PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENTHouse or Lords, Thursday, July 1.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 689, 20 November 1852, Page 3

PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENTHouse or Lords, Thursday, July 1.

Yesteiday at a quarter lo 3 o'clock the third Pailiament of Queen Victoria was yhtually brought to a close by a few worth from the Lord High 0 Chancellor. Whatever result its labours may have achieved, no one will feel any vevy vivid regret ut the demise of the legislative body which has now rendered up its account to history. It* funeral obsequies were celebrated with all befitting splendour, but it h very doubtful if there were any real mourners present on the occasion, except the gentlemen of the Commons who are afflicted with threatened oppositions and unsteady seats, or those political ciimin.ils who, if all that 'is said of them he true, must luue strong constitutions indeed if they look with pleasure to that ancient pastime denominated "going to the country." The people out of doors attended in thousands, but it was rather to avail themselves of the fine weather, and to behold their Queen proceeding placidly in her gilt couch to perform one of theTiighest of her august functions, than as a tribute to the merits of the deceased Is or can it be supposed that the members of the upper House, or the majority of the members of the Common*, including those who are "sure of their seats, viewed" the occasion with a very different feeling. With an expiring Parliament a, ho»t of blttei disappointments-, unfulfilled hopes, unredeemed pledges, and unsatisfied aspirations must lay down its arms. The drc.uns of renown which rose up with the haze of some fine September morning in stubble, on hill side, or by the banks of a rus»liiiur stream, and filled the empty head with "cheers and applause, have vanished all away before the horrid motion that "the House be counted" or the stern realities of committe-seryice on Panel B. Popular motions have been snuffed out; returns that were to shake the country have been granted, and now lie forgotten in the storeroom of the Parliamenl.iiy pi infer-; and the inte licence is rife that grouse .ire strong on the wing, and th.it the white tiout and salmon have alieady displayed leuuirkable pertinacity in mistaking bundles of hooks nnil bright feathers for some soriof insect which naturalists ha\e yet failed to class.il y though fishermen love to imagine them. It is not to be wondered at, therefore, if Lords and Com nions, independently of the interest which they must take in the settlement of the one great question now to be determined for ever, look fo ward with pleasure to a few months of release from business, which they can spend in the excitement of elections, in the bagging of game, or in severe encounters with Norwegian salmon, and transferred all caves and responsibility to that huge mont de piele of u in deemed promises and falsified hopes " next s^sion." About, 12 o'clock \eslerdiy the appearance of the house was very different indeed from that to which the public are accustomed in_ viewing it from the gallery on days, or rather nights, when business is really done. The clunge would remind an habitue of the stage of those wonderful effects of .scenic transmutation where respectable young farmers are at a touch metamorphosed into r.idient harlequins and commonplace young ladies, in love and white muslin, sublimated into agelic columbines of infinite misfortunes and very short petticoats. '1 he day before one might have seen Lord Trnro on the woolsack, and some four or five respectable-looking persons in round hats and the paletot and trousers of everyday life nursing the few btiiplii.gs'of the legislature wliiyh had escaped the sessional washing! ub into full life and statutory existence in a handsome chamber much bedizened us to wall and window, and red as to its expansion of nearly empty benches. Yesterday a checkered stream of colour floated up from floor to ceiling, and all was animation and life — snob animation and life as inspire one with pleasure and joyousness and proceed fiom tUe impiession of bright and happy faces. The limited space from which the bishops contemplate the pomps and vanities of the scene was fully occupied, but in their scarlet robes and pure white copes there was such a homoge city in the aspect of the right rev. prelates, that we could only identify the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Armagh, and