.
 
 RANDO^J RECOLLECTIONS 
 
 HOUSE OF COMMONS, 
 
 THE YEAR 1830 TO THE CLOSE OF 1835. 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 PERSONAL SKETCHES OF THE LEADING MEMBERS OF ALL PARTIES. 
 
 
 BY ONE OF NO PARTY. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 
 E. L. CAREY & A. HART. 
 1836.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE author, during a very regular attendance in the House 
 of Commons for several years past, has been in the habit of 
 taking notes of what was most interesting in the proceedings, 
 as well as of the personal and oratorical peculiarities of the 
 leading members. 
 
 The notes, thus taken from time to time, have accumulated 
 to a size sufficient to form the volume now presented to the 
 public, to a large majority of whom much of its contents, it is 
 presumed, will be novel and interesting. 
 
 In his descriptions of the members it has been his earnest 
 desire to be guided by the strictest impartiality; and he trusts 
 that he has so far succeeded in his object as to betray no poli- 
 tical bias in any of his sketches. 
 
 As has elsewhere, in the volume, been remarked, the author 
 has selected for his subjects those members whose names are 
 most frequently before the public. Hence it necessarily fol- 
 lows, that no mention is made of many members, of great 
 weight and value as Legislators, and of even higher talents 
 than several who are noticed, but who do not take a prominent 
 art in the proceedings of the House.
 
 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS, &c. &c. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE HOUSE. * 
 
 I SHALL not soon forget the disappointment which I expe- 
 rienced on the first sight of the interior of the House of Com- 
 mons.* I had indeed been told that it but ill accorded with 
 the dignity of what has been termed the first assembly of gen- 
 tlemen in the world, or with the importance of the subjects on 
 which they were convened to legislate, but I was not at all 
 prepared for such a place as I then beheld. It was dark, 
 gloomy and badly ventilated, and so small that not more than 
 four hundred out of the six hundred and fifty-eight members 
 could be accommodated in it with any measure of comfort. 
 When an important debate occurred, but especially when that 
 debate was preceded by a call of the House, the members were 
 really to be pitied ; they were literally crammed together, and 
 the heat of the house rendered it in some degree a second 
 edition of the Black Hole of Calcutta. On either side there 
 was a gallery, every corner of which was occupied by legisla- 
 tors; and many, not being able to get even standing room, 
 were obliged to lounge in the refreshment apartments ad- 
 joining St. Stephen's until the division, when they rushed 
 to the voting room in as much haste as if the place they had 
 quitted had been on fire. 
 
 * This was of course the old House of Commons. The new 
 House is much larger, better lighted, and in every respect much 
 more comfortable than the old one; but what is said regarding the 
 arrangement of seats, the places of members, and other matters of 
 form, applies equally to the old and new houses. 
 1*
 
 TUB HOUSE. 
 
 The coiling, the side:?, and c>iulg of the house were lined 
 with wainscot. The floor was covered over with a unit, ami 
 the scats uf the inrmhors consisted of plain lirnehes well 
 cushioned, and covered with leather. From the floor back- 
 wards to the walls, each seat was from twelve to fourteen 
 inches higher than the one fronting it. The front row of 
 benches on either side was within three feet of the table. 
 The row on the right, of the Speaker was invariably occupied 
 by the members of the Government and their most influential 
 supporters, and that on the left by the leading individuals in 
 the Opposition. The table of the house was within five or six 
 feet from the chair : in length it measured six feet, and in 
 breadth, four. At the end next the chair sat the clerks of the 
 House ; and when the members were in committee, on which 
 occasion the Speaker vacated the chair, the Chairman of Com- 
 mittees invariably sat at the corner on the right hand of the 
 clerks. The Speaker's chair was raised twelve or fourteen 
 inches above the floor of the house, and measured nine feet in 
 height. In form it somewhat resembled our modern easy 
 chairs, but had solid sides, and was covered over at the top. It 
 stood a few feet from the farthest end of the house, which was 
 only seven or eight yards from the Thames. The Speaker 
 always entered by a door exclusively appropriated to himself at 
 the end of the house next the river, while all the members 
 entered by a door at the other end, in a straight line with the 
 chair. Immediately above the place where the members en- 
 tered was the strangers' gallery, and underneath it were seve- 
 ral rows of seats for friends of the members. To these seats 
 there was no mode of admission except that of being taken in 
 by one of the members. To the strangers' gallery, a note 
 or order from a member, or the payment of half a crown to 
 the door-keeper, would at once procure admission. At the 
 farthest end of the passage, after you had entered the house, 
 were several rows of benches which extended on cither side 
 from the walls to the passage. The other seats extended 
 along the house, and hence these were called the cross 
 benches. They were always occupied by members who pro- 
 fessed to belong to no party to be neither the friends nor 
 opponents of Government, but who stood on perfectly neutral 
 ground, judging of measures only by their abstract merits or 
 defects. It was from one of these benches that Lord Stanley 
 (then Mr. Stanley) made his celebrated " thimblerig" speech, 
 after he, Sir James Graham, the Duke of Richmond, and Lord 
 Rippon had seceded from the Administration of Earl Grey.
 
 THE HOrSE. 7 
 
 I have already mentioned, that the members of Government, 
 and their leading friends, occupy the first row of benches on 
 the right hand side of the Speaker's chair, and that the most 
 influential of the Opposition occupy the first row on the left; 
 the other supporters of each party range themselves on the 
 benches behind their respective leaders; consequently when 
 there is a change of Government, the quondam ministry and 
 their supporters move over in a body from the right to the left 
 side of the house, to make way for the new Administration and 
 their friends. There are, however, a few members belonging 
 to the extreme Radical party who never change their seats, 
 whatever ministry may be in power, because no men suffi- 
 ciently liberal for them have ever yet been in office. Among 
 these are Hume, Cobbett,* Roebuck, and several others.f 
 Their seats are therefore always on the Opposition benches, 
 and when the Whigs have been in power, the circumstance 
 has often led to strange associations. When Sir Charles 
 Wetherell and the late Henry Hunt, men whose politics were ' 
 wide as the poles asunder, were both in Parliament, it was no 
 uncommon thing to see them sitting in close juxta- position 
 with each other, often, too, engaged in most earnest conversa- 
 tion together, as if the utmost cordiality and the most perfect 
 unanimity of political feeling existed between them. In the 
 Reformed Parliament might be seen Sir Robert Peel and Mr. 
 Cobbett sitting cheek-by-jowl, while close by them were to be 
 found Sir Robert Inglis, the great advocate of the Church of 
 England and ecclesiastical establishments in general, and Mr. 
 Gillon. the sworn foe of both, apparently as friendly together 
 as if of one heart and one soul in such matters. 
 
 There are some members who not only never change from 
 one side of the house to the other whatever alteration may take 
 place in the Ministry, but who never change their identical 
 Beats ; they invariably occupy the same twelve or fourteen 
 inches of space. Mr. Hume is one of the most noted members 
 in this respect ; his seat in the old house was close to one of 
 the posts which supported the side gallery on the left of the 
 Speaker's chair ; there he was constantly to be found. There 
 is not, nor has there been since he was first returned to par- 
 lament, a single member whose attendance on his legislative 
 duties has been so regular and close as that of Mr. Hume ; the 
 
 * Since this was written, Mr. Cobbett has died, 
 t Towards the end of last session several of the Radical members 
 went over to th^^ther side of the house.
 
 8 THF IIOVSC. 
 
 momont the doors wore opened there was lie, and never until 
 the adjournment was his scat t<> be seen vacant. Tliere were 
 many other members who made a point of " looking in to see 
 what's doing" almost every evening ; l)iit they soon letl the 
 liouse again. Xot so Mr. Hume, lie \v;is there at. all times 
 and during every debate, however dry and uninteresting. He 
 \\a> looked on by u honourable gentlemen" as a sort, of ani- 
 mated fixture. His contiguity to the post and the regularity 
 of his attendance made a Tory baronet, who was in the house 
 during the close borough regime, waggishly remark, "There 
 is Joseph always at his;w.v/." Whether Sir Charles Wetherell, 
 or Sir William Gumming, a Scotch baronet, is entitled to the 
 credit of the witty observation, I have not been able to ascer- 
 tain, as both graced the last Unreformed Parliament by their 
 presence, and both were equally lavish of their waggeries. It 
 has often been a matter of surprise how Mr. Hume's constitu- 
 tion could stand such close attendance in the house, especially 
 when the unhealthy atmosphere* he had to breathe, and the 
 quantity of speaking he went through, were taken into ac- 
 count; and yet, excepting on one or two occasions, he was 
 never heard to complain of illness. Can it be that there are 
 any peculiarly salubrious qualities in pears 1 for, by his own 
 admission he always filled his pockets with this species of fruit 
 when it was to be had, and ate the pears in the house, making 
 them answer as a substitute for dinner. Colonel Leith Hay, 
 before he was a member of Government, as well as since ; Mr. 
 Warburton, Mr. Humphrey, Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Ruthven, Mr. 
 Pease the Quaker member, and many others, including men 
 of all parties, whose names it is unnecessary to give, were also 
 very regular in their attendance,! though I am not aware that 
 they patronized the consumption of pears in the house. 
 
 Members who wish to sit in any particular part of the house 
 on a given evening, must go down at the time of prayers, and 
 label the particular place with their name. If they neglect to 
 do this, they cannot claim any particular seat as a right, 
 though it may be conceded to them by the courtesy of other 
 members, if it be the place they usually filled. The seats 
 occupied by members of the Government are, however, un- 
 
 * The last House of Commons was an extremely unhealthy place. 
 
 1 1 speak here in the past tense, because my observations chiefly 
 refer to the last House of Commons, both in respect to the place and 
 the members. The same observations, as to those who are in the 
 present Parliament, still apply with equal truth.
 
 TUB HOUSE. 9 
 
 derstood to be exceptions to this rule. Ministers, and those 
 holding important Government offices, are not put to the 
 trouble of placarding their names on the backs of their seats, 
 as no other member, however crowded the house, would think 
 of occupyiny their places. When an important debate is 
 expected, almost all the seats, with the exception of those 
 occupied by the members of the Government, are thus labelled 
 the moment that prayers are over. At the time of the second 
 reading of the Reform Bill, every member was naturally 
 anxious to secure a seat in a good part of the house, and in 
 order to make assurance doubly sure that none of his " honour- 
 able friends" should pre-engage the one which he had, in hig 
 own mind, fixed on, Mr. R. Fergusson went down one day 
 during the adjourned debate at seven in the morning, that 
 being the hour at which the servants cleaned the house. To 
 his great surprise he found the discussion still proceeding 
 which he had left the previous night at a little before twelve, 
 under the impression the debate would be again adjourned. 
 The feeling of the House had become general in favour of a 
 division, and several of the Tories being determined, as the 
 Reformers said, to embrace that as the last opportunity of 
 einging the requiem of the Constitution, had protracted the 
 discussion so long that Mr. Fergusson was just iu time to vote, 
 and thus got credit from his constituents and the country for 
 having been in the house all night, in the plenitude of his 
 devotion to the cause of Reform. 
 
 Of the strangers' gallery I have as yet said nothing. It 
 was immediately above the door at which the members entered 
 the house. It consisted of five seats, and could accommodate 
 comfortably one hundred and twenty persons ; but during im- 
 portant debates I have seen one hundred and fifty wedged into 
 it. On such occasions, it was no uncommon thing to see Peers 
 submitting to be jostled and jammed, and treated with as little 
 ceremony by the "strangers," as the veriest plebeian in the 
 gallery. They could have procured a comfortable seat in the 
 house itself; not of course among the members, but on some 
 of the benches under the gallery which are set apart for the 
 friends of honourable gentlemen ; but they rather preferred to 
 encounter all the inconveniences of a seat in the gallery, 
 where they could witness the proceedings incognito. 
 
 Strangers, as already mentioned, are admitted to the gallery 
 either by an order from a member, or on paying half a crown 
 to the door-keeper. No member is allowed to write more than 
 one order for one day, and the day of the week and that of the
 
 10 i in: inti sr. 
 
 month, tlie same as franking a letter, must be written on it, 
 otherwise the door-keeper may refuse to admit tlie bearer. 
 Perhaps, on an average, one half of those who go to the gallery 
 pay half a crown each, and the other half an 1 admitted by the 
 orders of members. Taking one evening with another, it is 
 probable the number of persons present in the gallery every 
 day of the session is about one hundred. There is consequently 
 a considerable sum to divide among the officers of the house 
 connected with the gallery. They are six in number. They 
 have, besides, certain fees on all bills which are brought into 
 the House, and also receive gratuities from the members. Mr. 
 Wright is the principal door-keeper, and has consequently 
 some perquisites peculiar to himself. He is a venerable look- 
 ing man, upwards of seventy years of age. He has held his 
 present situation more than thirty years, and is said to have 
 made by it a very handsome fortune. 
 
 The back seat of the strangers' gallery was exclusively 
 appropriated to reporters. They paid nothing on entering, but 
 the proprietors of the respective papers for which they were 
 engaged paid three guineas for each every session ; and as the 
 reporters are from sixty to seventy in number, this alone is no 
 inconsiderable source of revenue to the door-keepers. On the 
 left hand side of the gallery, and immediately above the lobby, 
 was a small room for the benefit of the reporters, in which they 
 might put their hats, cloaks, great coats, &c. when going on 
 duty, and where they might remain until their " turn," to use 
 their own technical term, came. No ladies were admitted to 
 the strangers' gallery, nor could any member take a female 
 friend to one of the seats under it. The only possible way by 
 which ladies could either see or hear what was going on, was 
 by mounting above the ceiling of the house, and looking down 
 througfli a large hole which was made immediately above the 
 principal chandelier, for the purpose of ventilation. Not 
 more than fourteen could, at once, see or hear what was going 
 on from this place, and even then but imperfectly. Besides, 
 the smoke of the candles, and the heated atmosphere they 
 inhaled, combined with the awkwardness of the position they 
 were obliged to assume, made the situation so very unpleasant 
 that few remained long in it. Those only who were anxious 
 to hear their husbands, or brothers, or lovers, make some ex- 
 pected oration, had the fortitude to endure the semi-martyrdom 
 of remaining man}' minutes in such a place. 
 
 On the left side of the lobby, or entrance to the house, was 
 the voting room, the place where the votes were always taken
 
 THE HOUSE. 11 
 
 on divisions, except when the House was in committee, on 
 which occasions, as I shall afterwards mention more fully, the 
 votes were taken on the floor of the house, by the members 
 changing sides. Immediately above the voting room was the 
 smoking room, to which members retired from the house who 
 were in the habit of smoking cigars. Here also the members 
 repaired to write letters, the necessary stationary, and every 
 other convenience, being always kept in abundant supply for 
 the purpose. Directly opposite, and only six or seven feet 
 distant from the smoking room, was a letter bag for the re- 
 ception of the letters of members. It may be said to have 
 been a branch general post-office, as every person about the 
 house, including the reporters, and even strangers in the 
 gallery, were permitted to put letters and newspapers into it. 
 It was always kept open till seven o'clock. Those of the 
 reporters who had letters to write for country newspapers, 
 found it extremely convenient, as they were by that means 
 enabled to give the proceedings in the House up to within a 
 minute or two of seven o'clock. But for it they must always 
 have left the gallery by about twenty minutes after six, as the 
 general post-office none of the branch ones were then open 
 later than five o'clock was nearly two miles and a half 
 distant.* 
 
 Near the door of the smoking-room, but a few feet higher, 
 was the door of the library. The library was chiefly frequented 
 by those members who were in the habit of speaking. To 
 them it was very convenient, as it contained the leading works 
 in history, politics, and general literature. Those not in the 
 way of enlightening the House and the country by their elo- 
 quence, always preferred the smoking-room, or the refresh- 
 ment apartments, to the legislative and literary tomes in the 
 library. 
 
 There were so many passages and rooms in the old House 
 of Commons, that it was with great difficulty strangers could 
 find their way to the gallery. Sometimes they made very 
 awkward mistakes. It was no uncommon thing for them to 
 go in through the lobby and advance to the door by which the 
 members entered, with the most perfect nonchalance ; not 
 taking the trouble to inquire whether they were right, because 
 it never for a moment occurred to them that they were wrong. 
 
 * It is unnecessary to repeat, that as regards all matters of con- 
 venience of this kind, the same remarks equally apply to the present 
 house.
 
 12 THE norsr. 
 
 Judge of a .stranger's surprise, when the first intimation made 
 to him that he was treading on forbidden ground, was tlie be- 
 ing soi/.ed by the neck by one of the officers of the House, 
 Who on such occasions are as unceremonious, both in their 
 words and actions, as if they were so many (In -at ..Moguls, and 
 the hapless stranger the most, degraded of slaves.* It was a 
 wonder if the confusion consequent on the first blunder was 
 not the parent of a second; and if, when told that the gallery 
 was up-stairs, he did not, on the principle, in such a case, of 
 taking the first open door, "drop in" among the M. I'.'s in the 
 emoking-room. Recollecting the treatment ho had received 
 from the officers in the lobby, he would, on discovering his 
 mistake, resign himself to the expected calamity of being 
 bundled down stairs, head or heels foremost, as the case might 
 be, running the imminent risk, of course, of having his neck 
 broken in the descent. He would, however, soon find his fears 
 happily dispelled, by being told, in the most civil and good- 
 natured manner possible, by one of the officers for those in 
 that department were remarkable for their urbanity to stran- 
 gers that he had gone to the wrong place, and by being di- 
 rected up seven or eight stairs to the passage leading to the 
 gallery. If he was surprised at the roughness of his treat- 
 ment in the lobby, he is now no less so at the attention shown 
 him, and the readiness with which a merciful consideration is, 
 in his case v extended to the very heinous sin of ignorance of 
 the gallery's locale. 
 
 Some amusing mistakes from ignorance of the rules of the 
 House occasionally occur. In the session of 1833, a Scotch 
 Highlander, newly arrived from his native hills, got, by some 
 strange oversight of the officers, into the side gallery appro- 
 priated for members, on the right of the Speaker's chair. He 
 knew no more of the rules or localities of the house than he 
 did of the politics of Timbuctoo. Never suspecting that he 
 was transgressing any law, human or divine, in entering the 
 side gallery, or when there, takingthe best place he could 
 find, he at once advanced to one" OT the front benches, and 
 there seated himself with the utmost imaginable coolness, 
 just as if about to " rest himself" on the brow of some of the 
 heath-clad mountains of Caledonia. There were a few strag- 
 gling members in the side gallery at the time, and perceiving 
 
 * Let me not, however, be misunderstood here. In consequence 
 of the number of strangers always lounging in the lobby, the offi- 
 cers are often obliged to be very unceremonious.
 
 THE HOUSE. 13 
 
 at once from his Highland costume he was dressed in tartan 
 that he did not belong to the fraternity of St. Stephen's 
 legislators, they richly enjoyed the amusing blunder which 
 Donald had committed. He, meanwhile, after gazing with 
 boundless astonishment on the huge proportions of the Speak- 
 er's wig, and witnessing the bustle that was going on on the 
 floor of the house, turned his eyes towards the strangers' gal- 
 lery, and seemed quite amazed that so many persons should 
 quietly subqpit to be so closely squeezed together to the im- 
 minent hazard of their ribs that they looked one solid moun- 
 tain of mortality, while there were so many cushioned and 
 comfortable unoccupied seats in the place where he had loca- 
 ted himself. At this moment one of the members on an ad- 
 joining seat, seeing poor Donald had transgressed from igno- 
 rance, whispered to him to make himself scarce in a moment, 
 or that otherwise he would be taken into custody. A word to 
 the wise is enough : the mountaineer took the hint of the 
 friendly M. P., and darted out of the house as well as the gal- 
 lery in a twinkling. I am credibly assured that he ran at his 
 full speed, not casting one " longing lingering look behind," 
 till he reached Somerset House in the Strand, a distance of 
 full one mile and a half. 
 
 On another occasion, during the session of 1834, a lady, the 
 sister of one of the members, entered the side gallery by mis- 
 take, instead of going to the only place above the ceiling 
 whence " the sex" were permitted to have a " peep," for it 
 was nothing more, at the House. She immediately, to speak 
 in parliamentary phraseology, "caught the eye of the Speaker," 
 then Sir Charles Manners Sutton, whose visual organs were 
 always allowed to be as acute in this respect as they were said 
 by the Liberals to be in first recognizing a talented Tory, 
 when a Tory and Reformer rose at the same time to address 
 the House. The Speaker seemed quite delighted with the 
 novelty of a politician in petticoats ; he never withdrew his 
 eye from the fair intruder an instant during the short time 
 she remained in the house. She was infinitely more attractive 
 than the eloquence of the orator who, for the time being, 
 chanced to be addressing "the House." Until the lady 
 vanished, Mr. Speaker was as inattentive to the arguments of 
 the honourable member "on his legs," as was the wig on his 
 lnvid or the chair on which he sat. Had the intruder been 
 of the masculine gender, he would, if observed, have been 
 pounced on by the officer in a moment, but gallantry forbade 
 taking a lady into custody ; and therefore, as in the event of 
 2
 
 14 Tin: norsi 
 
 its being known that he had seen the transgressor in petti- 
 coats, and laid failed to do his duty, he would have subjected 
 himself to something more than reproof, he, unlike the Speaker, 
 contrived to appear as if the lady had not caught his eye. Atler 
 she had been in the prohibited place for nearly a minute, it 
 occurred to her that she was in the wrong locality, and ac- 
 cordingly she made her exit forthwith. 
 
