§ The LORDS COMMISSIONERS—namely, The LORD CHANCELLOR (Lord Westbury); The LORD STEWARD OF THE HOUSEHOLD (The Earl of St. Germans); The DUKE OF NEWCASTLE (One of the Principal Secretaries of State); The LORD STANLEY OF ALDERLEY (The Postmaster General); and The LORD WENSLEYDALE—being in their robes, and seated on a Form placed between the Throne and the Woolsack; and the COMMONS being come with their Speaker, the ROYAL ASSENT was given to several Bills.
§ "My Lords, and Gentlemen,
§ "WE are commanded by Her Majesty to release you from further Attendance in Parliament, and at the 1491 same Time to convey to you Her Majesty's Acknowledgments for the Zeal and Assiduity with which you have applied yourselves to the Performance of your Duties during the Session now brought to a Close.
§ "HER Majesty has seen with deep Regret the present Condition of Poland. Her Majesty has been engaged, in concert with the Emperor of the French and the Emperor of Austria, in Negotiations, the Object of which has been to obtain the Fulfilment of the Stipulations of the Treaty of Vienna of 1815, on behalf of the Poles. Her Majesty trusts that those Stipulations will be carried into execution, and that thus a Conflict distressing to Humanity and dangerous to the Tranquillity of Europe may be brought to a Close.
§ "THE Civil War between the Northern and Southern States of the North American Union still, unfortunately, continues, and is necessarily attended with much Evil, not only to the contending Parties, but also to Nations which have taken no Part in the Contest. Her Majesty, however, has seen no Reason to depart from that strict Neutrality which Her Majesty has observed from the Beginning of the Contest.
§ "THE Greek Nation having chosen Prince William of Denmark for their King, Her Majesty is taking Steps with a view to the Union of the Ionian Islands with the Kingdom of Greece. For this Purpose Her Majesty is in communication with the Powers who were Parties to the Treaty of 1815, by which those Islands were placed under the Protection of the British Crown; and the Wishes of the 1492 Ionians on the Subject of such Union will be duly ascertained.
§ "SEVERAL barbarous Outrages committed in Japan upon British Subjects have rendered it necessary for Her Majesty to demand Reparation; and Her Majesty hopes that Her Demands will be conceded by the Japanese Government without its being necessary to resort to coercive Measures to enforce them.
§ "THE Emperor of Brazil has thought fit to break off his Diplomatic Relations with Her Majesty in consequence of Her Majesty not having complied with Demands which She did not deem it possible to accede to. Her Majesty has no Wish that this Estrangement should continue, and would be glad to see Her Relations with Brazil re-established.
§ "Gentlemen of the House of Commons,
§ "HER Majesty commands us to convey to you Her warm Acknowledgments for the liberal Supplies which you have granted for the Service of the present Year, and towards the permanent Defence of Her Majesty's Dockyards and Arsenals; and Her Majesty commands us to thank you for the Provision you have made for the Establishment of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
§ "My Lords and Gentlemen,
§ "THE Distress which the Civil War in North America has inflicted upon a Portion of Her Majesty's Subjects in the Manufacturing Districts, and towards the Relief of which such generous and munificent Contributions have been made, has in some 1493 Degree diminished, and Her Majesty has given Her cordial Assent to Measures calculated to have a beneficial Influence upon that unfortunate State of Things.
§ "SYMPTOMS of a Renewal of Disturbances have manifested themselves in Her Majesty's Colony of New Zealand, but Her Majesty trusts that by wise and conciliatory Measures, supported by adequate Means of Repression, Order and Tranquillity will be maintained in that valuable and improving Colony.
§ "HER Majesty has given Her Assent to a Measure for augmenting the Income of a considerable Number of small Benefices, and She trusts that this Measure will be conducive to the Interests of the Established Church.
§ "HER Majesty has given Her Assent to an Act for the Revision of a large Portion of the Statute Book, by the Removal of many Acts, which, although they had become obsolete or unnecessary, obstructed the Condensation of the Statute Law.
§ "HER Majesty has felt much Pleasure in giving Her Assent to an Act for placing upon a well-defined Footing that Volunteer Force which has added a most important Element to the defensive Means of the Country.
§ "HER Majesty has gladly given Her Assent to an Act for carrying into effect the Additional Treaty concluded by Her Majesty with The President of the United States for the more effectual Suppression of the Slave Trade; and Her Majesty trusts that the honourable Co-operation of the Government of the United States will materially assist Her Majesty in those Endeavours 1494 which Great Britain has long been engaged in making to put an end to the Perpetration of that most disgraceful Crime. Her Majesty has assented with Satisfaction to many other Measures of public Usefulness, the Result of your Labours during the present Session.
§ "IT has been gratifying to Her Majesty to observe that, notwithstanding many adverse Circumstances, the general Prosperity of Her Empire continues unimpaired. Though great local Distress has been suffered in Great Britain from the Effects of the Civil War in America, and in Ireland from the Results of Three unfavourable Seasons, the financial Resources of the United Kingdom have been fully maintained, and its general Commerce with the World at large has not been materially impaired.
§ "IT has been a Source of great Satisfaction to Her Majesty to find that Her East Indian Possessions, rapidly recovering from the Disasters which lately overspread them, are entering upon a Course of Improvement, social, financial, and commercial, which holds out good Promise for the growing Prosperity of those extensive Regions.
§ "ON returning to your several Counties you will still have important Duties to perform; and Her Majesty fervently prays that the Blessing of Almighty God may attend your Efforts to promote the Welfare and Happiness of Her Subjects, the Object of Her constant and earnest Solicitude."
§ Then a Commission for proroguing the Parliament was read.
§ After which
1495§ My Lords and Gentlemen,
§ By virtue of Her Majesty's Commission, under the Great Seal, to us and other Lords directed, and now read, we do, in Her Majesty's Name, and in obedience to Her Commands, prorogue this Parliament to Wednesday the Fourteenth Day of October next, to be then here holden; and this Parliament is accordingly prorogued to Wednesday the Fourteenth Day of October next.