the Bishop of Oxford. Behind, them, within a light railing, was penned up a uwgeous ermvd of Ambassadors Mini* tors Plenipotentiary, and members of foreign Embassies, glittering in bine, scarlet, green, avliUp and red, gold, silver, rich fibamls, with bestarred and becrossed breasts, chatting with a gaiety '.111(1 freedom very different from the epistolary style of the " undersigned" in their diplomatic intercourse. Conspicuous among them were three gentlemen wearing caps of an eccentric shape like obtuse cones cut obliquely at the top, who were said to represent our ancient ally of Persia, so numerous were the representatives of foieign powers and Ihe distinguished visitors that many of them had to take refuge in the side galleries near the throne. We regret that we cannot state exactly who were the illustrious personages present ; but, if national traditions be correct, the Ministers of France, Austria, Russia, Prussia, Spain, Belgium, Naples, CJ recce, the United States, Persia, and Brazil, or their substitutes, were present, though we are bound to say the various diplomatic corps seem to take delight in baffling cuiiosity by a provoking identity in dre»s, always the Austrian, Russian, and Persian exempted. ' AH the body of the house, except the front rows, which were reserved for the peers, and the cross-benches, were occupied by the peeresses and those ladies entitled to the privilege of seats in that favoured position. The side galleries, the Strangers' gallery, and the seats usually used by members of the House of Commons, were filled with a brilliantly-dressed crowd of such peeresses as could not obtain room below, and of ladies who were fortunate enough to procure tickets of admission. It may easily be imagined, though there was no sunshine to creep through the stained

lass window and precipitate its burden of rich )loin't> on the gaudy inventions of subtle dyer* of ilin and silk, that a croud of more than 300 of n> aristocracy shone forth gady enough in all (he nes which good taste and an eye for skilful nomination could sanction. In the places already idicated were the peers in their robes — great ta-^ses of red cloth, barred and collared with I'inine — engaged in less whispered, but peihaps ot more impoi taut convuise, than their n'latives nd friends benind iheni. The lively buzz of mversation never ceased, but rose in varying % lenees up to the grim new decorations of roof nd window, and was lost amid lions, rampant, liftbns passant, shield and coat armour, and rot hie candtlabiu aloft, to be succeeded by fresh ol nines of the same pleasant sound which speaks f light hearts gaiety, and the luxury of nonsense, ibout one o'clock the house was -\\ oil filled, ioug!i there were continual aniv-als till the time at> close at hand when Her Majesty was expeo jd. Mo->t of the members of the Government ere present. The Karl of Derby moved with titivity about the chamber, shaking hands with ne poor, .and chatting for a moment with another, nd now and then saying ti few words to one ol le ladies on the back benches. Ilia lordship mined in excellent health and spirits, and took a :>mprehensive view of the house fiom gallery to oor repeatedly through his glass. Lord Maimesury was well received by several of the dipmiatie corps, and spoke for some minutes with Jhevalier liunscu and Baron Brunow. "The >uke," of course arrived early, and was naturally | ■'gartled with tlie respectful interest to winch he iso fully entitled. lie was in uniform, over Inch were his robes, and he looked, we are glad > repeat, in the words which have been so often seel on such occasions, "remarkably well ;" but j was evident, subsequently, when he stood eside the Queen during the reading of Her JnjVsly's rather lengthened address, with the Teat Sword of State held upright in his aged ands, that he was rather distressed and probably he only time when the Duke of Wellington ever lesiied to lower the point of his sword was just re the last sentence of the Koyal speech was eonluded. Several gentlemen from the East, rich n barbaric peai I and gold, were present in the unbassadors' pen and the galleries, and among he objects of great attraction was the jouug .'rinccss Gauroimna, daughter of the ex-Rajah of Doorg—a bright -eyed, delicatc-fcatuied, coppermed little girl of seven or eight, years of age, for vhom her Majesty stood as sponsor on Wedneslay, when the Hindoo princess was received into ,he Christian chinch under ilw regal name ' Victoria." Her father