 But the most amusing mistake of this nature which occur- 
 red in my time, was in the case of a young gentleman from 
 the north of Scotland. It happened in April, 1833. A mem- 
 ber having taken him into the house, pointed him to a seat 
 under the gallery, of which he immediately took possession ; 
 but he had not been above half an hour in it when he began 
 to feel the inconvenience of which the reporters so often com- 
 plain, namely, that of certain members being " totally inaudi- 
 ble," and as the orator who then addressed the house happened 
 to speak from the third bench on the left of the Speaker's 
 chair, the young Scotsman very naturally concluded that the 
 best way to remedy the evil of not hearing at all, or hearing 
 but very imperfectly, would be to place himself as nearly as 
 possible in tlie vicinity of the orator; and as he had always 
 taken it for granted that if introduced into the house by a 
 member, he might take any of the back seats, if not occupied 
 by the legislators themselves, he very deliberately walked 
 himself to the bench immediately behind that whence the 
 honourable member poured forth his eloquence. The house 
 chanced to be pretty full at the time, and there he remained 
 undiscovered upwards of two hours, when it adjourned, and 
 he went out amidst the crowd of honourable and right honour- 
 able gentlemen. Mr. Hume, who sat only about two yards 
 distant, cast sundry very suspicious looks towards him, as if 
 apprehending that he was some spy from the Tory camp on 
 the opposite side. Had the House come to a division on the 
 debate during part of which the young Scotchman was pre- 
 sent, he would have made the discovery, to his cost, that there 
 is all the difference in the world in the house itself, whatever 
 there may be elsewhere, between a private individual and he 
 whose name is graced by the appendage of an M. P.
 
 FORMS, RULES, REGULATIONS, &C. 15 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 FORMS, RULES, REGULATIONS, &C. OF THE HOUSE. 
 
 AT the time appointed for the meeting of a new Parliament, 
 the King, attended by his officers and guards, goes in state to 
 meet the members of both Houses. On his arrival and depar- 
 ture from the Lords (the only House he ever visits), he is 
 greeted by royal salutes of twenty-one guns each, as well 
 especially if a popular monarch as by the plaudits of a vast 
 concourse of his subjects, who invariably, on such occasions, 
 congregate in the immediate vicinity of both Houses. The 
 first place his Majesty enters is an apartment exclusively de- 
 voted to himself, called the Prince's Chamber. Here he puts 
 on his crown and robes, and then proceeds, conducted by the 
 Lord Chamberlain, to the House of Lords, when, having taken 
 his seat on the throne, and received the obeisance of the Lords 
 spiritual and temporal, who all stand in their respective places 
 clothed in their robes of state and office, he desires the Gen- 
 tleman Usher of the Black Rod to order the Commons into his 
 presence. On proceeding to the Lower House, that officer 
 finds the members w r aiting his arrival, in order that they may 
 promptly obey the commands of their Sovereign. He advances 
 to the bar, making three low bows to the members, and then 
 addressing them, says " Gentlemen of the House of Com- 
 mons, the King commands this Honourable House to attend 
 him immediately in the House of Peers." Retiring back- 
 wards and again bowing three times, he withdraws. 
 
 The Commons forthwith proceed in a body to the bar of 
 the House of Lords, where they make their obeisance both to 
 the King and .Peers. The Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper 
 then commands them, in the King's name, to choose a Speaker 
 for their House from among themselves, who shall be their 
 chairman and the regulator of their proceedings during their 
 sittings, and also the mouth-piece or channel of communication 
 between them and the other branches of the Legislature, 
 during the existence of that parliament. The Commons, after 
 again making their obeisance to their Sovereign and the 
 Peers, retire from the bar of the Upper House, and return to 
 their own House, where, in obedience to the commands of 
 the King, and agreeably to the Constitution, they immediately
 
 16 FORMS, RVL1-S, REGULATIONS, &C. 
 
 proceed to the choice of a Speaker. It is necessary, however, 
 before choosing a Speaker, that tlie members present take the 
 necessary oaths, which are administered by the Lord Steward 
 of his Majesty's Household. The mace, which, during the 
 proceeding's in the Jlmisf, except when it is in committee, 
 always lies on the table, must, at the commencement of every 
 new parliament, and on the death or resignation of the old 
 Speaker, be put under the table. This being done, any ho- 
 nourable member rises and proposes that some other honour- 
 able member, whom he names, take the chair. This motion 
 being seconded, if there be no opposition, the honourable mem- 
 ber so named is declared to be duly elected, and is led by the 
 mover and seconder of the motion from his seat to the bar of 
 the house, whence they conduct him, bowing three times as 
 they advance, to the chair. After they have seated him, he 
 rises up and returns thanks for the honour they have conferred 
 on him ; expressing at the same time a sense of his unfitness 
 for the situation in which they have placed him, and request- 
 ing that the House would choose some person more qualified 
 to preside over its proceedings. His request being of course 
 refused, he submits to the pleasure of the House, and, on re- 
 ceiving directions regarding the usual requests to be made on 
 behalf of the House when he waits on the King, he adjourns 
 it to a day appointed for that purpose. 
 
 When the choice of a Speaker is to be contested, and an- 
 other honourable member has been proposed and seconded for 
 the office, the choice is to be determined by what is called a 
 question, namely, taking the votes of all present on the sub- 
 ject. The clerk of the House is the person who on such 
 occasions is addressed by the members who speak in support 
 of the respective candidates, and when the debate is concluded, 
 it is his duty to put the question and count the votes for each. 
 This is done, as in divisions in committees of the whole House, 
 by changing sides. When the contest is expected to be a 
 close one, as at the meeting of the present parliament when 
 Sir Charles Manners Sutton and Mr. Abercromby were the 
 opposing candidates, the clerk of the House has a duty of 
 some importance to discharge. Each candidate, as a matter 
 of etiquette, votes for his opponent. Those who were not 
 aware of this conventional arrangement, were surprised when 
 they saw at the last election of Speaker, the name of Sir 
 Charles Manners Sutton as voting for Mr. Abercromby, and 
 that of Mr. Abercromby for Sir Charles. The House then 
 adjourns for a few days, to give time to all the members to
 
 OF THE HOUSE. 17 
 
 take the necessary oaths a second time. If they fail to do 
 this they incur a penalty of 500, and are besides disqualified 
 for voting on the answer to his Majesty's speech, or on any 
 other question. It is not, however, necessary that the oaths 
 be administered to the members separately. I have seen as 
 many as eighteen or twenty members advance to the table 
 and take the oaths at once. 
 
 The day appointed for the Speaker's appearance before the 
 King on behalf of the Commons having arrived, the Usher cf 
 the Black Rod is ag^ain commanded by his Majesty, through 
 the Lord Chamberlain, to summon the members of the Lower 
 House into the presence of the King at the bar of the House 
 of Peers. That officer enters the House of Commons in the 
 same manner, and with the same ceremonies as before, only 
 that he now addresses himself to the Speaker. The Com- 
 mons, on hearing the King's pleasure announced, immediately 
 proceed to the bar of the Upper House, headed by their 
 Speaker, \^en they make their obeisance to his Majesty and 
 the Peers as before. The Speaker then addresses himself in 
 the following speech to the King : 
 " Most gracious Sovereign, 
 
 " The knights, citizens, and burgesses of your House of 
 Commons, in obedience to your royal command, have pro- 
 ceeded to the choice of a Speaker. They have among them 
 many worthy persons eminently qualified for so great a trust; 
 yet, witli too favourable an eye x have cast it upon me, who 
 am really conscious to myself of many infirmities, rendering 
 me much unfit for so great an employment. And although 
 my endeavours of excusing myself before them have not been 
 successful, yet they have been so indulgent as to permit me 
 to continue my endeavours therein before your Majesty's most 
 piercing and discerning judgment. 
 
 " The veneration due to Majesty which lodgeth in every 
 loyal breast, makes it not an easy matter to speak before your 
 Majesty at any time, or in any capacity. But to speak before 
 your Majesty in your exaltation, thus gloriously supported 
 and attended, and that as Speaker of your House of Commons, 
 requires greater abilities than I can pretend to own. 
 
 " I am not also without fear that the public affairs, wherein 
 your Majesty and your kingdom in this juncture of time are 
 so highly concerned, may receive detriment through my 
 weakness. 
 
 " I therefore, with a plain humble heart, prostrate at your
 
 18 FORMS, RULES, REGULATIONS, &C. 
 
 royal feet, beseech that you will command them to review 
 what they have done, and to proceed to another election." 
 
 To this address the Lord Chancellor, by direction of his 
 Majesty, returns the following answer, mentioning at the 
 1>< ginning the name or title of the Speaker. 
 
 " The King hath very attentively heard your discreet and 
 handsome discourse, whereby you endeavour to excuse and 
 disable yourself for the place of Speaker: in answer whereof, 
 his Majesty hath commanded me to say to you, that he doth 
 in no sort admit of the same ; for his Majesty hath had long 
 experience of your abilities, good affection, integrity, and reso- 
 lution, in several employments of great trust and weight. 
 He knows you have been long a Parliament man, and therefore 
 every way fitted and qualified for the employment. Besides, 
 he cannot disapprove the election of this House of Com- 
 mons, especially when they have expressed so much duty in 
 choosing one so worthy and acceptable to him. And there- 
 fore the King doth allow of the election and admits you for 
 Speaker." 
 
 On receiving this answer, the Speaker further addresses 
 the King as follows : 
 " Great Sir, 
 
 " Since it is your gracious pleasure not to accept of my 
 humble excuse, but by your royal approbation to fix me under 
 this great though honourable weight, and to think me fit to 
 be invested with a trust of so high a nature as this is; I take 
 it, in the first place, to be incumbent upon me, that I render 
 your Majesty all possible thanks ; which I now humbly do, 
 with a heart full of all duty, and offered with a deeper sense 
 of gratitude than I can find words to express. 
 
 " Next, from your royal determination in this affair, where- 
 by you have imprinted a new character upon me, I take 
 courage against my own diffidence, and cheerfully bend my- 
 self, with such strength and abilities as God shall give, to the 
 service so graciously assigned me ; no way doubting that your 
 Majesty will please to pardon my frailties, to accept of my 
 faithful endeavours, and always to look favourably upon the 
 work of your own hands. 
 
 " And now, Sir, my first entrance upon this service obliges 
 me to make a few necessary, but humble petitions, on the 
 behalf of your most loyal and dutiful House of Commons. 
 
 " 1. That, for our better attendance on the public service, 
 we and our servants may be free in our persons and estates 
 from arrests and other disturbances.
 
 OP THE HOtSE. 19 
 
 " 2. That, in our debates, liberty and freedom of speech be 
 allowed to us. 
 
 " 3. That, as occasion shall require, your Majesty, upon 
 our humble suit, and at such times as your Majesty shall 
 judge seasonable, will vouchsafe us access to your royal 
 person. 
 
 " 4. That all our proceedings may receive a favourable 
 construction. 
 
 " That God, who hath brought you back to the throne of 
 your fathers, and with you all our comforts, grant you a long 
 and prosperous reign, and send you victory over all your ene- 
 mies; and every good man's heart will say, Amen." 
 
 To this second address to his Majesty, the Lord Chancellor, 
 by his Majesty's further directions, makes the following an- 
 swer : " Mr. Speaker, The King's Majesty hath heard and 
 well weighed your short and eloquent oration, and, in the first 
 place, much approves that you have introduced a shorter way 
 of speaking- on this occasion. His Majesty doth well accept 
 of all those dutiful and affectionate expressions in which you 
 have delivered your submission to his royal pleasure, and looks 
 upon it as a good omen to his affairs, and as an evidence that 
 the House of Commons have still the same at heart that have 
 chosen such a mouth; the conjuncture of time and the King 
 t nd kingdom's affairs require such a House of Commons, such 
 a Speaker; for, with reverence to the Holy Scripture, upon 
 this occasion, the King may say, ' He that is not with me is 
 against me,' for he that doth not now put his hand and heart 
 to support the King in the common cause of this kingdom, can 
 hardly ever hope for such another opportunity, or find a time 
 to make satisfaction for the omission of this. 
 
 " Next, I am commanded by his Majesty to answer your 
 four petitions ; whereof the first being the freedom of you and 
 your servants, your persons and estates, without arrests or 
 other disturbance, the King has graciously pleased to grant it 
 as full as to any of your predecessors ; the second for liberty 
 and freedom of speech ; the third for access to his royal per- 
 son ; and the fourth that your proceedings may receive a fa- 
 vourable construction, are all freely granted by his Majesty." 
 
 The above form or ceremony observed in the choosing and 
 approving of a Speaker, was first used on the occasion of Sir 
 Job Charlton's election to the chair of the House of Commons 
 in the time of Charles the Second, since which period it has 
 beon invariably adopted. 
 
 The Speaker ia elected, as already observed, not at the com-
 
 20 FORMS, RtLES, REGULATIONS, &C. 
 
 mcncement of each session, but at the meeting; of every now 
 parliament. The title Speaker is given to him because he 
 alone lias the right, to speak to or address the King in the name 
 and on behalf of the House. In the chair, he sits chiefly in 
 the capacity of a moderator of the assembly, never taking any 
 part in the proceedings, or expressing any opinion on the sub- 
 ject-matter of discussion ; all he does is to call on the different 
 members, when the proper time arrives, to present the peti- 
 tions or make the motions of which they have given notice, 
 and to correct any member, who, either from ignorance of the 
 rules and usages of the House, or in the heat of debate, is out 
 of order. In calling on members to present petitions, ad- 
 dresses, &c. or make the motions of which they had previous- 
 ly given notice, the Speaker invariably takes their names in 
 the order of time in which they had given their respective no- 
 tices. His powers are very great. When he interposes his 
 authority, no member must for a moment question it ; if any 
 member were to do so, he can order him at once into the cus- 
 tody of the Serjeant-at-Arms. Hence it is that when he in- 
 terferes, honourable members, in the midst of their angriest, 
 and most violent altercations, at once express their readiness 
 to bow to the decision and submit to the pleasure of the Chair. 
 During his absence no business can be transacted, nor any 
 other question proposed than that of an adjournment. When 
 the House resolves itself into a Committee, he vacates the 
 chair, and takes his seat as a private member, when he has a 
 right to speak to any question before the Committee if he is 
 so inclined, which, however, he very rarely is. 
 
 The office of Speaker of the House of Commons is one of 
 the most arduous kind ; the amount of labour he has to perform 
 is almost incredible. Not only must he be always present 
 during the sittings of the House, but he must at all hours of 
 the day, and on all occasions during the session, be accessible 
 to every member who chooses to wait on him. lie must sign 
 all the records of the votes and proceedings of the House, and 
 of course carefully read them over, lest there should be anything 
 wrong in them before affixing his signature ; he must be al- 
 ways ready to instruct members as to matters of form ; in 
 short, nearly all the business part of the House is transacted 
 by him and his clerks. Not even Saturday, when no business, 
 except on very urgent occasions, is done in the house, was 
 formerly a day of recreation to him; for every Saturday dur- 
 ing the session, before the meeting of the present Parliament, 
 he was obliged to hold what are called Parliamentary Levees,
 
 OF THE HOUSE. 21 
 
 and give splendid dinners to the members, to which they were 
 invited, in certain numbers at a time, in rotation. His Satur- 
 days are still in one way or other occupied with the duties of 
 his office. It is doubtful even, with the labours of the week 
 before him, whether the " Sabbath shines a day of rest to him," 
 though of course he is protected on that hallowed day from 
 the personal intrusion of honourable members on his retire- 
 ment. His salary was formerly 5,000 a year, but in 1833 
 it was reduced to 4,000; in addition to his salary, however, 
 he receives fees to the amount of 2,000, or 3,000, besides 
 1,000 of equipment money, and 2,000 ounces of plate, which 
 are given him immediately on his election ; he is also allowed 
 two hogsheads of claret wine, and 100 for stationary every 
 year ; add to all this the circumstance of his having a hand- 
 some residence provided for him close to the House of Com- 
 mons at the public expense, and the situation is worth at least 
 8,000 per annum. In point of rank the Speaker is next to 
 the Peers of Great Britain, and he has the same precedence 
 at the King's council table. The speaker never votes on any 
 question except the numbers be equal, when his casting vote 
 decides the majority. 
 
 After the form of the Speaker asking and receiving those 
 privileges on behalf of the members of the House of Commons, 
 already referred to, has been gone through, the King makes his 
 speech to both Houses. What the usual character of such 
 speeches is, every one already knows. The speech being de- 
 livered, the King withdraws, and returns home, and the Com- 
 mons retire to their own house, where, as in the Lords, an ad- 
 dress in answer to his Majesty's most gracious speech, warmly 
 approving of it, thanking him for it, and echoing its every 
 sentiment, is moved and seconded by some of the most zealous 
 supporters of the existing Government. An amendment to 
 the address is generally proposed by some member of the Op- 
 position, but is almost invariably lost by a large majority ; 
 many of the most strenuous opponents of the existing Adminis- 
 tration deeming it not only a want of courtesy to Ministers to 
 oppose the Address, but a manifest mark of disrespect to the 
 King. At the meeting of the present Parliament, however, 
 the Opposition conceived that, in the extraordinary circum- 
 stances in which the country and parties were placed, they 
 were bound to sacrifice all considerations of a merely conven- 
 tional kind, and endeavour to overthrow the Government of 
 Sir Robert Peel the very first moment they could come in col- 
 lision with it. Hence an amendment to the Address to the
 
 -'',' FORMS, in !.!>. UIXULATIO.VS, &C. 
 
 King was proposed, and carried by a majority of seven, in one 
 of the fullest Houses ever known, the number present being 
 (ill. 1 ii'-ver knew a question which, during the discussion, 
 excited greater interest than this, partly owing to the impres- 
 sion generally felt by both parties, that it would be decisive of 
 the tiite of the Government, and partly to the great uncer- 
 tainty which existed as to the vote to which the House would 
 come. 
 
 During the first two sessions of the Reformed Parliament, 
 the House met at twelve o'clock for the purpose of presenting 
 petitions and transacting business of minor importance. These 
 sittings usually lasted till three, when the House again ad- 
 journed till five, at which time the most important business 
 commenced. The morning sittings were generally but thinly 
 attended, the number of members present scarcely ever ex- 
 ceeding fifty or sixty. It was soon found that the plan of 
 having two sittings in one day would not answer, as it often 
 happened that at the morning sitting, not a single member of 
 Government was present to answer any question which ho- 
 nourable members might have to put to them. The arrange- 
 ment was therefore abandoned, and the old practice resumed, 
 on the meeting of the present Parliament. The usual hour for 
 the Speaker's now taking the chair is half-past three. An 
 hour and a-half is generally spent in the presentation of peti- 
 tions, and the debates on motions begin a little after five. 
 
 Immediately on the Speaker taking the chair, the chaplain 
 reads prayers, after which the Speaker counts the House, 
 when, if there be not forty members present, he declares it to 
 stand adjourned till the following day, unless this happen on a 
 Friday, when it stands adjourned till Monday. The Speaker 
 always wears, during the sittings of the House, a large wig 
 and gown, and so also do the clerks, but no member is allowed 
 to appear in any other than his usual clothes, except on two 
 occasions. One of these is the first day of a new Parliament, 
 when the four members for the City of London wear scarlet 
 gowns, and when they have the privilege of sitting together 
 on the right of the chair. The other exception is in the case 
 of the mover and seconder of the Address, in answer to the 
 speech of his Majesty. These gentlemen must appear, on that 
 occasion, in full court dress. 
 
 The members who chance to be in the House before the en- 
 trance of the Speaker generally remain covered, but the mo- 
 ment he appears they take off their hats as a mark of respect 
 to him. They may, however, and generally do, immediately
 
 OF THE HOUSE. 23 
 
 after replace them on their heads. The members who after- 
 wards enter the house, severally take off their hats and make 
 a bow to the chair as they pass the bar. They do the same on 
 leaving the house ; and even in moving from one part of the 
 floor to another, though it were only one or two yards, they 
 always take off their hats in testimony of respect for the 
 Speaker. 
 
 On ordinary motions no member is allowed to speak more 
 than once, except it be in the way of explanation ; but the 
 member who made the motion has, as in the case of counsel 
 in the courts of law, the privilege of reply. It sometimes hap- 
 pens, however, that a member who has forgotten what he con- 
 ceives some important point in his speech, or when something 
 new occurs to him, rises a second time under the pretext of 
 explanation, but he is in such cases generally put down with 
 loud cries of " Spoke, spoke ;" meaning that he has spoken 
 already. In Committees of the whole House, however, mem- 
 bers are allowed to speak as often as they choose, the only 
 limit set to their loquacity being that of the temper or impa- 
 tience of the House. When the House is impatient for a di- 
 vision, or the member wishing to address it is unpopular, the 
 most deafening uproar is purposely raised to cause him to de- 
 sist by drowning his voice. I shall, in another part of the 
 work, give some specimens of such interruptions. 
 
 One regulation of the House not generally known is, that 
 any member making a motion cannot withdraw it without the 
 consent of the gentleman who seconds it. Considerable in- 
 convenience has sometimes arisen from this. To go no far- 
 ther back than the middle of the last session, we have, in the 
 case of Sir Samuel Whalley's motion on the Assessed Taxes, 
 a striking instance. The motion having been seconded by a 
 Tory, that party pressed it to a division, though Sir Samuel 
 expressed his most anxious wish to withdraw it. They saw 
 that at that moment the Reformers who were opposed to the 
 Window Tax, could not vote for its repeal without embarrass- 
 ing Government, and therefore thought the opportunity an ex- 
 cellent one for placing the Reform members, especially the re- 
 presentatives of large towns, in a false position with their con- 
 stituents. In this they succeeded in several instances to their 
 heart's content. Colonel Evans perilled his seat for West- 
 minster by voting on that occasion with the Government in 
 op|xisitif.>n to the wishes of his constituents, and several other 
 members him; also prejudiced their personal interests by their 
 votes on the same question.
 
 Jl roil MS, in i.rs, ima'i.vnoNs, iV.-. 
 
 No bill can be brought into the house without a formal 
 request of leave tor that purpose having been made and agreed 
 to. In the case of public bills, this leave is asked and obtained 
 by means of a motion to that effect; on such occasions a short 
 discussion usually takes place on the objects of the bill, before 
 euch leave is granted. The debate on the principle of the bill 
 is almost invariably deferred till the second reading. It is a 
 very unusual tiling to refuse an honourable member leave to 
 bring in any bill, however unpopular its principle may be with 
 the House. It is conceived to be no more than common 
 courtesy to the person asking leave to bring in the bill, to 
 accord that leave to him, and also permission to read it a first 
 time. If the measure be disliked, it is thrown out on a second 
 reading. A striking instance, however, of the want of this 
 usual courtesy occurred towards the end of last June, when 
 Mr. Fox Maule, though a member of the Government, was 
 refused leave to bring in a bill " for the better protection of 
 tenants' crops in Scotland from the ravages committed on them 
 by several kinds of game." 
 
