tion Cabinet by the Earl of Aberdeen. On the 10th of February, 1853, the real business of the session commenced; and between that period and the prorogation 116 Bills were introduced by the Ministry, of which 104 passed into law, 10 were withdrawn, and only 2 rejected. But that for which the session of 1853 will be most remarkable is, that measures, not only numerous, but of great importance and complexity, and dealing with questions of a very controverted nature, should have been originated, elaborated, and carried in so short a period.

We cannot conclude our narrative of the events of the present year without dwelling for a moment upon the contrast afforded by the prospect of its opening with the condition of affairs at its close. At the commencement of 1853 the retrospect of the past and the anticipations of the future were equally happy. The cheapness and abundance of the necessaries of life had brought content and comfort to the people. The unprecedented extension of our commerce and shipping had given

an

enormous stimulus to trade and manufactures, and the great prosperity of the working classes had occasioned an immense demand for all articles of food. Thus the agricultural interest, in common with the mercantile, the manufacturing, the carrying, the colonial and banking interests, were all full of hope and exertion. But, as the year passed on, the horizon darkened. The gloomy prospects of the harvest, which prognosticated a short crop, not only in these islands but in every corn-growing country in Europe, were only too well verified by the result. At a period of scarcity,

when some contraction of trade was to be expected, and an increase in the rate of wages was obviously impossible, a sudden rage possessed the population in large portions of the manufacturing districts with the hope of bettering their circumstances through the desperate and suicidal agency of "strikes," and the reckless contest was still prolonged. But that which, at the close of 1853, riveted the attention of all men, and bade fair to give to the past year a melancholy prominence in history, was the probability of its being the last of the great peace which followed the wars of the French Revolution. The events which threatened to lead to this catastrophe will be found detailed in another part of the volume.

It only remains for us to notice that an important ministerial crisis was occasioned by the announcement, on the 16th of December, that Viscount Palmerston had resigned his office of Secretary of State for the Home Department. His resignation, however, was not accepted, and, after an interval of some days' suspense, the noble Lord was prevailed upon to withdraw it. The opponents of the Government, with some colour of probability, asserted that Lord Palmerston's secession from office was occasioned by a difference of opinion on his part as to the policy of the Cabinet upon the Eastern question. On the other hand, this was strenuously contradicted by the adherents of the Ministry; but, as all explanation upon the subject was declined in Parliament, the motive for a step so dangerous to the stability of the Earl of Aberdeen's Cabinet must, at present, remain matter for conjecture.

his credentials were presented and accepted.

The next important event was the marriage of the Emperor. The lady whom Napoleon III. selected for his bride was Eugenia de Montijo, Countess-Duchess of Téba, the daughter of Dona Maria Manuela Kirkpatrick, Countess Dowager of Montijo, Countess of Miranda, and Duchess of Penaconda, who was the widow of the Count de Montijos, an officer of rank in the Spanish army. The name of the Countess de Montijo's father was Kirkpatrick, who, at the time of her marriage with him, was the English Consul at Malaga. The Count de Montijos belonged to one of the most ancient of the noble families of Spain. In a communication from the Heralds' College at Paris, the following account was given of it:-"Our future Empress belongs to the house of Guzman, whose origin dates back to the earliest times of the Spanish monarchy, and which several historians say was the issue of royal blood. All the branches of this family have played a distinguished part in history. We will quote among others those of the Dukes of Medina, of Las Torres, of Medina-Sidonia, and of Olivares, and those of the Counts of Montijo, of Teba or Teva, and of Villaverde, Marquis de Ardales, de la Algara, &c., grandees of Spain. The Duchess de Teba, Countess de Montijo, descends from this last branch. It is not the first time that this family has been called to ascend the throne; for, in 1633, Dona Luiza Francisca de Guzman, daughter of Juan Perez de Guzman, eighth Duke of MedinaSidonia, married the King of Portugal, Don Juan IV. of Braganza. The Counts de Montijo have the

France, by her successive revolutions, has always abruptly separated from the rest of Europe. Every prudent Government ought certainly to endeavour to again place her within the pale of the old monarchies; but that result will be more surely attained by a straightforward and candid policy, and by good faith in all transactions, than by royal alliances, which create feelings of false security, and frequently substitute family interest for that of the nation. Besides, the examples of the past have left in the mind of the people certain superstitious persuasions. It is not forgotten that for the last seventy years foreign princesses have ascended the steps of the throne only to behold their offspring dispersed and proscribed by war or by revolution. One woman only appeared to bring with her good fortune, and to live longer than the others in the memory of the people; and that woman, the good and modest wife of General Buona

parte, was not the issue of a royal family.

"It must, however, be admitted, that in 1810 the marriage of Napoleon I. with Marie-Louise was a great event: it was a pledge for the future, and a decided satisfaction for the national pride, since the ancient and illustrious house of Austria, who had so long been at war with us, solicited the alliance of the elected chief of a new empire. In the last reign, on the contrary, has not the amour propre of the country had to suffer, when the heir to the throne was seen soliciting for several years without result the alliance of a sovereign house, and at last obtained a princess, accomplished, undoubtedÎy, but only of a secondary rank, and of a different religion?

