registering such Titles with Simplicity and Security.

such an extent that I have been compelled to give Instructions to the Commander of My Naval Forces in those Seas to demand, and if necessary to enforce, due Reparation.

"Gentlemen of the House of Com

mons,

I HAVE directed that the Estimates of the ensuing Year shall be submitted to you. They have been framed with a due Regard to Economy, and to the Efficiency of the Public Ser

vice.

THE universal Introduction of Steam Power into Naval Warfare will render necessary a temporary Increase of Expenditure in providing for the Reconstruction of the British Navy; but I am persuaded that you will cheerfully vote whatever Sums you may find to be requisite for an Object of such vital Importance as the Main tenance of the Maritime Power of the Country.

YOUR Attention will be called to the State of the Laws which regulate the Representation of the People in Parliament, and I cannot doubt but that you will give to this great Subject a Degree of calm and impartial Consideration proportioned to the Magnitude of the Interests involved in the Result of your Discussions.

THESE, and other Propositions for the Amendment of the Laws, which will be brought under your Notice as the Progress of Public Business may permit, I commend to the Exercise of your deliberate Judgment; and I earnestly pray that your Counsels may be so guided as to ensure the Stability of the Throne, the Maintenance and Improvement of our Institutions, and the general Welfare and Happiness of My People.

HER MAJESTY then retired.

"My Lords, and Gentlemen,
YOUR Labours have, in recent Ses-
sions, been usefully directed to various
Measures of legal and social Improve-reported by The Lord Chancellor,
ment. In the Belief that further
Measures of a similar Character may
be wisely and beneficially introduced,
I have desired that Bills may be sub-
mitted to you without Delay, for as-
similating and amending the Laws re-
lating to Bankruptcy and Insolvency;
for bringing together into One Set of
Statutes, in a classified Form, and
with such Modifications as Experience
will suggest to you, the Laws relating
to Crimes and Offences in England
and Ireland; for enabling the Owners
of Land in England to obtain for
themselves an indefeasible Title to
their Estates and Interests, and for

ADDRESS IN ANSWER TO HER
MAJESTY'S SPEECH.

HER MAJESTY'S SPEECH having been

THE EARL OF WINCHILSEA : I rise, my Lords, to move that an humble Address be presented by this House to Her Majesty in answer to Her Majesty's most gracious Speech from the Throne. But, before, my Lords, I commence making the few observations which I have to offer, I dulgence on the part of your Lordships must bespeak that kind courtesy and inwhich I have observed to be uniformly extended to all persons who stand in a similar situation to myself. I assure you, my Lords, that it is with no ordinary feelings of nervousness and diffidence that I have undertaken that which I have felt to be my duty upon this occasion. I have done so, because I think that the matters communicated to us from the Throne by Her Majesty are of the utmost importance. Scarcely ever has there been a Speech

is nothing like a time of peace for prepara- | country-and especially the one last men tion, and that we should at this time place tioned. I must say I think that the In our fleets in such a state of completion cumbered Estates Court in Ireland ha as will insure to this country the same proved the salvation of that part of the superiority in reference to steam-ships kingdom, and that the man with whom the which it has always maintained as to sail idea of constructing the Court originated ing ships. deserves the gratitude of the Irish nation for I have no hesitation in declaring that in my opinion it has done more to remove discontent and to prevent crime and misery, than all the other enactments upon the statute book put together. The same advantage which is enjoyed in the sister island I am anxious to see extended to England, and that means should be given for giving an indefeasible title to the owners of land, and providing a system of registration of deeds here as well as there.

One subject escaped my observation at the moment, the paragraph of the Speech in which Her Majesty speaks of the great results which have been derived from the success of Her Majesty's arms in China. The disputes which had broken out there have now been entirely terminated, and the Chinese empire has been reduced to a proper sense of what it owes to other nations and to this country, and to our Ally especially, and I may add, that the advantageous treaty which has been concluded between the two countries may be fairly attributed to the skilful management by Her Majesty's representative, Lord Elgin, of those most difficult negotiations with which he has been entrusted. Hitherto it has been found almost impossible to frame a treaty which should be satisfactory to us, and yet be binding on the Chinese. I hope, however, these objects have been effected by the existing treaty. Lord Elgin has moreover employed his leisure time, and has displayed the most consummate ability in negotiating and completing another treaty with Japan, the effect of which at this moment can scarcely be estimated. It is also to me most gratifying to find that during all these transactions in China, Lord Elgin has worked in full and cordial conjunction with the French Ambassador, Baron Gros, and that there has existed but one mind and one heart between the representatives of Her Majesty and the Emperor of the French. In Her most gracious Speech from the Throne, Her Majesty has directed your Lordships' attention to various measures of legal and social improvement. Her Majesty says,

"I have desired that Bills may be submitted to you without delay, for assimilating and amending the laws relating to bankruptcy and insolvency; for bringing together into one set of statutes, in

a classified form and with such modifications as experience will suggest to you, the laws relating to crimes and offences in England and Ireland, for enabling the owners of land in England to obtain for themselves an indefeasible title to their estates and interests, and for registering such titles with simplicity and security."

