HOUSE OF LORDS, Friday, May 1, 1857. The House met; and Five of the LORDS COMMISSIONERS, namely, The LORD CHANLOR, the LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Earl Granville), The LORD PRIVY SEAL (the Earl of Harrowby), The LORD STEWARD (Earl Spencer), and The DUKE of ARGYLL (Postmaster General) - being in their robes, and seated a form placed between the Throne and the Woolsack, commanded the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod to let the Commons know "The Lords' Commissioners desire their "immediate attendance in this House." on for him to surpass them. I think I am not assuming unduly to be the organ of this House when I assure you, Sir, that in the performance of your duties-whether in the course of our debates, or beyond the deliberations of this House, you will be supported by the full confidence and co-operation of all its Members, and that it will be remembered that your position is one of peculiar difficulty, on account of the circumstances of the moment at which you have succeeded to that Chair. While you are yourself a new Speaker, on the other hand there are a great number of the Members of this Parliament who are new to these walls, and, consequently, the task which you have to fulfil may be more difficult than was that of some of those who have preceded you. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, I am persuaded, however, that, while on the one hand, you will show yourself to be possessed of all the high qualities which are essential to the performance of your duties, on the other the Members of this House will give you that full confidence and support without which no Speaker would be able to discharge the duties of his office. The noble VISCOUNT then moved "That the House do now adjourn." MR. WALPOLE: Mr. Speaker: Sir, I cannot but regret the unintentional absence of my right hon. Friend the Member for Buckinghamshire (Mr. Disraeli), who, owing to a misunderstanding as to the hour of meeting happens not to be in his place at this moment. Had he been here, I am sure that he would have joined with the noble Lord in congratulating you upon being placed in that Chair. In his absence I will venture to say, referring to those observations, marked equally by good taste and good feeling, which have fallen from you, that there is not a Member on this side of the House-for those on the other side the noble Lord has already spoken-who will not heartily join_with you in maintaining the dignity and authority of the Chair, and who will not, in the public proceedings of this House, or in the transaction of private business, render you every possible assistance. We shall be happy to find that you equal, although, as the noble Lord has said, we cannot hope that you will surpass, the admirable conduct which marked the conduct of your predecessor in that Chair. Motion agreed to. House adjourned accordingly at Three PRESENTED AND APPROVED, MR. EVELYN DENISON said, I have to acquaint your Lordships that, in obedience to Her Majesty's commands, Her Majesty's faithful Commons, in the exercise of their undoubted right and privilege, have proceeded to the election. of a Speaker, and that their choice has fallen upon myself. I now present myself at your Bar, and submit myself with all humility to Her Majesty's gracious approbation. Then THE LORD CHANCELLOR said, Mr. Denison, We are commanded by Her Majesty to assure you that Her Majesty is fully sensible of your zeal for the public service, and of your ample sufficiency to discharge the important duties which Her faithful Commons have selected you to discharge, and Her Majesty does most readily approve of and confirms you as their Speaker. Then MR. SPEAKER said, My Lords, With the most profound respect and gratitude I bow to Her Majesty's command; And it is now my duty, in the name and on the behalf of the Commons of the United Kingdom, to lay claim, by humble Petition, to their undoubted rights and privileges, especially to freedom from arrest and molestation for their persons and servants, to freedom of speech in debate; and to free access to Her Majesty whenever occasion shall require; and that the most favourable construction shall be put Then THE LORD CHANCELLOR said, Mr. Speaker, We have it further in command to inform you, that Her Majesty most readily confirms all the rights and privileges which have been ever granted to or conferred upon Her faithful Commons by any of Her Royal Predecessors. upon all their proceedings. And I have to the House of Peers; where Her Mahumbly to pray, on my own behalf, that jesty was pleased, by Her Commissioners, any error that may occur in the discharge to approve of the choice the House have of these duties may be imputed to me made of myself to be their Speaker; and alone, and not to Her Majesty's faithful that I have, in their name, and on their Commons. behalf, by humble petition to Her Majesty, laid claim to all their ancient rights and privileges, particularly that their persons, and servants, might be free from arrests and all molestations; that they may enjoy liberty of speech in all their debates; may have access to Her Majesty's Royal Person