 Before obtaining leave to bring in a bill whose object is to 
 obtain relief of a private nature, it is necessary to present a 
 petition embodying the facts on which the proposed measure 
 is founded. If these facts be not disputed, leave to bring in 
 the bill is granted as a matter of course ; but if the facts are 
 questioned, the petition is referred to a Select Committee, who 
 inquire into the conflicting statements, and report their opinion 
 to the House. Leave is granted or refused according to the 
 opinion expressed by the Committee. 
 
 When a bill is ready to be brought in, leave having been 
 previously obtained for that purpose, the member who asked 
 such permission stands at the bar 6f the house, and on his 
 name being called by the Speaker, says, " Bill, Sir." The 
 Speaker then says, " Please to bring it up ;" on which the 
 member advances to the table of the house, and then handing 
 it over to one of the Clerks, the title is read by him a first time 
 as a matter of form, and the bill is ordered to stand for a second 
 reading on any day which the member bringing it up may 
 appoint for the purpose. When a bill has been read a second 
 time, the question which the Speaker puts from the chair is, 
 whether it shall be committed ; that is, whether it shall be 
 referred to the consideration of a Committee of the whole 
 House, or to a Select Committee. If the bill be one of great 
 and general importance, the usual practice is to refer if to a 
 Committee of the whole House ; if only of local or limited
 
 OF THE IIOLSE. 25 
 
 interest, it is referred to a Select Committee, any member 
 naming, at pleasure, the persons who shall compose that 
 committee. The names of the Select Committee being read 
 by the Clerk, the Committee are ordered to meet in the 
 Speaker's chamber to take the matter into consideration ; and 
 when they have made up their minds, to report their decision 
 to the House. The Committee accordingly meet, and after 
 having chosen their chairman, either proceed clause by clause 
 with the bill, or adjourn to some other time. When they have 
 gone through the bill, the Chairman, as the representative of 
 the Committee, makes his report at the side bar of the house, 
 reading all the alterations which have been made in the bill. 
 If new clauses have been added by the Committee, they are 
 marked alphabetically, and, as in the case of the alterations, 
 are read by the Chairman. They are then handed to the 
 Clerk, who reads all the amendments and new clauses. The 
 Speaker then puts the question, whether the amendments and 
 additional clauses shall be read a second time. If this is 
 agreed to, he reads them himself, or if not all agreed to, as 
 many of them as have been approved of. He next puts the 
 question, whether the bill so amended shall be engrossed 
 which means, fairly written out on parchment and read a 
 third time on some other day. If the third reading be agreed 
 to, a day is appointed for the purpose, and when read a third 
 time, the Speaker puts the question " that the bill do pass." 
 If this also is agreed to, the words " Soit Bailie aux Seigneurs," 
 are written on it by the Clerk ; after which it is sent up to the 
 Lords for their expected concurrence. If any new clauses are 
 proposed and agreed to after a bill has been engrossed, they 
 must be also written on parchment, like the bill, and are called 
 riders. 
 
 In Committees of the whole House, the same discussions 
 often take place on bills as on important motions. 
 
 When a message is announced from the Lords to the 
 Commons, the persons charged with which are usually some 
 of the Masters in Chancery, the messengers must wait until 
 the business before the House is finished before they deliver 
 it, unless it happens that the Commons are engaged in a 
 lengthened debate, when from considerations of courtesy the 
 Speaker intimates that the House is ready to receive the 
 message. The member who happens to be addressing the 
 House at tin; time, immediately sits down till the message is 
 delivered and the bearers of it have retired, after which he 
 resumes his speech, and the proceedings go on as usual. In 
 3
 
 26 FORMS, un,r,s, REGULATIONS, &,c. 
 
 advancing to the chair, the messengers, accompanied by the 
 Sergeant-at-arms carrying the mace on his shoulder, make 
 three profound reverences to the Speaker, when, after deliver- 
 ing the message, they withdraw backwards, making three low 
 bows, as when they approached the chair. 
 
 The mace always lies on the table while the Speaker is in 
 the chair, with the exception of those occasions, few and far 
 between, on which it is sent to Westminster Hall, the Court 
 of Requests, or the several Committee-rooms to summon the 
 members to attend the House ; or when the House has resolved 
 itself into a Committee of the whole House, on which occasions 
 it is laid under the table. 
 
 I have already mentioned, that before proceeding to business, 
 the Speaker must count and see that there are forty members 
 present. It is not necessary, however, that this number should 
 continue in the House in order to enable it to proceed, unless, 
 indeed, any member, anxious to get rid of the motion before it, 
 should move that it be counted. This the Speaker must do at 
 the suggestion of any member, when, if it be found that there 
 are not forty members present, the House is declared to stand 
 adjourned till the following day. When government are 
 apprehensive of being embarrassed by any question which is to 
 be brought forward, and which does not press for an immediate 
 settlement, they hint to their leading friends, who communicate 
 it to the other members, their wish that their supporters 
 should be absent, in order that the House may be counted out, 
 and by that means get rid of ihe question for the session. 
 Lest, however, their opponents should muster so strongly as 
 to continue a House during the discussion, and come to a 
 decision adverse to the known views of Government, it is 
 always arranged that a certain number of the supporters of 
 Ministers shall lounge about the House, carefully watching the 
 progress of the question, and shaping their tactics accordingly. 
 If they see that on a division Government would be in a 
 minority, they immediately despatch messengers to all parts 
 of the town for their friends, who hurry down to the House 
 with an almost John Gilpin speed. In the mean time, some 
 of those present prevent the House coming to a division before 
 the arrival of the absentees, by speaking against time. A 
 .striking instance of this occurred in the beginning of last 
 June, when Mr. Robinson, the member for Worcester, brought 
 forward his motion respecting a Property-tax. Ministers and 
 their friends had confidently expected that on that occasion 
 the House would be counted out ; and Mr. Ruthven and Mr.
 
 OF THE HOUSE. 27 
 
 Brotherton, both celebrated for moving that the House be 
 counted out or adjourned, were present for the purpose. It so 
 happened, however, that though at three or four different 
 times in the early part of the evening, there were only four or 
 five more than the requisite number, they could not get their 
 object accomplished. The only member of Government who 
 chanced to be present during Mr. Robinson's speech, which 
 lasted nearly two hours, was Mr. Spring Rice. About nine 
 o'clock, however, when there was no longer any hope of 
 counting out the House, and when it was uncertain how soon 
 the question might be pressed to a division, messengers were 
 despatched to Brookes, to the Westminster Club, at 24, 
 George-street, and the other places of resort of the Liberal 
 members; so that in the short space of half an hour the 
 number of melnbers in the house swelled from forty-eight or 
 fifty, to about two hundred. 
 
 In a Committee of the whole House eight members are 
 sufficient for the transaction of business. On such occasions, 
 the members address themselves to the Chairman by name. 
 When the Speaker is in the chair, he is always addressed by 
 the term " Sir," and the members are supposed to direct their 
 observations as exclusively to him as if he were the only 
 individual present Select Committees, and Committees of 
 Privileges sit in rooms up stairs. 
 
 In choosing a Committee to try the question of disputed 
 elections, the selection is by ballot. There must be one 
 hundred members present before the ballot can be proceeded 
 with. Thirty-three are ballotted for, and then each of the 
 opposing parties are allowed to strike off eleven from the 
 number, the remaining eleven forming the Committee. The 
 members are sworn in the same as a jury in a court of law, 
 before proceeding to try the question. It is singular what a 
 disproportion there will sometimes appear in the number of 
 Liberal and Tory members whose names are drawn. In the 
 Committee chosen in June last to try the validity of Mr. 
 O'Dwyer's second election for Drogheda, it so happened that 
 the whole thirty-three were decided Tories ; but three or four 
 of them not being present when their names were mentioned, 
 others were chosen in their places who chanced to be Liberals. 
 These, however, were of course struck off by the agent of 
 the Tory petitioner against Mr. O'Dwyer's return, and con- 
 sequently the latter gentleman had a purely Tory Committee, 
 with Mr. Goulburn for chairman, to decide on his right to his 
 seat. He was unseated.
 
 28 FORMS, RULES, REGULATIONS, &,C. 
 
 I have mentioned in the previous chapter, that when a divi- 
 sion takes place while the House is in a Committee of the 
 whole House, the practice is to change sides, the "Ayes" 
 taking the right and the "Noes" the left of the Speaker's 
 chair. Two members called Tellers are then appointed to 
 count the numbers on each side of the question. Some ludi- 
 crous mistakes occasionally occur from members not taking 
 the proper side in time, in which case their votes are num- 
 bered among the adverse party. In the session of 1834, Colo- 
 nel Evans happened to be fast asleep in one of the side gal- 
 leries during a division in Committee on a most important 
 question, the nature of which, however, I now forget, when 
 he was counted as voting with the Tories ; nor were his slum- 
 bers disturbed, notwithstanding the noise and bustle conse- 
 quent on the opposing parties changing sides, until the loud 
 laughter and ironical cheers of the Tories wrested the gallant 
 Colonel from the pleasant embraces of Morpheus. He looked 
 the incarnation of foolishness on discovering the predicament 
 and the company into which he had brought himself by a short, 
 and as he, doubtless, under other circumstances, would have 
 thought, a harmless nap. 
 
 When the House divides on any question without having 
 been in Committee, the members go out of the house, as men- 
 tioned in the first chapter, to the lobby ; strangers having been 
 previously ordered to withdraw from the latter place. If the 
 question on which the House is about to divide be whether any 
 bill, petition, &c. is to be brought in, the " Ayes," or approvers 
 of the motion, go out ; but if the division is to be on any mat- 
 ter which the House was before possessed of, the " Noes," or 
 opponents of the motion go out. The Speaker appoints four 
 Tellers, two of whom are for and two against the motion, to 
 take the respective numbers on every division. The Tellers 
 first count those who remain in the house, and then placing 
 themselves in the passage between the bar and the door, count 
 those who were without as they re-enter. The two Tellers 
 who have the majority, then take the right hand, and the other 
 t\vo the left, when they advance abreast towards the Speaker, 
 making three bows or inclinations of the head as a testimony 
 of their respect for him. When they reach the table they 
 deliver the numbers written on a small piece of paper, saying: 
 " The Ayes that went out are so many, the Noes who remained 
 nre so many," or otherwise as the case may happen. The 
 numbers are repeated by the Speaker, who also declares the 
 majority, and whether for or against the motion.
 
 OF THE HOUSE. 29 
 
 When the House divides the gallery is cleared of strangers, 
 the Speaker saying at the full stretch of his voice, and looking 
 up to the gallery, " Strangers must withdraw." The officers 
 repeat the Speaker's orders, and in about half a minute the 
 place is empty. The object of excluding strangers when a 
 division takes place, is to prevent members being influenced 
 when giving their votes, by their presence. The arrange- 
 ment or regulation, however, is a very unnecessary one, as on 
 every important question the names of the members who voted, 
 and the way in which they voted, are given in the newspapers 
 of the following day. 
 
 Though strangers are admitted into the gallery during the 
 debates, it is only by sufferance. There is a standing order 
 of the House against the presence of any other than the mem- 
 bers ; and a member has only to say to the Speaker, " I think 
 I see strangers in the gallery," which is the phraseology em- 
 ployed in such a case, to have it cleared at once, the Speaker 
 being bound to order strangers to withdraw that moment. 
 When, in the session of 1833, Mr. O'Connell had his memo- 
 rable quarrel with the Reporters, and they refused to report 
 his speeches, he determined on preventing the publication of 
 any other member's speeches, or any of the proceedings, by 
 enforcing the regulations of the House for the exclusion of the 
 public. He first looked up to the gallery, and then addressing 
 the Speaker in the terms above quoted, the latter immediately 
 ordered strangers to withdraw. The members then proceeded 
 to deliberate and debate with closed doors ; but the absence of 
 strangers and reporters had a most paralysing effect on their 
 eloquence. There was no animation in their manner scarcely 
 any attempt at that wit and sarcasm at each other's expense 
 so often made on other occasions. Their speeches were dull 
 in the highest degree, and for the first time within my recol- 
 lection they kept their word when, on commencing their ora- 
 tions, they promised not to trespass at any length on the pa- 
 tience of the House. Their speeches had certainly the merit 
 of being short : I cannot say they were sweet. The secret of 
 all this was, they knew their eloquence would not grace the 
 newspapers of the following morning. The empty gallery 
 gave the House a most melancholy appearance inside, and out- 
 side it was no better. A stray person was here and there to 
 be seen in the stairs or passages leading to the house, which 
 only served to make the general dullness of the place more 
 striking. The lobby, which used to be so crowded, and to be 
 the scene of so much bustle and animation, was altogether 
 3*
 
 30 POHMS, Uri/TS, REGULATIONS. &C. 
 
 deserted. The door-keeper's office was a sinecure; there 
 \vere no intruders to keep out of the house, lie \v;is a ttnli- 
 Idin ; but for th<; circumstance of a member at unusually long 
 intervals making bis exit and his entrance, he must luive fan- 
 cied himself a second Alexander Selkirk, the sole inhabitant 
 of some desolate place. 
 
 The law which excludes strangers from the gallery, neces- 
 sarily implies the illegality of publishing the proceedings of 
 the House. But not only is such publication prohibited by 
 implication, there is an express statute to that effect. The 
 reports therefore of the speeches of members, and of the pro- 
 ceedings of the House, are only by sufferance, like the admis- 
 sion of strangers to the gallery ; and every journal in the 
 kingdom which gives any such report is liable to be prosecu- 
 ted, and punished, for a violation of the rules and a contempt 
 of the authority of the House. The law, however, lias been 
 a dead letter in this respect, ever since newspapers began the 
 practice of reporting the proceedings of Parliament. 
 
 It is one of the rules of the House, that no motion on any 
 important question be brought forward without the member 
 who is to submit it, having given due notice of such intention. 
 The more important the question to which the motion refers, 
 it is usual to give the longer notice. When the day arrives, 
 the name of the member who gave notice of the motion is 
 called by the Speaker, in the order of time in which it appears 
 on the order-book, and if he do not answer when thus called 
 on, the motion is of necessity indefinitely postponed. But a 
 member may postpone his motion to any future day he pleases, 
 by giving notice to the House to that effect. I have often 
 known a motion to be postponed six or seven different times 
 in the course of one session, owing to the altered circum- 
 stances of parties between the time of giving the notice and 
 the day fixed for bringing it forward, and the necessity, at the 
 same time, of not altogether in appearance dropping the sub- 
 ject, lest the honourable member should thereby compromise 
 his interests with his constituents. The notice of a motion 
 for a revision of the Pension List, given by Mr. Harvey on the 
 meeting of the present Parliament, and postponed time after 
 time, till at last the session ended without its being brought 
 forward at all, is a case in point. Mr. Harvey gave notice of 
 the motion when the Tories were in power, and when they 
 were displaced by his own party, he was naturally anxious not 
 to embarrass the latter by bringing it forward. 
 
 If a member make a motion and lose it, on any given sub-
 
 OF THE HOUSE. 31 
 
 ject, the same motion cannot be again made during the ses- 
 sion, either by the member himself or by any other in the 
 house ; but the ppirit of this regulation is sometimes evaded 
 by honourable members bringing forward a motion substan- 
 tially the same but differently framed. This, however, is not 
 often done, as it is generally considered a proof of a factious 
 opposition to the existing Government, if not of want of re- 
 spect to the House itself. 
 
 It is a fact not generally known, that any person chosen as 
 member by any constituency, though not only without his own 
 consent, but contrary to his most positively expressed wishes, 
 is bound by the laws of the House, which in such cases are 
 the law of the land, to serve in Parliament, unless he is able 
 to satisfy the House that he is disqualified for the duties of 
 such a situation. If the House do not concur in the grounds 
 which lie pleads for exemption from the office of legislator, 
 and he notwithstanding is not present when his name is called 
 over, he is at once ordered into the custody of the Sergeant- 
 at-Arms, which subjects him to an expense of eight or ten 
 guineas per day. From such custody the party is usually re- 
 leased on the motion of some friend, on making the necessary 
 concessions, and paying the usual fees. On Wednesday, 
 March the 17th, 1831, Lord F. L. Gower, and Messrs. Maber- 
 ley and S. L. Stephens, were ordered into custody for not an- 
 swering to their names when called. Lord F. L. Gower, be- 
 ing a knight of the shire, had to pay j10. 10s. before he was 
 discharged, and the others, being only burgesses, paid 8. 8s. 
 each. 
 
 A member, when duly elected, is not only compelled to 
 serve in Parliament, but he cannot at any future period either 
 resign his seat or be expelled from the house except by some 
 legal disqualification. In order, therefore, to meet the views 
 of those members who may wish to resign their seats, it has 
 been the practice, ever since the year 1750, for such members 
 to accept the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, 
 which being an appointment under the Crown, their seats are 
 of necessity vacated. The office, however, is a merely nomi- 
 nal one. The stewards who accept it desire neither honour 
 nor emolument from it, the only salary attached to the ap- 
 pointment being twenty shillings a-year. The Chiltern Hun- 
 dreds are districts in Buckinghamshire, belonging to the Crown. 
 The appointment to the office of Steward of these Hundreds 
 is vested in the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who, as a mat- 
 ter of course, grants it to every member who applies for it.
 
 32 FORMS, RULES, &C. OF THE HOV8E. 
 
 Any member may at any time, and in the midst of any dis- 
 cussion, move the adjournment of the House. It is true that 
 the mere moving of the adjournment does not compel the 
 House to adjourn ; but if the member so moving it persevere 
 in his motion, he is sure to succeed. He can force the House 
 to divide on the question whether it shall adjourn or not, and 
 the moment the division is over he can again, if carried 
 against him, move it and compel a division as often as he 
 pleases, thus completely putting an end to the transaction of 
 any business. The celebrated Mr. Sheridan, on one occasion, 
 moved the adjournment of the House nineteen successive 
 times, and had nineteen divisions on the subject, the one fol- 
 lowing the other as fast as they could be taken. The House, 
 seeing it was only wasting time to resist the adjournment any 
 longer, at last reluctantly yielded. Mr. Sheridan's object 
 was to prevent the House coming to some important resolu- 
 tion, the precise nature of which I do not at this moment re- 
 collect, respecting the war at that time going on with France, 
 until the country should be apprized of it. He succeeded in 
 his object.
 
 HISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. 33 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 WHEN a motion on any important question is fixed for a 
 particular night, and it is understood that the member bring- 
 ing it forward is anxious to proceed with it, honourable mem- 
 bers who had other notices of less important motions on the 
 order-book, generally give way in his favour. On such occa- 
 sions the house, though usually not containing a hundred 
 members, and often not half that number, when the Speaker 
 takes the chair, soon gets filled, and generally continues 
 crowded till the debate is finished, even though it should be 
 adjourned for three or four successive nights. The time at 
 which the house is usually thinnest is from eight to ten 
 o'clock, when any members preferring the more solid qualities 
 of a good dinner to " the feast of reason and the flow of soul," 
 vacate their seats in Westminster that they may fill one at 
 a well- furnished table in their own houses, or in those of some 
 friend. Hence it very rarely happens that any of the best 
 speakers address the House before ten o'clock, not wishing, 
 of course, to waste their eloquence on comparatively empty 
 benches. A succession of fourth or fifth-rate orators will 
 almost invariably be found " on their legs" from the meeting 
 of the House until that hour. They know that after ten 
 o'clock there is not the remotest chance of their getting an 
 opportunity of delivering their sentiments ; and hence, when 
 one has finished his speech, they often rise in shoals of six or 
 seven at once, each hoping he will be the fortunate person in 
 catching the Speaker's eye. The other members in such a 
 case shout the names of the honourable gentlemen who have 
 risen whom they are severally anxious to see " in possession 
 of the House ;" but the word of the Speaker settles the ques- 
 tion as to which of the candidates for senatorial fame is to 
 proceed. He mentions aloud the name of the orator who first 
 caught his eye, and the others immediately resume their seats, 
 while he commences his speech. 
 
 The usual practice of the Speaker during any important 
 debate is to " fix his eye" on a member from each side of the 
 house, or on the opposite sides of the question, alternately ; so 
 that from the beginning of any discussion till the end, how-
 
 3 1 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 ever many nights it may last, every successive speaker either 
 answers, or is supposed to rise to answer, the speaker who im- 
 mediately preceded him. Of course, in such cases, he may 
 nisi) answer those honourable gentlemen on the adverse side 
 who may have spoken at any previous stage of the debate, 
 and who lie thinks has not been fully or triumphantly answered 
 by those of his own party who preceded him. When the 
 Speaker observes signs of impatience for a division to be 
 general in the house, he makes jt his invariable practice to 
 single out from those members who simultaneously rise when 
 the last speaker has sat down, the leading men on each side 
 of the question. This brings the debate to a close, because 
 the House would inevitably clamour down any person who 
 would have the temerity to attempt to address it after the 
 most influential members on both sides of the question had 
 spoken. Were not this plan adopted, and were the Speaker 
 to go on calling on the " little men," as they are termed, to 
 proceed in their harangues, as they successively arise, discus- 
 sions would often extend to as many weeks as they do days. 
 Had the Speaker allowed every " minor member" who on the 
 debate, last session, on the Irish Church Appropriation Bill 
 endeavoured to " catch his eye," instead of lasting only four 
 days, it would have been protracted for at least as many 
 weeks. 
 
