Parliament was opened on Thursday by the Queen in person.
The Lord Chancellor, however, read the Speech, in which the Houses were informed that her Majesty's mediation having been requested by Servia, the Government had proposed to Turkey certain bases of peace, which the Porte, though not accepting them, agreed to discuss. Subsequently it was necessary to denounce to the Porte the " excesses " perpetrated in Bulgaria, and "an armistice having been arranged," the Conference met. "In taking these steps, my object has been throughout to maintain the peace of Europe, and to bring about the better government of the disturbed Provinces, without infringing upon the independence and integrity of the Ottoman Empire." "The proposals have not, I regret to say, been accepted by the Porte, but the result of the Conference has been to show the existence of a general agreement among the Euro- pean Powers, which cannot fail to have a material effect upon the condition and government of Turkey." In the meantime, the armistice has been prolonged, and "I trust, may yet lead to the conclusion of an honourable peace." For the rest, the Speech is unimportant. Her Majesty mentions the coronation at Delhi, but regrets the Indian famine, and promises that every resource shall be employed to arrest it. She regrets also the conduct of the Transvaal Republic which may not, however, lead to serious evil ; omits the usual reference to " economy " in the Estimates; and promises some small Bills, of which the University Bill for Oxford and Cambridge is the most important.
