Opening of Parliament--A Cold Speech from the Throne--Moderation of Militant Toryism--Mr. Disraeli’s Cynical Strategy--The Betrayal of Kars--The Life Peerage Controversy--Baron Parke’s Nickname--More Attacks on Prince Albert--Court Favouritism among Men of Science--The Congress of Paris--How France Betrayed England--Walewski’s Intrigues with Orloff--Mr. Greville’s Pictures of French Official Life--Snubbing Bonapartist Statesmen--Peace Proclaimed--Popular Rejoicings--A Memento of the Congress--The Terms of Peace--The Tripartite Treaty--The Queen’s Opinion of the Settlement--Parliamentary Criticism on the Treaty of Paris--Stagnation of Public Life in England--The Queen’s “Happy Family” Dinner Party--A little “Tiff” with America--The Restoration of H.M.S. _Resolute_--The Budget--Palmerston’s Tortuous Italian Policy--The Failure of his Domestic Policy--The Confirmation of the Princess Royal--Robbery of the Royal Nursery Plate--Prince Alfred’s Tutor--Reviews of Crimean Troops--Debates on the Purchase System--Lord Hardinge’s Tragic Death--The Duke of Cambridge as Commander-in-Chief--Miss Nightingale’s Visit to Balmoral--Coronation of the Czar--Russian Chicanery at Paris--A Bad Map and a False Frontier--Quarrel between Prussia and Switzerland--Quarrel between England and the Sicilies--Death of the Queen’s Half-Brother--Settlement of the Dispute with Russia--“The Dodge that Saved us.” Parliament was opened by the Queen in person on the 31st of January, 1856, vast crowds flocking to Westminster for the purpose of testifying their interest in the negotiations for peace. The Royal speech was a brief and business-like summary of the events that had led up to these negotiations, and it announced measures for assimilating the mercantile law of England and Scotland, simplifying the law of partnership, and reforming the system of levying dues on merchant shipping. Complaint was made that the references to the achievements of the army were cold and unsympathetic, as if the speech were that, not of a Sovereign, but of a Minister, and Lord Derby was perhaps right in saying that had her Majesty been left to the promptings of her heart, her Address would not have been open to this objection. Those who had observed the warm womanly sympathy she had shown to the wounded soldiers, or who had witnessed her agitation when she decorated the maimed Crimean heroes, knew well that had she been free to speak as she felt, she would have uttered eloquent words of thanks and praise to cheer the troops still keeping watch and ward in the Crimea.