 After ten o'clock, the members who have been to dinner 
 are to be seen trooping into the house, and by eleven they are 
 generally all returned, as after that hour it is uncertain, when 
 there has been a protracted discussion, how soon a division 
 may take place. However much improved otherwise by a 
 good dinner and its accompaniments, it is hardly necessary to 
 say that honourable members, on their return to the house, 
 are not always in a better condition for the discharge of their 
 legislative duties. However, there is little difficulty in utter- 
 ing either of the monosyllables " Aye" or " No," and as their 
 minds are, in almost every instance, made up before-hand as 
 to which of the two words they will pronounce when it is 
 their turn to vote, they contrive to acquit themselves tolerably 
 well. 
 
 The practice of so many members leaving the house to go 
 to dinner between seven and eight o'clock and generally not 
 returning before ten, endangered the existence, on one occa- 
 sion, of the Melbourne Ministry, soon after its re-accession to 
 office. The measure before the House was one of great im- 
 portance, and about nine o'clock there were only about two
 
 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. 35 
 
 hundred and fifty members present, the great majority of 
 whom were Tories. The latter saw the preponderance of 
 their numbers, and accordingly shouted out " Divide, divide !" 
 They also endeavoured, though without effect, to put down by 
 clamour those members from the Ministerial side of the House 
 who rose to prolong the discussion until their friends should 
 return. The debate was kept up till half-past twelve, when 
 the division took place. The number of members then present 
 was upwards of six hundred, and the majority in favour of 
 Ministers exceeded thirty. 
 
 The house has a very different appearance at different times. 
 When there is no interesting question before it, its empty 
 seats give it a cheerless aspect; and the extent to which this 
 operates both on speakers and listeners is incredible. It is 
 next to impossible, in such a case, to make a lively or eloquent 
 speech, or even suppose it were both lively and eloquent, it 
 always fails to produce an impression. Though the voting 
 away of the public money, when the miscellaneous estimates 
 are under consideration, is unquestionably one of the most 
 important and responsible duties which devolve on a British 
 legislator, it so happens that when this is being done, there is 
 invariably a less number of members present than on any 
 other occasion. The greatest number I have known in the 
 house when the public money was in the act of being voted 
 away, scarcely ever exceeded eighty or ninety ; while from 
 fifty to sixty is the usual number. On such occasions, espe- 
 cially after twelve o'clock, you see nothing but languor in the 
 faces and manner of those honourable members who continue 
 to sit in an upright position ; while a considerable portion of 
 them are either leaning with their heads on the benches, or 
 stretched out at full length with their eyes, like those of 
 Shakspeare's shipboy, " sealed up" by sleep, " Nature's soft 
 nurse." The strangers in the gallery who chance to be there 
 for the first time, are always amazed beyond measure at seeing 
 any portion of their representatives thus enjoying their repose 
 while matters of the deepest importance are transacting in 
 the house. They are surprised to see those who were so 
 bustling and animated on the hustings, and so prodigal of 
 pledges to oppose every improper grant of the public money, 
 not only dull and drowsy in the house, but " sleeping it out" 
 while millions are voted away for all sorts of objects, good, 
 bad, and indifferent. Strangers do not, of course, return home 
 with any very exalted opinion either of the integrity or dig- 
 nity of the legislators themselves, or of the qualities necessary
 
 30 MIS( I'M.AM-OVS 
 
 to constitute a so-called representative of the people.* But 
 when, as already stated, a <mestion of commanding interest in 
 1o he discussed, tin 1 house is lull soon after tlie Speaker takes 
 the chair, and continues so, except from right to ten o'clock, 
 till it either divides or adjourns. There arc no sleepers or 
 shnuberers then. In the old house there was not sitting 
 room, tiir less room to recline in a horizontal position; in the 
 present house, including the galleries, there are seats enough, 
 but not more. When the house is full it has a very cheerful 
 appearance, and greatly adds to the intrinsic interest of the 
 '.nigs. On such occasions, you will sometimes see h'lly 
 or sixty members standing at the bar at the same time. I 
 have often seen it so blocked up that it was with the greatest 
 difficulty a member could make his way either in or out. 
 When this is the case, or when there is a great noise from 
 lion, members speaking and laughing together, the Speaker 
 and other members in different parts of the house, call out 
 " Order at the bar !" " Bar! bar! bar!" 
 
 There is nothing which more forcibly strikes a stranger who 
 is in the house for the first time, than the noise and levity 
 which almost invariably prevail in the House, except when 
 some popular or talented member is addressing it. At these 
 times, the Speaker's voice is drowned amidst the talking and 
 laughing which are going on in all parts of the house. I have 
 known members speak for half an hour at the time, without 
 one single sentiment they uttered being known to one out of 
 ten in the house. The house on such occasions is a scene of 
 perfect confusion, and the noise is sometimes so great as to be 
 heard distinctly in the street outside, a distance of forty of 
 fifty yards, and this, too, though the doors are all shut. 
 
 I recollect, when I first entered the house, being struck with 
 the great number of bald-headed members. The number is 
 greater in this Parliament than in any previous one within my 
 remembrance. I have sometimes had occasion to calculate 
 the number of bald la-ads in the house at once, and have found 
 them to be nearly a third of all present. Taking the whole 
 nix hundred and fifty-eight, I should think that perhaps a 
 fourth part are more or less bald-headed. 
 
 The dress of honourable members varies with the season. 
 
 * It is a fact which a sense of impartiality compels me to state, 
 tliat the must Haming patriots are generally those who most fre- 
 fjuenlly neglect their duty on these occasions.
 
 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. 87 
 
 In the spring months, the prevailing colour is black from head 
 to foot ; but in the summer season the great majority wear 
 light-coloured inexpressibles and waistcoats. The last two 
 sessions were remarkable for the number of white hats in the 
 house. Considerably more than a majority of the members, I 
 am sure, wore white hats last session. 
 
 The number of red heads in the house is also remarkable. 
 I should think they are hardly less numerous than the bald 
 heads. When I come to advert to individual members of dis- 
 tinction, it cannot fail to strike the reader how many of them 
 are red-headed. 
 
 I have spoken of the noise and confusion that often prevail 
 in the house when a fourth or fifth-rate speaker is addressing 
 it. When a popular member belonging to either party is on 
 his legs, he, again, is sure, especially if speaking on a party 
 question, to be applauded to the echo by those who hold the 
 same principles as himself. For example, Sir Robert Peel 
 may at all times rely on the vociferous applause of the Tories ; 
 Lord John Russell on that of the Whigs ; and Mr. O'Connell 
 on that of the Radical or Movement party. In applauding 
 their respective favourites, honourable members give full play 
 to their lungs. Their cheers are sometimes deafening in the 
 house, and are often distinctly heard at a great distance from 
 it. In the new houses, which are near each other, the cheers 
 given in the Commons often disturb the more grave delibera- 
 tions of the Lords. But it is on an important division that the 
 Stentorian capabilities of the Commons are heard to most ad- 
 vantage. I have often heard the triumphant party give such 
 rounds of applause on the Speaker's announcing the numbers, 
 as literally made the ears of honourable members ring again. 
 When Sir Robert Peel was last session defeated on the Church 
 Appropriation question, such was the exultation of the Liberal 
 party, that some of them, not content with hurraing at the top 
 of their voice, actually took off their hats and whirled them in 
 the air. 
 
 Of other kinds of sounds which are often to be heard in the 
 house, I shall have occasion to say something in the following 
 chapter. 
 
 There are several naval members in the house, who, though 
 they have as large an allowance of good judgment in some 
 instances more as those members who have spent all their 
 ihiys in polished society, yet have lost much of their earlier 
 litr-rary acquirements. There in more than one of these and 
 there arc several members who have chiefly spent their time 
 4
 
 38 Mi-rELLANEOVS OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 in rural retirement in the same predicament \vlio liave for- 
 gotten tin- first rudiments of their orthography. I could men- 
 tion several amusing instance's of such blunders committed by 
 M. I'.'s; but let. ene suffice. A worthy \Vel<-h baronet, dis- 
 tinguished for his maritime exploits, v.as lately asked by one 
 of his constituents who chanced to be in town at the time, for 
 an order of admission into the house. With his characteristic 
 
 disposition to oblige, Sir immediately complied with 
 
 the request, and wrote an order in the usual terms, and ad- 
 dressed it thus " To the Door Ceepor of the House of Com- 
 mons." The person for whom it was intended, discovered 
 the error in the spelling after he had gone ten or twelve yards 
 from the worthy baronet, and turning back and running up to 
 
 him said, "Oh, Sir there is a mistake in the word 
 
 " keeper;" you have spelt it with a c instead of a k." "A 
 mistake !" responded the baronet, taking the order into his 
 hand, " Not a bit of a mistake is there in it, both ways are 
 right quite right my friend," at the same time returning the 
 order uncorrected to his constituent. 
 
 Time after time have I been struck with the extraordinary 
 instances of a retentive memory, aiTorded by the ease and ac- 
 curacy with which members repeat long speeches which they 
 had previously learned by heart ; but the most striking in- 
 stance of this kind I ever witnessed and I question if there 
 be a parallel to it in the history of Parliamentary debates 
 was in the case of Mr. R. Tennant, the member for Belfast. 
 This gentleman, on the occasion of Mr. O'Connell's motion 
 for a repeal of the Union, in 1834, actually repeated a speech 
 against the measure, without the least hesitation in a sin- 
 gle instance, or the slightest mistake, which Occupied him 
 three hours and a-half in the delivery ; and which renders 
 the effort still more surprising it was a speech which was 
 full of minute calculations and figures. He mentioned the 
 circumstance to some of his friends at the time, and was so 
 confident of the trust-worthiness of his memory, that he sent 
 the manuscript of his speech to the newspapers before he de- 
 livered it. 
 
 Those unacquainted with the secrets of the prison-house, 
 would naturally infer that those members of opposite politics 
 whom they see night after night so heartily abusing each 
 other, were not on friendly terms together. There are some 
 eases in \vhich the conclusion would be just: in the great ma- 
 jority it would not. Before and after the dissolution of Sir 
 Robert Peel's Government, the Right Honourable Baronet and
 
 MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. 39 
 
 Lord John Russell were often seen in most friendly conversa- 
 tion together. Some weeks after the meeting- of the present 
 Parliament, Mr. Hughes Hughes, the member for Oxford, 
 made a most violent attack on Mr. O'Connell, pointedly re- 
 ferring among other things, to his ordering death's-heads and 
 cross-bones to be painted over the doors of those electors who 
 would not vote for his nominee in the county of Cork. Mr. 
 O'Connell repelled the attack with equal violence, and retort- 
 ed, as he did to Mr. Shaw, the member for the University of 
 Dublin, on another occasion, that Mr. Hughes' head was a 
 calf's head. Some nights afterwards both gentlemen were 
 seen walking arm-in-arm up Parliament street, on their way 
 home from the house.
 
 40 srrjjKs IN Tin: norsi:. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SCENES IN THE HOUSE. 
 
 THFRE are two kinds of scenes which occasionally take 
 place in the house. The one chiefly consists in the personal 
 altercations and mutual criminations which now and then oc- 
 cur between two particular members, who are almost inva- 
 riably of opposite politics. The other description of scenes is 
 of a more general nature, the pei formers being a large propor- 
 tion of the members present. These latter scenes generally 
 have their origin in the indisposition of the House to hear any 
 further speeches on a particular question, except from some of 
 the leading members. As a fair specimen of the first kind of 
 scenes I give the following, because it is short, and also be- 
 cause it is of late occurrence. It took place in July last, when 
 the House was in a Committee of Ways and Means. The 
 immediate circumstance which gave rise to it, if I remember 
 rightly, was a proposed grant of a certain sum to assist in de- 
 fraying the expenses of the education of Roman Catholics in 
 Maynooth College. Mr. Shaw, the member for the University 
 of Dublin, contended, in opposing the grant, that the .Estab- 
 lished Church, and it alone, ought to be supported by the 
 State. When he had concluded his speech, 
 
 Mr. O'Connell rose and said, "The honourable member 
 (Mr. Shaw) has expressed his opinions in a manner which can 
 do no good service to his cause. There was a determination 
 about him amounting almost to a spiritual ferocity. He seems 
 to think that the Protestant religion consists of pounds, shil- 
 lings, and pence." 
 
 Mr. Shaw (with great vehemence) "I deny that I said 
 that the Protestant religion consists of pounds, shillings, and 
 pence. But the Church establishment of any country must be 
 supported by money, and that Church which the State endowed 
 with money become the Established Church. In such a situa.- 
 tion stands the Church which the honourable and learned 
 member for Dublin has sworn not to subvert, and which he 
 now attempts to subvert." 
 
 Loud cries of " Order ! order !" now proceeded from the
 
 SCENES IN THE HOUSE. 41 
 
 ministerial side of the House. The Irish members shouted 
 the words with one voice. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell (with the greatest warmth and violence of 
 gesture) " I call the honourable Recorder to order. He has 
 made use of a false assertion." 
 
 Here Mr. O'Connell's voice was drowned amidst the deaf- 
 ening cries of " Order !" which proceeded from all parts of 
 the Opposition side of the house. A number of honourable 
 members rose at once, and accompanied the words with a 
 corresponding violence of gesture. It is impossible to describe 
 the confusion of the scene. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell resumed. " The honourable member has 
 accused me of having sworn one thing and done another. It 
 is quite out of order for a member to utter falsehoods." 
 
 Here the Opposition, almost in a body, shouted " Order ! 
 order !" at the full stretch of their voice, mingled with cries 
 of "Chair, chair!" It was some time before any measure of 
 order was restored. When the uproar had somewhat abated, 
 
 Mr. Finn said, " I pronounce the expression which has been 
 uttered by the learned member for the Dublin University to be 
 an atrocious calumny." The latter terms were pronounced 
 with an emphasis, and were accompanied with a vehemence 
 of gesture, that defy description. 
 
 The confusion and uproar which now ensued, owing to the 
 cries of "Chair, Chair!" and "Order, order!" which burst 
 from the Opposition side of the house, with the rising of many 
 of the members from their seats, exceeded any thing which 
 can be imagined. In vain did Mr. Bernal endeavour, as 
 Chairman of the Committee, to restore order. His voice was 
 lost amidst the deafening noise which prevailed. Some degree 
 of quiet being at length restored, 
 
 Mr. Shaw rose, and with great warmth said, " The honour- 
 able member for Dublin knows that when lie used the word 
 falsehood " 
 
 Here Mr. Shaw's voice was again drowned amidst renewed 
 uproar and confusion, caused by the rising of seven or eight of 
 the Irish members at once, each of them at the same time 
 speaking in the loudest and most indignant tones. It would 
 have been impossible to hear a single word either of them 
 said, owing to so many persons speaking and shouting at the 
 same instant ; but that difficulty was greatly increased by the 
 shouts of " Chair, Chair !" which burst from the Opposition 
 side of the house. 
 
 When the uproar had again partially subsided, Mr. Bernal 
 4*
 
 42 SCENES IN THE IlOffiE. 
 
 sraid, in a most vehement and impassioned manner, " If I 
 eiumot restore and preserve order, I must dissolve the Com- 
 mittee at once. It is impossible for me to maintain order, 
 when seven or eight honourable members all get up and speak 
 at once." 
 
 The determined manner and sharp rebuke of Mr. Bernal had, 
 to a very groat extent, the desired effect; when 
 
 Mr. Shaw, still labouring under great excitement, and 
 speaking with much warmth of manner, said : " The honour- 
 able member (Mr. O'Connell) has charged me with being 
 actuated by a spiritual ferocity; but my ferocity is not of that 
 description which takes for its symbol a death's head and 
 cross-bones. (Tremendous cheers from the Opposition, with 
 uproar from the Irish members on the ministerial side of the 
 house.) 
 
 Mr. O'Connell (addressing himself to Mr. Shaw personally, 
 and not to the Chairman) " Yours is a calPs head and jaw 
 bones." (Deafening cheers from the ministerial side of the 
 house, mingled with cries of " Order, order !" " Chair, Chair !" 
 from the Opposition.) 
 
 Mr. Bernal again interposed his authority as Chairman, 
 when having once more restored order, the business of the 
 Committee proceeded without any further material interrup- 
 tion. 
 
 I come now to what are called general scenes. One of the 
 richest of this kind which I have ever seen, occurred on the 
 17th of July last. The question before the House, was that 
 the Municipal Corporations Bill be re-committed. Several of 
 the leading members having delivered their sentiments on the 
 subject, Mr. Hughes Hughes, the member for Oxford, rose to ad- 
 dress the House. This gentleman, for what reason I am at a loss 
 to guess, generally meets with a very unfavourable reception : 
 on this occasion it exceeded anything I ever before witnessed. 
 The moment he pronounced the word " Sir," addressing him- 
 self of course to the Speaker, he was assailed with the most 
 tremendous uproar and confusion. Such a variety of sounds, 
 and so discordant, hardly ever before greeted mortal ear. Mr. 
 Hughes's voice was at once drowned amidst the babel of 
 sounds. Lord Brougham (then Mr. Brougham) once com- 
 pared the House to a menagerie ; the application of the term 
 would certainly have been most appropriate in this case. Had 
 a blind person been that night conducted into the house, and 
 not told what the place was, he would assuredly have supposed 
 that he was in some zoological establishment. The Morning
 
 SCENES IN THE HOUSE. 43 
 
 Post of the following v day thus described the scene : " The 
 most confused sounds, mysteriously blended, issued from all 
 corners of the house. One honourable member near the bar 
 repeatedly called out " Read" (to the member endeavouring 
 to address the House) in an exceedingly bass and hoarse 
 sound of voice. At repeated intervals a sort of drone-like 
 humming, having almost the sound of a distant hand-organ or 
 bagpipes, issued from the back benches ; coughing, sneezing, 
 and ingeniously extended yawning, blended with the other 
 sounds, and produced a tout-ensemble which we have never 
 heard excelled in the house. A single voice from the minis- 
 terial benches imitated very accurately the yelp of a kennelled 
 hound." The most graphic description would fall short of the 
 scene itself. At the farthest corner of the house, on the 
 ministerial side, there was a constant movement of the persons 
 as well as the tongues of honourable members. At one time 
 you would have thought, from the rapidity with which they 
 rose up and sat down again in their seats, that they had been 
 trying some gymnastic experiments. The best performers, in 
 another sense, were also chiefly in that part of the house. 
 One honourable member imitated the crowing of a cock so 
 admirably, that you could not have distinguished it from the 
 performance of a real chanticleer. Not far from the same 
 spot issued sounds marvellously resembling the bleating of a 
 sheep, blended occasionally with an admirable imitation of 
 the braying of an ass by an honourable member a few yards 
 distant. Then there were coughing, yawning, and other 
 vocal performances, in infinite variety, and in most discordant 
 chorus. There were yelpings worthy of any canine animal, 
 and excellent imitations of the sounds of sundry instruments 
 not mentioned by the Morning Post. The deafening uproar 
 was completed by the cries of "Chair, Chair!" "Order, 
 order !" groans, laughter, &c. which proceeded from all parts 
 of. the house. A more undeliberative assembly was never 
 seen, than that which constituted the House of Commons at 
 this moment. One fact will give as good an idea of the 
 scene as the most lengthened description. Mr. Poulter, the 
 member for Shaftesbury, succeeded Mr. Hughes, who had 
 been obliged to sit down ; and though the former, whose voice 
 is one of the best in the house, exerted himself for at least ten 
 minutes to make himself audible, there was not, as far as I 
 was able to ascertain, one member who could make out a 
 complete sentence of what he said. Very few heard even a 
 single word. Mr. Hardy made the attempt after Mr. Poulter,
 
 44 NCTNKS IN Till: HOI ST. 
 
 but with no belter suecoss. He at once saw it would be 
 hopeless; and accordingly sat do\vn. Other members who 
 wished to deliver llieir sent iments, shrunk from even an effort 
 t<> procure a hearing, The I luse Jiad determined on a 
 division; and a division on the question before it accordingly 
 took place immediately, which had the eil'ect of restoring 
 order. 
 
 As I \vas not present when the following scene occurred, I 
 quote it from the Morning C/ironic/c of the day after it oc- 
 curred, which was in June 1XU. The question before the 
 House was the admission of Dissenters to the Universities: 
 
 ' Mr. Cr. \V. Wood rose to reply. (The laughing, jeering, 
 shouting, and coughing, were such as we never before wit- 
 nessed.) The lion, gentleman said, it had been declared that 
 the Bill, in its present Mage, was essentially different from 
 what it was when he had the honour to introduce it to the 
 house. (At this moment two lion, members ' o'er all the ills 
 of life victorious,' suddenly entered from the smoking-room 
 into the opposition gallery, and stretching themselves at full 
 length on the seats, secure from the observation of the 
 Speaker, commenced a row of the most discreditable charac- 
 ter.) This he denied (' I say, can't you crow ?' Laughter and 
 uproar) the provisions had not been altered (' Hear him, 
 how lie reads !') the enactments were in every respect un- 
 altered (Loud cheering, followed by bursts of laughter). The 
 question was (' Read it read it !' and great uproar) the 
 question was (' Just so, read it') the question was (great 
 cheering and lauirhter) whether the universities should be 
 open to all, or be for ever under the control of mere monopo- 
 lists. (' Where's the man what crows'!' Laughter and cries of 
 ' Order !' from the Speaker.) Public opinion (' Order !' and 
 great uproar, during which the Speaker, evidently excited, 
 was loudly calling for order.) The scene here was inde- 
 scribable." 
 
 The preceding quotation will give some idea of the scenes 
 occasionally to be witnessed in the House of Commons. The 
 general scenes have usually their origin in the impatience of 
 honourable members to get away from the house for the night, 
 but who dare not venture to leave before the division, lest the 
 non-appearance of their names in the lists of the majority and 
 minority the following morning, should lead to some unpleasant 
 questions from their respective constituents, if not to a requi- 
 sition to resign their seats. 
 
