The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-13

huge tapestry which Elizabeth had given to
the Lords, and which represented the whole
story of the Armada, from it's departure out
of the Spanish waters to its shipwreck in
the English. The lofty upperworks of the
ships were woven in gold and silver threads,
blackened by time. With their backs to this
tapestry which the candelabrum-fastenings
divided at equal distances, were three rows of
benches, on the right of the throne for the
bishops, three rows on the left of the throne
for the dukes, earls, and marquises, all
mounted on rows of steps, and separated by
other steps On the three benches of the first
division sat the dukes, on the three of the
second the marquises on the three of the
third the earls The viscounts bench was at
! right angles, opposite the throne; and behind
| it, between the viscounts and the bar, were
two benches for the barons. On the highest
| bench, at the right of the throne, were the two
Archbishops OF Canterbury and of York on
the middle bench three bishops, London, Dur
| ham, and Winchester; on the lowest bench, the
other bishops. There was this important diff
ference between the Archbishop of Canter-
! bury and the other bishops, that he, for his
| part, is bishop ''by Divine Providence,
while the others are only so ''by Divine per-
mission On the right of the throne was a
chair for the Prince of Wales; on the left,
folding-stools for the royal dukes: and behind
these stools, row of steps for the young
peers who were Minors and had not yet seats
. in the House. Plenty Of heurs-de-lys every
where, and the great scutcheon of England on
the four walls, over the peers as well rs over
the king. The sons of peers, and the heirs to
peerages, were present at the sessions, stand
ing behind the throne, between the das
and the wall The throne at the end, and
the three rows of benches for the peers
on the three sides of the hail. left
a large square space empty. In this square,
which was covered with the state carpet bear
ing the arms of England, there were four
woolsacks one before the throne, on which
sat the chancellor between the mace and the
SEAL one before the bishops, on which sat
the judges, councillors of state, who had the
right to sit but not to vote; one before the
dukes, marquises, and earls, on which sat the
| secretaries of state; one before the viscounts
and barons on which the clerk Of the crown
and the clerk of Parliament were seated, and
the two under-clerks wrote llneeling. In the
middle of the square was a large covered
| table, loaded with portfolios, registers,
and prison records there were
high candlesticks at its four corners.
and massive gilt inkstands. The peers took
| their seats in chronological order, each ac-
cording to the date of the creation of his
peerage. They took rank according to their
| title; in the title according to their antiquity
AT the bar stood the usher of the black rod
his wand in his wand. Within the door was
the ushers deputy, and without it the crier
of the black rod, whose duty it was to open
! the judicial sessions by the cry, OYegI in
French uttered three times with a solemn
emphasis on the first syllable Near the crier
! stood the sergeant, who was the chancellors
mace-bearer.
In royal ceremonies the peers temporal wore
their cOronets on their heads, and the peers
| spiritual their mitres. The archbishops wore
a mitre with the ducal coronet; the bishops,
who rank after the viscounts, mitre with the
! barOns circlet of pearls.
| 1t is singular and instructive to remark that
this square formed by the throne, the bishops,
and the barons, and in which magistrates are
! kneeling, was the ancient Parliament of
France under the first two dynasties. Autho-
! rity presented the same aspect in France and
in England. Hincmar, in his 'De Ordina-
tione Sacri Palatii, describes, in S53, the
House of Lords in session at Westminster in
the eighteenth century
! A queer sort of deposition made nine hun
! dred years beforehand.
The monarch was only obliged to summon
! Parliament every seven years.
The Lords deliberated in secret with closed
doors. The sessions of the Commons were
open to the public. Popularity seemed a
diminution of dignity and power.
The number of lords was unlimited. To
make peers was menace of the crown and
mode of governing.
At the beginning of the eighteenth CEN
tury the House of Lords already presented
very large figure. 1t has grown still larger
| since. To dilute the aristocracy is good
! policy. Elizabeth perhaps made a mistake,
when she condensed the peerage into sixty
| five lords. When less numerous it is more
active. In assemblies, the more members.
! the fewer heads James II felt this when he
raised the number of the upper House to
| hundred and eighty-eight; a hundred and
eighty-siX, if we strike off from these peer
ages the two duchesses of the royal couch.
| Portsmouth and Cleveland. Under Anne.
the sum-total of the peers in
cluding the bishops, was two hundred and
seven; without counting the Duke of Cum
berland, who was the Queens husband. there
were twenty-five dukes, the first of whom.
Norfolk being Catholic, did not sit: while
the last, Cambridge, electoral Prince of
| Hanover, sat, though foreigner. Winches-
I ter, styled first and sole Marquis of England,
as Astorga was styled sole Marquis of Spain.
being absent by reason Of his Jacobinism.
/ there were five marquises, the first of whom
was Lindsay and the last Lothian: seventy
nine earls, the first of whom was Derby and
the last Islay; nine viscOunts, the first of
whom was Hereford and the last Lonsdale:
and siXty-twO barons, the first of whom was
Abergaveny and the last Hervey Lord Her
vey. being the last baron, was called Ie pujle
of the House. Derby, who, being
preceded by Oxford, Shrewsbury, and
Kent, was only the third earl under
James II, had become the first under Anne.
Two names Of chancellors had disappeared
from the list of barons Nerulam, under whom
history discovers Bacon, and Wem under