roceeding was the reading of the King's speech to his
Parliament in strong, full tones which impressively and clearly filled
the Chamber. This part of the ceremony was rendered unusually
interesting, in view of the fact that the King was understood to have
had more to do with the wording of his speech than had been customary,
and to have changed the conditions by which it had become usual to give
an advance summary of its contents to the press. Reference was made to
the death of the Queen and to his own accession, to the progress of the
South African War, the Chinese troubles, the establishment of the
Australian Commonwealth, the sending of additional Contingents from the
Colonies to the front, the famine in India, the relief of the Coomassie
garrison, and to his intention to carry out the late Sovereign's wish
regarding the Imperial tour of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and
York. The whole function was of a solemn and impressive and splendid
character, in keeping with the traditions of the Crown and in harmony
with the known intentions of the King to assume the full ceremonial and
dignity of his position. The _Times_, on the following morning, referred
to the enthusiastic reception of the King and Queen as they drove to
Westminster and to the inspiring and exhilarating character of the scene
in the House of Lords. "The present generation has seen hardly anything,
not even excepting the processions of 1887 and 1897, at all comparable
in splendour and solemnity with the pageant yesterday at Westminster."

The session of Parliament which followed was closely and continuously
associated with subjects arising out of the King's accession. An early
and prominent topic was the Declaration taken against Roman Catholicism.
Under date of February 20th, Cardinal Vaughan issued a letter to his
Diocese declaring that "patriotism and loyalty to the Sovereign are
characteristic of the Catholics of this country and are to be counted
on, quite independently of passing emotions of pain or pleasure, because
they are rooted in a permanent dictate and principle of religion;" that
Catholics had, however, been made unhappy by the "recent renewal of the
national act of apostacy" in the Sovereign's branding by solemn
Declaration their religious doctrines as superstitious and idolatrous;
that the Catholic Peers had done well in protesting to the Lord
Chancellor against the continued use of this Declaration; that British
legislators in all part