Now, all these are very important questions, and I believe that if the measures recommended by Her Majesty are adopted the result must be highly beneficial to the

My Lords, another and very important subject is alluded to in the Speech from the Throne, though it is one upon which I cannot say that I am in a situation to give your Lordships much information; at the same time I have no doubt that I can indicate the general principle upon which a reform in the representation of the people in Parliament is likely to be effected. I believe, then, that by the proposition which Her Majesty's Government will bring forward, considerable classes of the community will be admitted to the exercise of the elective franchise which do not enjoy it at present. The law as it now stands certainly has always appeared to me to be most anomalous in respect of the arrangements under which some persons have the right of voting for Members of Parliament whilst others have it not. For example, I myself have been many years an inhabitant of the city of Westminster, and should have been eligible to represent it, yet I never possessed a vote for the house in which I lived. Why it was that I should have been fit to represent, and yet unfit to vote, I have never been able to comprehend. I simply mention the fact, which I own has greatly astonished me. I have no doubt, therefore, that the Reform Act is susceptible of improvement without destroying the principle upon which it is based.

But there are changes contemplated by some people which would not reform or improve, but destroy all that is valuable in our representative institutions. Need I say that I am no friend to the introduction of such sweeping and destructive measures under the name of reform as have recently been propounded to us. I believe that the object of these Tribunes of the People in bringing for

is nothing like a time of peace for prepara- | country-and especially the one last mention, and that we should at this time place tioned. I must say I think that the Inour fleets in such a state of completion cumbered Estates Court in Ireland has as will insure to this country the same proved the salvation of that part of the superiority in reference to steam-ships kingdom, and that the man with whom the which it has always maintained as to sail idea of constructing the Court originated ing ships. deserves the gratitude of the Irish nation; for I have no hesitation in declaring that in my opinion it has done more to remove discontent and to prevent crime and misery, than all the other enactments upon the statute book put together. The same advantage which is enjoyed in the sister island I am anxious to see extended to England, and that means should be given for giving an indefeasible title to the owners of land, and providing a system of registration of deeds here as well as there.

I have never read.

for Satisfaction and Thankfulness; that Pauperism and Crime have considerably diminished during the past Year and that a Spirit of general Contentment prevails.

ward those measures is power, after which it is the custom of all ambitious men to strive. Certainly the individual who has been foremost in proposing them is not a person likely to be content with "We assure Your Majesty that we join with half-measures; for anything more conclusive than that Gentleman's speech of the Almighty on the Valour of Your Majesty's your Majesty in Thankfulness that the Blessing with regard to his intentions I must say Troops in India, and on the Skill of their ComTrue, your Lordships have, to a certain extent, been made manders, has enabled Your Majesty to inflict the butt of the hon. Gentleman's sarcasm. signal Chastisement upon those who are still in Nevertheless, you must not allow yourArms against Your Majesty's Authority, whenselves to be carried away in the exercise of ever they have ventured to encounter Your Mayour legislative functions by personal feel-jesty's Forces; and we humbly express our cordial ing or prejudice, but must legislate in a manner befitting the Senate of a great country. We have been told that the landowners are almost exclusively represented by your Lordships' House, and in the same breath we are assured that your Lordships' House is an antiquated institution, and the sooner it is swept away the better. It appears to me, therefore, as a logical conclusion, that, the landholders being sufficiently represented in this House, and the sooner the House is swept away the better, the landholders stand a chance, very shortly of being left without any representation at all. Now that, I have no doubt, may the purposes of certain individuals, but I must be permitted to say that it is unjust and unfair in itself, nor is it likely to meet with the approval of the great body of the people.

suit

My Lords, I thank your Lordships for the kind attention with which you have been pleased to listen to my very imperfect remarks. It is the first occasion on which I have opened my lips to address your Lordships since I have been a Member of this House, and I have consequently felt a diffidence and nervousness of which I would gladly have divested myself. I beg to conclude by moving that an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty in reply to Her most gracious Speech from the

Throne.

The following is a copy of the Address agreed to:

"Most Gracious Sovereign,

"We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble Thanks to Your Majesty for the gracious Speech which Your Majesty has been pleased to make to both Houses ef Parliament.

“We humbly thank Your Majesty for informing us, that in the internal State of the Country there is nothing to excite Disquietude, and much to call

Concurrence in Your Majesty's Hope, that at no distant Period Your Majesty may be able to announce to us the complete Pacification of that great Empire, and that Your Majesty may be able to devote Your Attention to the Improvement of its Condition, and to the Obliteration of all Traces of the present unhappy Conflict.

"We humbly thank Your Majesty for informing us that, on assuming the direct Government of that Portion of Your Majesty's Dominions, Your Majesty deemed it proper to make known by Proclamation the Principles by which it was Your Majesty's Intention to be guided, and the Clemency which Your Majesty was disposed to show towards

those who might have been seduced into Revolt but who might be willing to return to their Alle

giance, and for having directed that a Copy of that Proclamation should be laid before us.

"We humbly express to Your Majesty the gratification with which we learn that Your Majesty continues to receive from all Foreign Powers Assurances of their friendly Feelings; and that to cultivate and confirm those Feelings, to maintain inviolate the Faith of Public Treaties, and to contribute, as far as Your Majesty's Influence

can extend, to the Preservation of the general

Peace, are the Objects of Your Majesty's unceasing Solicitude.

"We humbly express our Gratification that Your Majesty has concluded, with the Sovereigns who were l'arties to the Treaty of Paris of 1856, a Convention relative to the Organization of the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, and that those Rouman Provinces are now proceeding to establish, under its Provisions, their new Form of Government.

"We humbly assure Your Majesty that we partake in the Satisfaction with which Your Majesty informs us, that Your Majesty has concluded a Treaty of Commerce with The Emperor of Russia, a Copy of which Your Majesty has graciously directed to be laid before us, and which is a satisfactory Indication of the complete Re-establishment of those amicable Relations which, until