the
second time, succeeded in establishing direct com-
munication between the two Continents. Her Ma-
jesty trusts that no impediment may occur to inter-
rupt the success of this great undertaking, calculated, as it
undoubtedly is, to cement yet closer the ties which bind
her Majesty's North American colonies to their mother
country, and to promote the unrestricted intercourse and
friendly feeling which it is most desirable should subsist
between her Majesty's dominions and the great Republic
of the United States.
Her Majesty is aware that, in returning to your respec-
tive homes, many of you have duties to perform hardly
less important than those which belong to you in your
legislative capacity. Hor Majesty places full reliance on
the loyalty and devotion with which you will discharge
those duties ; and her Majesty earnestly prays that your
influence and efforts may, under the blessing of Divine
Providence, tend to the general welfare, prosperity, and
contentment of her people.

THE BELGR kVlA.—Miss Braddon's new Maga-
zine will, I am informed on the best possible autho-
rity, make its appearance under the most favourable
auspices in October. It will be illustrated in a superior
style, and will aim to be of the highest character as re-
gards the matter ani the manner of its articles. It will bo
written in good English, and in its pages papers of sterling
merit will only appear. Amongst the writers already en-
gaged on it I may mention the author of " It is Never too
Late to Mend ;" Mr. Winwood Reade, who is preparing an
article on African discovery, a subject of groat interest at
this time, and on which he is well qualiSed to write; Walter
Thornbury, Percy Fitzgerald, R. W. Buchanan, the
poet, Mortimer Collins, probably Anthony Trollope, or
Whyte Melville ; and last, but not least, must be mentioned
the name of George Augusta Sala, who will resume
those admirable articles on the Streets of the
World, which were such an attractive feature
in Temple Bar. The tale which will, to the
majority, however, form the main attraction of the new
literary venture, will be called "Birds of Prey," and was
announced, as perhaps some of your readers may remember,
RS about to make it appearance in the January number of
Temple Bar. Miss Braddon, however, has thought better
of it, and has reserved it, as she had a perfect right to do,
for what will be particularly her own magazine. I have
already told you that the title of this now candidate for
public favour will be Belgravia ; and if it only sells as Miss
Braddon's tales sell, it must be an immense success. The
gifted authoress, for su,:h undoubtedly she is, is certainly
one of the most remarkable women of the day, affecting
none of the eccentricities of genius. George Sala is so
near-sighted that when engaged in writing he places the
paper on a chair, and kneels down as if about to perform an
act of devotion. Miss Braddon, when similarly engaged,
seats herself on a low chair, puts a quire of paper on a
music-book, holds her ink-bottle in her left hand, and
writes away by the hour, and writes not in vain, as pub-
lishers and readers know well.—lpswich Express.

EXCHANGE OF AUSTRIAN AND ITALIAN PRISONERS.
—Negotiations are being carried on between the Austrian
and Italian camps for an exchange of prisoners. The
number on either side is calculated to be about equal,