NEWS OF THE WEEK.
MHE Queen prorogued Parliament by commission on Thurs- day. Of course the Speech, which was read by Lord Selborne, was not very jubilant, and commenced with regret. "The satis- faction with which I ordinarily release you from discharging the duties of the Session is, on the present occasion, qualified by a sincere regret that an important part of your labours should have failed to result in a legislative enactment." The failure of the Conference is regretted ; and then the Queen adds :— "I shall continue to fulfil with fidelity the duties which grow out of the presence of my troops in the Valley of the Nile,"—a somewhat odd form of speech, for did not the presence of the Queen's troops in the Valley of the Nile grow out of the duties they were to perform there, rather than the duties out of their presence ?—" and I trust that the Special Mission which I have determined upon sending to that country may materially aid me in considering what counsels to tender• to the Egyptian Govern- ment, and what steps to adopt in connection therewith." The only Acts enumerated are,—the Act for lightening the burden of the National Debt by the conversion of stock, the Municipal Corrupt Practices Act, the Act for• Restricting the Importation of Cattle, and the Act for Extending the Hours of Polling in Boroughs, naturally a very meagre list. The Speech contains the usual assurances of friendly relations with foreign Powers, and intimates the Sovereign's design "at an early period to draw your attention, as I have done during the Session now expiring, to the great subject of the Representation of the people."