 I shall allude to only one more scene of this kind. It oc-
 
 .SCENES IN THE HOUSE. 45 
 
 curred towards the close of last session. An honourable mem- 
 ber, whose name I suppress, rose, amidst the most tremendous 
 uproar, to address the. House. He spoke, and was received, 
 as nearly as the confusion enabled me to judge, as follows : 
 " I rise, Sir, (Ironical cheers, mingled with all sorts of zoolo- 
 gical sounds), I rise, Sir, for the purpose of stating that I have 
 (' Oh ! oh !' ' Bah !' and sounds resembling the bleating of a 
 sheep, mingled with loud laughter). Hon. gentlemen may 
 endeavour to put me down by their unmannerly interruptions, 
 
 but I have a duty to perform to my con (Ironical cheers, 
 
 loud coughing, sneezing, and yawning extending to an incre- 
 dible length, followed by bursts of laughter). I say, Sir, I 
 
 have constituents who on this occasion expect that I (Cries 
 
 of ' Should sit down,' and shouts of laughter). They expect, 
 Sir, that on a question of such importance (' O-o-a-a-u-' and 
 loud laughter, followed by cries of ' Order ! order !' from the 
 Speaker). I tell honourable gentlemen who choose to con- 
 duct themselves in such a way, that I am not to be put down 
 
 by (Groans, coughs, sneezings, hems, and various animal 
 
 sounds, some of which closely imitated the yelping of a dog, 
 and the squeaking of a pig, interspersed with peals of laugh- 
 ter). I appeal (' Cock-e-leeri-o-co !' The imitation, in this 
 
 case, of the crowing of a cock was so remarkably good, that 
 not even the most staid and orderly members in the house 
 could preserve their gravity. The laughter which followed 
 drowned the Speaker's cries of ' Order ! order !') I say, Sir, 
 this is most unbecoming conduct on the part of an assembly 
 
 calling itself de (' Bow-wow-wow,' and bursts of laughter). 
 
 Sir, may I ask, have honourable gentlemen who can 
 
 (' Mew-mew,' and renewed laughter). Sir, I claim the pro- 
 tection of the Chair. (The Speaker here again rose and called 
 out ' Order ! order !' in a loud and angry tone, on which the 
 uproar in some measure subsided.) If honourable gentlemen 
 will only allow me to make one observation, I will not trespass 
 further on their attention, but sit down at once. (This was 
 followed by the most tremendous cheering in earnest.) I only 
 beg to say, Sir, that I think this is a most dangerous and un- 
 constitutional measure, and will therefore vote against it." 
 The honourable gentleman then resumed his seat amidst 
 deafening applause.
 
 MA\\i:ilS SI TTON. 
 
 CIIAl'TKR V. 
 
 THE LATE AND PRESENT SPEAKERS SIR CHARLES MANNERS 
 SUTTON AND MR. JAMES ABERCROMBY. 
 
 IN presenting the reader with sketches of the leading mem- 
 bers of all parties in the House, it will be expected that I be- 
 gin with the late and present Speakers. The office of Speaker 
 is one of such great importance, and is regarded with so much 
 respect by the members, however differing from him in poli- 
 tics, as to entitle Sir Charles Manners Sutton and Mr. Aber- 
 cromby to a priority of notice. 
 
 SIR CHARLES MANNERS SUTTON filled the office of Speaker 
 for eighteen years, having been chosen in 1817 in the room of 
 the Right Honourable Charles Abbott, who then resigned from 
 ill health. Sir Charles presided during five successive Parlia- 
 ments. He was a great favourite with men of all parties in 
 the House ; indeed he could not have been otherwise, for a 
 man of more conciliating, bland, and gentlemanly manners 
 never crossed the threshold of St. Stephen's. He was at all 
 times accessible, and to every member; the most inveterate 
 and most unpopular Radical, though he himself was onn of 
 the most decided Tories in the House, was treated by him in 
 the house, at his public dinners, and in the private interviews 
 he was obliged frequently to have with men of all parties, 
 with the same courtesy and apparent respect as the most in- 
 fluential of his own party. He never suffered his politicnl 
 prejudices, strong as they were, to interfere with the ameni- 
 ties of gentlemanly intercourse. The perfect gentleman wns 
 visible in everything he said and did; nay, it was visible in 
 his very person, whether you saw him walking the streets, or 
 filling the chair in the House of Commons. There was a 
 mildness and good-nature in his features, which could not fail 
 to strike a stranger the moment he saw him, and which \v;is 
 certain of prepossessing every one in his favour. With tln'-i' 
 softer and more amiable features, there was blended a dignity 
 and energy of character, which invariably insured the respect 
 of the members. No man knew better how to unite firmness 
 and decision with the greatest urbanity of manner, in reprov- 
 ing a member who had violated the rules of the House, or
 
 SIR CHARLES MANNERS SDTTON. 47 
 
 the usages which one gentleman ought to observe towards 
 another. 
 
 He possessed great presence of mind. I have seen him 
 time after time conduct himself, in scenes of the greatest con- 
 fusion, and in cases of great difficulty, with as much coolness, 
 self-possession, and judgment, as if he had been quietly delibe- 
 rating on some point appertaining to the orders and usages of 
 the House, in his own study. I do not recollect to have seen 
 him so much disconcerted as on one occasion, when having, 
 on a division, said he thought the " Ayes" had it, Mr. Hal- 
 comb, the late member for Dover, got up and said with some 
 tartness, though no one but himself had voted against the 
 measure, " / say, sir, the * Noes 1 have it." Sir Charles Man- 
 ners Sutton did look confounded for a moment, and one loud 
 shout of " Oh, oh !" burst simultaneously from all parts of the 
 house. Sir Charles, on recovering himself, ordered a division ; 
 as the Speaker must always do if but one member demands it, 
 when there appeared how many " Noes" does the reader 
 think 1 Just one, and that one was the property of Mr. Hal- 
 comb himself. The late Duke of Somerset, towards the close 
 of the last century, divided the House of Lords on the question 
 of this country going to war with France, when there only 
 appearing himself in opposition to the motion, he caused a 
 medal to be struck to the memory of " The Glorious Minority 
 of One." Whether Mr. Halcomb took a similar method of 
 perpetuating the remembrance of his " Glorious Minority," I 
 have not the means of knowing. 
 
 Sir Charles Manners Sutton was intimately conversant with 
 the usages, laws, and forms of the House. This was apparent 
 soon after his appointment to the office; for immediately on 
 getting into the chair he applied himself with the greatest 
 assiduity and attention to the subject, until he made himself 
 quite iiiiuster of it. In no case of difficulty that ever occurred 
 while i wad present, did I ever see him at the least loss as to 
 how it should be dealt with. 
 
 His voice \\.-i-, without exception, the most sonorous, power- 
 ful, niid melodious 1 ever heard. Its compass was surprising, 
 when lie called out, as he had too often occasion to do, " Order, 
 order !" The sounds, even when he manifestly gave no play 
 to his lungs, but spoke with as little effort as if he had been 
 speaking in a whisper, f'eJl on your ear, it mattered not in 
 1 |i;iri of th" were at the time, with a loudness 
 
 and depth of intniialinii which at once startled and delighted 
 you. If very great noisu and confusiou prevailed in the house
 
 48 MH. J A. MISS ABERCBOMBY. 
 
 at the time, and he consequently uttered the words " Order, 
 order!" with some mercy, you would have supposed you heard 
 ice ot' ii Uoarm>rM's. 
 
 Sir Charles .Manners Sutton generally received credit for 
 great impartiality. The Liberals, however, maintain that al- 
 though lie was very impartial in allowing an equal number of 
 speakers to address the House on each side of a question, he 
 very often, when several speakers on the Liberal side rose at 
 once to reply to a Tory speech of ability, " fixed his eye" on 
 the least talented ; and that on the other hand, he as frequent- 
 ly, when several Tories rose at once to reply to a speech of 
 talent from a Liberal member, selected the ablest of the 
 number. 
 
 Sir Charles hardly ever availed himself of his privilege of 
 speaking in committee. The only instance in which he did 
 so, that I can remember at this moment, was one morning in 
 the session of 1834, at four o'clock, when some question af- 
 fecting the privileges of the University of Cambridge, of which 
 he was at the time the representative, was under discussion. 
 His speech lasted about ten or fifteen minutes. It did not in- 
 dicate a vigorous or comprehensive mind, but it was, in the 
 delivery, as fine a specimen of correct elocution as one could 
 wish to hear. His style was fluent but verbose. He excelled 
 in making high sounding sentences, as his speech on the elec- 
 tion of Mr. Abercromby proved. 
 
 The late Speaker is tall and robust in person. His hair is 
 black, and his complexion very dark. But for a strong squint 
 in one of his eyes, his countenance would be remarkable for 
 its handsomeness; as it is, it is pleasant His features are 
 small and regular. His age is fifty-five. He appears to be 
 in excellent health. 
 
 Of Mr. JAMES ABERCROMBY, the present Speaker, my notice 
 will necessarily be short, as his occupation of the Chair has 
 yet been but of little more than six months' duration. His 
 voice is pleasant and clear, but not strong. His manner is 
 dignified and solemn, mingled with urbanity. His articula- 
 tion is slow and distinct Like his predecessor, he is perfectly 
 cool and calm in the midst of the scenes of uproar which occur 
 in the house. He is of a kindly disposition. Indeed, his ex- 
 treme good nature has sometimes rendered him indulgent to 
 a. fault, to members who have transgressed the bounds of par- 
 liamentary order and courtesy. He possesses considerable 
 talents, and had much influence in the House, especially with 
 his own party, before his election to the Chair. He is a man
 
 MR. JAMES ABERCROMBY. 49 
 
 of great straightforwardness in his conduct as a public as well 
 as a private man. His integrity has never been questioned : 
 it is above suspicion. His acquaintance with the forms and 
 usages of the House is already intimate. He is much re- 
 spected by those members who differ from, as well as by those 
 who agree with him in his political opinions. 
 
 He is in his sixty-second year. His countenance is pale, 
 and has a pensive expression. His hair is partly gray, with 
 remains of its original dark-brown colour. He was in delicate 
 health when he took possession of the Chair. It cannot have 
 been improved by the last session, which was perhaps the 
 longest since the revolution of 1688, whilst his duties, owing 
 to the alteration in the hours of sitting, were more than com- 
 monly onerous. On one occasion, towards the close of the 
 session, he sat upwards of twelve successive hours without 
 quitting the Chair for a moment.
 
 50 T1IK TOltY PARTY. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE TORY TARTY. LATE MEMBERS. 
 
 Sir Charles Wethercll Mr. Croker Mr. T. Michael Sadler. 
 
 THOUGH the Liberal party within the walls of Parliament 
 had been gradually gaining in numbers for the previous twenty 
 years, it was in the beginning of 1829 so inconsiderable, that 
 had the Tories, as they all now admit, only played their cards 
 with ordinary skill, the measure of Reform which passed in 
 1832, might have been deferred for a quarter of a century. It 
 is true, that, throughout the country, the demand for Reform had 
 become general; but so moderate were the people in their 
 expectations, and so few were the friends of extensive Reform 
 in the House of Commons, that a very limited amendment of 
 the representation would have met the views of the nation. 
 Had the elective franchise been only transferred from East 
 Retford and Penryn, boroughs which have been convicted of 
 bribery and corruption, to Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, 
 or other large unrepresented places, and a few of the other 
 most populous towns been enfranchised, the people would 
 have been satisfied ; and the Government conceding even 
 that small modicum of Reform, would have become so popular, 
 that they might have had a long tenure of office. But the 
 Duke of Wellington, in an evil hour for himself and his party, 
 pronounced the then existing representation of the country to 
 be " the most perfect that human ingenuity could devise," and 
 proclaimed his determination to resist the slightest alteration 
 in that system. At the moment the noble Duke made this 
 notable and ill-judged declaration, two-thirds, at least, of the 
 members of the House of Commons, were decided Tories, or, 
 at all events, had, before that time, identified themselves with 
 that party ; but so powerful was the sensation produced among 
 the people by this announcement, and so loud was the demand 
 for Parliamentary Reform, that a great many members of the 
 House of Commons, seeing that they could not stem the torrent 
 of public opinion, deemed it prudent to yield to it. A general 
 election followed soon after, and such had in the meantime 
 become the power of public opinion, that even under the then 
 existing system of the close burghs of England, and the close
 
 THE LATE MEMBERS. 51 
 
 counties, as well as burghs, of Scotland, there was only a 
 majority of one in the House of Commons against the Reform 
 Bill first proposed, and which was, in many respects, more 
 sweeping than the one which eventually passed. Thus, then, 
 the number of the Tories was reduced to 329 in the House of 
 Commons before the passing of the Reform Bill. In the first 
 parliament after that measure had become the law of the land, 
 their numbers were reduced to about 192. Since then, how- 
 ever, there has been a re-action in their favour. Their num- 
 ber now is estimated at 270 ; but they have often apparently 
 mustered about 300, owing to their ranks having been, on 
 several late occasions, reinforced by moderate reformers. 
 
 The most distinguished individuals of the Tory party who 
 were members of the House immediately previous to the 
 passing of the Reform Bill, have for the most part, still seats 
 in it : Sir Charles Wetherell, Mr. Croker, the late Mr. T. Mi- 
 chael Sadler, and two or three others, are the exceptions. 
 
 Never was the exclusion of a member more generally re- 
 gretted than was that of Sir CHARLES WETHERELL. He was 
 a high Tory, and never was there a man who so uncompro- 
 misingly and zealously asserted his opinions. There were 
 formerly many Tories, as there are now Liberals, who adopted 
 a particular creed, simply because it paid best, and not from 
 any very marked preference to one class of principles over 
 another. Not so with Sir Charles. He believes most potently 
 in the superior excellence of Toryism ; he loves it for its own 
 sake ; it has no additional charms to him when associated with 
 the loaves and fishes of power, nor does it lose any of its at- 
 tractions when in Opposition. He is one of the most disin- 
 terested men, of any party, of the present day. His attach- 
 ment to his principles was sorely tried in 1829 ; but he came 
 through the ordeal in the most triumphant manner. It was 
 well known that the Duke of Wellington on that occasion 
 offered him one of the highest judicial situations in the coun- 
 try, on the condition of his supporting the Government in the 
 measure of Catholic Emancipation ; but he held fast his in- 
 tegrity, notwithstanding the strength of the temptation. In 
 politics any more than in morals, he could not recognize the 
 principle of expediency. His maxims then, as on all other 
 occasions, was that honesty is the best policy. He is ready 
 any day, should the necessity arise, of which happily there is 
 little chance, to suffer any species of martyrdom which the 
 opposite party may think best, for his political princi- 
 ples.
 
 ")'-2 SIR CHARLES WETHERELL. 
 
 But it was not because of the straightforward conduct and 
 unimpeachable consistency of Sir Charles Wetherel), that his 
 exclusion from Parliament was so generally regretted hy the 
 House. It was his peculiar manners and his rich humour 
 that made him so great a favourite. He was generally very 
 severe as well as witty on his opponents, but it was clearly 
 at the principles of the men, and not at the men themselves, 
 that he levelled his happy sarcasms. This is an important 
 distinction : and the more so, because in a great many cases 
 honourable members, under the pretext of attacking the 
 principles and arguments of their opponents, do in reality 
 indulge their personal animosities by attacking the men. 
 Few members have had fewer personal enemies than Sir 
 Charles. I hardly knew one that cherished any rooted aver- 
 sion to him. 
 
 He never opened his mouth, but the House was sure to be 
 convulsed with laughter. When he rose all eyes were inva- 
 riably turned towards him : honourable members expected a 
 profusion of jokes, and they were never disappointed. Sir 
 Charles's personal appearance strikingly contrasted with his 
 matter. Lavaler would have pronounced him one of the 
 dullest and most morose of human beings : a person meeting 
 him in the streets, would at once infer, if any faith is to be 
 put in physiognomy, that he was some Friar just escaped from 
 rt twenty or thirty years' seclusion in a convent. He usually 
 looks sulky: his appearance is to a stranger's mind the beau 
 ideal of a cynical philosopher. When lashing the Liberals, 
 and denouncing what he terms revolutionary doctrines, his 
 countenance darkens with an expression of supreme scorn. 
 His face is deeply furrowed with wrinkles, though apparently 
 not more than from fifty-five to sixty years of age. In person 
 he is tall and athletic. His complexion is dark, and his fea- 
 tures are large. Nothing can daunt him or put him out of 
 countenance. He is impervious alike to the coarsest and 
 most refined sarcasms which may be levelled at him, and 
 few men within the walls of Parliament have been the butts 
 of so much ridicule ; certainly none on account of their per- 
 sonal appearance. He was a target for every Liberal to shoot 
 at. His clothes are always thread-bare. I never yet saw a 
 suit on him for which a Jew old-clothes-man. would give ten 
 shillings. How or where he gets his wardrobe nobody knows, 
 but every one has remarked that a new suit, or even a new 
 hat, coat, waistcoat, or Irowsers singly, was never yet seen 
 to grace his person. I cannot think he has a tailor, or if he
 
 SIR CHARLES WETHERELL. 53 
 
 have, it is impossible Snip can ever take his measure. His 
 clothes always look as if made by accident; they never fit 
 him. They literally hang loosely about him. As for braces, 
 he has an unconquerable aversion to them. Whether, like 
 the elder Hannibal towards the Romans, he has sworn eternal 
 hostility to what he calls "suspenders," is not known; but no 
 one can doubt he would as soon that his neck were encircled 
 in a halter, as that his breeches should be adjusted by means 
 of braces. 
 
 Though the cause of so much laughter in others, I scarce- 
 ly ever yet knew a smile play on Sir Charles' own counte- 
 nance. I doubt much if he himself sees the wit and humour 
 with which his speeches sparkle ; certainly there is not the 
 least appearance of an effort to be witty or humorous. 
 
 He is capable of undergoing great fatigue. His physical 
 as well as mental exertions during the time the Reform Bill 
 was in Committee, were extraordinary. Night after night 
 and this, too, after being busily and laboriously engaged all 
 day in the discharge of his professional duties did he oppose 
 every successive clause of that measure. It was in a great 
 degree owing to his pertinacious opposition and " much speak- 
 ing," that the debate immediately before the memorable divi- 
 sion at seven o'clock in the morning, was prolonged to that 
 unseasonable and unprecedentedly late hour. That division 
 was only one of several which had taken place in the course 
 of the previous night. Sir Charles, on leaving the house at a 
 quarter past seven, finding that it rained heavily, raised his 
 eyes towards the clouds, as a wild duck, to use the phra- 
 seology of an Irish peasant, would do in a thunder storm, and 
 exclaimed, " By G if I had known this, we should have had 
 a few more divisions." 
 
 Sir Charles is an excellent lawyer, but an indifferent politi- 
 cian. His mind is incapable of grappling with any great na- 
 tional question. He has no comprehensive views; improve- 
 ment in the institutions of the country is, with him, synony- 
 mous with revolution. Established usages are everything in 
 his eye. To question the wisdom of our ancestors is in his es- 
 timation treason, both against the Constitution and society, 
 and could not be visited with too heavy a punishment. Hence 
 all his speeches in Parliament consisted of denunciations of 
 Liberalism, and eulogiums of " things as they are !" Had Sir 
 Charles been in the house during the late discussions on the 
 Church of Ireland, he would have made some rich exhibitions. 
 After shedding an ocean of tears over the assumed destruc- 
 5*
 
 54 MR. CROKKR. 
 
 tion of the Irisli Ileirarchy, and seen in that destruction the 
 extinction of Christianity all over the world, In- \vonld have 
 branded the Liberals with the epithets of " AtheiM.s!" " Infi- 
 dels !" iVc.. and then sent one and all of them, en //w.w, to a 
 locality which shall be nameless, amidst jokes and witticisms, 
 which, notwithstanding the seriousness of the charges, and 
 the a \\fulness of the threatened doom, would have made the 
 house ring with laughter; for lie cannot open his mouth with- 
 out giving utterance to something humorous. It is a ruling 
 jwssion with him, which will, there can be no question, be 
 strong in death. 
 
 The Reform Bill, which shut the doors of Parliament against 
 Sir Charles Wetherell, was also the means of bringing to an 
 abrupt termination the legislative career of Mr. CHOKER. In 
 his exclusion from the house, the Tory party lost the Parlia- 
 mentary services of one of their most zealous and efficient 
 friends. Nature, according to the representations of his oppo- 
 nents, intended him for a Tory, and education forwarded the 
 purposes of Nature. He lived as strictly within the limits of 
 the world of Toryism, as if it had constituted the only creed 
 in the universe of mind. He not only hated the abstraction of 
 Liberalism, but to have associated, even in the private rela- 
 tions of life, with men holding liberal principles, would have 
 been in his view so enormous an offence against propriety, 
 that he could never have forgiven himself had he committed 
 it. Not only was it impossible, from the very constitution of his 
 mind, that he could ever make a friend of any person enter- 
 taining liberal opinions, but when unavoidable circumstances 
 brought him into personal contact with Reformers, he seemed 
 like a fish out of its element, or like a person breathing a 
 tainted atmosphere. Whatever therefore he knew of Liberal- 
 ism, was rather from the reports of others than from his own 
 experience or knowledge. 
 
 It is no fiction to state that Mr. Croker viewed the passing 
 of the Reform Bill with very much the same feelings as if it 
 had been a personal calamity of the first magnitude. His 
 mind was filled with horror during the day at the bare con- 
 templation of that measure becoming the law of the land, and 
 it disturbed his slumbers at night. Many a sleepless night 
 did he pass when, to use Sir Charles WetherelPs expression, 
 " the close boroughs were, day after day, put up to be knocked 
 down." His exertions to avert the catastrophe were almost 
 superhuman. Few constitutions could have stood the amount 
 of physical labour he went through while the several clauses
 
 MR. CROKER. 55 
 
 of schedules A and B were being discussed. For some weeks 
 he spoke every consecutive evening against particular clauses 
 of the Reform Bill, upwards, on an average, of three hours. 
 Some nights he made as many as twenty speeches ; not under 
 the impression that his eloquence would operate conviction on 
 the minds of Reformers, or avert the impending destruction of 
 the close boroughs, but merely for the purpose of gaining time. 
 He had great faith in the chapter of accidents doing something 
 for his party, and clung to the very last moment till the Re- 
 form Bill received the Royal Assent with a tenacity pecu- 
 liar to himself, to the fond hope that something or other, he 
 knew not what, would occur, " to save the Constitution and 
 the country." 
 
