OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 58, 26 June 1852, Page 4

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LOUDS.— Tuesday, Feb. 3. The fifth session of the present Imperial Parliament was on Tuesday opened by Her Majesty. A warm sun, and a clear and almost unclouded sky, drew together an immense assemblage fn St. James's Park, Whitehall, and Parliament Street. Along the Mall the scene was most animating. Thousands of well dressed persons lined the route of the royal cortege, and filled every window commanding a view of the gorgeous procession. Her Majesty was received with respectful enthusiasm, and both the Queen and Prince Consort acknowledged the loyalty of the multitude by frequent salutations. At ten minutes past two the Queen entered the house, led by the Prince Consort, and preceded by the great officers of state. The assembly instantly rose and remained standing until her Majesty had taken her seat upon the throne. The Queen, who appeared to be in excellent health, having intimated by a courteous gesture her wish that the assembly should resume their seats, directed the Lord Chamberlain to command the attendance of the House of Commons. The House of Commons, headed by the Speaker, having presented itself at the bar. the Lord Chancellor then, falling upon one knee, presented her Majesty with a copy of the royal speech, which the Queen proceeded to read in a clear and distinct tone of voice as follows : — " My Lords and Gentlemen, " The period has arrived when, according to usage, I can again avail myself of your advice and assistance in the preparation and adoption of measures which the welfare of the country may require. " I continue to maintain the most friendly relations with foreign powers. " The complicated affairs of the Duchies of llolstein and Schlcswig have continued to engage my attention. I have every reason to expect that the treaty between Germany and Denmark, which was concluded at Berlin in the year before last, will in a short time be fully and completely executed.

" I regret that the war which unfortunately broke out on the eastern frontier of the Cape of Good Hope more than a year ago still continues. Papers will be laid before you containing full information as to the progress of the war, and the measures which have been taken for bringing it to a termination.

" "While I have observed with sincere satisfaction the tranquillity which has prevailed throughout the greater portion of Ireland, it is with much regret that I ha^e to inform you that certain parts of the counties of Armagh, Monaghan, and Louth, have been marked by the commission of outrages of the most serious description. The powers of the existing law haie been promptly exerted for the detection of the offenders, and for the repression of a system of crime and violence fatal to the best interests of the country. My attention will continue to be directed to this inrportant object. " Gentlemen of the House of Commons, " I have ordered estimates of the expenses of the current year to be laid before you.

" I rely with confidence on your loyalty and zeal to make adequate provision for the public service.

" Where any increase has been made in the estimates of the present over the past year, such explanations will be given as will, I trust, satisfy you that such increase is consistent with a steady adherence to a pacific policy, and with the dictates of a wise economy.

" My Lords and Gentlemen,

" The improvement of the administration of justice in its various departments has continued to receive my anxious attention, and, in furtherance of that object, I have diiectcd bills to be prepared, founded upon the reports made to me by the respective commissions appointed to inquire into the practice and proceedings of the superior courts of law and equity, as nothing tends more to the peace, prosperity, and contentment of a country than the speedy and impartial administration of justice. 1 earnestly recommend these measures to your deliberate attention.

" The act of 1848, for suspending the operation of a previous act, conferring representative institutions on New Zealand, will expire early in the next year. I am happy to believe that there is no necessity for its renewal, and that no obstacle any longer exists to the enjoyment of representative institutions by New Zealand. The form of these institutions will, however, require your consideration, and the additional information which has been obtained- since the passing of the acts in question will, I trust, enable you to arrive at a decision beneficial to that important colony.

" It ghes me great satisfaction to be able to state to you that the large reductions of taxes which have taken place of late years have not been attended with a proportionate diminution of the national income. The revenue of the past year has been fully adequate to the demands of the public service, while the reduction of taxation has tended greatly to the relief and comfort of my subjects.

"I acknowledge, with thankfulness to Almighty God, that tranquillity, good order, and willing obedience to the laws continue to prevail generally throughout the country.

"It appears to me that this is a fitting time for calmly considering whether it may not be advisable to make such amendments in the act of the late reign relating to the representation of the Commons in Parliament as may be deemed calculated to carry into more complete effect the principles upon which the law is founded.

