only to incite them to more furious rhodomontade. The language which the printed reports of their proceedings imputed to O'Connell, went on one occasion to such a length, that the attorney-general deemed it proper to hold that gentleman to bail. An indictment was subsequently preferred against him for the words which he had used, but the grand jury did not find the bill. Except in this one point, the political horizon was unclouded. Nearly all property had risen greatly in pecuniary value, and every branch of internal industry was thriving. Agricultural distress had disappeared; the persons employed in the cotton and woollen manufactures were in full employment; the various departments of the iron trade were flourishing; on all sides new buildings were in the progress of erection; and money was so abundant, that men of enterprise, though without capital, found no difficulty in commanding funds for any plausible undertaking. This substantial and solid prosperity was stimulated to an additional extent, and was in appearance still further magnified, by the operation of the many jointstock companies which had sprung into sudden existence in the former year. Some of these had put in motion a considerable quantity of industry, and increased the demand for various articles; and all of them, at their commencement, and for some time afterwards, tended to throw a certain sum of money into more active circulation, and to multiply the transfers of property from one hand to another. As these speculations still retained their popularity, the apparent prosperity arising from their artificial stimulus presented an imposing Some of these projects derived fresh popularity, and the general satisfaction with the measures of the government was much increased, by an important step which was taken in fixing the foreign relations of the country. Mr. Canning made a formal communication to the foreign ministers accredited to our court, in which he stated "That in conse quence of the repeated failures of the applications of his majesty's government to the court of Spain, relative to the recognition of the Independent States of South America, his majesty has come to a determination to appoint chargés des affaires to the States of Colombia, Mexico, and Buenos Ayres ; and to enter into treaties of commerce with those respective States on the basis of the recognition of General United Coal Company. Irish Investment and Equitable Loan Bank. Equitable Investment Company. Metropolitan Investment Society. Surrey, Sussex, and Hants Rail-road Company. Taunton Grand Western Rail-road Company. Metropolitan Banking Company. .. 821. 1251. 441. pm. 591. 1551. 1157. 1251. their Independence." This measure, beneficial and popular in itself, was the more acceptable, because it was justly deemed prophetic of the course which would be adopted with regard to Chilé, Peru, and Guatemala, as soon as a stable governments should be created in these countries. On the 3rd of February the session of parliament was opened by commission. The commissioners present were the lord chancellor, the archbishop of Canterbury, the earl of Westmorland, the earl of Harrowby, and the earl of Shaftesbury. After the speaker and several of the members of the House of Commons had been introduced, the Lord Chancellor read the following speech: 66 My Lords and Gentlemen, "We are commanded by his Metropolitan Flour and Bread Com pany. London and Manchester Equitable Loan Company. Grand Junction Rail-road Company. Erection of a new Pier at St. Ives. Equitable Loan Bank Company. British Patent Brick Company. Investment Bank. Palladium Insurance Company. Crown Life Assurance Company. London Northern Rail-road Company. British Shipping Loan Company. London, Brighton, and Devonshire Fishing and Steam Navigation Company. Majesty to express to you the gratification which his Majesty derives from the continuance and progressive increase of that public prosperity upon which his Majesty congratulated you at the opening of the last session of Parliament. There never was a period in the history of this country when all the great interests of the nation were, at the same time, in so thriving a condition, or when a feeling of content and satisfaction was more widely diffused through all classes of the British people. It is no small addition to the gratification of his Majesty that Ireland is participating in the general prosperity. The outrages, for the suppression of which extraordinary powers were confided to his Majesty, have so far ceased, as to warrant the suspension of the exercise of those powers in most of the districts heretofore disturbed. Industry and commercial enterprise are extending themselves in that part of the United Kingdom. It is therefore the more to be regretted that associations should exist in Ireland, which have adopt ed proceedings irreconcileable with the spirit of the constitution, and calculated, by exciting alarm, and by exasperating animosities, to endanger the peace of society, and to retard the course of national improvement. His Majesty relies upon your wisdom to consider, without delay, the means of applying a remedy to this evil. His Majesty further recommends the renewal of the inquiries instituted last session into the state of Ireland. His Majesty has with regret the interruption of tranquillity in India by the unprovoked aggression, and extravagant pretensions of the Burmese government, which rendered hostile operations against that State unavoid seen able. It is, however, satisfactory to find that none of the native powers have manifested any unfriendly disposition, and that the bravery and conduct displayed by the forces already employed against the enemy, afford the most favourable prospect of a successful termination of the contest. "Gentlemen of the House of Commons, "His Majesty has directed us to inform you, that the Estimates of the year will be forthwith laid before you. The state of India, and circumstances connected with other parts of his Majesty's foreign possessions, will render some augmentation in his military establishments indispensable. His Majesty has, however, the sincere gratification of believing, that notwithstanding the increase of expense arising out of this augmentation, such is the flourishing condition, and progressive improvement, of the revenue, that it will still be in your power, without affecting public credit, to give additional facilities to the national industry, and to make a further reduction in the burthens of his people. "My Lords and Gentlemen, His Majesty commands us to inform you, that his Majesty continues to receive from his allies, and generally from all princes and states, assurances of their unabated desire to maintain and cultivate the relations of peace with his.. Majesty, and with each other; and that it is his Majesty's constant