THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. Sketched by a Parl1amentary Journal1st. THE opening of Parliament by the Queen is one of the most brilliant and im pressive spectacles in the world; and even when performed by Royal Commission it is — though, naturally, shorn of much of its splendor by the absence of the sovereign — a stately and interesting ceremony. Parliament is summoned in the name of the sovereign, but really by the cabinet. A proclamation signed by the Queen is published in the " London Gazette "— the official organ of the Government — calling together the lords, spiritual and temporal, and the representatives of the people, for the transaction of divers urgent and impor tant business in the Palace of Westminster on a certain day. Tuesday or Thursday is usually chosen; and two o'clock is always the hour fixed for the opening ceremony. In the morning, the extensive cellars beneath the Houses of Parliament are searched by a number of Yeomen of the Guards, or the Guards of the Tower of London, clad in their quaint and picturcsque'uniforms. This searching of the cellars originated after the attempt of Guy Fawkes to blow up the two Houses and their members in the days of James I; and such is the un willingness of Parliament to part with any of its ceremonies, which, though now use less for their original purpose, give a charm to its proceedings, that th1s custom has sur vived for nearly three centuries, and will probably last as long as Parliament itself. The members of the House of Commons begin to assemble about nine o'clock. They are obliged to come down thus early in order to secure seats in the Chamber, for, curiously enough, it accommodates only about half of the 670 members of the House. A member secures a seat by placing his hat upon it. But, according to the rules and regulations of the House, it must be his
real working hat, and not a colorless substi tute. This means that if a member were to bring a second hat with him, and were to leave the House for a walk in the streets, he would forfeit all right to the seat on which he had placed the other hat. Mem bers must, therefore, stay about the precincts of the House, no matter how early they may have made their appearance; but this they can do very comfortably, having at Westmin ster all the advantages of a first-class club, dining-rooms, tea-rooms, smoking-rooms, library, bath-rooms and a large staff of atten dants. The only members of the House who have not to fight for seats are ministers, for whom the Treasury Bench, or the front bench near the table and to the right of the Speaker, is reserved; and ex-ministers, who occupy what is called the Front Opposition Bench, at the opposite side of the table and, therefore, to the left of the Speaker. As two o'clock approaches, a most im posing array of shining silk hats, with just a slight sprinkling of low hats and soft felts, is seen on the benches on each side of the House, while the members are gathered together in groups, irrespective of party, chatting, joking and laughing, relating their experiences during the recess, or discussing political prospects of the session. Suddenly the animated buzz of conversation in the chamber is stilled by cries of: " Way for the Speaker! Way for the Speaker!" which resound in stentorian tones through the lobbies outside; and the cry is followed by a rush of members to their places. The benches are now thronged, and members respectfully stand uncovered to receive the Speaker. Arrayed in a flowing silk gown, kneebreeches, silk stockings, shoes with silver buckles, on his head a huge wig, with wings that fall down at each side over his should