whenever occasion shall require; and that all their proceedings may receive from Her Majesty the most favourable construction; which Her Majesty, by Her said Commissioners, has confirmed to the House in as full and ample a manner as they have been heretofore granted or allowed by Her Majesty or any of Her Majesty's Royal Predecessors. Once more repeating my most respectful acknowledgments for the high honour which the House has conferred upon me, I have to remind the House that the next duty which we have to perform is that every Member should take and subscribe the oaths prescribed by law. With respect to yourself, Sir, though Her Majesty is sensible that you stand in no need of any such assurance, we are commanded to assure you that Her Majesty will ever put the most favourable construction upon your words and actions. Then the Commons withdrew. Several Lords took the oaths. The Duke of Norfolk took the oath prescribed by the Act 10th Geo. IV. to be taken by Peers professing the Roman Catholic religion. The Right Honourable Charles Shaw House adjourned at a quarter past Four Four o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Monday, May 4, 1857. seated on The House met,-at One o'clock. mmmmm "My Lords, and Gentlemen, "WE are commanded to inform you, that Her Majesty has availed Herself of the earliest Opportunity of having recourse to your Advice and Assistance after the Dissolution of the last Parliament; and Her Majesty trusts that there will be found sufficient Time during the present Session to enable you satisfactorily to deal with various important Matters, some of which had occupied the Attention of Parliament in the Beginning of this Year. "We are commanded by Her Majesty to inform you, that the general Aspect of Affairs in Europe affords a wellgrounded Confidence in the Continuance of Peace. "All the main Stipulations of the Treaty of Paris have been carried into execution, and it is to be hoped that what remains to be done in regard to those Matters will be speedily accomplished. "The Negotiations upon the Subject of the Differences which had arisen between The King of Prussia and the Swiss Confederation, in regard to the Affairs of Neuchátel, are drawing to a Close, and will, Her Majesty trusts, be terminated by an Arrangement honourable and satisfactory to all Parties. THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS' SPEECH. Trade), and the DUKE of ARGYLL (Post-vernment of the United States, and master General), being in their robes, and with the Government of Honduras, in regard to the Affairs of Central Ame-timates for the present Year to be laid rica, have not yet been brought to a before you. Close. "We are commanded by Her Majesty to inform you, that a Treaty of Peace between Her Majesty and The Shah of Persia was signed at Paris on the Fourth of March, by Her Majesty's Ambassador at Paris and by the Ambassador of The Shah; and Her Majesty will give Directions that this Treaty shall be laid before you as soon as the Ratifications thereof shall have been duly exchanged. They have been prepared with a careful Attention to Economy, and with a due regard to the Efficiency of the Departments of the Public Service to which they severally relate. "My Lords, and Gentlemen, "HER MAJESTY commands us to recommend to your earnest Consideration Measures which will be proposed to you for the Consolidation and Improvement of the Law. "Bills will be submitted to you for improving the Laws relating to the Testamentary and Matrimonial Jurisdiction now exercised by the Ecclesiastical Courts, and also for checking fraudulent Breaches of Trust. "Her Majesty commands us to express to you Her Regret that, at the Date of the latest Advices from China, the Differences which had arisen between the High Commissioner at Canton and Her Majesty's Civil and Naval Officers in China still remain unadjusted. But "Her Majesty commands us to exHer Majesty has sent to China a Pleni-press to you Her heartfelt Gratification potentiary fully instructed to deal with at witnessing the continued Well-being all Matters of Difference, and that and Contentment of Her People, and Plenipotentiary will be supported by the progressive Development of proan adequate Naval and Military Force, ductive Industry throughout Her Doin the event of such Assistance be- minions. coming necessary. "Her Majesty confidently commits to "We are commanded to inform you, your Wisdom and Care the great Inthat Her Majesty, in conjunction with terests of Her Empire, and fervently several other European Powers, has prays that the Blessing of Almighty concluded a Treaty with The King of God may be vouchsafed to your DeliDenmark for the Redemption of the berations, and may lead you to ConSound Dues. This Treaty, together clusions conducive to the Objects of with a separate Convention between Her Majesty's constant Solicitude, the Her Majesty and the King of Denmark, Welfare and Happiness of Her loyal completing the Arrangement, will be and faithful People." laid before you, and Her Majesty will cause the Measures necessary for fulfilling the Engagements thereby contracted to be submitted for your Consideration. Then