The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-07 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

The official announcement that her Most Gracious
Majesty would yesterday open the hineteenthParlia-
ment of the United Kingdom, and the seventh of
her reign in person, drew forth an immense at-
tendance of her loyal and loving subjects,
who flocked from all quarters of the me-
tropolis to obtain a glimpse of her Majesty
as she proceeded from Buckingham Palace
to the Parliamentary Palace at Westminster.
The centre mall in St. James's Park was lined on
either side by spectators three or four deep, and the
steps of the York Column presented a very novel
appearance, as they were entirely occupied by
sight-seers. _ _

In Whitehall and Parliament-street the spec-
tators were not confined to the streets—large gal-
leries in many places erected in front cf the
various balconies were filled principally by ladies.

A few minutes before one a squadron of the
Life Guards took possession of the line of route,
and from that hour until a short time previous to
the royal carriages leaving Buckingham Palace, the
chariots of the nobility, their occupants being ele-
gantly dressed, continued to pass on their way to
the House of Peers.

Her Majesty throughout the entire length of the
journey was enthusiastically received with waving
of hats and handkerchiefs and vociferous cheering.

HOUSE OF LORDS-YESTERDAY.

Even by one o'clock the interior of the House
looked magnificently. While in the great court-
yard outside, under the shadow of the equestrian
statue of Richard of the Lion-Heart, the gold-coated
band of the Horse Guards—trumpet, drum, fife,
bugle, all mounted—defiled into the open space to
the sound of martial music. Within the House of
Lords the Peers and Peeresses had already assem-
bled in great numbers both in the body of the
house and in the galleries on either hand.
The Premier (Earl Russell), the Minister
of War, the Earl de Grey and Ripon, the Lord
Privy Seal, the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Shrews-
bury and Talbot, Earl Wicklow, the Earl of Devon,
the Earl of Cardigan, Lord Taunton, Marquis of
Westmeath, Earl of Clarendon, the Duke of
Sutherland, the Earl of Dudley and Ward.
Fifteen Judges,wigged, robed, and ermined, clus-
tered about and around the woolsack. Vieing with
the Peers' robes of scarlet and ermine were the
gorgeous colours of the silks, and satins, and moire-
antiques, of white, lilac, mauve, violet, blue, pink,
green, nearly all the colours of the rainbow, worn
by the array of Peeresses. The effect was that of a
moving, fluttering parterre of flowers, or like the fluc-
tuating patterns of a kaleidoscope. The Ambassadors
were there in full splendour—one blaze of orders and
ribands. Conspicuous amongst them, with scarlet
fez, the Turkish Minister, M. Musurus ; in his
white uniform, the Austrian Minister, the Count
Apponyi ; with the red ribbon of the Legion of

Honour, the French Ambassador, the Prince de la
Tour d'Auvergne.
At half-past one prayers were solemnly and most

impressively said by the Lord Bishop of Ely—the
whole assembly hushed and many kneeling. Upon
the bench of Bishops we recognised, as matter of
course, besides the Bishop of Ely, the familiar presence
of the Bishop of Oxford, the Bishop of London.
Carelessly and artistically placed upon the throne
—littered across it in many a graceful fold—were
the royal robes of the Sovereign.
At twenty minutes to two o'clock their Royal
Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales
entered the House," the Prince taking his
place at the head of the front bench of
Peers on the Opposition side of the house
—the Princess being seated on the Woolsack
dos-a-dos to the Lord Chancellor, vis-a-vis to the
throne. Shortly afterwards the Earl of Derby,
entering the house, held a few moments' animated
conversation with her Royal Highness. The Prince
of Wales, under his, Peer's robes, wore the uniform
of a General of Forces, as did his Royal Highness
tke Duke of Cambridge, who was for some time iu
conversation with the Princess of Wales.

Exactly at 2 o'clock, punctually to the hour,
there was a successive hush and stir of expectation
—the principal officials leaving the house to take
part in the royal procession. An interval of a few
moments having elapsed, the doors to the right hand
of the throne were flung open in breathless silence
—no sound of cannon or blast of silver trumpet
announcing the advent of the Sovereign.
Dressed simply but richly in black moire
antique, wearing diamonds upon the bosom,
and tiara-like upon her Marie-Stuart cap, from
which depended a flowing white lace veil that fell in
ample folds upon her shoulders, her Majesty took
her seat upon the throne. The assembly having
been authorised, in the name of her Majesty, by the
Lord Chancellor, there was a pause until—as usual
like unruly schoolboys—the Commons of England,
headed by the Speaker, and ushered by the Black
Rod, hustled each other to the bar. The Chancellor
then standing at the right hand of the throne read
aloud the Queen's Speech, for once a Speech from
near and NOT a Speech from the Throne. [The
Speech will be found in another column.] The pro-
ceedings then terminated by the rapid filing out of
the royal processicn. The Queen's voice was not
for an instant audible from her Majesty's entrance
to her exit. On her Majesty's descent from the
throne the Queen saluted with a kiss her Royal
Highness the Princess of Wales—his Royal Highness
the Prince offering the like mark of homage and
affection to his Royal mother as her Majesty ap-
proached the threshold to take her departure.

Their lordships then adjourned during pleasure.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the
Woolsack at half-past 4 o'clock for the purpose of
swearing in members, and several took the oaths.

THE ABYSSINIAN PRISONERS.

Lord CHELMSFORD gave notice that on an
early day he would draw the attention of the house
to this subject, and would ask for the production of
all the documents in possession of the Govern-
ment in reference to the subject. What he
wished to know particularly was what were the
steps which had been adopted by the Government
for the liberation of the captives.

The Earl of CLARENb ON thanked the noble
and learned lord for having given notice of his in-
tention to bring this subject before the house.
By 5 o'clock, the hour when the regular business
commences, the house was crowded on both sides
by lay members, and there was an unusually large
attendance of right rev. prelates, while several
Peeresses were also present.

ADDRESS TO HER MAJESTY IN REPLY
TO THE ROYAL SPEECH.
The LORD CHANCELLOR having read the Queen's
Speech,

The Marquis of NORMANBY rose to move an
humble address to her Majesty in reply to her most
gracious Speech. He congratulated the house on
the circumstance of her Majesty's reappearance in
public, which was a source of satisfaction to
their lordships and joy to her subjects at
large, who were always anxious of the oppor-
tunity of testifying their loyalty and affec-
tion to her Majesty's person and the Royal
family. (Hear, hear.) Their lordships had
heard of the approaching marriage of the Princess
Helena to a prince who was well calculated
to secure her happiness, while the union would
not deprive her Majesty of the society of her
beloved daughter. In allusion to the regret ex-
pressed by her Majesty at the death of her illus-
trious relative, the King of the Belgians, whose
advice had been of so much importance to the
Crown in cases of emergency, he said he was sure
that in that expression of regret they would deeply
sympathise. He next adverted• to the late Lord
Palmerston, by whose death, he said, the country
had lost an eminent statesman, and the House of
Commons an old and a valuable member. Able in
counsel, wise in debate, and with a knowledge of
his fellow-countrymen seldom attained, that
statesman , enjoyed a popularity seldom
equalled and never exceeded. As regarded
America it was most gratifying to know
that the civil war which had devastated the
country for four years was now terminated, and
that its discontinuance was hallowed by the entire
extinction of olayery in that important portion of