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      Q52 The Leader. Fno. 491. Aug. 20, 1859.

      Q 52 THE LEADER . fNo . 491 . Aug . 20 , 1859 .

      Skrtvma Qs . „ Esj Oiul) ^I Clu Jj * ^*^ __L*»___

      Imperial Parliament: Saturday, August 13...

      IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT : Saturday , August 13 ^ On this day the first session of the new Parliament had its brief existence brought to a close by prorogation , which was done by Royal 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 Indies— 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 Koyal 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 and learned lord expressed his concurrence .

      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 CiiAnceixok then read the Royal speech as follows :- — Mt Lords and Gentlemen-,

      We are 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 * ° r tne zea ^ anc * 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 the purpose of settling arrangements connected with the present state and future condition of Italy , a Plenipotentiary would be sent by her 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 , . Jier Majesty , in accordance with the stipulations of the treaty of Tien-Sing , has instructed her Plenipotentiary in China to repair to the Imperial Court at Pekin , and her Majesty trusts that such direct communication with the Imperial Government will have a ^ ehefioial effect upon the relations between the two countries . Her Majesty commands us to inform you . that she looks forward with confidence to the continued maintenance of those friendly relations which so happily subsist between her Majesty and all foreign Powers and States . . '

      Gentlemen of the House of Commons , Her Majesty commands us to . convey to you her cordial thanks for the readiness and zeal with which you have provided the necessary supplies for the service of the year . Mr Lokds 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 having withdrawn , the proceedings terminated at half-past three . rONTEFKACT 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 between himself and Mr . Overerid on the 19 th of July , as recommended by the committee . — : Mr . Selwys pointed out the difficulties which lay in the way of this course , and proposed , in conformity with the nearest precedent that the House should declare hull and void the order for discharging the reference of the election petition to a committee , and he moved

      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 Palmerstoh 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 .

      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 Com . missioners to the House of Commons requiring their presence in the Upper House to assist at the Prorogation . 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 . •¦ .- . ¦

      that the order be rescinded . —Sir G . Gkey 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 . Chiiders to his former position , which could be done only by Mr . Overend himself . —After some remarks by Mr . Cratjfurd , Captain Jervis , and Mr . Malins—Sir J . PAKiNGTGN 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 not existed , and if this could not be done he 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 . "Walpole 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 . Selwyn ' 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 .

      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 hiu » to send an ambassador to the British Court . In answer to Mr . Griffith , Lord Jonx stated that ho had not received any official information which altered the character of the statement he had already made with respect to the intentions of France and Austria regarding the duchies . of Parma ,

      Modena , and Tuscany . Mr . Mauns moved to susperid the sessional order roquiring two days' notice of the issue of a writ , under certain circumstances , preparatory to a motion for a new writ for Hull , in the room of Mr . Joseph Hoaro , whoso election had been determined to be void . A brief discussion ensued , in the course of which Sir G . Gkey expressed his opinion that , 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 the writ ordered to issue .

      VOLUNTEER CORPS . Lord Elcjio , in moving for reports relative to the musketry school at , Hy the , inquired whether the Government regarded the formation ol rifle and artillery volunteer corps af * a permanent dement of our national defences , and were really anxious that » uch a . force should bo established . — --Mr . S . Hnnnnnx and Lord Palmerston concurred in expressing the desire of tho Government to give encouragement to the formation of theso corps . Mr . TxTm obtained leave to bring in a bill further to amend tho Act 18 and 10 Victoria , cop . 120 , for

      Her Majesty is glad to bo able to congratulate you on the complete restoration of tranquillity in her Indian dominions . It will be her earnest endeavour to promote their internal improvement , and to obliterate the tracos of those conflicts which her Majesty witnessed with such deep concern . Tho financial arrangements of that portion ot toer Majesty ' s empire will continue to engage her Modesty ' s serious attention . ., ... Wjor Majesty has had much satisfaction in giving nor ttBsent to the bills vf hlch you have presented to her tor tho formation Of a naval and military re-Bervc force . A complete and permanent system of national defence roust at all times be an object of pre-eminent importance ,

      House Wanted To Put Down These Proceedin...

      House wanted to put down 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 Mas

      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 and heartily for electing him as their member , at a time when he was nearly 4 , 000 miles away from England . It was , moreover , a still greater honour , when he considered the corruption that existed at the isisi 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 hot very desirous of putting down these evil practices . If the

      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 Power 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 and military , of France , during the last ten years , the additions made

      were quite as much provoked by to the English armaments as the contrary . The English dread of a French invasion was a laughing stock of the Americans . They called it the " English craze , '' and it was impossible to describe the pity and scorn with w . hich the subject was always referred to by the people of the United Statos . He advised his audience to distrust the opinion of news- paper writers . The national expenditure had been increased by four or five millions , and tho country was now not one whit safer than before . Suppose three , four , or five millions had been devoted to the reduction of the customs duties , and the extonsion of our trade with France , we

      • hould have done far more to proscrvo peace with that country than our s , o-called defensive preparations . Our preparations could not terrify France , but they might provoke it . Mr . Cobden then alluded to the offer which was raado to him to join tho Palmorston Cabinet , and referred to lus strong convictions on the subject of Lord Palmorflton ' s foreign policy , and suggested that , holding those viows , ho could scarcely consistently take part in a Cabinet of which his lordship was tho head . He had not any fooling of personal hostility to Lord Palmerston . On Thursday Mr . Cobdon again addressed a public meeting of non-electors , upon tue franchise . He said , in considering tho question ot Parliamentary Reform , he should endeavour to sliovr tho mi idle-classes and their representatives time it would bo to their interest to extend the franchise boyond tho present limited pale . With rospcot to ho ballot he was convinced that tho first X ' arllament

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 20, 1859, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_20081859/page/4/