the COMMONS withdrew. ADDRESS IN ANSWER TO THE SPEECH. The LORDS COMMISSIONERS' Speech "Gentlemen of the House of Com- having been reported by The LORD CHANCELLOR, THE MARQUESS TOWNSHEND: My "HER MAJESTY has directed the Es- Lords, in rising to move the Address of this mons, and office, and not those men who sought to arrive at both, by forsaking and giving up men who had served their country to the best of their ability, under circumstances of great difficulty, and by lending themselves, I am sorry to say, to the hu House in reply to Her most Gracious Majes- | man, who supported by others, able, ty's Speech, I feel that the burden which has no doubt, as they were in many respects, been cast upon me in the performance of were deficient in the hour of trial, and this duty is very great, and although I feel fled dismayed and panic-struck from office, that the Government have conferred upon leaving the noble Lord to carry the counme a great distinction in inviting me to try through the fearful struggles of a bloody undertake the duty, I feel at the same war to safety and success. I say they retime how inadequate I am to its perform-cognised in the noble Lord the man who had ance, and how much indulgence I have to brought the war to a glorious and triumphant claim on the part of this House for any issue, and they acted accordingly. Moreover, errors of omission or of commission that II will make one remark, which may not be may fall into. It is my intention, how- very palatable to some noble Lords oppoever, as far as I possibly can, to confine site, but which, nevertheless, I believe to myself strictly to the topics embraced in be true-they said that the noble Lord the Speech from the Throne. I think did not desert men who were acting to that allusion to other matters not of im- the best of their judgments for the intemediate necessity had better be avoided, rests of the country, under very difficult in order that your Lordships may come to circumstances many thousands of miles off; that most desirable object-an unanimous but that, on the contrary, he stood by them and satisfactory vote on the Address in when they were assailed in Parliament, reply to Her Majesty's Speech. In dis- and gave them his best support;-and, by charging the duty confided to me, I shall so doing, he had, beyond doubt, greatly detain your Lordships but a very short augmented the feeling of the country in time. The Speech contains matter so his favour. The country, then, when aplittle exceptionable in its character that I pealed to, most unequivocally decided that cannot doubt it will obtain the ready con- the noble Lord and the rest of the Governcurrence of your Lordships. I must, how-ment were the men who should be in power ever, be permitted to make one or two observations respecting the cause of the assembling of this new Parliament, which has been called together under circumstances with which the whole House are familiar. A vote of the late House of Commons, as it will be in the recollection of your Lord-miliation of the British flag. ships, decided substantially that the pre- My Lords, it is satisfactory to know sent Government had lost the confidence that the most amicable relations exist beof the House, and it therefore became ne-tween this country, and nearly all the other cessary that they should relinquish office or appeal to the country. It was within a very few hours of the dissolution of the Parliament that I heard, with very great regret, a noble Earl, not now in his place, (the Earl of Derby), use some expressions against the noble Lord at the head of Her Majesty's Government which were not fairly applicable to the noble Lord. I regretted to hear those observations, because they were unworthy of the noble Earl who gave expression to them, and certainly were not such as ought to have been applied to a man like the noble Lord at the head of the Government. The noble Earl said that the noble Lord had no fixed principles on which to go to the country-that he had only a name. Well, the noble Lord certainly had a name; it was for the country to judge whether he had principles. He appealed to the country, and the appeal was successful. The country accepted the name, and stood fast by the European Powers, and that the general aspect of affairs affords a well-grounded confidence in the continuance of peace. It is impossible not to regret the rupture if rupture I may call it-which has occurred between the Governments of Great Britain and Naples; but, although it is impossible to contemplate without horror, the infamous barbarities which are committed in that country, this country can only look on, and trust that Providence will, in its own good time, amend this condition of things, and restrain the excesses of the Neapolitan Government. I regret that Her Majesty's Ministers are unable to announce in the Speech from the Throne, the termination of hostilities at Canton. Her Majesty, however, announces that She has sent a Plenipotentiary to China, fully instructed to deal with all matters of difference; and, I have no doubt, that when the reinforcements which are on their way to that quarter of |