article, to contain any rhetorical flourishes, to display any of
intelligible paragraph for which Lord Granville apologized, that frank strength always apparent in the addresses of the and which Sir Charles Wood will doubtless not attempt to Emperor of the French. Terseness would be unprecedented, explain • and the cyclone, a calamity which Her Majesty- eloquence alarming, point unconstitutional. The Sovereign deeply laments, is attributed to the Indian officials. At home in England does not argue, or threaten, or announce schemes the cotton distress is declared to have abated, Ireland is said of policy which set all Europe in commotion, and are felt to have " had its share in the advantage of a good harvest,"— upon every Bourse almost as much as a rise in the rate of dis- a statement which roused Irish members to a funny explosion count. But still the Royal Speech at the opening of Paslia- of choler—and there the review of the past may be said to end. meat is, or ought to be, a weighty State paper, meant to be The promises for the future are of the very smallest kind. We recorded, certain to be quoted by future historians, sure to be are to have a Palace of Justice—" the children ask for breads criticized by all who study contemporary politics, and as such will ye give them a stone,"—further revision of the statute law, should be marked, if by no other qualities, at least by a which at some future period, when the Cabinet, let us say, is' stately directness and simplicity. Of neither is there in this a little younger, may be " a step towards the formation of a Speech the faintest trace. Her Majesty is actually made in digest of the Law," a Patent Act, an increase in the powers one paragraph to announce that she has " employed a force of County Courts, some measure or other, not stated, for im- ta obtain satisfaction for the past and security for the future" proving the Poor Law, and a bill devised by a commission, from—space. No enemy is mentioned, or indicated, or hinted and not by the Cabinet, upon public schools—a most at, unless indeed the context may be held on close analysis miserable bill of fare ! Not a word of reform, or railway to imply that the enemy is India itself, which nevertheless legislation, or reductions, or the law of settlement, or spiritual enjoys a "general tranquillity." One expects involved sen- tribunals, or any one subject in which the people can be' tences from Sir Charles Wood, whose style has necessarily justly conceived to take any interest, or the Government been spoiled by reading Indian despatches, but other Ministers fairly expected to indicate its policy. So far as the Speech are almost equally guilty. Mr. Gladstone, who has most of the can be accepted as a guide, Lord Palmerston's policy is to do) work of the session to do, is almost excluded from the Speech, nothing, to offer no point to hostile critics, to let the session. merely informing Parliament that "the revenue realizes its esti- glide on, and then to send the Liberals to the country with mated amount;" but even in those three words he commits a his name only for a rallying cry, no programme, no policy, barbarism for which, if he used them in an oration of his own, he no reason for being elected except that being Liberals they would be tempted to apologize. What does Mr. Cowper are willing to support a Premier whom the Tories with mean by erecting law courts in a site, or the Chancellor by loving appreciation hail as one of themselves. Politicians writing about " the important work for the revision of the only wonder as they read it how the Premier ever statute law," or talking about bills which " will be submitted strung himself up to anything so definite as a bill for your consideration, for the amendment of the laws relat- for concentrating the Law Courts,—why he did not con- ing to patents for inventions, andfor conferring ?" &c. Cannot tent himself with a commission of inquiry into the possi, his Lordship get rid of " forasmuch " even in a memorandum bility of improving the ventilation of Westminster Hall. for a Royal Message ? Earl Russell does not quite despise Promises he evidently thinks are dangerous, suggestions use- grammar, but his sentence recording that "the negotiations less, reforms doubtful, innovations out of place, immutability in which the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia were the one attribute which institutions ought to share with the engaged with the King of Denmark were brought to a conchs- Power that in spite of the flaccidity of their supporters per- sion by a treaty of peace," has a funny effect of being projected mits them still to stand. The impression produced by the in vacuo, as if it had been an abstract remark to which dates, or Speech was of course one of utter deadness, members asked tenses, or indications as to time and place were of no cone- loudly why they were dragged to London, and the leader of quence whatever. Sir Charles Wood, however, fairly outdoes Opposition in the Commons, for the first time in the history of his colleagues, and must be allowed to bear the palm for slip- the reformed Parliament, disdained to open his lips in reply to shod obscurity of diction. Not content with making his the Address. What was there for him to say ? There was Sovereign declare war on space, he actually suggests the as- nothing to object to in the Speech except its grammar, or in sertion that the prompt assistance of the officers of Govern- its policy except its colourlessness, or in its promises except rent to sufferers by the cyclone occasioned those sufferings. that their performance or failure do not signify a farthing, "Prompt assistance," he says, "was rendered by the officers except to the architects who may be looking out for a job. of the Government, and generous contributions have been Even that keen scimetar would have wasted its edge upon made in various parts of India to relieve the sufferings such fluff. which have thus been occasioned." One of the papers was wondering the other day why Sir Charles Phipps signed a EARLS DERBY AND RUSSELL. Royal letter instead of the Minister in attendance. The WHILE the leader of Opposition in the Lower House was secret is now clearly revealed,—Her Majesty was too pain- entirely silent on the first night of the Session, Lord fully aware of the untrustworthiness of her Ministers' Derby in the Lords fixed his usually formidable spear in the grammar. earth, and delivered himself, not of a challenge, but, like his The matter of the Speech does not do much to redeem its prototype "Diomede good at a war cry" when expected to faults of manner. The great object has been apparently to TOPICS OF THE DAY. say nothing in as many words of as little meaning as was easily possible. Her Majesty of course desires a "friendly THE MINISTERS' MESSAGE. reconciliation" between the contending States of the Union, THERE is a limit of imbecility which ought not to be passed just as all the rest of the world desire it, though they have even in drawing up a Queen's Speech, and Her Majesty's slightly divergent views as to the mode of " reconciliation " Ministers, we fear, this year have overpassed it. Cobbett in his which could fairly be characterized as " friendly." The war grammar drew all his examples of vicious style from speeches between Denmark and Germany is only mentioned to express a, put into the mouths of English Kings, but even he would have " well-founded hope "—do the Cabinet intend in that phrase. paused in amazement before the extraordinary document lisped to impose on their Sovereign the prophetic function ?