The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-13 00:00:00

PROROGATION OF
PARLIAMENT.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, August 12.
The gallery of- the House was opened at twelve
o'clock, sad in the course of a few minutes was com-
pletely filledwith ladies. We never remember seeing,
on any former occasion, the gallery so crowded. So
great' was the rush for places, that the Reporters'
Gallery, which has always hitherto been reserved ex-
clusively for the Press, was on this occasion oc-
cupied nearly entirely by ladies. Some inconve-
nience resulted from this arrangement. A splen-
did Turkey carpet was spread on the steps of
the throne. Under the canopy stood her Majesty's
gorgeous chair of state ; to the right of it was placed
the seat of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales,
the chair of state of his Royal Highness Prince
Albert being placed to the left of the chair' of her
Majesty, and somewhat in advance of it. On the
flour, at the foot (.4' the Throne, a little to the right
of the Prince of Wales's chair, were two chairs for
the Prince and. Princess of Saxe Coburg. Ladies
continued to arrive in the body of the House ; the
back benches on both sides, and the side galleries,
were almost exclusively occupied by them. The
Duke of Wellington was the first Peer who
arrived. His Grace entered the House at half-
past twelve o'clock. He was dressed in a Field
Marshal's uniform, and wore the Ribbon and
George of the Order of the Garter. His Grace
seemed in excellent health and spirits, and as might
naturally have been expected, he was "the Observed
of all observers." Lord Wharncliffe and the Earl
of Shaftesbury arrived immediately after the Duke
of Wellington. Shortly afterwards, Dwarkanorth
Tanjore, accompanied by another Hindoo of rank,
entered the House, and were conducted to the
gallery on the right of the Throne. The Earl of
Ripon arrived at twenty minutes before one, and was
shortly afterwards followed by the Earl of Eldon.
Lord Campbell, Lord Redesdale, Lord Langdale, the
Duke of Buccleugh, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
and the Bishop_of London, the Duke of Norfolk, the
Earl of Aberdeen, the Earl of Cardigan, Lord
Forester, Viscount Melbourne, and several other
Peers. Long before two o'clock, the body of
the. House and the side galleries, were quite
ss . crowded by Ladies as the strangerS' gallery.
Count Bjorstjerna, the Danish Am'iassadororrived
at one o'clock, and took the seat on the bench appro-
jeriated to the Foreign AmbassadOrs. His Excel-
lenes' was the first of the Foreign Ambassadors who
nrrivcd at the House. His Excellency the Ambas-
siidor from the King of Saxony, arrived shortly after-
Wards, and was soon followed by other Foreign Amhas•-
.
gailors. . .

The Lord Chancellor arrived at half-past one
o'clock, and took his seat upon the woolsack. Just before
the arrival of the Chancellor, Mr. Baron Rolfe en-
tered the House and took his seat on the Judges' bench.
His R-val Highness the Duke of Cambridge ar-
rived at tiventy-five minutes to two. At five minutes
before two o'clock his Serene Highness, the reigning
Duke of Saxe Coburg, accompanied by Prince Ernest
awl the Princess, entered the House and took their
seats in the chairs of state prepared for them at the
toot of the Throne.

. At five minutes after two the Park guns fired a
royal salute, and immediately afterwards a flouriskof
trumpets announced the arrival of her Majesty.
At a quarter after two her Majesty entered the
House, preceded by the heralds and pursuivants, and
by the Lord Chancellor, bearing the purse containing
the Great Seal ; the Duke of Buccleuch, bearing the
Crown on a velvet cushion ; the Earl of Shaftesbury,
bearing the Cap of Maintenance ; and the Duke of
Wellington, with the Sword of State.
Her Majesty, who was attired in her robes of
State, and who wore a tiara of diamonds, was handed
to the Throne by Prince Albert, her train being
borne by the Duchess of Buccleuch and Viscountess
Jocelyn. All rose when her Majesty entered the
house, and the coup d'ail was imposing and beautiful.
The display of diamonds was not so brilliant as we have
seen on some former similar occasions, but their ab-
sence was Amply compensated by the display of
beauty, which must have given those foreigners who
were present a high idea of the charms of our lovely
countrywomen, who, on this occasion, demonstated
the truth of that line of the poet,
.