was said to be present 3ut the lhely actions, brilliant dress, and ' fashion" of the r.eopbyte quite eclipsed his jlories. This completed the business of the sitting. There was nothing now to be done for nearly )ne hour but to talk quietly of cunent events, to scrutinize the wonderful zoology and text-hand :>f the middle agob as rendeivd by the paintor^ md sculptors on Avail and windows, or to "make out" distant friends and signify the discovery. The hour has passed decorously,— Rubens, Rembrandt, Maclisc, and Wilkie, rolled into one povvoiful artist would have made a glorious picture of the scene. Though the light was subdued, the shadow's were effective and fantastic, and through the doors at the end of the house, moving over the rich carpet, could be seen the portly figures of the beef-caters, with partisan and scarfet hose, now and then eclipsed by the apparition of some courtly dame sweeping on to her place, or by the flaunting robes of some tardy poor, calling to mind a " mystuy" in the days' of Queen Bjss, or (with "evevence be it spoken) a scene from a well got up act in an old play. At a quarter past 2 o'clock a .sharp flourish of trumpets rising above the dull booming of" the park patcraiocs announced the approach of the Queen. A .soft breath of folding fans, a quiet l, lls h — that peculiar emanation of .sound from silk and satin which betokens the presence of anxious womanhood in Church or State — stole gently over the House, and again the blare of the trumpets swelled out and fainted away amid the mystic recesses of the mnny-passaged palace, and in marched the head of the Royal procession through the door on the right of the throne. First came men in strange attire, tabi.rd, and braided and embossed sureoat, presumed to bo heralds, who bowed reverentially to the empty throne, and passed across to some unknown heraldric limbo ; then followed the Earl of Derby, bearing the " Crown" on its cushion, the Marquis of Winchester carry i ing "the cap of maintenance," and the Duke of Wellington with the sword of State : the Lord Chancellor preceded by the mace-bearer, with his massive looking burden, and then the Queen leaning on Prince Albert, and followed by the Duchess of Atholl,' Mistress of the Robes, and her pages bearing her train. On Her Majesty's entrance the whole of the peers, peeresses, and strangers rose. The Queen ascended the steps to thc^throne, and the pages having decorously disposed her train, Her Majcsly took her seat, and intimated her gracious 'wish that the peers, &c, should be seated. The Prince, who wore high military boots and the uniform of a field-marshal, took his place on a chair to the left of the Queen outside the tin one. Close beside her Majesty stood the Duke of Wellington ; on her lcit w ere Lord Winchester, Loul Derby, and the Loul Chancellor. Her Majesty looked well, and surveyed the house complacently. Her dress it is beyond our power to describe', but it looked right regal and becoming, and on her head she bore a tiara, or circular turret of diamonds. The Commons were then summoned, Sir A. Clifibul officiating for Lord Willoughby d'Evesby (who was not, however, absent) as Lord Cl amberlain. After an awkward pause of some minutes, the pent-up choice of the people came chafing onwards against the pa^ages of the corridor, and, with large show of propriety, but great physical determination, the tide rushed through the narrow portals and broke against the bar of the house, driving before it the Speaker, whose white wig came rolling on like a "seahorse" over the dark stream of hats and coats. Here the Commons uncovered, and the Speaker having made his obeisance to her Majesty, pi oceeded to deliver the following address — "We, your Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the united kingdom of Great B'itain and Ireland, approach your Majesty with feelings of unfeigned respect and attachment. "We acknowledge with gratitude the uninterrupted tranquility and prosperity which, by the blessing of Providence, this nation has been permitted to enjoy — affording to us, as it has done, a fitting opportunity of directing our attention to questions of domestic policy, and of effecting various social and sanatory improvements which the interests of the public imperatively required. The difficulty and cost of obtaining patents for inventions has long been the subject of complaint ; for these evils we have endeavoured to provide a remedy which, without imposing undue restrictions upon the public, will