—" that out by the Lord Chancellor on Tuesday. The audience who no renewed disturbance is to be apprehended." The New listened to Lord Westbury's odd delivery so eagerly must have Zealand trouble is mentioned, but only to affirm that felt that the Speech explained at once the otherwise inexplic- the efforts of Her Majesty's forces have been successful, able fact that the Sovereign who attends so assiduously to although the conflict " has not been brought to a close," every other official duty declines to perform the first duty of and that the terms offered to the tribes are "equitable," all—that of lending dignity and grace to the opening of her which they certainly are not — to the colonists, and the Parliament. The Queen could not have read that rubbish greatest project of the day, the Confederation of the American aloud without an unconstitutional feeling of ridicule for a Colonies, receives only a formal approval. One single line in Cabinet which, composed as it is of gentlemen and scholars, the Speech heartily recognizing the loyalty of the Canadians, and containing as it does one great master of language, could and their preference for representative as contrasted with. yet prepare a State paper so entirely devoid at once of dignity, republican institutions, would have been worth a fleet on the of lucidity, and of force. The Queen's Message, we are well Lakes but the word is not spoken, and the Canadians are left aware, has now descended into a formality, a scanty official to feed on the secret suspicion that Canadian confederation is programme of the work which Parliament may be called popular at home as leading to Canadian independence. The upon to attempt ; but still it is a State paper, republished capture of Simonosaki is declared to have been planned by the all over Great Britain, read by the whole population, trans- diplomatic agents and navalcommanders of all the treatypowers, lated into every language of the Continent. No sensible English- and " to have afforded additional strength to the Government of man expects or wishes it to read as well as a newspaper Japan ;" the little Indian war is alluded to only in the un- article, to contain any rhetorical flourishes, to display any of intelligible paragraph for which Lord Granville apologized, that frank strength always apparent in the addresses of the and which Sir Charles Wood will doubtless not attempt to Emperor of the French. Terseness would be unprecedented, explain • and the cyclone, a calamity which Her Majesty- eloquence alarming, point unconstitutional. The Sovereign deeply laments, is attributed to the Indian officials. At home in England does not argue, or threaten, or announce schemes the cotton distress is declared to have abated, Ireland is said of policy which set all Europe in commotion, and are felt to have " had its share in the advantage of a good harvest,"— upon every Bourse almost as much as a rise in the rate of dis- a statement which roused Irish members to a funny explosion count. But still the Royal Speech at the opening of Paslia- of choler—and there the review of the past may be said to end. meat is, or ought to be, a weighty State paper, meant to be The promises for the future are of the very smallest kind. We recorded, certain to be quoted by future historians, sure to be are to have a Palace of Justice—" the children ask for breads criticized by all who study contemporary politics, and as such will ye give them a stone,"—further revision of the statute law, should be marked, if by no other qualities, at least by a which at some future period, when the Cabinet, let us say, is' stately directness and simplicity. Of neither is there in this a little younger, may be " a step towards the formation of a Speech the faintest trace. Her Majesty is actually made in digest of the Law," a Patent Act, an increase in the powers one paragraph to announce that she has " employed a force of County Courts, some measure or other, not stated, for im- ta obtain satisfaction for the past and security for the future" proving the Poor Law, and a bill devised by a commission, from—space. No enemy is mentioned, or indicated, or hinted and not by the Cabinet, upon public schools—a most at, unless indeed the context may be held on close analysis miserable bill of fare ! Not a word of reform, or railway to imply that the enemy is India itself, which nevertheless legislation, or reductions, or the law of settlement, or spiritual enjoys a "general tranquillity." One expects involved sen- tribunals, or any one subject in which the people can be' tences from Sir Charles Wood, whose style has necessarily justly conceived to take any interest, or the Government been spoiled by reading Indian despatches, but other Ministers fairly expected to indicate its policy. So far as the Speech are almost equally guilty. Mr. Gladstone, who has most of the can be accepted as a guide, Lord Palmerston's policy is to do) work of the session to do, is almost excluded from the Speech, nothing, to offer no point to hostile critics, to let the session. merely informing Parliament that "the revenue realizes its esti- glide on, and then to send the Liberals to the country with mated amount;" but even in those three words he commits a his name only for a rallying cry, no programme, no policy, barbarism for which, if he used them in an oration of his own, he no reason for being elected except that being Liberals they would be tempted to apologize. What does Mr. Cowper are willing to support a Premier whom the Tories with mean by erecting law courts in a site, or the Chancellor by loving appreciation hail as one of themselves. Politicians writing about " the important work for the revision of the only wonder as they read it how the Premier ever statute law," or talking about bills which " will be submitted strung himself up to anything so definite as a bill
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