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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT , . Saturday , August 13 . Os this day the first session of the new Parliament had its . brief existence brought to a close by prorogation , which was done by lioyal Commission . The attendance to witness this ceremony was by no means numerous , for , though the seats in the " Strangers' Gallery" were pretty well filled—the principal occupants being ladies—something like solitude almost reigned in the body of the House , where , exclusive of the Royal Commissioners themselves , there were present not more than four
peers . As all the legislative work in the House of Lords was wound up at the sitting on the previous day , nothing remained to be done but the execution of the Royal Commissions for declaring the assent of the Crown to certain bills , and for prorouging the Parliament , and the only matter that occurred , previous to the reading of the two commissions , was the presentation by the Lord Chancellor of some peti tions , one being very numerously signed by women , against the legalisation of marriage with a deceased wife ' s sister , in the prayer of which petitions the noble arid learned lord expressed his concurrence . .
Gentlemen of the House of Commons , Pier Majesty commands us to convey to you her cordial thanks for the readiness and zeal with which you have provided the necessary supi > lies for the service of the year . .-My Lords and Gentlemen , Her Majesty commands us to express to you her heartfelt gratification at witnessing the general wellbeing and contentment which prevail throughout her dominions . The happiness of her Majesty ' s people is the object dearest to her heart . will
In returning to your respective counties you have duties to perform intimately connected with the attainment of this great end ; and her Majesty fervently prays that the blessing of Almighty God may attend your exertions in the performance of those duties for the common good of all classes of her Majesty ' s subjects . The Commission for proroguing the Parliament was then read , after which the Lord Chancellor declared Parliament to be prorogued until the 27 th of October ; and the Speaker and members of the House of Commons haying withdrawn , the proceedings terminated at half-past three . ings termmaxeu at nau-pasi turee .
FONTEFRACT ELECTION . In the House of Commons , Mr . Westhead called attention to certain paragraphs of the report of the committee on the petition of Mr . Childers ^ relating to the Pontefract election , suggesting that that gentleman should , if possible , be restored to the position in which he stood before the agreement be-, tween himself and Mr . Overend on the 19 th of July , as recommended by the committee . — -Mr . Selwyn pointed out the difficulties which lay in the way of this course , and . proposed , in conformity with the nearest precedent that the House should declarenull and void the order for discharging the reference of the election petition to a committee , and he moved
that the order be rescinded . —Sir G . Grey differed from Mr . Selwyn . The precedent he had referred to did not , in his opinion , apply to this case . The House had not the power . to restore Mr . Childers to his former position , which could be done only by Mr . Overend himself . —After some remarks by Mr . CRAtrF 0 RD , Captain Jervis , and Mr . Malins—Sir J . Pakjngtgn thought the sense of the House ought to be taken upon the question whether or not the order discharging the petition should be rescinded . —Mr . Overend said he was desirous that if possible Mr . Childers should be placed in the same position , as respected his petition , as if the memorandum had this could not bdone he
not existed , and if e was ready , if the House approved such a course , to assent to the nomination of a gentleman to decide on what was fit to be done as regarded the seat or any other point , and he would be bound by the decision . —Mr . WALroiE reminded the ^ House that it was governed by the rules prescribed by the Act of Parliament , and could not restore the discharged petition to its former position . Although he approved the honourable course proposed by Mr . Overend ; the House could not be a party to it . —After some further discussion , Mr . Sclwyn ' s motion was withdrawn , and it was understood that a gentleman would be named by Sir G . Grey and Sir J . Pakington to arbitrate in the
matter matter . TREATY WITH CHINA . In reply to Mr . Gregson > Lord J . Russell said it was the intention of her Majesty ' s Government to require the Emperor of China to carry out the treaty , and to invite him to send an ambassador to the British Court . In answer to Mr . Griffith , Lord John stated that he had not received any ofiicial information which altered the character of the statement ho had already made with respect to the intentions of Prance and Austria regarding the duchies of Parma , Modena , and Tuscany .