endeavour to preserve the general tranquillity. ciations which have been so long carried on through his Majesty's ambassador at Constantinople, between the emperor of Russia and the Ottoman Porte, have been brought to an amicable issue. His Majesty has directed to be laid be The nego fore you, copies of arrangements which have been entered into with the kingdoms of Denmark and Hanover, for improving the commercial intercourse between those states and the United Kingdom. A treaty, having for its object the more effectual suppression of the slave trade, has been concluded between his Majesty and the king of Sweden; a copy of which treaty (as soon as the ratifications thereof shall have been exchanged) his Majesty has directed to be laid before you. Some difficulties have arisen with respect to the ratification of the treaty for the same object, which was negociated last year between his Majesty and the United States of America. These difficulties, however, his Majesty trusts, will not finally impede the conclusion of so beneficial an arrangement. In conformity with the declarations which have been repeatedly made by his Majesty, his Majesty has taken measures for confirming by treaties the commercial relations already subsisting between this kingdom and those countries of America which appear to have established their separation from Spain. So soon as these treaties shall be completed, his Majesty will direct copies of them to be laid before you. His Majesty commands us not to conclude without congratulating you upon the continued improvement in the state of the agricultural interest, the solid foundation of our national prosperity; nor without informing you that evident advantage has been derived from the relief which you have recently given to commerce, by the removal of inconvenient restrictions. His Majesty recommends to you to persevere (as circumstances may allow) in the removal of similar restric tions; and his Majesty directs us to assure you, that you may rely upon his Majesty's cordial co-operation in fostering and extending that commerce which, whilst it is, under the blessing of Providence, a main source of strength and power to this country, contributes in no less a degree to the happiness and civilization of mankind." In the House of Lords, viscount Dudley and Ward moved the Address in answer to the Speech, and in doing so, displayed the same ingenuity and precision of thought, with the same elegance of style, which had so often pleased and instructed the House of Commons. He took a view of the state of the country since the conclusion of the peace, and dwelt particularly upon the great increase of our commerce and manufactures. Our present prosperity, he said, was a prosperity extending to all orders, all professions, and all districts, enhanced and invigorated by the flourishing state of all those arts which ministered to human comfort, and by those inventions by which man seemed to have obtained a mastery over nature by the application of her own powers; and which, if any one had ventured to foretel it only a few years ago, would have appeared altogether incredible, but which, now realized, though not yet perfected, presented to us fresh prospects, and a more astonishing career. There never was a time when the spirit of useful improvement, not only in the arts, but in all the details of domestic administration, whether carried on by the public, or by individuals, was so high. That world, too, which had first been opened to us by the genius of a great man, but afterwards closed for centuries by the barbarous and absurd policy of Spain, was, as it were, re-discovered in our days. The last remnant of that veil which concealed it from the observation and intercourse of mankind had just been torn away; and we saw it abounding, not only in those metals which first allured the avarice of greedy adventurers, but in those more precious productions which sustain life and animate industry, and cheering the mind of the philosopher and the statesman with boundless possibilities of reciprocal advantage in civilization and in commerce. He remembered that a great historian and statesman, after describing what appeared to him (and what, according to the imperfect nature of those times, undoubtedly was) a period of great prosperity, still complained, that there was wanting what he called a proper sense and acknowledgment of those blessings. That, of the want of which lord Clarendon had once complained, was not wanting to us now: the people of England felt and acknowledged their happiness: the public contentment was upon a level with the public prosperity. Alluding to the benefits which had arisen from the removal of commercial restrictions, he recommended that the principle should be persevered in. In every case in which the principle had been acted upon, the effects had been highly beneficial. When the bill for the removal of the restrictions on the silk trade was brought forward, how numerous and weighty were the complaints which were made? Yet so far from the trade having decayed, as had been anticipated, it had flourished since that period more rapidly than before, and had since extended almost as fast as the manufacture of cotton had done. We no longer dreaded the rivalry of the foreigner in our market, and were able to contend with him in the markets of the continent. We were now fully taught, that the great commercial prosperity of England had not arisen from our commercial restrictions, but had grown up in spite of them. After stating his conviction that the concession of the claims of the Catholics was essential to the tranquillity of Ireland, he expressed his mortification at seeing much in the language and conduct of the Roman Catholics themselves which was calculated to keep alive the remembrance of old times; to fix upon their church the charge of being semper eadem in its most odious sense; and to strengthen the arguments and embitter the feelings of those who were determined, at all hazards, to resist their claims. Their language had become menacing, and their conduct trod upon the utmost verge of the law; provoking the hostility of their enemies, and terrifying their friends. They had already lost all those that wavered; and they might ere long shake those that were still firm. It was only by reverting to another line of conduct, that they could justify the cordial co-operation of their friends, or conciliate opponents, too strong to be overcome except by the entire subversion of the state itself. They should keep in mind that this is no country for rapid changesthat even our liberties were of slow growth. If they would but compare their own condition with what it was forty years ago, they would see ample reason to be content with the past, and sanguine as to the future. There were now living many who had grown up |