The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-21 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—(This Day,

The House of Lords met to-day at two o'clock, ac.
cording to usual custom, to prorogue Parliament previ-
ous to the dissolution. The prorogation took 1 lace by
Royal Commission.
Feruk Khan, the Persian Ambassador, and suite were
present, and occupied seats on the episcopal bench.
The Opposition benches were occupied by a large
number of ladies connected with various peers of the
realm.

The Royal Commissioners were—the Lord Chancellor,
Earl Granville, the Marquis of Breadalbane, the Earl of
Harrowby, and Lord Stanley, of Aided ey.
ROYAL ASSENT.
The Speaker and members of the House of Commons
were ,ummoned to hear the royal assent given by com-
mission to the following bills :
Mr. Speaker's Retirement Bill.
Exchequer Bills (21,049,7001.) Bill.
Consolidated Fond (Appropriation) Bill.
Commons Inclomre Bill.
Commissioners of Supply (Scotland) Act, 185 G,
Amendment Bill.
Income Tax Bill.
Indemnity Bid.
C ipvhold and Inclosares Commissions Bill.
Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Bill.
Lighting of Tons (Ireland) Bill.
Customs Duties Bill.
Racehorse Duty Act Amendment Bill.
Pauper Maintenance Bill.
Ext.a Parochial Places Bill.
Mutiny 8.11.
Marine Mutiny Bill:
Cornwall Railway Bill.
Pric.-'e Patent Candle Company's Bill.
Whitehaven, Cleator, and Egremont Railway Bill.
ROYAL .
The LORD CHANCELLORSPEECH then tead ber Majesty's
most gracious speech, which will be found in another
column.
At the conclusion of the reading of her Majesty's
Speech, Parliament was declared prorogued in the usual
form. Their lordships then broke up.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(This Day.)
The SPEALE took the cbair at half-past one o'clock
The O'DoiscitifinE tooh the oaths and hie seat for Tip,
perary, in place of James Sadleir, expelled.

NAPLES.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE asked the noble lord the First
Lord of. the Treasury whether any overtures bad beeu
made from the King of Naples with regard to the renewal
of diplomatic relations between the Government of the
Two Sicilies, and if so, whether those overtures were
likely to be accepted ?
Lord PALMERSTON said no overtures, properly so
called, had been received but indirectly a wish had
been expressed by the representatives of the Argentine
Confederation to him that if political prisoners now in
the prisons in Naples were banished to that Confedera•
Lion that would be considered by the two Governments
as a substantial fulfilment of the object for which diplo-
matic relations had been broken off. Speaking for the
British Government, the mera banishment of persons
for the purpose of filling these prisons again with fresh
arrests would not be considered as fulfilling the purpose
for which diplomatic negotiations were broken off.

MOROCCO.
Colonel W. PATTEN iaquired if it was true that a
treaty had been concluded with the Emperor of Morocco
by which very considerable advantages word secured to
British on bj ectß.

Lord PALMERSTON said he would give his answer
at the bar. The noble lord then proceeded at once and
brought up a copy of the treaty which had been con-
cluded between her Majesty and the Emperor of Mo-
rocco, which was ordered to lie on the table.
The Usher of the Black Rod here appeared, and sum-
moned the Speltker to the House of Lords to hear the
Rayal assent given by commission to several bills.
The Sreeiont then, accompanied by every member,
proceeded to the House of Lords, and on his return,
baying read her Majesty's Speech, took leave of the
members, and the house broke up.
FROM LONDON TO LAHORE.

From the deep interest which is felt in this coun-
try amongst all who are interested in the future of
our Eastern empire we offer no apology for the fol-
lowing extracts, evidently the work of writers per-
fectly acquainted with the full bearings of the
question :