 In person, Mr. Croker is tall and well-made. He is full 
 six feet in height. He is bald-headed, and has been so for 
 ten or twelve years. He is about sixty years of age, nearly 
 the one-half of which time he was in Parliament. He is a 
 very iluent speaker; but his elocution is somewhat impaired 
 by the circumstance of his not not being able to pronounce 
 the letter r. He is never at a loss for words ; and when in 
 Parliament was chiefly remarkable for the readiness and in- 
 genuity with which he could reply to any opponent. He sel- 
 dom, comparatively, made set speeches. He generally re- 
 served himself until some political opponent of mark had ad- 
 dressed the House ; he then rose and replied, usually with 
 much cftect. His forte chiefly lay in detecting and exposing 
 the weak points of an adversary; and when these did not ac- 
 tually exist ready-made to his hand, he invariably contrived to 
 make them for himself. He was one of the most unfair rea- 
 soners in the house ; he never hesitated to misrepresent the 
 arguments of his opponents, and though often interrupted in 
 his speeches by honourable members rising up and complain- 
 ing, frequently with great warmth of temper, of being totally 
 misrepresented, no sooner had they resumed their seats, than 
 he proceeded, demolishing, without mercy, as if no complaint 
 of misrepresentation had been made, the positions which he 
 had himself created and put in to their mouths. A more dex- 
 terous special pleader than Mr. Croker never sat within the 
 walls of Parliament. His manner was distinguished by an 
 earnestness and animation which invariably commanded the 
 attention of the House. His gesture was violent, often thea- 
 trically so. He made infinitely varied evolutions with his 
 person. He could not remain many seconds in the same posi- 
 tion. He was always wheeling his body round and round,
 
 56 MR. T. M. SADI.EU. 
 
 ami by that means managed to address, by turns, not only 
 every part of the house, but almost every member in it. His 
 manner, when speaking, was; the most mercurial I ever saw. 
 An Irishman in the gallery characteristically observed one 
 evening, that he was like a hen on a hot girdle. He was an 
 excellent actor; had he gone to the stage when he first took 
 to politics, he could not tail to have earned for himself a dis- 
 tinguished reputation on the histrionic boards. 
 
 Mr. Croker felt particularly jealous of Mr. Jeffrey, the Lord 
 Advocate of Scotland, on that learned lord's admission into 
 Parliament. Hence he laboured with his utmost might to 
 damage the Parliamentary reputation, which, by the way, 
 was never so great as was generally expected it would be, 
 of the Scotch Advocate. He invariably replied to his speeches 
 when the rules of the House would allow him, thus affording 
 an illustration of the old saying two of a trade can never 
 agree. For -years they had been rival Reviewers : now they 
 were rival orators and legislators. The Scotch Advocate 
 spoke Edinburgh Reviews, and the Secretary to the Board of 
 Admiralty replied to him in Quarterly Reviews. 
 
 Mr. Croker is quite an aristocrat in his notions. ' The most 
 memorable thing he ever uttered in Parliament was an ex- 
 clamation, on hearing some honourable member mention the 
 name of Bedford-square, " Bedford-square ! I know nothing of 
 the geography of Bedford-square : I did not know there was 
 such a place in the world !" This affected ignorance of every 
 thing but the aristocratic squares of the West-end, drew down 
 on him the deserved ridicule of the House.* 
 
 Mr. T. M. SADLER, the late member for Newark, was ano- 
 ther able friend of the Tories, of whose services in Parliament 
 they were deprived by the Reform Bill. He was the nominee 
 of the Duke of Newcastle, and it was in reference to the in- 
 fluence of that noblemen over his tenants in Newark, in sup- 
 port of Mr. Sadler against Mr. Serjeant Wilde, the opposing 
 Reform candidate, that his Grace openly asserted his right to 
 do what he liked with his own. Mr. Sadler was only in the 
 House of Commons during the two short Parliaments imme- 
 diately preceding the passing of the Reform Bill. He was 
 quite unknown to fame when he entered the house : even the 
 
 * I have been credibly informed that in consequence of this ob- 
 servation of Mr. Croker, the houses in Bedford Square fell fifty per 
 cent, in rental.
 
 MR. T. M. SADLER. 57 
 
 little local reputation lie possessed, was made rather in the 
 capacity of a banker in Leeds than as an orator or politician. 
 His maiden speech, therefore, which was one of great elo- 
 quence and ability, and which occupied nearly three hours in 
 the delivery, came like a peal of thunder on the ears of the 
 House. Indeed, had he descended from the clouds, instead of 
 emerging from the comparative obscurity of his banking-house 
 in Leeds, his party could not have idolized him more. The 
 proudest of the aristocracy courted his company, and took 
 every occasion of paying homage to him. The Duke of New- 
 castle derived much credit for penetration in discovering the 
 light which Mr. Sadler had so long hid under a bushel. It 
 was, however, soon found out, that though a man of great ta- 
 lent, and one who could be of much service to his party, he 
 was vastly overrated. The speech, a splendid one undoubted- 
 ly, with which he had electrified the House, they supposed to 
 have been extemporaneous, and that he had only any evening, 
 and on any interesting occasion, to " get on his legs" and de- 
 liver another equally excellent. Here was their error. The 
 speech which they had supposed to be spoken with very little, 
 if any, premeditation, had been the result of weeks of most in- 
 tense study, and every word, like the school-boy with his 
 tasks, had been most carefully committed to memory. Night 
 after night, and week after week, did the Tories look to the 
 Opposition bench which he occupied, in the hope of his pouring 
 out another such torrent of eloquence ; but they looked in 
 vain. He was as silent as the grave. When, some two or 
 three months afterwards, he \vas compelled to say something 
 in consequence of some pointed allusions both to himself and 
 his patron, the Duke of Newcastle, the charm was in a great 
 measure dissolved. He stuttered, and stammered, and flound- 
 ered at almost every second sentence, in such a way as to be 
 absolutely painful to the House. The fact was, that he was 
 not an extempore speaker ; he could not deliver two consecu- 
 tive sentences, with any propriety or effect, on the spur of the 
 moment. He was a man who might make five or six good 
 speeches in the course of a Session, which would be allowing 
 about a month for the preparation of each ; but that was the 
 utmost extent of his capabilities. Even on the hustings, where 
 all the- "silent members" are proverbially loquacious, he com- 
 pletely broke down. He could not reply to the attacks of a 
 rival candidate. Nay, in his own committee-room, if he was, 
 by an unexpected question or other interruption, diverted from 
 his train of thought, the circumstance so disconcerted him as
 
 58 MR. T. M. SADLER. 
 
 to make it clitlicult for him to add a single word more on the 
 subject. 
 
 Mr. Sadler was fifty-six years of age when he died. He 
 was of middle size. His head was quite gray. In his coun- 
 tenance there were such a seriousness and solemnity, that a 
 stranger might have mistaken him for a clergyman. His fea- 
 tures were strongly marked, and his elocution was in harmony 
 with his staid and pensive appearance. His voice was full 
 and distinct, but it had a species of twang about it very much 
 resembling that which is so often heard in the pulpit. This, 
 however, rather aided than impaired the effect of his celebra- 
 ted maiden speech in St. Stephen's, inasmuch as its chief 
 characteristics consisted of gloomy forebodings of the effects 
 which, he alleged, would flow from the passing of the Re- 
 form Bill. 
 
 There was none of their party whose exclusion from the 
 House, by the passing of that measure, was more generally 
 regretted by the Tories than was Mr. Sadler's, and the greatest 
 efforts were made to get him returned for Leeds. In the first 
 election for that town, after the Reform Bill became the law 
 of the land, there was little probability of a successful appeal 
 to its constituency, both on account of the great popularity ol 
 his opponent, Mr. Macauley, and the intense enthusiasm which 
 then existed in favour of reform measures ; but when a va- 
 cancy occurred in the representation of the place, by Mr. Ma- 
 caul ey's acceptance of an appointment in India, there was al- 
 most a moral certainty of his return, had not Mr. Foster, late 
 proprietor and editor of the Leeds Patriot, suddenly started 
 up, because of some alleged private wrongs he had suffered 
 at the hands of Mr. Sadler, and made a detailed and pointed 
 expose of various circumstances in Mr. Sadler's history before 
 unknown. The statements made were of a nature to create 
 at once an overwhelming prejudice against him in the public 
 mind. Many, even of his own party, withdrew their support 
 from him, because, while they conceived the charges were of 
 a character which imperiously demanded an immediate and 
 complete disproval, he, acting on the advice of his committee, 
 declined taking any notice of them. He lost his election by 
 a majority of six to one, and was so mortified at the circum- 
 stance, that he formed a resolution, as was well understood 
 by his friends, and, indeed, almost publicly stated by himself, 
 to retire for ever into private life. 
 
 Mr. Sadler was one of the most benevolent men of the pre- 
 sent day. His exertions, both in and out of Parliament, in
 
 MR. T. M. SADLER. 59 
 
 favour of the factory children, were great and unwearied, and 
 will endear his name to millions yet unborn. For a long time 
 he laboured under great bodily indisposition, brought on, there 
 can be no doubt, by the amount of his labours in the cause of 
 suffering humanity.
 
 60 TIIK TORY I'AIITY. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 TORY PARTY. PRESENT MEMBERS. 
 
 Sir Robert Peel Mr. Goulburn Sir Edward Knatchbull Sir 
 Henry Hardinge Sir Robert Inglis Lord Sandon Mr. Praed 
 Mr. C. W. \V. Wynn Lord Mahon Colonel Siblhorpe 
 Marquis of Cliandoa Mr. F. Shaw Sir Richard Vyvyan. 
 
 SIR ROBERT PEEL is now, as he has been since the death of 
 Mr. Canning, the leader of the Tory party in the House of 
 Commons. He is a remarkable good-looking man, rather 
 above the usual size, and finely proportioned. He is of a clear 
 complexion, full round face, and red-haired. His usual dress 
 is a green surtout, a light waistcoat, and dark trowsers. lie 
 generally displays a watch-chain on his breast, with a bunch 
 of gold seals of unusually large dimensions and great splen- 
 dour. He can scarcely be called a dandy, and yet he sacri- 
 fices a good deal to the graces. I hardly know a public man 
 who dresses in better taste. He is in the prime of life, being 
 forty-seven years of age. His whole appearance indicates 
 health. His constitution is excellent, and his temperate habits 
 have seconded the kindly purposes of nature. He is capable 
 of undergoing great physical fatigue. I have known him re- 
 main in the house for three or four successive nights till one 
 and two o'clock, not only watching with the most intense 
 anxiety the progress of important debates, but taking an active 
 part in the proceedings, and yet be in his office, transacting 
 business of the greatest moment, by ten o'clock on the follow- 
 ing morning. Sir Robert is possessed of business habits of 
 the first order. He can descend, when there is a necessity 
 for it, to the minutest circumstances in a great question, and 
 master them all as fully as if he had never had a thought be- 
 yond the pale of such matters. He was never yet known to 
 bungle any measure from ignorance of business details. 
 
 Sir Robert Peel is perhaps the best and most effective 
 speaker in the House. He is always fluent, even in his most 
 extemporaneous addresses. His language is uniformly cor- 
 rect, and generally eloquent. He is never at a loss for words. 
 These he has almost invariably at his command in abundance, 
 even when he is deficient in everything having the semblance 
 of argument. He is remarkably dexterous in debate. I have
 
 SIR ROBERT PEEL. 61 
 
 often admired the wonderful expertness with which he has 
 extricated himself from the awkward positions into which his 
 opponents have thrust him. His self-possession, which scarce- 
 ly ever forsakes him, is of vast importance to him ; and, in 
 conjunction with his singularly good tact, enables him to make 
 the most of a bad cause. The only occasion on which I ever 
 knew him break fairly down, was when, last session, attempt- 
 ing to vindicate the appointment of the Marquis of London- 
 derry as Ambassador- to the Court of St. Petersburgh. That 
 was 'as signal a failure as was ever witnessed in the house. 
 At one time he stuttered and stammered as if he had had an 
 impediment in his speech ; at another he made a dead pause, 
 not being able for some time to utter a single word. He 
 seemed to feel that he had undertaken a bad cause. The 
 memorable declaration of the noble Marquis, that the Poles 
 were a set of rebels, and that they ought to be compelled at 
 any price to submit to the government of Nicholas, was pressed 
 on the attention of the House by Mr. Shiel, Mr. C. Fergusson, 
 and others, in strains of such indignant eloquence as to give 
 rise to a burning enthusiasm among honourable members of 
 all political opinions in favour of the Poles, such as I never 
 before witnessed, and which must have destroyed the nerves 
 of the strongest-minded man that ever existed, if he had had, 
 like Sir Robert, to perform the ungracious task of vindicating 
 the character of the man whose unfeeling and ungenerous 
 expressions had caused this resistless burst of noble feeling in 
 favour of the Poles. 
 
 There never was a more complete master of the plausibili- 
 ties than Sir Robert Peel. He is apparently all candour and 
 sincerity. He invariably appeals to his honour for the truth 
 of what he says. He not only urges the best arguments which 
 can be advanced in favour of the cause which he espouses, 
 but there is such an appearance of honesty and fair-dealing 
 about him, that it is with great difficulty those who are most 
 opposed to his politics can guard against being led away by 
 his winning manner. He is a most consummate special pleader: 
 had he been destined for the bar, he would long since have 
 been one of its most distinguished ornaments. 
 
 In his manner Sir Robert is highly dignified, and his deli- 
 very is generally graceful. He usually commences his most 
 important speeches with his left hand resting on Ids side. His 
 utterance on such occasions is slow and solemn in the outset; 
 but when he advances to the heart of his subject he becomes 
 animated and speaks with some rapidity, but always with much 
 6
 
 (!'J silt UOBKRT I'EET* 
 
 distinctness-, llis enunciation is clear; and few speakers pos- 
 a greater power over their voice, lie can modulate its 
 sort and musical tours at pleasure, lie is sometimes humour- 
 ous, on \vhich occasions his manner has .'111 irresistibly comic 
 Jlis jokes, \vhen he does indulge in thorn, are almost 
 invariably good, though orten too refined to tell with effect on 
 any other than an intellectual audience. It is, however, but 
 comparatively seldom that he makes any ellort at wit. His 
 forte manifestly lies in the serious mode of address. He ex- 
 cels all men I ever knew in deep tragedy: in that he is quite 
 at home. No man in the House can appeal with a tittle of 
 the effect with which lie can, to the fears of his audience ; 
 and he is too good a tactician not to know, that a great deal 
 more may be accomplished by addressing in this strain an au- 
 dience \vlio have rank and property to lose, than by cold argu- 
 mentative orations. Hence the staple of his principal speeches 
 consists of a forcible and skilful exhibition of the alleged fright- 
 ful consequences which will inevitably flow from the adoption 
 of a course of policy different from that which he recommends. 
 On such occasions his appearance and manner are as solemn 
 as if he were commissioned to stand up and proclaim that the 
 world had come to an end. And he usually produces a cor- 
 responding effect. The deepest stillness pervades the House 
 while he is speaking, Even in the gallery, where there is 
 generally a great deal of noise from the exits and the entrances 
 of strangers, the falling of a pin might be heard. All eyes 
 are fixed on Sir Robert. Honourable members, of all parties, 
 are, for the time, spell-bound. Their reason is taken prisoner. 
 Tiie feelings obtain a temporary triumph over the understand- 
 ing. The solemnity of the speaker is communicated to the 
 hearers. No smile is seen to play on the' countenances of 
 even the most lively and strenuous of his opponents. All are 
 as grave as if some question of the deepest importance to them 
 individually w r ere about to be decided. Sir Robert is a speaker 
 whom one would never tire of hearing. I have often heard 
 him speak for two or three hours at a time, but never knew an 
 instance of an honourable member quitting the house because 
 he felt Sir Robert's oration to be tedious. On the contrary, 
 the regret always is that he does not continue longer. Sir 
 John Hobhouse was, I am sure, only expressing the feeling 
 enli-rtained bv every member in the House, when he said, im- 
 mediately before the resignation of Sir Robert in April last, 
 that if anything could reconcile him to the continuance in
 
 SIR ROBERT PEEL. 03 
 
 office of the right honourable Baronet, it would be the pleasure 
 of hearing him speak. 
 
 Sir Robert's manners, both in and out of Parliament, are 
 most conciliatory. He treats every person with - whom he 
 comes into contact with the utmost respect. He has a won- 
 derful command of temper. I never yet knew him, even in 
 the heat of debate, use a single irritating word to any oppo- 
 nent. And the same courtesy and respect with which he 
 treats others, are, as it is right they should be, reciprocated 
 by them. Sir Robert has not only no personal enemies, but 
 is held in the highest esteem by the most virulent of his op- 
 ponents. It is the abstraction the particular class of opinions 
 of which he is the most distinguished champion, and not him- 
 self, as an individual, against which the Liberal party direct 
 their uncompromising hostility. 
 
 One feature in the oratory of Sir Robert, which every one 
 who ever heard him must have observed, is the practice he 
 has, when speaking on any great question, of striking the box 
 which lies on the table, at regular intervals, with his right 
 hand. On an average, he gives it two strokes in a minute ; and 
 as these are given with great force, and the box is remarkable 
 for its acoustic properties, the sound is distinctly heard in 
 every part of the house, and considerably aids the effect which 
 his speech would otherwise produce. Sir Robert has another 
 feature in a great measure peculiar to himself when address- 
 ing the house on topics of engrossing interest ; for when speak- 
 ing on matters of comparatively trifling moment he makes no 
 effort to produce an effect. I allude to his practice of turning 
 his face round to his own party and his back on the Speaker, 
 when he is urging any argument which appears to him parti- 
 cularly forcible, and which he thinks likely to be received by 
 them with peculiar applause. And in most cases he is won- 
 derfully happy in his guesses. In such instances he looks his 
 party significantly in the face, and pauses for the expected 
 cheer, which is scarcely ever refused him, and which, in the 
 great majority of cases, is given with a strength of lungs and 
 an evident cordiality which could not fail to satisfy the most 
 ambitious of oratorical distinction. No man is more gratified 
 with applause than Sir Robert ; no one feels more mortified 
 when it is withheld, or not given with that liberality which 
 he thinks the speech deserved. 
 
 When hard pressed by an opponent, the right honourable 
 Baronet usually sits with his left knee over the right, his left 
 hand thrust into the breast of his waistcoat, and his hat down
 
 04 M;: KOHI:T 1-1:1:1,. 
 
 over his brow. In this position lie sits staring 1 his assailant in 
 the face, rather, however, with a serious good-natured look, 
 than with one expressive of anger. 
 
 The member tor Tannvorth, though a man of great talent, 
 and consummate tact in adapting himself to the temper and 
 prejudices of the House, has not the slightest pretensions to 
 genius. No one ever knew him utter a great philosophical 
 truth or sublime conception. He never startles or delights 
 his audience by anything of striking originality ; there is not 
 a single passage in any of his speeches, which the auditor 
 would wish to preserve in his memory as something of sur- 
 passing grandeur. He never descends below mediocrity ; he 
 is generally far above it often on the precincts of genius ; 
 but never crosses the line which separates it from mere talent 
 or ability. 
 
 I have spoken of the first-rate business habits of the right 
 honourable Baronet, and of the surprising ease with which he 
 can master the minutest details of any business question to 
 which he applies his mind. He is not, however, by any means 
 a man of extensive information ; on the contrary, he is igno- 
 rant on some questions to an extent discreditable in a public 
 man. The reader will have some difficulty in believing the 
 statement, that when a number of gentlemen waited on him, 
 when Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the subject of the Re- 
 peal of the Window Tax, he expressed his opinion that no. 
 landlord of a house, however large and however many win- 
 dows it contained, was liable to be charged for the Window 
 Tax, if the house was so let out as that no one lodger occu- 
 pied apartments containing more than eight windows. But 
 though ignorant at that particular time with regard to a very 
 important fact connected with his office, he would have taken 
 care, before submitting any statements on the subject to Par- 
 liament, to have made himself acquainted with all its details, 
 and thus prevented any bungling in his financial measures. 
 
 Sir Robert Peel, though always disclaiming any anxiety for 
 office, is most ambitious of that honour. He is quite uncom- 
 fortable in Opposition : he is only in his element when in place. 
 In his speech in April last, tin the Irish Church question, im- 
 mediately before the division which sealed the fate of his 
 Ministry, he declared he was quite indifferent about office, 
 and was more than usually jocular. This indifference, how- 
 ever, was affected, not real ; and his jokes were only jokes in 
 words, not in spirit; for I chanced to see him on his way home 
 after the division, and a more perfect picture of disappointed
 
 SIR ROBERT PEEL. 65 
 
 ambition I never saw in my life. Lavater was right in this 
 instance, though he should be wrong in every other : the emo- 
 tions of Sir Robert's mind were visibly expressed in his coun- 
 tenance. 
 
 There is not a man in the house more sensitive on the sub- 
 ject of honour than. Sir Robert. You may apply to him epi- 
 thets which are synonymous with fool, blockhead, &c. if you 
 please, and he utters not a word of complaint: you may brand 
 him with the name of bigot, either in politics or religion, or 
 both, if you are so inclined, and he murmurs not a word of re- 
 sentment; but charge him with anything, either in his private 
 or public capacity, inconsistent with the character of a man of 
 honour, and that moment he demands an explanation, which, 
 if not satisfactory, and accompanied by a full retractation, will 
 be followed up, before he quits the house, by a challenge to a 
 hostile meeting on the ensuing morning. 
 
