The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-02-09 00:00:00

E-mpEriat Varlianicnt.

HOUSE OF LORDS, THURSDAY, FEB 4.
This day his Majesty opened the session in person. The in-
terior of the house presented a very elegant and animated ap-
pearance. Though the day was rainy, cold, and uncomfortable;
yet we have never, on any sitnilar occasion, witnessed a greater
display of female beauty and fashion. The attendance of peers
was nutnerous,,and the muger of the corps diplomatique was un-
usually great.
Soon after two o'clock his Majesty, attended by the great
officers of state, entered the house, and the attendance of the
Commons having been required by the Gentleman Usher of the
Black Hod, the Speaker, attended by a very large number of
members, immediately appeared at the bar.
His Majesty then proceeded to read.his speech, but owing to
the haziness of the atmosphere and the darkness of theadace in
which the throne is situated; his Majesty was unable to decipher
the speech, without. great difficulty, and he was compelled to
pause sever'al times. -,,At length, when his Majesty had got about
half way through the siteech, tapers were brought in by :he libra-
rian, Mr. Leary.
His Majesty said, with great promptness" My Lords and
Gentlemen, I have been prevented, not being able to see, from
reading this speech as I ought; but I trust that by now reading
it again, I shall be able to call the attention of your lordships
and of the gentlemen of the House of Commons to the various
topics which it contains."
His Majesty then, in an audible voice, proceeded to read the
following most gracion. speech, which we published on Friday
in a second edition of the LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

" MY LORDS AND OENMENIENt
" It is with great satisfaction that I again meet the great
Council of the nation assembled in Parliament. lam ever
anxious to avail myself of your advice and assistance, and I re-
joice that the present state of public affairs, both at home and
abroad, is such as to permit you to proceed, without delay or
interruption, to the calm examination or those measures which
will be, submitted to your consideration.
" I continue to receive front my Allies, and generally from
all Foreign Powers, assurances of their unaltered desire to
cultivate with me those friendly relations, which it is equally my
wish to maintain with `•them ; and the intimate union which
happily subsists between this country and France, is a pledge to
Europe for the continuance of the general peace.
"Desirous on all occasions to use my friendly endeavours to
remove causes of disagreement between other Powers, I have
offered my mediatiiin •in order to compose the difference which
has arisen between France and the United States. This offer
has been accepted by the King of the French; the answer of
the President of the United States has.not yet been received;
but I entertain ,a confident hope that a misunderstanding be-
tween two nations so enlightened and high,minded; will be set-
tied in a manner satisfactory to the feelings, and consistent
with the honour ,of beth. •

" I have still to lament the continuance of the civil Contest in
the Northern Provinces.of Spain. The measures which I have
taken, and the engagement into which I have entered, suffici-
ently prove my deep anxiety for its termination; and the pru-
dent and vigorous-conduct of the present Government of Spain
inspires me with the hope that the authority of the Queen will
soon he established in every part of her dominions; and that the
Spanish nation, so long connected by friendship with Great
Britain, will again enjoy the blessings of internal tranquillity
and union.

" I have given directioni`lhat there be laid before you the
treaty which I have concluded with the Queen of Spain for the
suppression of the slave trade.
" GENTLEMEN OF THE House OF COMMONS;

" I have directed the estimates of the year to be prepared,
and laid before you without delay. They have been framed
with the strictest regard to well-considered economy.
" The necessity of maintaining the maritime strength of the
country, and of giving adequate protection to the extended
commerce of my subjects, has occasioned some increase in the
estimates for the naval branch of the public service.

" The state of the commerce and manufactures of the United
Kingdom is highly 'Satisfactory. I lament that any class of my
subjects should still suffer distress; and the difficulties which
continue to be felt in important branches of agriculture may de-
serve your inquiry, with the view of ascertaining whether there
are measures which parliament can advantageously adopt for
the alleviation of this pressure.
" MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN,

" I have not yet received the further report of the commission
appointed to consider the state of the several dioceses of England
and Wales. But I hay° reason to believe that their recom-
mendations upon most of .the important subjects submitted to
them are nearly prepared:. They shall be laid before you with-
out delay, and you will direct your early attention to the eccle-
siastical establishment, with the intention of rendering it more
efficient for the holy purposes for which it has been instituted.
"Another subject, which will naturally occupy )our attention is
the state of the Tithe in England and Wales, and a measure •will
be submitted to you, having for its end the rendering this mode
of providing for the Clergy more fixed and certain, and calcu-
lated to relieve it from that fluctuation, 'and from those objec-
tions to which it has hitherto been subject._

