The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-05-24

So early as twelve o'clock, p NJ, the
interier of the House of Lords, on the
day Victoria opened Pariment, was
nearly filled with peeresses and their
daughters by one o'clock it was quite
full and so great was the anxiety to
obtain view Of the young Queen, just
eighteen years of age, that even the
gallery of the House of Lords was filled
with the female branches of aristocratic
families by twelve o'clock, all, as in the
body Of the house, in full dress. Lady
Mary Montague has given a graphic dcs-
cription of the siege which a troop of
duchesses, countesses, and other titled
ladies, laid to the door of the gallery of the
House of Lords, when, in her time, some
interesting debate was expected, and
how, when they found, after ten hours
assault, the gallery was not to be taken
by storm, they succeeded in effectng an
entrance by stratagem. The ladies, in
the present case, were not under the
necessity of attempting an entrance into
the gallery by sheer physical force, for
they had in most cases, procured Lord
Chamberlain's order of admission; but
several of them effected an entrance by
the persuasive eloquence Of their pretty
and fascinating faces, accompanied by a
few honeyed words which the officers
could not resist.
Similar persistent efforts on the part of
the ladies are made to enter the Senate
chamber when the President is inaugural
ted. On such occasions the Sergeant
at-Arms, acting under orders from the
Vice President, keeps the galleries and
doors.
"Some of the British peeresscs, on the
occasion we are describing, carried the
, joke still further and actually took for
chile possession Of the front seat in the
gallery, which is always specially and ex-
cusively appropriated fer the gentlemen
of the press. This seat is capable, on an
emergency, of containing, including a
back form, about thirty persons, on this
day. only three reporters were fortunate
enough to obtain admissions and even
they, but for the accidental circumstance
of having taken possession of their places
the moment the door was thrown open
, would also have been among the exclud
: ed. And what does the reader suppose
: would have been the consequence Sim
: ply, that not word of the importan
: proceedings in the House Of Lords on
the opening of Parliament by the Queen
| beyond copy of the speech, which il
r always sent from the government officer
to the Newspapers, could have appear
ed in next days papers.
"The three reporters already referred
Y to they saw the rush of the ladies to TAXI
+ possession of the unoccupied seats, i;l
5 in the first instance, inexpressible sur
t prise but, on recovering themselves, th
0 predominant feelings in their minds wa
one of gratitude to their stars that the,
had been fortunate enough to posses
themselves of their places.
There they sat, means Mr.. Grant
"for two long hours. amidst large as
5 semblage of the farest of the fair, literal
Il " hidden from the sight Of those VIII
we're lucky enough to get peep into tin
;; house from the door, by forest OF waT
ing plumes of feathers of the richest kin,
BY one O'Clock the house had an appear
; ance which, | am convinced may be SAT-
with TRUTH it has seldom, if ever, pre-
sented before. The whole Of the benche
e of the floor and the two side gallerie
, were occupied by the female portion o
the families of the peers, all attired il
Al =. Ira-
es. will not attempt to describe tn
effect produced on the mind OF the spec
tator by the dazzling splendor of the jew
clry they wore"
The nearest approach we American
can make to such a scene is grand oper
, night on the advent of some youthful ne
prima donna.
All the the ladies had to sit abou
; two hours before the arrival OF the Quee
y and while there were no proceedings j
the house and yet everything was qule
5 Meantime opera-glasses were employ
upon each other as libera y as We max
$ use of them in our full-drcss public a
$ sembles.
p. A little before two o'clock, Il discharg
y of artillery announced that Her MaleSi
n was on her way to Parliament Thi
. made great hutter amongst the ladio'
and some wished they were outside, viii
" everybody outside wished they were in.
= A short time passed away, and tn
Is striking up of band of music on tn
+ outside announced the near approach {
# of Her Majesty. A few moments nor
elapsed, and the thrilling tones Of th
$ trumpet intimated that Queen Nictorii
ie though as yet unseen, was proceedln
along the passage to her robing-room, an
would be in the midst of them presently
7, Here the ladies in the House OF LORD
= indulged in lively anticipation Of tn
q Queens wardrobe. They were not le
a long in doubt, for after various noises !
C the rear of the throne, and few second
l. more of futtering, Victoria entered tn
e House. The peeresses and all preser
'. simultaneously rose. The young gil
n Queen, laden with jewels and preciou
e garments, bowed in by the usher, accord
d to his best knowledge of "deportment
= and followed by the nobility of her cour
1t climbed fair and blushing up the steps {
l. the throne. Her Majesty, having take
IT her seat on the throne, desired the peer
1t to be seated The Commons were the
J. summoned into the royal presense.
if In the interval before their coming tn
e brilliant audience scanned the Queen
e childish face and slender figure wit
y mingled respect and criticism. She ha
been tutored to keep her selfpossessior
J, but maidenhood was sensitive beyon
@ royelty, and by the rules of etiquett
st none dared approach to sooth her or (
IS relieve her, and as yet she had no hu,
C band whose near presence and and sym
l. pathy she could feel
" Very soon, however, the wild buffaloe
+" of the House Of Commons were heard ar