 Sir Robert Peel never speaks on any great question until 
 immediately before the close of the debate, however often that 
 debate may be adjourned. His object is two-fold first, that 
 he may hear all that may be urged on the opposite side ; and, 
 secondly, that he may have the benefit of the " last word." 
 No man can be more conscious than he is of the advantage to 
 the cause lie espouses of a skilful reply, immediately before 
 the division, to the principal arguments of the leading speakers 
 on the adverse side ; and certainly no man that ever sat within 
 the walls of Parliament could display more consummate tact 
 than he does in turning that advantage to account. Never 
 was debater more acute in detecting the weak points of an 
 adversary, nor more happy in exposing and placing them in 
 the most prominent point of view. And all this he seems to 
 do with the greatest ease ; without any appearance of effort. 
 What he does on the spur of the moment is as well and effec- 
 tively done as if it had been the result of months of premedita- 
 tion. In his replies to speeches which were delivered but a 
 few hours before, there is a propriety of arrangement a lu- 
 cidness of manner a vigour and closeness of reasoning a 
 purity and eloquence of style a felicity in the delivery and 
 a, fulness and completeness in the argument, which could not 
 have been surpassed had the speech cost him weeks of the 
 most careful preparation. 
 
 Sir Robert is the idol of the Tory' party. With the Con- 
 servatives in the House of Commons everything he says is 
 oracular. He can do with them and make of them what he 
 pleases. They are the mere creatures of his will are aa 
 6*
 
 <!0 SIR IIOI1EUT I'KI'I,. 
 
 inucli under his control, and as ready to ho torm^d ami fashion- 
 ed in any way lio chooses, as is the clay in (he hands of the 
 potter. .\e\or had the leader of a party a more complete ;ts- 
 mry over that, party than lias this Tory Coryphaeus over 
 the Conservatives in the I louse of Commons. 
 
 Sir Robert's political character is not yet thoroughly undrr- 
 . even hy his most intimate friends. It i< difficult to dis- 
 criininato in him between what is real ;;nd \\ ha! is a-Mimed 
 het\veen the opinions ho enteruiins and the line of conduct lie 
 pursues from principle, and those opinions with which he 
 identifies himself, and that course of action lie follows, from 
 considerations of expediency. 
 
 At bottom he is a decided Tory. lie went on pretty com- 
 fortably under the 'dynasty of Kldon, Sidmouth, Castlereagh, 
 &c., for they were kindred spirits. With them he had a fel- 
 low-fooling. But the extinction of that dynasty, and the pro- 
 gress of liberal principles, often induced him to make certain 
 concessions to the spirit of the age. Hence he began to make 
 a show of liberality, though his principles were unchanged. 
 It was the principle of expediency which constrained him to 
 consent to Catholic Emancipation. Tie did not concur in that 
 measure from any sense of the justice of the claims of the 
 Catholics : on the contrary, he admitted his opposition to their 
 emancipation was overcome by considerations of irresistible 
 expediency alone. Had he seen the possibility of preserving 
 the tranquillity of Ireland, and yet refusing the demands of 
 the Catholics for the removal of their civil disabilities, he 
 would have opposed that removal till the last moment of his 
 existence. The same principle has been his guiding star 
 from that time down to the present hour. Had he contem- 
 plated the possibility of the Reform Bill passing, he would, in 
 appearance, have thrown his Tory prejudices to the dogs, 
 and concurred in the measure ; but he clung till the very last 
 to the hope that the House of Lords or the King, would 
 strangle the "monster." On his accession to office at the 
 close of last year, he publicly stated that he would not repeal 
 the Reform Bill. Why ? Because, in his heart, he loved or 
 approved of that measure 1 No : but because he saw the at- 
 tempt would be madness that it would not only have thrown 
 the country into confusion, but doubtless also himself from 
 office. Again, in the case of the Dissenters, so long as he 
 thought it could safely be done, he resisted their claims, as 
 he previously opposed those of the Catholics ; but when he 
 .saw that the further resistance of those claims was incom-
 
 SIR ROBERT PEEL. 67 
 
 patible with the progress of public opinion, he yielded to cir- 
 cumstances, and brought in a bill for redressing the grievances 
 of that class of his Majesty's subjects. It is the same with 
 regard to Municipal Corporations. These were dear to him 
 as the apple of his eye ; but he saw that no Ministry could 
 hold together for any length of time which resisted their re- 
 form. Hence, as his conduct on the bringing in of Lord John 
 Russell's Bill clearly proved, he was prepared, had not his 
 Ministry previously closed its career, to have granted a liberal 
 measure of Corporation Reform. 
 
 Sir Robert Peel is a remarkably suspicions man ; he reposes 
 but little confidence, in public matters, even in his most inti- 
 mate political friends. He is pre-eminently a man of his own 
 counsels. He will take advice from no one. His princely 
 fortune enables him to act with perfect independence, and no 
 man can be more conscious of the ascendancy which that for- 
 tune, conjoined to his groat talents, has given him over his 
 party. He is well aware that the very existence of that party 
 is bound up in him, and he is, moreover, sensible that they 
 are equally conscious of the fact. Hence he knows that he 
 may with impunity conceal from them what particular course 
 he intends to pursue on any given question, and that, how- 
 ever much they may disapprove of that course, they will soon 
 be compelled, by the necessity of the case, to feign, if they do 
 not feel, a disposition to acquiesce in it. His conduct on the 
 bringing in of Lord John Russell's Bill for the Reform of Mu- 
 nicipal Corporations, afforded one out of many instances of 
 the ignorance in which he keeps his political friends as to 
 the course he intends to pursue with respect to particular 
 measures. They all went down to the house that night, under 
 the decided impression that Sir Robert meant to proclaim his 
 most uncompromising opposition not only to the bill itself, but 
 to the very principle of the measure. Never shall I forget 
 the surprise and horror which their countenances expressed 
 when he rose, and after two or three introductory remarks, 
 avowed not only his approbation of the principle of the bill, 
 but of the great majority of its details. Had the Tories read 
 in the words of their chief, the immediate and utter extinction 
 of their party, they could not have looked more confounded 
 than they did on that occasion. They knew, however, that if 
 with him resistance to Corporation Reform would at best be 
 but a doubtful experiment, it would have been a piece of pure 
 madness to attempt it without him. Hence they were one
 
 68 MR. GOrLBURN. 
 
 and nil speechless: not a whisper of disapprobation of the 
 
 measure was to he heard on tin- Tory heiiches. 
 
 During the short period tliat Sir Robert Peel was Prime 
 Minister, there was no one among the Opposition lie so much 
 dreaded as Sir John Cam Jlobhoitse. Sir John knew his sore 
 points, and took care to profit by his knu\\ led^e. Without 
 making such allusions to Sir Robert as the hitter could fairly 
 consider as meant to be personally offensive', he heaped his 
 taunts and sarcasms on the devoted head of the First Minister 
 of the Crown so unsparingly, and with such eiiect, that Sir 
 Robert literally writhed under them. On several occasions, 
 during Sir John's attack on him, in reference to the appoint- 
 ment of the Marquis of Londonderry as our Ambassador at 
 the Court of St. Petersburg!!, I observed, and every one who 
 had an opportunity of seeing him must also have observed, 
 that his countenance became pale as death, and the cheers 
 with which the most pointed passages of Sir John's speech 
 were received, must have been as mortifying to him as the 
 speech itself. When Sir John told him that he was the vic- 
 tim of the Stanley party, who amused themselves with him 
 as they pleased, and could, by a single breath, extinguish his 
 Government; when he observed that the Opposition were, 
 in point of fact, the Executive, inasmuch as they had a ma- 
 jority on all important questions; when he reproached Sir 
 Robert with a want of spirit, in retaining office after being 
 defeated on all questions of importance; and when he con- 
 trasted the professions of liberal principles which the "right 
 honourable Baronet had then made, with his strenuous opposi- 
 tion to them during the whole of his previous public life, 
 the deafening plaudits which followed, as well as the observa- 
 tions themselves, must have been gall and wormwood to Sir 
 Robert's soul. 
 
 Mr. GOULBURN, member for the Cambridge University, 
 holds a distinguished place among the Tory party. In person 
 he is rather above the middle size. He may be considered a 
 handsome man, though his head has, of late years, leaned a 
 little to the left side. His countenance has a thoughtful 
 aspect His features are strongly marked. Incipient wrinkles, 
 in several parts of his face, begin to show themselves. His 
 complexion is fair, and his hair of a light brown colour. On 
 the crown of his head there is a partial baldness. His ap- 
 pearance is much in his favour, and his manner of delivery is 
 easy and graceful. He has a fine musical voice, and times 
 his utterance with much judgment to the ear. Before, how-
 
 SIR EDWARD KNATCHBULL. 69 
 
 ever, proceeding many sentences, the favourable impression 
 created by his persona] appearance and correct elocution 
 must, in a great measure, be neutralized in the mind of a 
 person of opposite opinions, by his extreme High Church and 
 State notions. There are few more zealous or decided Tories 
 in the House ; and perhaps there are few men of any party 
 who would make greater sacrifices for his principles. He 
 would rather suffer a dozen martyrdoms than compromise the 
 least iota of his creed. The sincerity of his opinions has never, 
 so far as I am aware, been questioned. What he has chiefly 
 distinguished himself for, is zealously defending the Esta- 
 blished Church, and giving the most determined opposition to 
 any concessions to Roman Catholics or Dissenters. It is ad- 
 mitted by his own most intimate friends, that he carries his 
 hostility to the latter to a very unusual extent. On one occa- 
 sion he publicly stated, that if Dissenters were admitted to 
 the University of Oxford, he would not allow his son to re- 
 main in that institution ; nor would he, in any other place, or 
 under any other circumstances, allow that son to associate 
 with Dissenters. He stands erect on the seven-leagued stilts 
 of his High Church creed, and looks down with ineffable scorn 
 on those of a different persuasion. He is most thoroughly 
 persuaded in his own mind, and it is but justice to him to 
 add that he is not peculiar in his opinion, that any civil con- 
 cessions to the Dissenters would be incompatible with the 
 existence of the Established Church. Hence, most probably, 
 his very decided dislike of that body. The Whigs and Radi- 
 cals he considers as being, for the most part, Jacobins and 
 infidels, resolutely bent on the destruction of the throne and 
 altar ; and, as he is always open and honest in the expression 
 of his opinions, he has repeatedly given utterance to words to 
 this effect. He has great self-confidence in speaking, arising, 
 in a great measure, from a very exalted opinion of his talents. 
 He is never at a loss for words. His language is faultless, 
 but he wants stamina. He is, as Hamlet says, " words, words, 
 words." He never, even by chance, stumbles on a single 
 striking idea. His oratory leaves no impression ; you forget 
 everything he said the moment he resumes his seat. He 
 chiefly delights in reply, and seldom makes a set speech on 
 any subject. He does not appear to be a great favourite with 
 the more liberal members of his own party. He is in his fifty- 
 first year. 
 
 Sir EDWARD KNATCHBULL has in many respects a fellow 
 feeling with Mr. Goulburn as regards religion and politics;
 
 70 MIJ IM:MI\ u.utmv 
 
 but Sir Edward is constitutionally a better-tempered man; 
 has a very hiimhle estimate ni' Ins own powers, and is by uo 
 :s offensive or flippant in his manner. Sir Kdward is a 
 venerable looking man, fifty-four years of age, and with a 
 head ot'hair \vliite as snow, lie has small pleasant eyes, and 
 one of the highest foreheads I ever saw. The principles of 
 physiognomy do not hold good in him. 1 never saw a better 
 nature! or more mild and amiable expression of countenance, 
 and yet he cannot endure opinions and principles which are 
 opposed to his own. He is a tolerable speaker: his utterance 
 is easy and on the whole natural. He does not use much 
 gesture, though he occasionally becomes highly animated in 
 his voice, which is in some degree musical, and of consider- 
 able compass. He docs not, speak often ; when he does so, it 
 is generally because of some personal allusions to himself. 
 He bears the severest attacks with an edifying degree of 
 calmness and good-nature ; and yet when he rises to reply to 
 them, does so with much spirit and effect. To say that he is 
 brilliant, would be as remote from the truth as to describe him 
 as the brainless personage which the Liberal journals gene- 
 rally represent him to be. He is in truth a man of very re- 
 spectable talents, and would exercise some influence in the 
 political world but for the high Toryism of his opinions, and 
 his want of prudence in promulgating them. 
 
 Sir HENRY HARDINGE is a man of considerable importance 
 in the estimation of the Tories. He is a person of gentle- 
 manly appearance, rather above the middle stature, and well 
 made. He is about fitly years of age. His hair is of a light 
 brown colour, and his complexion fair. He lost one of his 
 hands when serving under the Duke of Wellington in the 
 Peninsula. His forehead is prominent and has an intellectual 
 cast. He is doubtless a man of highly respectable talents, but 
 nothing more. He is not, in the strict sense of the term, an 
 orator, but often makes effective speeches, and is always 
 listened to by both sides of the House with attention and re- 
 spect. He knows well how to repel an attack, and if he deems 
 it personal, demands an explanation and apology, or hints 
 pretty plainly that there is but one alternative. He is not 
 pert or flippant in his manner, nor does he indulge in persona- 
 lities; but he is easily irritated by the animadversions of others, 
 and is apt to construe that into a personal insult which did not 
 exceed the bounds of fair and temperate discussion. An in- 
 stance of this, which but for the interference of the House 
 and the Speaker, might have been attended with fatal conse-
 
 SIR ROBERT ING US. 71 
 
 quences, occurred immediately before the dissolution of Sir 
 Robert Peel's Ministry. Mr. Barren, one of the Irish mem- 
 bers, accused Sir Robert's Administration of acting a most 
 discreditable part in affecting Reform principles, though they 
 had opposed them all their lives, for the sake of being able to 
 hold office. Though this was the language of many, and 
 though no individual allusion was made to Sir Henry, he im- 
 mediately rose and heaped the most contemptuous epithets on 
 Mr. Barron, which the latter gentleman, as being the person 
 attacked, hurled back with the same contempt on Sir Henry's 
 head. A violent altercation ensued ; and as each in effect 
 challenged the other, a hostile meeting must certainly have 
 taken place between the parties on the following morning, had 
 not the House and Speaker, as already intimated, interfered 
 and demanded an apology from both parties. 
 
 Sir ROBERT INOLIS is a man of some consequence among 
 the Tories. He is of middle size in personal height, but very 
 corpulent. His complexion is fair, with a tendency to ruddi- 
 ness. His hair is of a dark brown, but a considerable part of 
 his head is bald. His features are rather large, and his face 
 very full ami round. He is remarkably peaceable in his dis- 
 position, and would not for the world make any observation 
 respecting his opponents if he thought they would have any 
 cause for personal complaint ; and lest anything he says by 
 way of animadversion on those on the opposite side of the 
 house should be so construed, he is sure to preface his remarks 
 by disclaiming all personal allusions, and very often by assur- 
 ing the party to be animadverted on, that he does question the 
 propriety of his conduct or his speech with great pain to him- 
 self. A rather amusing instance of this, in consequence of 
 the remarks which it called forth, occurred in June last, when 
 he charged Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Shiel, and all the other Roman 
 Catholic Members with perjury. He protested that nothing 
 could cause him greater uneasiness of mind than to be called 
 on to prefer such a charge ; and those who knew the right 
 honourable Baronet must give him credits for sincerity when 
 he made such a protestation. He is a religious man; he be- 
 longs to the Evangelical party in the Church ; and it was from 
 religious considerations that he thought he was bound to ad- 
 monish the Roman Catholic members of the spiritual peril 
 they incurred by voting as they did on the Irish Church Ap- 
 propriation clause, after they had solemnly sworn to do nothinjr 
 tlifit could affect the interests or stability of that Church. Mr, 
 SiiK.Ts reply was remarkable for its ability ojid severity.
 
 1^ sill KOHKKT 1M.I.1S. 
 
 Mr. O'ConnellV was iu>t ostensibly so severe, but to a sensi- 
 tive relined mind it must have been more galling; he charac- 
 terised the right boDountble n.inmet as ' iiit, sleek, and con- 
 tented," which is jns-t Sir Robert's ciiaracter to a nieet.y, and 
 . in his <i\vn peculiar stylo, amidst bursts of laughter 
 loud and uni\ei>al, "Oh! the misery of being taunted with 
 perjury in such a drawling 1 , hum-drum speech ! \\ liy, the 
 whining manner in which the charge is made id worse, than 
 the charge itself!" Sir Robert does speak in a draw liner, 
 whining sort of way. His enunciation is distinct, and he 
 talks with ease and fluency; but there is a peculiar tone in 
 his pronunciation, which were much better adapted to the 
 pulpit than it is to the senate. There is not a more upright 
 or conscientious man in the house. He is accused of bigotry 
 and a want of charity to those beyond the pale of the Esta- 
 blished Church; but he never utters a sentiment which he 
 does not sincerely entertain. There is, moreover, this re- 
 deeming quality in his alleged bigotry he cordially pities 
 those \\hoin his creed obliges him to condemn. He is sorry 
 to be compelled to doom you to what Byron calls " the zealot's 
 ready hell," but he cannot help it. lie abhors the very idea 
 of expediency, and would not on any consideration yield to 
 the spirit of the age, the march of intellect, or whatever else 
 it may be termed, one single iota of his principles. His go- 
 verning maxim is, " Let justice and right be done, though the 
 heavens should fall." Sir Robert scarcely ever speaks except 
 on questions which bear directly on the interests of the church. 
 She is ever uppermost in his mind, and he is at all times for- 
 ward to defend her to the best of his ability. He is a man of 
 respectable talent, but nothing more. Both his matter and 
 manner are always of the same order of merit. As he never 
 intentionally wounds the feelings of any opponent, so he never 
 resents any attack that may be made on him. In fact, he may 
 be said to be impervious to attack. He bears, with the most 
 perfect equanimity, sarcasms and ridicule which would make 
 other honourable members, of more keen susceptibility of 
 mind, agonize on their seats. Sir Robert is now in his forty- 
 ninth year. It is his excellent and consistent character which 
 makes him of the importance he is to his party. The best 
 speech I ever heard him make was when, in the session of 
 1834, he resisted the proposed admission of the Dissenters to 
 the University of Oxford. That speech was full of historical 
 research, well digested, and brought to bear with effect on the 
 question before the House. It was listened to with attention
 
 LORD SA.NDON. 73 
 
 by honourable members generally, and was loudly applauded 
 by his own party. With the exception of Sir Robert Peel's, 
 it was undoubtedly the best speech delivered on the occasion 
 from the Tory side of the house. The University of Oxford 
 could not, were it to go on a tour of inquiry through the 
 country for the purpose, find a more fitting member than Sir 
 Robert Inglis. 
 
 Lord SANDON, member from Liverpool, has latterly been 
 looked on by the Tories as a man of some mark. For some 
 time before the passing of the Reform Bill, and during the time 
 it was under discussion in the Lower House, he was generally 
 supposed to be a nobleman of Liberal sentiments. So far as 
 supporting the Reform measure as a whole, though opposing 
 several of its most important clauses, entitled him to be so 
 considered, the public, in this respect, did him no more than 
 justice. For some time, too, after the Reform Bill became the 
 law of the land, the frequency with which he supported, both 
 by his speeches and votes, the measures of Lord Grey's Mi- 
 nistry, entitled him to at least the credit of being a moderate 
 Reformer ; but his opponents allege that his support of Liberal 
 measures did not flow from his attachment to Liberal princi- 
 ples, but was rather the result of that shrewd, calculating 
 prudence, which led him to swim with the torrent which he 
 saw could not be stemmed. He is, they say, quite an expe- 
 diency-man, and that no one knows better than he how to 
 make a virtue of necessity. In support of this opinion, they 
 point to his conduct on a recent occasion. The Ministry of 
 Lord Melbourne was ejected from office, and that of Sir Robert 
 Peel was formed under circumstances which seemed to him 
 to insure the permanent restoration of the Tories to power ; 
 and accordingly, no sooner had the new Parliament met, than 
 he proclaimed himself, both by words and deeds, a Tory " of 
 the right sort." He clung till the very last moment, as fondly 
 as did Sir Robert Peel himself, to the hope of weathering the 
 storm by which the Tory party found themselves overtaken. 
 He soon saw, however, with infinite disappointment and mor- 
 tification, that he had leaned on a broken reed : he saw the 
 " Conservative Administration" the name by which he de- 
 lighted to call Sir Robert Peel's Ministry dashed to pieces. 
 Since that time, however, he has still identified himself with 
 his Conservative friends. 
 
 Lord Sandon is a plain-looking man, with a rather serious . 
 cast of countenance. He is in his thirty-seventh year. lie 
 is somewhat above the middle size, and slenderly made. His 
 7
 
 71 MR I'll BAD. 
 
 t;ico is slightly pitted with the small-pox. His voice is harsh 
 ami croaking in its tones. Hi 1 is a miserable speaker: In- is 
 not only pcnectly innocent of ever having given birth to an 
 eloquent sentence, but he cannot even talk notwithstanding 
 his excessive Ibmlness for talking with tolerable fluency. 
 He stammers at every second or third sentence; corrects his 
 phraseology over and over again, and yet often leaves the sen- 
 tence, with its latest amendment, as much in need of correc- 
 tion as at first. Nor is his manner in any degree redeemed 
 by his matter. He never by chance rises above mediocrity, 
 but is generally found grovelling below it. He is one of the 
 many members who are under some obligations to the " gen- 
 tlemen of the press." It is a much more agreeable task to 
 read than to hear his Parliamentary orations. 
 
 Lord Sandon, notwithstanding his defects as a public 
 speaker, is a nobleman of some weight in the house, espe- 
 cially, as a 1 ready observed, with the Tory party. He belongs 
 to a most respectable family. He is the eldest son of the 
 Earl of Harrowby ; is the representative of a large, populous, 
 and influential place ; is very exemplary in all the private 
 relations of life : and these are circumstances and attributes 
 which, when they centre in one individual, never fail to 
 command respect both within and without the house. 
 