"The principles of tOleratimi by which I have been invari-
ably guided, Must render me desirOus of removing any cause of
offence or trouble to the consciences of any portion of my sub-
jects, and I am therefore anxious that you should consider
whether measures may not be framed which, whilst they re-
medy any grievances which affect those who dissent from the
doctrine or discipline of the Established Church, wilt also be
of general advantage the whole body of the community.
" The speedy and satisfactory administration of justice is the
first and most sacred duty of a. Sovereign, and I earnestly re-
commend you to consider whether better provisions may not be
made for this great purpose in some of the departments of the
law, and more particularly in the Court of Chancery.
" I trust that you will be able to effect-a
just settlement of the
question of tithe in Ireland, upon such principles as will tend at

length to establish harmony andpeace iu that,count ry.
"You are already in possession ,of the Report of the Com-
mission appointed to inquire into the state of the Municipal
Corporations in Ireland, and I entertain the hope that it will be
in your power to apply to any defects and evils which may have
been shown to exist in those Institutions, a remedy founded
upon the same principles as those of the acts which have been
already passed for England and Scotland.
" A further report of the Commission of Inquiry into the con-
dition of the poorer classes of my subjects in Ireland will
speedily be laid before you. You will approach this,subject
with the caution due to its importance and difficulty, and the
experience of the salutary effect by the act for the Amendment
of the Laws relating to the Poor in England and Wales, may in
many respects assist your deliberations.
" I rely upon your prudence and wisdom, and upon your de-
termination to maintain as well as to amend the laws, and in-
stitutions of the country; and I commit these questions of
domestic policy, to which I have deemed it my duty to direct
your attention, into your hands, persuaded that you will so treat
them, as to increase the happiness and prosperity, by,promoting
the religion and morality, of my people."
Baron Cottenham, the recently-appointed Lord Chancellor,
and Baron Langdale, the new Master of the Rolls, were intro-
duced, in the usual form, by Lord Denman and Lord Glenelg.
The house was then adjourned during pleasure.
THE ADDRESS.

The Lord Chancellor took his seat and the woolsack at five
o'clock.

Soon afterwards, Viscount MELBOURNE moved the order of
the day for considering an address in answer to his Majesty's •
speech from the throne.
The Limo CHANCELLOR then read the speech, which was
repeated by the clerk at the table.
The Duke of LEINSTER moved the address, which was se-
conded by the Earl of Burlington.
The Dike of WELLINGTON admitted the great importance
of the speech which had been delivered from the throne, and of
the subjects embraced in that speech, as calculated to produce
a deep interest in parliament and throughout the country.
There was one part of it, however, to which he felt a strong ob-
jection. It was that which related to the municipal corpora-
tions of Ireland, and which went to pledge the house to the
adoption of certain principles, contrary, as he maintained, to
-the usages of parliament. It was not usual for the sovereign to
indicate the principles upon which they should proceed to deal
with any measure. The paragraph to which he objected was
the following:—" You are already in possession of the report of
the commission appointed to inquire into the state of the muni-
cipal corporations in Ireland; and I entertain a hope that it
will be in your power to apply to any defects and evils which •
may have, been shown to exist in. those institutions a remedy
founded upon the same principles as those of the acts which
hare already passed tOr England and Scotland.'!. After argu-
ing at some length in support of the position already stated, the
noble duke submitted an amendment in these voids :—" That
being already in possession of the report of the commission ap-
pointed to inquire into the state of the municipal corporations
in Ireland, we will proceed without delay to the consideration
of any defects or evils which may have been shown to exist in
these institutions, for the purpose of obviating them to ensure
the impartial administration of justice." It was possible that
the same principles which applied to England and Scotland
might not apply to Ireland; and he hopeu that his majesty's
ministers would agree to the amendment for the reasons he had
assigned.
Lord MELBOURNE defended the course pursued by ministers
in the paragraph to which the noble duke had objected. He
did not consider the course unusual; but, whether supported by
precedent or not, he maintained that it was not unreasonable to
suggest to parliament the principles upon which they should
proceed. The words objected to by the noble duke had been
well considered, and were adopted with a view to prevent those
very objections which the noble duke had felt himself called
upon to make. He would say that, in fact, there was not a
material difference between the words contained in the address
originally and those then proposed to be inserted by the noble
duke in lieu thereof. The one paragraph was no more binding
on their lordships than the other, and, therefore, he thought it
would be more respectful to his majesty to adhere to the address
as originally moved, than to retain or add the words proposed,
which, after all, he conceived, conveyed the same expressions
as those which had been given front the throne.
The Earl of WINCH ILSEA declared his intention of supporting
the amendment, but regretted that it did not go far enough. He
was anxious to record on the first day of the session his decided
opposition to the policy of the (present ministers, both foreign
and domestic—a policy which he considered directly at variance
with the high feeling of this great nation. He aescrilied the
course adopted by ministers as tending directly to the subversion
of the constitution, and referred, in pointed terms, to the origin
and progress of the French revolution, in -order to show that
the same spirit and the same principles were at work in this
country. His lordship concluded, afire adMitting the import-
ance of coming to a unanimous vote on the address, it' possible,
by seconding the amendment moved by the noble duke.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was so impressed with the im-
,portance.of coining, if possible, to a unanimous decisicn, that
he was willing to make some sacrifice. I-ia therefore revised
that his n'ohle friend should agree to the amendment, on an ex-
press tindersttinding, however, that it should cot prcclu,ie th,ni

FIB RURAY 9. 18-

from applying the principles alluded to in case it should be con,
sidered expedient.
Lord MELBOUIiNF having acquiesced in the suggestion, the
address, as amended;, vas agreed to.
The Earl of SHAFTESBUL:Y was elected chairman of com-
mittees for the session, and returned thanks -to the hoOse for
having appointed him for the 27th time to till that office.
Adjourned at half-past twelve o'clock. -