"I have the fullest confidence that in any such consideration you will firmly adhere to the acknowledged principles of the constitution, by which the prerogatives, of the Crown, the authority of both houses of parliament, and .the rights and liberties of h e people are equally secured."

The reading of the royal speech, being concluded, her Majesty arid' Prince Albert rose and left the house, with the same formalities which had accompanied their entrance. The house then adjourned till 5 o'clock, when their lordships again met. The speech being read,

The Earl of Albemarle moved the Address, which, as usual, echoed its sentiments. If they took a rapid glance at the events on the Continent for the last four years, and compared them with what had happened at home, they would concur with him that they had every reason to be satisfied witli their own institutions. Every nation, however, had a right to live under the constitution which it chose to select. Nations were mutually dependent on each other, and that dependence increased with their propinquity. "With regard to the state of the national defences, he considered it prudent to take all reasonable precautions against the possibility of invasion, of which, however, he had no fear of. Having alluded to the necessity of law reform, and to the grant of a Constitution to New Zealand, tlie noble earl proceeded, by a reference to statistics, to show the flourishing state of the country and the success of recent financial measures. He concluded by referring to the contemplated improvement in the representative system of the House of Commons.

Lord Leigh seconded the address, and briefly adverted to the different subjects touched upon in it. His lordship's allusion to the returning prosperity of the agricultural interests excited some expressions of disapprobation on the opposition benches.

Earl Grey entirely joined in repudiating the tone of the public press with reference to France. He confided in the amicable assurances received from foreign powers, but thought that something should be dore to place the country in a state of greater securit}-. Asfto the emigration from Ireland it was a voluntary effort, which had only fulfilled his anticipations, and was carried on without expense to the country, and in a manner most honourable to the Irish character. The noble earl defended, or rather apologised for his colonial policy in New Zealand?

Lord Brougham said he entirely agreed with what fallen from the Earl of Derby and Easl. Grey as to the tone of the preJisMn th|s country in discussing the internal affairs of France. HOUSE OF COMMONS.— Tuesday. THE PALMERSTON EXPLANATION.

Sir B. Hall, without offering any opposition to the address, adverting to the first paragraph of the speech from the throne, and to the change which had taken place in the department of the government charged with the administration of our foreign policy, asked Lord John Russell to give the House and the country some explanation of what had led to this change. Sii Benjamin justified his question by reference to precedent, and mentioned certain facts connected with this change, with a view, he said, of eliciting information as to the cause of dismissal or resignation of Lord Palmerston.

Lord J. Russell said he could not refuse to answer the question, but he could not do so without entering at some length into details. After a frank acknowledgment, of the energy, the ability, and the knowledge of the interests of the country in all parts of the world, which were the pre-eminent qualifications of his noble friend, he proceeded to state the causes which, he said, had rendered it impossible for him, deeply as he regretted it, to act any longer with his noble friend. After explaining the relations betwixt the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Crown, and the duties of the Prime Minister, he stated a declaration he had made at a meeting of the Cabinet in November last with reference to our foreign policy. Shortly after this Lord Palmerston had received a certain deputation of delegates at the Foreign Office in a manner in which he (Lord J. Russell) thought his noble friend had not exercised due caution, but he gave him the credit of supposing that it was through an oversight. The next and most important transaction related to the events which had taken place on the 2nd of December in France. The instructions conveyed to our ambassador from the Queen's government were to abstain from all interference in the internal affairs of that country. Being informed of an alleged conversation between Lord.Paimerston and the French ambassador repugnant to those instructions, he (Lord John) had written to that noble lord, but his inquiries had for some days met with a disdainful silence, Lord Palmerston, meanwhile, without the knowledge of his colleagues, having written a despatch containing instructions to Lord Normanby, in which he, however, evaded the question, whether he had approved of the act of the President. That noble lord's course of proceeding in this matter he considered to be putting himself in the place of the Crown, and passing by the Crown, while he gave the moral approbation of England to the acts of the President of the Republic of France, in direct opposition to the policy which the government had hitherto pursued. JJMor these circumstances he- (-Lord

John) tiad no alternative but t6* declare, that I while he was Prime Minister, 1 Lord Palmersfon

could not hold the seals of office, and he had assumed the sole and entire responsibility of advising the Crown to require the resignation" of his noble friend, who, though he had forgotten and neglected what was due to the Crown and his colleagues, had not, he was convinced, intended any personal disrespect. Lord John deprecated in very earnest terms all harsh criticism upon the conduct of the ruler of France, who, he believed, was desirous of being on terms of amity with us, and distinguished between extending to foreign exiles our ancient hospitality, and indulging in in temperate judgment on the policy of other nations.