"When in the face of old Europe a man is raised by the force of a new principle to a level with the long-established dynasties, it is not by giving an ancient character to his blazon, and by endeavouring to introduce himself at any price into the family of kings, that he can get himself accepted; it is infinitely rather by always bearing in mind his origin, by preserving his peculiar character, and by frankly taking up before Europe the position of one who has arrived at fortune (position de parvenu)—a glorious position, when success is achieved by the free suffrage of a great people.

"Thus, obliged to depart from the precedents hitherto followed, my marriage was no longer anything but a private affair: the only thing that remained was the choice of the person. She who has become the object of my preference is of high birth. French in heart, by education, and by the remembrance of the blood which her

father shed for the cause of the Empire, she has, as a Spaniard, the advantage of not having in France any family to whom she would wish to give honours and dignities. Gifted with every mental quality, she will be the ornament of the throne, as in the day of danger she would become one of its most courageous supports. A pious Catholic, she will address to Heaven the same prayers as myself for the happiness of France: gracious and good, she will exhibit, I firmly hope, in the same position, the virtues of the Empress Josephine.

"I come, therefore, gentlemen, to say to France, I have preferred a woman whom I love and respect to one unknown, and whose alliance would have had advantages mingled with sacrificcs. Without testifying disdain for any one, I yield to my inclination, but not without having first consulted my reason and my convictions. In short, in placing independence, qualities of heart, and family happiness, above dynastic prejudices and calculations of ambition, I shall not be the less strong, since I shall be more at liberty.

"Soon, in proceeding to Nôtre Dame, I shall present the Empress to the people and to the army. The confidence which they have in me assures me of their kind feeling towards her whom I have chosen; and you, gentlemen, in learning to know her, will be convinced that again on this occasion I have been inspired by Providence."

The civil marriage of the Emperor and his bride was celebrated at the Tuileries on the 29th of January. The Countess of Téba was accompanied by her mother, the Duc de Cambacères, and the Spanish minister, the Marquis de

Valdegamas. They left the Palais Elysée under an escort of Cuirassiers, and were received at the Pavillon de Flore, in the Tuileries, by the Duc de Bassano and a crowd of the great functionaries of State, by whom they were conducted to the Salon de Famille, where the Emperor awaited their arrival in the midst of a brilliant assembly of civil, ecclesiastical, and military dignities. The Countess of Téba was warmly greeted by the Emperor, who led her to a chair of honour, and then presented her to the chief Officers of State. A procession was next formed to the Salle des Maréchaux, at the end of which were two chairs of State, on which the Emperor and the future Empress seated themselves. M. Fould then advanced, and pronounced in a loud voice the words "In the name of the Emperor." Napoleon III. and the Countess of Téba immediately rose, when M. Fould, addressing himself to the former, asked, "Does your Majesty declare that you take in marriage Her Excellency Mademoiselle Eugénie de Montijo, Countess de Téba, here present?" The Emperor answered, "I declare that I take in marriage Her Excellency Mademoiselle Eugénie de Montijo, Countess de Téba, here present." The Minister of State then, turning to the bride, said, "Mademoiselle Eugénie de Montijo, Countess of Téba, does your Excellency declare that you take in marriage His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon III., here present?" The Countess replied, "I declare that I take in marriage His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon III., here present.' The Minister of State then pronounced the following words: "In the name of the Emperor, of the Constitution, and of

the law, I declare that His Majesty Napoleon III.. Emperor of the French, by the grace of God and the national will, and Her Excellency Mademoiselle Eugénie de Montijo, Countess of Téba, are united in marriage."

Next day the ecclesiastical ceremony was performed in the church of Notre Dame, which was thronged to overflowing by those who were fortunate enough to obtain tickets of admission. We need not describe the gorgeous ceremonial further than by transcribing the following contemporary account:

"The Archbishop, addressing the Emperor and Empress, said, Do you present yourselves here to contract marriage in presence of the Church?' The Imperial pair answered, Yes, Monsieur.' The silence at this moment was so profound that these words might be heard throughout the spacious edifice. After these words, the first almoner of the Emperor, preceded by a master of ceremonies, advanced to deposit the pieces of gold, with a ring, in a plate on the altar, and afterwards presented them to the Archbishop for the benediction. The Archbishop then, turning towards the Emperor, said

Sire, you declare, acknowledge, and swear, before God and before his holy Church, that you now take Mademoiselle de Montijo, Comtesse de Téba, here present, for your wife and legitimate spouse?' The Emperor answered with a firm and sonorous voice, Yes, Monsieur.' The Prelate continued You promise and swear to be faithful in all things as a faithful husband should be to his spouse, according to the commandment of God?' The Emperor again responded, Yes, Monsieur.' The Archbishop then,