(From the Sindian of January 7.)
The magnificent design emanating from, and
matured by, the genius of the chairman of the
Sind Railway Company, for linking London with
Lahore by one continuous and direct chain of com-
munication, is no longer looked upon by practical
men as chimerical or utopian. Step by step has
the gigantic plan been developed, and whether we
contemplate the grandeur of the whole in one gene-
ral view, or descend to inquire into the specialities
of each individual section, it must be acknowledged
that the minutest scrutiny proves that the original
conception was based on the surest data. The line
by rail and steamer between Great Britain and the
Levant has been long an established fact. From
Southampton, Marseilleq, and Trieste, steamers are
constantly plying to and from the eastern ports of
the Mediterranean. To continue this line by the
most direct and economical route to Western India
and the Punjaub is the object of Mr. Andrew and
his numerous influential supporters. By last mail
we learned that Sir John M'Neill and General
Chesney had selected a spot in the immediate vi-
cinity of the old port of Seleucia, which presented
every facility for forming a harbour. From that
point to the head of the Persian Gulf they Ind sur-
veyed the whole country; and so favourable was it
for the construction of a railway, that it was calcu-
lated the line might be laid down at 9,0001. per mile,
which, if compared with similar works in Europe
and America, will be admitted to be very moderate
indeed. The local traffic is found to be immense,
and the existing rates of carriage very high. The
difficulties in the navigation of the Euphrates are
by no means insuperable, and can be overcome by
the application of modern science to their removal.
Mr. Laird, of Birkenhead, has offered to build
steamers suitable to the shallow stream of this
river ; and it is known to many in this pro-
vince that Mr. Frere's time has been much engaged
whilst in England in the formation of a joint-stock
company for running a line of steamers from Kur-
rachee to the Persian Gulf, and that he has met
with unlooked-for support in this undertaking.'
It is on this (the Indus) part of the great high-
way that we would now offer a few remarks. l'hu
importance of such a line cannot possibly be over-
rated. Whether regarded in a political or com-
mercial point of view, its 'speedy formation must
be deemed of imperious necessity. The Friend of
India very truthfully remarks that "no line more
demands the earnest support of Government." At
a period when our relations on the north-western
frontier are in a most precarious state, and when
complications may arise demanding the movement
of large odies of troops in that direction, it must
be evident that increased facilities fur their transit
are not only expedient, but indispensable. At the
present moment, with the means Government have
at their disposal, it would take months to assemble
an army for defence or invasion on our frontier ;
whereas, with the lines completed that we have
spoken of, 60,000 men might be conveyed in a
shorter space of time from England to Atlghanis-
tan. Our local rulers have earnestly supported the
completion of such a railway as that now proposed
between Lahore and Umritsur. In a letter ad-
dressed by the chief commissioner of the Punjaub
to the government of India in the year 1855 the ne-
cessity for such a line was thus strongly urged, to-
gether with the proposal for placing eight steamers
on the different rivers :—" Indeed these two essen-
tials—viz., the railroad and the steamers, may be
said with truth to be the crying wants of the Pun-
jaub in the department of public works. Thisipro-
vided, the commerce and produce of these terri-
tories will be turned to their due course—viz., the
Indus and its feeders ; and to their natural outlet
—viz., the port of Kurrachee. For the rail! oad,
the face of the Doab offers an unusual equality of
surface, while it possesses few or none of the requi-
site resources for metalling a road. For the rivers
it were preferable, instead of improving the navig-
able stream, to concentrate all efforts in the pro-
vision of powerlul steamers of the lightest possible
draught. The chief com missioner, while deprecat-
ing any general extension of the public works de-
partment in the Punjaub for the present, would
yet beg most earnestly to press these cardinal ob-
jects on the attention of the government. He be-
lieved that if carried out they would effect more for
the development of the resources of these territories
than any other Work, or number of works, that
could be devised."

(From the Sindian, Jan. 7.)
Our Scram pore contemporary has alluded to the
vast trade which converges from all parts of Central
Asia tip to Umritsur as the entrepot for the raw
materials and products of this rich region. And,
certainly, if we, look to the officill returns, we shall
find that the existing traffic is enormous. Ar. Tem-
ple, the secretary,to the chief commissioner in the
Punjaub, in a letter written last April, stated—
" Recently a merchant of Umritsur informed the
chief commissioner that the hire of carrilges is not
less than B. 1,000 per diem, half on account of
passenger traffic, and half on account of goods."
Now, that amount of revenue to a railway between
the two towns would pay a dividend of 8 per cent.
on the outlay, after clearing all expenses. In the
same letter Mr. Temple says :—" But one impor-
tant object of such a railway as that now under
discussion must be the promotion of the trade be-
tween Umritsur and Kurrachee. This trade is
already very considerable, amounting,' OS a ni_e!,:
chant very recently informed the chief Comm'
Koller, to 80 lAA of rupees in value annollY' This