Lord Palmerston said he should be sorry If the House and the country should run away with the notion which Lord J. Russell seemed to entertain, that he had abandoned principles. He concurred in Lord John's definition of the relations between the Foreign Minister and the Crown, and he contended that he had done nothing inconsistent with those relations. With reference to the deputation on the subject of the release of the Hungarian refugees, he had thought it to be his duty to receive it ; he had repudiated certain expresions contained in the address, and he had said nothing upon that occasion which he had not uttered in the House and elsewhere. He then explained the circumstances attending his conversation with the French ambassador on the 3rd of December, the day after the ' coup d' etat,' upon the occasion of the ambassador's calling at his house. He excused the delay in replying to the inquiry of the Prime Minister, which had arisen from the pressure of business. When he could reply, he had stated to the noble lord that he had merely expressed an opinion to the French ambassador that there had been for some time such an antagonism between the President and the Assembly that their co-existence had become an impossibility, and if one or the other were to prevail, it would be better that it should be the President. Lord Jr'Jtussell had maintained that he (Lord Palj merston) was not justified in expressing any kopinion at all, whereas, on the very same day rthe noble lord had expressed his opinion on the I same subject, and so had other members of the cabinet. Lord Palmerston then vindicated himself from the charge founded upon his despatch to Lord Nonnanby, contending that it was an unfair representation of the facts to say that he had therein given any instructions to the ambassador, and he concluded with an animated defence of his foreign policy, in all its aspects, during periods of difficulty, whilst he had held the seals of office, which had contributed to the maintenance of general peace without sullying the honour and dignity of England. HOUSE OF LORDS.— Thursday. KAFFIR WAR. The Duke of Wellington, introducing the subject of the Kaffir war, expressed his approbation of the operations ■undertaken by Sir H. Smith in the conduct of the -war there, but said his gallant friend had fallen into an error that others had done before him. The operations against the Kaffirs had to be carried on by the occupation of extensive regions of jungle, or bash, but in reality thickset, the thickest wood that could be found anywhere. The Kaffirs retired to their fastnesses with the plunder, on which they existed; they there attacked their assailants at gieat odds, and caused them great loss. They moved away with more or less celerity and acthity, sometimes succeeding in carrying off their plunder, and frequently having it taken from them. Our troops could not occupy these fastnesses, they were useless to them, and they could not live in them, and the consequence was, that on their withdrawal from them the enemy took them, and the same operations had to be repeated, the Kaffirs always retiring when pursued to their original fastnesses. The only remedy for this state of things was, that whenever any one of these fastnesses had been stormed and captured, it should be totally destroyed, and roads opened up to admit the movement of regular troops. He might be told that such a measure as this would occupy a great length of time, and occasion considerable expense. No doubt this was true, but the war at the Cape hod come to this point, that unless such a plan were adopted there could be no peace in that part of the world — there could be no enjoyment of the social comforts of civilised life. It might take time and cost money, but the expense could not equal one-tenth of the cost of a single campaign. Tuesday, February 10. new zealand. Earl Grey stated, in answer to a question, that the Bill for" conferring a constitution upon New Zealand, would be brought forward in the house as soon as'the'stat* of public busmess'would permit.

Steam to Australia.— The Australian Steam Company (via the Cape of Good Hope) have announced that their first iron auxiliary steamer of about 1500 tons register and 300 horse-power, will be ready to start for Port Phillip, Adelaide, and Sydney, early in April.— Willmer and Smith's -European Times.