" Beauty when unadorned 's adorned the most."

Her Majesty on taking her seat on the Throne, said,
Your Lordships will be seated," upon which all
present resumed their seats. Sir Augustus Clifford,
the Usher of the Black Rod„was then commanded to
summon the Commons to the Bar of the House, and
shortly afterwards the Speaker, attended by a great
number of the Members, appeared at the Bar.
The SPEAKER then addressed her Majesty as
follows :—" May it please your Majesty : We 'your
ht.ajesty's faithful and loyal Commons of the United
Ktagdom, attend your Majesty with our last Bill of
SuOly. Among the many important matters which
we lave considered during, the present session, which
,his been unusually. laborious, our attention has been
directed ;To a measure for the amendment of the-bank-
ruptcy Jaws, a subject deeply interesting to trade.
We have aiso pasged an Act for giving an improved
value to eceletxiastical property, which will be ofgreat
advantage to the spiritual welfare of the people. We
have also been engaged in securing by law better
protection for that 114lpless portion of the poorer classes
who have been degraded and demoralized by working in
;urines and collieries. Your Majesty at the commence-
n lent of the session directed our attention to measures
connected with the financial and commercial -policy of
the country. We have made some important modi-
fmtions in the Corn-laws, by which we have reduced
the-duty, and altered the mode of taking the averages
by w:aich that duty was regulated—by which the
price been lowered to the consumer, and the
tluctuati ons in price diminished, in consequence of
which that which has hitherto been. an unhealthy
speculation has now become a regular • and beneficial
trade. In accordance with the desire of your Ma-
jesty, we have devoted our utmost attention-to the
financial exigencies of the country, and we have felt
it necessary to propose additional taxation, in order to
make provision for those exigencies, and to maintain
and support our national credit. . For the purpose
of making that provision, we have imposed
an income tax, taking care at the same time to relieve
the less wealthy part of our countrymen. from the
direct pressure of its operation. We have taken ad-
avntage of the surplus that may reasonably be ex-
pected from this tax to make extensive alterations in
our commercial tariff, by reducing the import duties
payabie on articles of consumption and on raw
inateriail..;. used in our manufactures. From the modi-
fication we have thus made we look forward to a re-
newal of trade in the manufacturing districts; and trust,
under the blessing of Divine Providence, that it will pro-
duce some alleviation to that deep distress which has
spread so widely and formidably among the labour-
ing classes of the manufacturing community, for
whom we feel the warmest sympathy for the exem-
plary patience with which they have endured the
privations and distress whidla have so heavily pressed
japon them. We humbly present to your Majesty
a' Act for raising a sum of 9,193,0001. by Ex-
che.luer bills for the service of the year 1842 ;
also an Act for appropriating certain por-
tions of the Consolidated Fund for the service
of the year 1842 ; and also an Act for Appro-
priating Gut Supplies voted during this session of
Parliament, Jo all of which we beg humbly to pray
your Majesty will be pleased to give your Royal
ssent."
Her Majesty then gave her Royal Assent in the
usual manner to tiva Bills presented by the Speaker ;,
and also to the Canacle; Loan Bill, the Ecclesiastical
Leasings Bill, the St. Asaph and Bangor Livings
Bill, the Bankruptcy 'Act Amendment Bill, the In..
solvent Debtors Bill, the Municipal Corporations Bill,
the Coventry Boundary Bill, the Newfoundland Bill,
the Parish Constables Bill, the Slave-trade ,Suppres-
sion crortnguesei Bill, the East India Bishops Bill,
the 'Colonial Passengers Bill, Irish Marriages Bill,
Lunatic Asylums (Ireland) Bill, and the Manchester
Birmingham, and Bolton Police Bill.