Mr , Malins moved to suspend the sessional order requiring two days' notice of the issue of a writ , under certain circumstances , preparatory tp a motion for a now writ for Hull , in the room of Mr . Joseph Hoare , whose election had been determined to be void . A brief discussion ensued , in the courso of which Sir G . Grey expressed his opinion that , as the evidence taken by the committee had not been laid before the House with a view to ulterior proceedings ,, there was no ground for suspending the writ . The motion was agreed to , and tho writ ordered to issue .
VOLUNTEER CORPS . Loud Ei . ono , in moving : for reports relative to tho musketry school at Hythe , Inquired whether the Government regarded thq formation ot riflo and artillery volunteer corps as a permanent olomont of our national defences , and wore really anxious that such ft force should be established . —Mr . S . Hio « nEnx and Lord Pax < m » hbton concurred in expressing tho desire of the Government to give oncouragoraout tq tho formation of these corps . ., „« . , Mr . Titio obtained , leave to bring in a bill further to amend the Act 18 and 10 Victoria , cap . 120 , for
The House met at about half-past two o ' clock , and shortly afterwards the Royal Commissioners entered and took their seats in front of the throne . The Commissioners were—the Lord Chancellor , the Earl Granville , the Duke of Somerset , the Earl of St . Germans , and Viscount Sydney . Sir Augustus Clifford ^ the Usher of the Black Rod , was then sent to the House of Commons to require the presence of its members in the House of Lords to hear the Royal Commissions read . The Speaker and several members of the House of Commons presented themselves accordingly at the bar of their lordships' House ; and the Koyal assent was given by commission to a great number of bills . The Lord Chancellor then read the Royal speech as follows : —• My Lords and Gentlemen ,
We ate commanded by her Majesty to release you from further attendance in Parliament , and at the same time to convey to you her Majesty ' s acknowledgments for the . zeal and assiduity with which you have applied yourself to the performance of your important duties during the session of Parliament now brought to a close . Various circumstances which occasioned interruption in the usual course of business prevented the completion of important measures which her Majesty pointed out to the attention of her Parliament in the beginning of the present year ; but her Majesty trusts that these matters will be taken into your earnest consideration at an early period of the
. The war which had broken out in Northern Italy having been brought to a close by the peace of Villafranca , overtures have been made to her Majesty with the view to ascertain whether , if conferences should be held by the Great Powers of Europe for tho purpose of settling arrangements connected with the present state and future condition of Italy , a Plenipotentiary would be sent by hor Majesty to assist at such conferences , but her Majesty has not yet received the information necessary to enable her to decide whether her Majesty may think fit to take part in any such negotiations . Her Majesty would rejoice to find herself able to contribute to the establishment of arrangements calculated to place the general peace on satisfactory and lasting
foundations . Her , Majesty , in accordance with the stipulations of the treaty of Tion-Sing , has instructed her Plenipotentiary in China to repair to the Imperial Court at Pekin , and her Majesty trusts that such direct communication with tho Imperial Government will have a beneficial effect upon the relations between
the two countnos . Hor Majesty commands us to inlorm you that she looks forward with confidence to the continued maintenance of those friendly relations which bo happily subsist botween hor Majesty und all foreign Powers p , nd States . . Her Majesty is glad to boablo to congratulate you on tho complete restoration of tranquillity- in hor Indian dominions . It will bo her earnest endeaand to
vour to promote their internal improvement , obliterate the traces of . those conflicts which her Majesty' witnessed with such deep concern . The financial arrangements of that portion ot hor Majesty ' s empire will continue to engage Hor Majesty ' s serious attention . ... Her Majesty has had much satisfaction in giving her assent ; to tho bills which you have presented to her for the formation of a naval and military reserve force . A complete and permanent system oj national defence must at all times bo an object ot preeminent Importance
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POLITICAL , FORESHADOWINGS . The return of Mr . Cobden as M . P . for Rochdale was celebrated by the electors on "Wednesday by a banquet , at which upwards of two thousand persons were present . Mr . Cobden thanked them sincerely arid heartily for electing him as their member , at a time when lie was nearly 4 , 000 miles away from England . It was , moreover , a still greater honour , when he considered the corruption that existed at the last election . Although the number of election petitions had been very great , he believed that it bv no means represented the number of corrupt constituencies . He ventured to assert that the
