The dullest, least useful, and in many respects most melancholy
Session of our time closed on the 14th inst. The Royal Message alludes to the War as one in which Great Britain intends to pre- serve an attitude of neutrality, so long as the interests of the .country remain unaffected. " The extent and nature of those interests were defined in a communication which I caused to be addressed to the Government of Russia, and which elicited a reply indicating friendly dispositions on the part of that State." If occasion should arise, the Queen will confidently rely on the help of Parliament. Her Majesty deplores the famine in South India, which is declared to be " of extreme severity, and likely to be prolonged." It is affirmed that the annexation of the Transvaal has been " received throughout the province with enthusiasm," and the Queen trusts that the Confederation Act will prevent the recurrence of such a danger as the native war which produced the annexation. And finally, the Queen hopes that the Prisons Bill will improve prison management ; that the Universities At will extend the higher education ; that the Irish Judicature Bill will improve the administration of law ; and that the Sheriffs' Court Act will produce the best results. The Message contains only " a beggarly account of empty boxes," but it is short, and written in comparatively decent English.
