In the House of Lords the scene was far more brilliant, though not more imposing than that of the 14th of February last year, when the Great Queen had just passed away, and everywhere signs of mourning were visible. "The year of Court mourning is not quite at an end even now but. it. was officially announced that for yesterday's State ceremony mourning need not be worn, and the peeresses and other ladies present were gorgeous in raiment and resplendent with jewels. The ceremonial was much better stage-managed, too, this time. Members of "societ people who have no direct connection with the throne or the legislature, but who nevertheless obtained admission last year, were excluded yesterday, and there was consequently ample room for all the members of the House of Commons, who were able to attend. There was a good deal of irritation last year at the way in which the Commons were treated as of almost no account in the ceremony of opening Parliamonb; and it was not forgotten that the dignity of the more important of the two legislative Chambers was slighted to some extent on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee, though Queen Victoria, who was not responsible for the slight, did her best afterwards to repair it. I have no doubt that it is due to the King himself, whose tact in such matters is proverbial, that his faithful Commons have received greater consideration this year.
The King's Speech.
With regard to the King's speech, Lord Rosebery remarked—and some peers on the Conservative side of the House must have agreed with him—that a more jejune speech was never placed in the lips of any monarch. The paragraphs relating to the tour of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the War, and our relations with Foreign Powers were unexceptionable, if not very illuminating, the only point of topical interest being a reference to the fact that our soldiers in South Africa have displayed "a humanity even to their own detriment, in the treatment of the enemy, which is deserving of the highest praise But it is to the clauses relating to com ing legislation that one always turns with interest, and these are peculiarly uninspiring. They include proposals for the coordination and improvement of prima y and secondary education, a measure for amending the administration of London's water supply, a Bill for facilitating the sale and purchase of land in Ireland, and measures for improving the law of valuation, for amending the law relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors and for the registration of clubs, for amending the patent laws, and for sundry reforms in the Jaw of lunacy. It is not @ very interesting list, and the only important item in it—that dealing with education—is much too} thorny a subject to be adequately dealt' with in a session which the Commons are to devote largely to a reform of their own} mode of procedure with a view to putting! down obstruction.
Mr. Chamberlain and Count von Buelow.
Naturally, however, it was to the War in South Africa and the questions arising out of it that opening speeches in both Houses were mainly and indeed almost exclusively directed. And among these questions the (we of greatest interest at the moment are the differences which divide the Liberal Party, and the German Chancellor's recent speech in the Reichstag and Mr. Chamberlain's reply to it. Neither of these subjects came in for much dis-IS nin the House. The first is a matter for the Liberals to discuss among them-ni with regard to Mr. Chamberlain, ch at the Birmingham Jewellers' has rendered him so among the Radicals slonial Secretary most cordi to hold their tongues about Imperialist Liber they 1 it heartily. They hav plenty inst Mr. Chamberlain's gen ally; but they admit that his unt von Billow was patriotic, and well-deserved. Von Billow nated that the Bri ment hud apologised the Colonial nous Comparison of the present Bee with the German and other Con Chamberlain swept all that have said T have said, "1 withdraw nothing, L qual defend nothing. AS read history no British Minister has ever served his coun tuy faithfully and at the same Lime enjoye popularity abroad. ko allowance therefore for foreign criticism. I will not follow un example that has been set to me. Tdo not want to give lessons to a foreign Minister, and 1 will wot accept any at his hands.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.