Specie.— A large amount of specie was heitig shipped for the Australian colonies. The Roman Emperor arrived at Sydney on the 14th of May with £40,000 ; £90,000 is on board the Achilles ; and the Nestor and Euphrates have each £25,000 on board. | House of Commons.— The House of Commons, which re-assembled on Tuesday, has tmdergone considerable alterations since it met for the despatch of business at the beginning of February 1851, no less | than 29 new members having been elected ; and a corresponding number have ceased to hold a place in the 'House of Commons. Of this last number ten have been removed by death, ten have retired by accepting the Chiltern Hundreds, and the remainder have disappeared by other causes, such as succession to the peerage, &c. Since the general election in 1847 more than a hundred members who then received the suffrages of the people do not now sit in Parliament, and an equal number have, during that period, been returned to nil their places. Of this " fresh blood" infused into the Legislature, upwards of eighty were quite new to the House of Commons while the remainder had sat in previous Parliaments.

Government Appointments.— There was printed on Friday a Parliamentary paper, moved for in the late Session, by which it appears, that since the 6th April 1848 the number of new appointments made in 54 Government departments was 837, at the annual amount of £84,388. In the same period 2176 places were abolished, the salaries and expenses of which amounted to £323,945.

The Arctic Searching Expedition. A decisive step towards the renewed search for Sir John Franklin and his companions has at length been taken, by the appointment of Sir Edward Belcher to the command of the Arctic Expedition. It is understood that the nominations have included Capt. Kellet as the second in command, and Captain M'Clintock and Lieutenant Sherrard Osborn, late of the " Pioneer," to one of the steam tenders.

AwrrL Catastrophe.— At Holmfirth, near Huddersfield, we regret to learn that great loss of life and serious destruction of property had been occasioned by the bursting of a reservoir. During the night of Wednesday the Bilberry Dam reservoir, at Holmfirth, overflowed its embankments, and deluged the lower grounds for miles down the Holme valley. The flood swept away the Digley Mills, together with all the outbuildings. Amongst other damage the flood in its devastating course swept away part of the village of Hinchcliffe Mills, and carried away two rows of new buildings at Holmfirth, as well as the bridge o-ser the Holme, which formed communication between the parts of the village lying on opposite banks of the river. — Latest particulars, Thursday 10 a.m. ; the excitement and grief occasioned by the terrible calamity at Holmfirth is beyond description. A body of water 90 feet deep and 100 yards wide was liberated from a narrow mountain gorge by the bursting of an embankment belonging to the lti\ er Hulme Reservoir Commission almost at a sweep, and precipitated down the valley. An immense mill, built of stone, with its steam engine, spinning and weaving frames, and huge boilers and other heaiyiron machinery, was totally swept 'away. A row of houses was carried away, and their inhabitants drowned. Bodies have been takei fiom the rhcr 15 miles distant ; 100 persons are missing, and to this time I have lists of more than 60 corpses lying at the inns. Some say nearly 90 have been picked up. Total loss some hundreds of thousands sterling.

An attempt has been made on the life of theQueen of Spain. She was stabbed by an ecclesiastic. The wound seems to have been dangerous, as the latest news was this : — February 3—l3 — I have just met one who comes from the Queen's chamber. This afternoon the news is bad. The peritoneum has been pierced by three inches of the poignard. Notwithstanding the bulletins, she has been much agitated the whole night, and only slept a little through opium. People go so far as to dread a sad issue within five or six days. On the sth, the Queen's state was considered satisfactory. On the 7th, the criminal who made the attempt to murder the Queen was executed.

The strike of the Manchester engineers still continued. Twenty thousand men were out of employment in consequence.

Feargus O'Connor was brought before the Bowstreet magistrate recently, for ci eating a "row" in the Lyceum Theatre. He was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment in the lloiu,e of Correction. Some time afterfMr. O'Connor's removal to the cell, Mr. G. M. W. "Reynolds entered the Court, and, in making an application to the magistrate, said that for a considerable time it had been painfully obvious to the friends of Mr. O'Connor that his mind was affected to such a degree that he was not master of his own conduct ;«,and, with every deference to the court, he begged to submit the propriety, under such circumstances, of "a commutation of the sentence. Mr. Henry, the magistrate, would not agree to this request, and went to prison.