THE LORD CHANCELLORacquainted the House,
That Her Majesty, not thinking fit to be personally present here this day, has been pleased to cause a Commission to be issued under the Great Seal, in order to the opening and holding of this Parliament.2 Then Five of the Lords Commissioners —namely, The LORD CHANCELLOR, The LORD PRIVY SEAL (The Duke of Argyll), The SECRETARY OF STATE FOE FOREIGN AFFAIRS (The Earl Granville), The LORD HIGH STEWARD (The Earl Sydney), and The EARL OF NORTHBROOK (First Lord of the Admiralty), being in their Robes, and seated on a Form placed between the Throne and the Woolsack, commanded the Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod to let the Commons know "The Lords Commissioners desire their immediate Attendance in this House, to hear the Commission read."Who being come;
THE LORD CHANCELLORsaid—
My Lords, and Gentlemen,HER MAJESTY, not thinking fit to be present here this day in Her Royal Person, hath been pleased, in order to the opening and holding of this Parliament, to cause Letters Patent to be issued under Her Great Seal, constituting us and several other Lords therein named Her Commissioners, to do all things, in Her Majesty's name, on Her part necessary to be performed in this Parliament: This will more fully appear by the Letters Patent themselves, which must now be read.Then the said Letters Patent were read by the Clerk. And then
§ "My Lords, and Gentlemen,
§ "We have it in command from Her Majesty to let you know, that as soon as the Members of both Houses shall be sworn, the causes of Her Majesty's calling this Parliament will be declared to you; and it being necessary a Speaker of the House of Commons should be first chosen, it is Her Majesty's Pleasure that you, Gentlemen of the House of Commons, repair to the Place where you are to sit, and there proceed to the Choice of some proper Person to be your Speaker; and that you present such person, whom you shall so choose, here, to-morrow, at two o'clock, for Her Majesty's royal approbation."
§ Then the Commons withdrew.
§ The House adjourned during pleasure.
§ House resumed.
§ PRAYERS.
§ The Lord Chancellor—Singly, in the first place, took and subscribed the Oath at the Table.
§ Certificate of the Election of Sixteen Representative Peers for Scotland — Delivered, and read as follows:—
- The Earl of Mar and Kellie.
- The Earl of Morton.
- The Earl of Strathmore.
- The Earl of Haddington.
- The Earl of Airlie.
- The Earl of Leven and Melville.
- The Earl of Selkirk.
- The Earl of Dundonald,
- The Viscount Strathallan.
- The Lord Forbes.
- The Lord Saltoun.
- The Lord Elphinstone.
- The Lord Borthwick.
- The Lord Blantyre.
- The Lord Colville of Culross.
- The Lord Balfour of Burleigh.
§ ROLL OF THE LORDS—Garter King of Arms attending, delivered at the Table (in the usual Manner) a List of the Lords Temporal in the First Session of the Twenty-second Parliament of the United Kingdom: The same was ordered to lie on the Table.
§ Several Lords—Took the Oath.
§ House adjourned at Five o'clock, till To-morrow, Two o'clock.