Year: 1870

! The Qu00u's Spccch. tE3


The Queens speech to the two Houses Of
Parliament, which reassembled yesterday, is,
as usual, very BRIEF but II Is Of more than
ordinary importance. She comments on the
tranquility which prevails in all quarters Of
the globe, and notices the growing disposition
Of all countries to appeal to friendly mediation
for the settlement of their International diff
ouliies rather than resort to arms. She had
doubtless been rejecting upon the settlement
Of the recent misunderstanding between Turkey
and Greece and the more recent warlike dsa-
| greements between the Sultan and his Egyp-
tian Viceroy, through the friendly interposition
Of the Western Powers, and was, perhaps,
quietly limiting at her belief in pacific settle
ment Of those Alabama claims. Whether she
has or has not been appropriating the HERALD's
thunder in reference to the coming dispensa-
ton of the brotherhood Of all the nations of the
earth and the reign of universal peace we can
| not tell. We have certainly been somewhat
in advance OF her Majesty in giving expression
to this opinion, and in our specnations upon
the glorious future Of mankind through the
ciyilizing and humanizing instrumentalities of
our age, such as the newspaper press, steam
and the electric telegraph, we have surely
given abundant reasons for our abiding faith
| an Tho Queens grand idea that henceforth
friendly mediation will be the rule and q re-
sort to arms tho exception in the settlement OF
international disputes.


From this gratifying glance at the general
relations among the different Powers and
peoples of the earth her Majesty passes to
glance at the finances of the realm, which she
pronounces to be in satisfactory condition.
She next suggests continuation of the inquiry
commenced at the last session into the mode
of conducting Parliamentary elections. Here
she touches upon a broad field for reform
because the open bribery and corruption and
riots, rufiianism and general looseness which
characterize the Parliamentary elections in
England are really worse we think, than the
roughs and repeaters and all the cheaters
which make mockery Of popular suffrage in
New York.


The Queen next announces the probability
that the government will propose land reform
measures for Ireland, and here she speaks by
authority Of Mr.. Gladstone. The reform thus
contemplated will embrace this very important
safeguard to the Irish tenant-that III being
dispossessed of his farm he shall be fairly COM
pensated for the improvements he may have
made upon it, and shall no longer be abso-
1ntplv 81 tho nf hfS 10
be the entering wedge to land reform system
in al the British islands, which will sweep
away even the feudal monopoly Of
the eldest son. The land reform sug-
gested is an incomplete reform, but it
is great step forward in the new revolution
under way in England, and which must run
its course, like ours on the slavery question.
The Queens illusions to the agrarian out
RACES in Ireland may involve some punish
meat, but they will still contribute to
strengthen the righteous cause Of the masses
OF the people.


The thirty-nine articles Of the Church of
England, the iron-clad oath of the universities
OF Oxford and Cambridge, the Queen suggests



increasing the usefulness Of those Institutions,
from which it will be seen that religious
liberty, too, has taken fresh start in Eng
land. The reference to probable bill on
naturalization looks to the removal Of other
barriers of close corporation. Upon these
and all other subjects her Majesty devoutly
prays that the labors Of the two houses may
be attended by the blessing Of God. She
makes no allusion to the Ecumenical Council
or the nfailibility of the Pope, from which we
infer that she has no apprehensions in that
quarter. There is enough, however, in the
brief hints she has thrown out to justify the
conclusion that this session of the British Par
lament will be one of the most important in
British history of the present century.