House of Commons was not very desirous of putting down these evil practices . If the House wanted to put doAvn these proceedings , they could manage it . They must pass a law which will make the act of bribery or corruption a criminal proceeding , so that the Attorney-General could institute an action'against any person guilty of such acts . The adoption of the ballot would have a most important influence in repressing these electoral excesses , as was proved by the evidence afforded by the example of the United States . Mr . Cobden then turned to the subject of the late war in Italy . He congratulated them on the neutrality which England had been able to maintain . She was as much to be
feared on the Continent of Europe as before the war . As regarded the congress that was to be held by the great Continental Powers , he believed that the only condition which could justify England in entering that congress would be that Italy should be allowed to settle her own form of government without the intervention by force of arms from Austria , Russia , France , or any other Po \ yer whatever . ( Great cheering . ) The chief fear which was continually recurring in England was that we were liable to an invasion from France , and the expenditure arising from this unnatural fear was enormous . Now he ventured to say that the increased armaments , naval ten
and military , of France , during the last years , wore quite as much provoked by the additions made to the English armaments as the contrary . J . ho English dread of a French invasion was a laughing stock of tho Americans . They called it tho "English craze , " and it was impossible to describe the pity and scorn with which tho subject was always referred to by the people of the United States . He advised his audience to distrust the opinion of newspaper writers . The national expenditure had been increased by four or five millions , and the country was now not one whit safer than before , Suppose three , four , or five millions had been dovotea to tho reduction of the customs duties , ana the extension of our trade with France , wo h ould have done far more to preserve peace with that country than our so-called defonsive
preparations . Our preparations could not tornfy France , but thoy might provoke it . Mr . Cobden then alluded to the offer which was made to him to join the Palmerston Cabinet , and referred to his strong convictions on tho snbject of Lord Pnhnerston ' s foreign policy , and suggested that , holding these views , he could scarcely consistently tako part in a Cabinet of whiqh his lordship was tho head . He had not any feeling of personal hostility to Lorn Palraerston . On Thursday Mr . Cobdon ngain addressed a public mooting of non-electors , upon tne franchise He said , in considering tlio question ot Parliamentary Reform , ho should endeavour to show the mi idle-classes and their representatives time it would bo to'their interest to extend tho fraiicmso beyond tho present limited polo . With respect to he ballot ho was convincod that tho first Pnrliainont
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the better local management of the metropolis ; and Mr . Hennessy a Bill to amend the law regarding Roman Catholic Charitable Trusts . Sir A . Clifford , the Usher of the Black Rod , appeared at the bar . of the House at half-past two o ' clock , and , advancing to the table with the usual obeisance , delivered the message of the Royal Commissioners to the House of Commons requiring their presence in the Upper House to assist at the Proror gation . In obedience to the summons Mr . Speaker , preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms , bearing the mace , and accompanied by most of the members present , immediately proceeded to the House of Lords .
After an absence of more than three-quarters of an hour , the Speaker , followed by a much diminished escort , returned to the Lower House , and , taking up his position at the head of the table , read a copy of the Queen ' s Speech to some dozen or dozen and a-half of members who stood grouped around him . This ceremony concluded , Lord Palmerston advanced to shake hands with Mr . Speaker , his example being followed in turn by each of the other members present ; and amid a general exchange of parting words the session terminated .
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952 THE LEADEB . fNo . 491 . Aug . SO , 1859 .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 20, 1859, page 952, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2308/page/4/
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