§ The Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was this day opened by Commission. The Lords Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor (LYNDHURST); the Lord President of the Council (BATHURST); the Lord Privy Seal (ROSSLYN); the First Lord of the Treasury (WELLINGTON); and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, (ABERDEEN). Mr. Pulman, acting for Mr. Quarme the Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod, summoned the attendance of the Commons; and the Speaker, attended by numerous Members, appearing at their lordships' bar, (the Commission for opening the Parliament having been read) the Lord Chancellor delivered the Speech of the Lords Commissioners to both Houses of Parliament, which was as follows:—
§ My Lords, and Gentlemen,
§ We are commanded by His Majesty to inform you, that His Majesty receives from all Foreign Powers the strongest Assurances of their Desire to maintain and cultivate the most friendly Relations with this Country.
2§ His Majesty has seen with Satisfaction that the War between Russia and the Ottoman Porte has been brought to a Conclusion. The Efforts of His Majesty to accomplish the main Objects of the Treaty of the 6th July 1827 have been unremitted.
§ His Majesty, having recently concerted with His Allies Measures for the Pacification and final Settlement of Greece, trusts that He shall be enabled, at an early Period, to communicate to you the Particulars of this Arrangement, with such Information as may explain the Course which His Majesty has pursued throughout the Progress of these important Transactions.
§ His Majesty laments that He is unable to announce to you the Prospect of a Reconciliation between the Princes of the House of Braganza.
§ His Majesty has not yet deemed it expedient to re-establish, upon their ancient Footing, His Majesty's Diplomatic Relations with the Kingdom of Portugal; but the numerous Embarrassments arising from the continued Interruption of these Relations increase His Majesty's Desire to effect the Termination of so serious an Evil.
3§ Gentlemen of the House of Commons,
§ His Majesty has directed the Estimates for the current Year to be laid before you. They have been framed with every Attention to Economy, and it will be satisfactory to you to learn that His Majesty will be enabled to propose a considerable Reduction in the Amount of the Public Expenditure, without impairing the Efficiency of our Naval or Military Establishments.
§ We are commanded by His Majesty to inform you, that although the National Income during the last Year has not attained the full Amount at which it had been estimated, the Diminution is not such as to cause any Doubt as to the future Prosperity of the Revenue.
§ My Lords, and Gentlemen,
§ His Majesty commands us to acquaint you, that His Attention has been of late earnestly directed to various important Considerations connected with Improvements in the general Administration of the Law.
§ His Majesty has directed that Measures shall be submitted for your Deliberation, of which some are calculated, in the Opinion of His Majesty, to facilitate and expedite the Course of Justice in different Parts of the United Kingdom, and others appear to be necessary Preliminaries to a Revision of the Practice and Proceedings of the Superior Courts.
§ We are commanded to assure you, that His Majesty feels confident that you will give your best Attention and Assistance to Subjects of such deep and lasting Concern to the Well-being of His People.
§ His Majesty commands us to inform you, that the Export in the last Year of British Produce and Manufactures has exceeded that of any former Year.
§ His Majesty laments that, notwithstanding this Indication of active Commerce, Distress should prevail among the Agricultural and Manufacturing Classes in some Parts of the United Kingdom.
4§ It would be most gratifying to the paternal Feelings of His Majesty to be enabled to propose for your Consideration Measures calculated to remove the Difficulties of any Portion of His Subjects, and at the same Time compatible with the general and permanent Interests of His People.
§ It is from a deep Solicitude for those Interests, that His Majesty is impressed with the Necessity of acting with extreme Caution in reference to this important Subject.
§ His Majesty feels assured that you will concur with him in assigning due Weight to the Effect of unfavourable Seasons, and to the Operation of other causes which are beyond the Reach of Legislative Control or Remedy.
§ Above all, His Majesty is convinced that no Pressure of temporary Difficulty will induce you to relax the Determination which you have uniformly manifested to maintain inviolate the Public Credit, and thus to uphold the high Character and the permanent Welfare of the Country.
§ MINUTES.] The Commons afterwards withdrew. Their Lordships resumed at five o'clock.—The LORD BISHOP OF OXFORD then took the Oaths and his Seat.—Lord ARUNDELL took the Oath prescribed by the 10th Geo. 4th. to be taken by Peers professing the Roman Catholic Religion.—The Certificate of the Return of the Earl of GLENGALL as a Peer for Ireland, in the room of the Earl of Blessinton, deceased, was read.—The Select Vestries Bill was brought in and read the first time pro formâ:— the Bill was introduced by the Duke of WELLINGTON.