secure for ingenuity and talent a just protection and reward. Availing ourselves of the valuable information furnished by the reports of commissions appointed by your Majesty, we have made extensive and important changes in the proceedings of the superioi* courts of law and equity; and we confidently hope that by materially curtailing and simplifying those proceedings which have caused so much harrassing expense and delay we have removed the reproach which has always attached to the administration of justice in this kingdom. In obedience to your Majesty's commands, we lvive framed a constitution for the colony of New Zealand, and we trust that the same love of freedom, the same loyalty to the Crown, which is bo conspicuous in 3'our Majesty's dominions at home, will be %\\v guiding

I principle of youv Mijosty's subjects in that remote but important tlop'omleiicy of the empire. The military defence of this country lias vr- ! coived from m tho most s^riou^ and patient consideration. Fully alive to the exti.iovilinsny demand upon the services ol the army in your j Majesty's possessions abioad, wo doc ,ied it ad- ' visahlu' no longer to susponu i\w opi'i IUOII of the , lau.s lvgulating the iniliti.i ut Km»l >ndui:d Wales, ( but solar to modify their piovisi.rs, by sub- ; stitutiiig voluntary for coiupuisoij enliitmcnt, as | to make them less onerous lv th" woiking cl.isscs. Thib course has been dictated by no unworthy motives of jealousy and distrust; \\p felt it to be due to a great and gcneiows people to protect them fiom the possibility of a sui prise, and, by adopting tins measuie of precaution, and by removing all grounds for alarm, aiising from a a sense of insecurity, wo believe that we have done much to insure the continuance of that peace -which it has been our anxious dosire to maintain with all the woild. For this and other objects connected with the service of this extended empire it has been the duty a a well as the especial privilege of your Majesty's faithful Commons to make just and ample provision ; and thc^ bill which' I have now to present to your Majesty, entitled 'the Consolidated Fund Appropriation Bill,' completes the grants ibv the present year, to which we humbly invite your Majesty's Royal assent." Scvcial bills were laid on the table, and the clerks announced her Majesty's assent in the usual form, one standing at each side of the table ; he on the right, facing the throne, lead out the title of the bill ; ho on the left turning to the Commons and informing them, ma language which is now but a badge of our, ancient subjugation, though no doubt pronounced with the genuine accent of the time of the EduM'ds i\n<\ Henries that has been hamkd down by tradition, that " La Heine le veuM," "La Relne remercie se& bans snjets, accepte lew benevolence, et aiwti le vcult," or ib'oit fait vovvmc il es>t desire." The Consolidated Fund Appropriation Bill, the Suitors in Chancery (No. 2) Relief Bill, &c, having received the Royal sanction in this form, the Lord Chancellor on bended knee, presented Her Majesty with a copy of her speech. Apirt | from the silence naturally preserved on such an an occasion, there must be an excellence of elocution in the style in which the Q,uccn reads her speeches which*, "her right tiusty and well beloved cousins" have, as yt«l, inikcl to approach. Even in that inaccessible region, the reporters' gallery, Her Majesty's voice rings clearly and distinctly in every syllabic ; and we can say no more than this, that the p.uicg\ ric bestowed on the Queen on many ■former occasions was as well deserved as ever "in delivering the gracious speech. * { The Lord Chancellor, kneeling at the foot of the Throne, received hack the cop}'- of the speech, and then, by her M.ijesty'b command, prorogued Parliament m the following terms: — " It io her Majesty's Royal will and pleasure that this I'ar- j liami'iit be prorogued till Friday, the 20th day of ' Au»ust, and this Parliament is hereby prorogued till Fiidi\y, the 20th day of August." Her Majtsty bowed and rose, the House rose also, the Commons made their bow, and retired from the bar. The Royal procession left the bouse in the same order as it had entered, amid the blast of trumpets and the reverberations of cannon. The brilliant crowd burst into a shifting mass of coloius as vaiicd as tho hues of the kalaidefcope, and pouivd out through doors and passages into the daylight; and thus the .Parliament of 1832 was brought to a close, and lives now but in its acts.