 Mr. PRAED, the member for Yarmouth, is, owing to acci- 
 dental circumstances, deserving of a few words in speaking 
 of the Tory party. He is a young man, being under thirty- 
 five years of age. His violent denunciations of the Reform 
 Bill, and his pertinacity in opposing it clause by clause when 
 in Committee, together with his great self-confidence and a 
 strong yet distinct and musical voice, were circumstances 
 which conspired together to make the Tories look on him as 
 a youth of great promise. Some of them indeed thought, that 
 in him their cause had found a host. These pleasing ex- 
 pectations, however, were soon doomed to be in a great 
 measure disappointed. The Reform Bill passed, and, like 
 Othello, he found his occupation gone. He has still a seat in 
 Parliament, but his patron and party think he sits a great 
 deal too much ; indeed he rarely speaks. He is undoubtedly 
 a man of considerable talent ; but is not qualified to speak on 
 any abstruse or comprehensive question. His mind was never 
 made to grapple with first principles. His forte lies in nibbling 
 at the details of a measure. He is a good speaker, and has 
 always an abundance of high-sounding words at command. 
 In person he is tall and slender. I should think he stands full
 
 MR. C. W. \V. WYNN. 75 
 
 six-feet-two. His complexion is dark, and his features large 
 and marked. When he. now speaks, he generally gives the 
 House a second edition, with alterations and additions, of some 
 article which appeared the same or previous day in the 
 Morning Post, to which journal lie 1 is well known to be 
 a stated contributor of " leaders." Indeed, he is very gene- 
 rally supposed to be one of the salaried editors. He, however, 
 denies it ; and no one has a right, in the absence of contrary 
 proof, to discredit his word. 
 
 Mr. C. W. W. WYNN, the member for Montgomeryshire, 
 ought not to be passed over in a notice of the Tory party. In 
 person he is of the middle size, rather, if anything, inclined to 
 corpulency. He has a round face, is of dark complexion, and 
 slightly pitted with the small-pox. His hair was formerly 
 dark, but is now beginning to turn gray. He is in his sixtieth 
 year. His voice is more extraordinary than that of any 
 honourable member in the house. I shall never forget how 
 singularly it sounded in my ears the first time I heard the 
 right honourable gentleman speak. It is impossible to describe 
 it. You would sometimes think that the sound proceeded from 
 the back of his head, instead of from his mouth. He often falls 
 into so screeching a tone as to impair the articulation of the 
 word altogether ; for he does not pitch his voice at a very 
 high key. He has," besides an indescribable sort of lisp by 
 which he mars the correct pronunciation of almost every 
 word. For example, if he were to commence his speech as 
 follows "I rise, Sir, for the purpose of asking the," &c. he 
 would pronounce it thus : " I rithe, ther, for the purpothe of 
 athking the," &c. And yet, when once the ear is accus- 
 tomed to his curious delivery, it is by no means unpleasant. 
 He makes great professions of liberality ; but he is at bottom 
 a genuine Tory of the Ultra school. He has some intellect, 
 thousfh not so much as he takes credit for. He often takes 
 the common-sense view of questions not immediately bearing 
 on party objects ; but at other times he is quite unintelligi- 
 ble. .1 have known him speak for an hour at a time, and 
 would have defied any man to say which side of the 
 question he was advocating. His speech, in 1834, on the 
 question of the propriety of admitting Dissenters to the 
 Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, was a case in point. 
 On that occasion he scerned as much lost in history, religion, 
 and politics, as Milton's angels were in the " wandering 
 maze.;" of " fixed-fate, free-will, foreknowledge absolute." 
 Several members inquired of each other, when he sat down,
 
 70 LORD MAIION ( OI,OM:t, SlUTHOUl'E. 
 
 which siil; 1 ho was for. lie is never at a loss for words, hut 
 his matter i.s insufferably prosy. His sentences are correctly 
 constructed without the h'a-t glimmering of eloquence ever 
 struggling through them. He speaks o!len, and is seldom 
 listened to with much attention. 
 
 hold Al.uio.N is a young nobleman from whom the Tories 
 expect, great tilings. His Lordship is certainly a man of some 
 promise, though not half so much as his party set him down 
 for. He is member for Hertford. He is very young, being 
 only in his thirty-third year. He is in person rather below 
 the middle size, and is of slender make. He is of fair com- 
 plexion, with something of a feminine cast of countenance. 
 His manner when speaking is easy and unassuming. He 
 makes no effort to shine as an orator. He has neither anima- 
 tion in his elocution, nor does he use any gesture. He pitches 
 his voice at a certain key neither too high nor too low ; and 
 goes through and finishes his speech in the same tone as he 
 began. His manner is pleasant and his voice grateful to the 
 ear. He excels in giving a statement of facts and turning 
 them to the best account for his own view of a question. The 
 best speech I have heard him make, was in the beginning of 
 June this year, when he moved for the production of papers 
 relative to the Order in Council authorizing the fitting out in 
 this country of an expedition to Spain. Lord Mahon does not 
 speak often, but when he does he is always listened to with 
 much respect and attention. He is understood to be a personal 
 favourite of the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 I now come to decidedly the most curious personage, all 
 tilings considered, in the House whether on the Tory, Neu- 
 tral, Whig, or Radical side. Honourable members will guess 
 who I mean. I think I hear them with one accord pronouncing 
 the name of Colonel SIBTHORPE, the member for Lincoln. 
 There is not a greater Tory than the gallant Colonel in the 
 house ; but the notoriety he possesses could never have been 
 acquired by that circumstance alone ; for though there are 
 none greater, there are several as great. His eccentric man- 
 ners have done a great deal to bring him into notice. He lias 
 all the singularity, all the horror of Liberal principles, much 
 of the attachment to Toryism, and a great deal of the humour, 
 of Sir Charles Wetherell, though without a particle of his 
 talent. Even all this, however, would never have secured to 
 him his surpassing notoriety. It is his physiognomy, embel- 
 lished as it is by his whiskers and moustachios, that lias clearly 
 made him what he is. Denude him of these, apply a razor
 
 COLONEL SIBTHORPE. 77 
 
 or a pair of scissors to his face, commencing the operation at 
 jone ear and ending with the other, and the gallant Colonel 
 would be nothing not even a personage at whose expense a 
 joke might be innocently enjoyed. He would in that case be 
 like Sampson shorn of his strength, when cropped by the 
 Philistines. 
 
 Colonel Sibthorpe's countenance is altogether unique. It 
 stands out in broad relief from the countenances of all the 
 other members. Two or three other senators rejoice in tufts, 
 and a few more in whiskers of decent proportions ; but com- 
 pared with the moustachios and whiskers of the gallant Colonel, 
 one feels indignant that they should be dignified by the name. 
 The lower section of his face, drawing a straight line from ear 
 to ear, immediately under his nose, is one dense forest of hair. 
 Had Dominie Sampson been fated to witness the whiskers and 
 moustachios of the gallant Colonel, he would have exclaimed 
 " Prodigious!" for hours together. You hardly know whether 
 he has a mouth or not it is so completely buried amidst the 
 surrounding crop of hair until he begins to speak. He in 
 extremely proud of his whiskers and moustachios. He would 
 do and suffer a great deal for his party and principles ; but 
 rather than submit to be shaved, he would see Tories, Toryism, 
 Constitution and all, scattered to the four winds. As already 
 hinted, the gallant Colonel's countenance is not of the most 
 prepossessing kind, and yet, in defiance of the maxim that 
 " they who live in houses of glass should take care not to 
 throw stones," he has a sort of penchant for finding fault with 
 the countenances of others. Immediately after the dissolution 
 of Sir Robert Peel's Ministry, he let loose on the Ministerial 
 side of the House in the following strain: 
 
 " Those honourable gentlemen opposite (the new ministry) 
 will require at least three months before they are what is 
 called comfortable in their offices (Cheers and laughter) 
 and before they could enter and sit upon their new and, as he 
 trusted they would always be to them, thorny seats (Re- 
 newed cheers and laughter). When he saw those twenty- 
 three gentlemen now going to enter the lists like racing 
 horses, but not like horses of true mettle, but like splintered, 
 spavined, broken-winded racers- (Great laughter), with not a 
 single sound one amongst them (Renewed laughter) ; when 
 he saw such a state of things, and the country in such a 
 condition, he must protest against a motion in every respect 
 so unjustifiable. He was no party man he had never acted 
 from party feelings ; but he must say he did not like the 
 7*
 
 78 COLO .NET, SIBTHORPE. 
 
 rnimtnianrra of honourable gentlemen opposite (Loud laugh- 
 ter) tor he believed them to be the index to their minds 
 (Continued laughter), lie would only say in conclusion, that 
 he earnestly hoped that God would grant the country a speedy 
 deliverance from such a band (Shouts of laughter)." 
 
 Mr. O'Connell, in reply, said "He would not quarrel with 
 the observations of the gallant Colonel ; they were delivered 
 with so much good humour, tmd were like everything that 
 fell from him, couched in the language of gentlemanly polite- 
 ness (Laughter). But on one point at least he must differ 
 from the gallant Colonel. They who sat on that (the ministe- 
 rial side of the House) certainly had not such remarkable 
 countenances as that of the gallant Colonel (Peals of laugh- 
 ter). He would not abate the gallant Colonel a single hair 
 (Renewed laughter) in point of good humour on that or any 
 other occasion." 
 
 Considered as a speaker, it is no easy matter to describe the 
 gallant Colonel. Sometimes he delivers himself in so low 
 and indistinct a tone as to be inaudible to all but those imme- 
 diately around him ; at others, he makes himself heard in the 
 remotest part of the house. Sometimes he is full of fun, call- 
 ing into full play the risible faculties of his auditors ; at others 
 he has all the solemnity of a Daniel come to judgment. 
 When in the former mood, he is remarkably well pleased 
 with himself and his jokes ; when in the latter, you would 
 take it for granted that he fancies the world is come to an 
 end. When in a funny humour his right arm is put into great 
 requisition ; he beats the air with it in all directions, but 
 chiefly above his head. In his left hand there is always a roll 
 of papers confusedly put together, just as if he had caught 
 them floating in the water, when he was in the act of drown- 
 ing. In his more pathetic moments he looks the very incarna- 
 tion of seriousness, and puts himself into every conceivable 
 variety of attitude. He turns his face from one part of the 
 house to another, as if his body sat on a pivot, and were 
 whirled round, not by a mere act of mental volition, but by 
 some external application of force. A better specimen of the 
 mock heroic you could not wish to see than that afforded by 
 the gallant Colonel when in his graver moods. He is wofully 
 deficient in judgment; if there be a right and a wrong side of 
 any subject, he is sure to adopt the wrong one. Indeed there 
 are some honourable members who seek no better proof of the 
 right side of a question, than to know that the gallant Colonel 
 is on its opposite. He has, as already hinted, little intellect.
 
 MARQUIS OF CHANDOS. 79 
 
 If he does stumble by accident on a tolerable idea, it is like an 
 oasis in a desert of nonsense. His voice has a sort of un- 
 earthly shrillness about it which cannot be described by words. 
 He scarcely ever opens his mouth without exciting the laugh- 
 ter of the House. Honourable members generally attempt to 
 put him down when they expect from him a speech of any 
 length, but seldom with effect. On such occasions he stands 
 quite cool and collected, looking at the papers in his hand 
 until the vociferations of hon. gentlemen opposite, as he al- 
 ways calls them, begin to die away from sheer exhaustion on 
 the part of the performers. In his serious moods he is a bore 
 to his own party, as well as an infliction on the House gene- 
 rally. They would give any price to purchase his silence, 
 but it is not to be purchased. He will speak. He never 
 makes a very long speech, because he cannot ; a quarter of an 
 hour is the utmost length of time I ever knew him occupy the 
 Speaker's attention on any occasion ; but then the mischief is, 
 he speaks on every subject, and when the rules of the House 
 allow it, in other words, when the House is in Committee, 
 it is no unusual thing for him to make fifteen or twenty 
 speeches on one night. 
 
 It is but justice to the gallant Colonel to add, that he is 
 good-tempered. He seems to have no personal resentments 
 no vindictive feelings towards any honourable member. 
 His hostility is towards the principle, not towards the person 
 holding it. Hence, he does not offend by any personalities, 
 those on the opposite side of the house. I am sure the feel- 
 ing in the house generally would be one of regret, were he to 
 share the fate of his friend and prototype, Sir Charles Wethe- 
 rell that is, be excluded from it. 
 
 The Marquis of CHANDOS, member for Buckinghamshire, is 
 a noblemen of very great influence among the agricultural 
 members in the House, as well as among the farmers through- 
 out the country. He is called, by way of eminence, the Far- 
 mer's Friend. He is worthy of the title. The interests of 
 the agriculturists are ever uppermost in his mind. In many 
 instances he has been known to sacrifice his own private in- 
 terests and justifiable ambition, solely from a regard to the in- 
 terests of the farmers as a body. It is well known to honour- 
 able members of all parties, though not generally known in 
 the country, that rather than accept office when Sir Robert 
 Peel's Administration was formed, on the condition of throw- 
 ing the agriculturists overboard by putting off the motion 
 which he had engaged to bring forward for a repeal of the
 
 80 MARQtIS OF CHANDOS. 
 
 Malt Tax, he preferred continuing' a private member. This 
 was a facrifice to principle which few men of any party in the 
 House would, under the circumstances, have made; for he 
 could have had no difficulty of finding <i pretext, from the state 
 of parties, or something else, for postponing it from time to 
 time until the session had come to a close. He, however, 
 with his characteristic integrity and straightforwardness of 
 conduct, refused to accept office on any terms of which his 
 own conscience did not approve, though it was well known 
 he would otherwise have been delighted to have been asso- 
 ciated in office with a Conservative Ministry. He is chiefly 
 known in the house and the country by his speeches in favour 
 of the agricultural interest. He is a West-India proprietor, 
 and before the emancipation of the slaves in our colonial pos- 
 sessions, took a distinguished part in all proceedings in the 
 house bearing directly on the West-India question. The 
 colonists, indeed, committed their interests in the house to 
 him. He was their acknowledged representative, and dis- 
 played uncommon zeal, bjended with considerable talent, in 
 their favour. But since that question has been set at rest he 
 has almost exclusively applied himself to the consideration of 
 the best means of relieving the farmers from their burdens, 
 and affording protection to the agricultural interest. He 
 seldom speaks on any other subject, but never misses an op- 
 portunity of speaking on that when the question before the 
 House will admit of it. A more vigilant, zealous, or faithful 
 friend the farmers could not have. He is, as I have already 
 said, a nobleman of considerable talent. He acquits himself, 
 when addressing the house, in a very creditable manner. His 
 voice is not strong, but it is audible and pleasant. He speaks 
 with considerable fluency, and is always clear and forcible in 
 his reasoning. No one can mistake his positions, or fail to 
 perceive the arguments by which he endeavours to establish 
 them. There is nothing ornamental or artificial in his style 
 or manner. In fact, he has no ambition to shine as a mere 
 stringer of rounded periods together: he quite forgets himself 
 I cannot say as much of many others, both of the Tory and 
 Liberal party in the intensity of the interest he feels in his 
 subject. He does not usually speak long; but there is always 
 a great deal of matter in what he does say. 
 
 In person, the Marquis of Chandos is a little above the 
 usual stature. He is a handsome gentlemanly-looking man. 
 His feattjres are small and regular, and have a prepossessing 
 appearance. His complexion is dark, and his hair black. He
 
 MR. F. SHAW. 81 
 
 has a fine forehead, and an intelligent as well as agreeable 
 expression of countenance. He is in his forty-first year^and 
 is the only son of the Duke of Buckingham. 
 
 Of the Irish Tory members, I mean those who are distin- 
 guished for the share they take in the discussion of measures 
 bearing directly on the well-being of Ireland, Mr. F. SHAW, 
 the Recorder of Dublin, ami member for the University of that 
 city, stands not only foremost, but in a great measure alone. 
 He is now in his thirty-sixth year. He has hardly realized 
 the expectations which, on his first entrance on public life, 
 his friends formed of the glory of his future career ; still he 
 has acquitted himself in a very creditable manner. He pos- 
 sesses more than respectable talents, though by no means 
 talents of a high order. He invariably speaks on those occa- 
 sions in which the conduct of the Orange or Protestant party, 
 is made the subject of debate in the house. Of that party he 
 is, indeed, the accredited organ and advocate; nor could they 
 have a more zealous champion. He always identifies his own 
 opinions and interests with theirs. He is a voluble speaker 
 cold and monotonous on ordinary topics, but violent, both in 
 matter and manner, in the highest degree, when the Clergy, 
 the Church, or the Orangemen are attacked. Then his 
 energy of manner verges on the ludicrous. One can hardly 
 refrain from laughter when they see a man work himself into 
 such a towering passion. Take his word for it, and the very 
 being, not of religion only, but of the Constitution of this 
 country, and the civilization of the world, are indissolubly 
 bound up with the Irish Church and the Irish Clergy in their 
 present state. Usually he is listened to with attention by the 
 house ; with the few Irish Tory members he is an oracle ; 
 but judging from the frequency arid cordiality of Colonel Sib- 
 thorpe's cheers, no one appreciates his oratory more highly 
 than the gallant member for Lincoln. His orations are much 
 more remarkable for their party zeal than for their eloquence. 
 The only speech I ever heard him make, in which there was 
 anything like eloquence or superior talent, was one in defence 
 of Baron Smith, in the Session of 1834, a few evenings after 
 the house, by a majority of four, had censured the learned 
 Baron for indulging in political party tirades when charging 
 a jury previous to the trial of persons indicted for criminal 
 offences. His speech was of an hour's duration. It com- 
 menced at half-past twelve, and finished at half-past one. 
 The house was full at the time. The tide of feeling, both 
 within and without doors, had turned in favour of the learned
 
 82 SIR RICHARD VYVYAN. 
 
 Biron, and Mr. Shaw had consequently a willing audience. 
 Tlu- lateness of the hour added to the effect of his speech, for 
 it well accorded with tin 1 solemn emphatic strain in which he 
 dwelt on the virtues, the advanced am-, and tin; long course 
 of public service of the person he defended. Air. Slr.iw's elo- 
 cution was, on that occ. i.-ion. unusually distinct and correct, 
 and there was a depth and fulness of tone in his voice which 
 I never before or since observed in any of his oratorical efforts. 
 In the course of his speech he violently arraigned the charac- 
 ter of Mr. O'Connell, through whose instrumentality thellouse 
 had been induced to censure the conduct of Baron Smith; and 
 I must say, that his castigation of the honourable member for 
 Dublin, on that occasion, was decidedly the most effective I 
 ever saw him receive in the house. The result of the discus- 
 sion was that the House rescinded its own resolution respect- 
 ing the learned Baron. 
 
 Mr. Shaw is, in person, considerably above the middle size, 
 lie is a handsome man, though there is something of a femi- 
 nine expression in his countenance. He has a well-formed 
 projecting forehead. His eyes, which are of a dark-blue co- 
 lour, with large dark lashes, are full of fire and expression. 
 His complexion is dark, and his hair jet black and bushy, like 
 that of a negro. When he feels strongly in the way of disap- 
 probation of anything any honourable member is saying, he 
 throws his head backward:-, and occasionally looks towards the 
 ceiling with an air of supreme disdain. 
 
 Sir RICHARD VYVYAN, the member for Bristol, was a great 
 man among the Tories before the passing of the Reform Bill. 
 Previous to that time he was hardly ever off his legs, when 
 either the interests or the character of his party were in- 
 volved ; but since then he has hardly ever opened his mouth. 
 The only speech, worthy the name, he made during the last 
 session, was on the third reading of the Municipal Corpora- 
 tion Bill, which he most strenuously opposed. That speech 
 revived the drooping spirits of the Tories. Sir Robert Peel's 
 concession of the principle of the bill, coupled with, his doubt- 
 ful conduct on various questions for some time past, had well 
 nigh caused them to resign themselves to despair, both as re- 
 garded their cause and their very existence as a party ; and 
 as matters had reached a crisis, they looked around for a new 
 leader who " would go the whole hog." The speech of Sir 
 Richard Vyvyan was of a character which, with his respect- 
 able debating talents, could not fail to make them turn their 
 eyes towards him. He was for boldly and resolutely contest-
 
 SIR RICHARD VYVYAN. 83 
 
 ing every inch with the enemy* The smallest concession to 
 them he denounced as treason to Constitution. Sir Robert 
 Peel was always anxious to see his way clearly ; Sir Richard 
 was prepared to rush blindly forward, utterly regardless ofL 
 consequences. The ultra Tories therefore, had, in the middle 
 of July, come to the determination of enlisting themselves 
 under the leadership of Sir Richard, and renouncing all con- 
 nexion with Sir Robert when, all of a sudden, a new light 
 broke in on the latter right hon. gentleman. He began to 
 " guess," as an American would say, that the Lords would 
 either so mangle the Municipal Corporation Reform Bill, as 
 to compel the Commons to reject it, or that the Tithes Bill, 
 tacked as the Appropriation Bill was to it, would be rejected 
 altogether ; and he saw, as the consequences, the resignation 
 of Lord Melbourne's Ministry, the return of the Tories to 
 power, and dissolution of Parliament. The card, therefore, 
 which he had now to play, was again to right himself with his 
 party, and, with this view, he once more affected a boundless 
 zeal for .them and their cause. His motion for the division of 
 the Tithes and Appropriation Bills, and his speech on that 
 occasion, of nearly four hours' duration, had the intended 
 effect. Sir Richard was shelved, at least for a time, and Sir 
 Robert again became the acknowledged champion of the Tory 
 host. 
 
 Sir Richard Vyvyan is a man of middle size. He is slen- 
 derly and delicately made. His countenance has something 
 of a pensive cast about it, and his complexion is rather sallow. 
 He is only in his thirty-fourth year. He is a good speaker. 
 His periods are rounded, and his voice and manner pleasant. 
 He speaks with much fluency, and, occasionally, with consi- 
 derable effect ; but I doubt if he have the energy of character 
 and versatility of talent necessary to constitute an efficient 
 leader of his party.
 
 84 LORD STANLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 THE NEUTRAL PARTY. 
 
 Lord Stanley Sir James Graham Mr. F. G. Young Mr. Robin- 
 son Mr. Walter. 
 
 AT the beginning of the last session the Neutral Party, or 
 the " Section," as Mr. O'Connell facetiously termed it, in 
 consequence of Lord Stanley having one evening spoken of 
 the place whence he addressed the House, as a section of the 
 House, was one of considerable importance both as to talent 
 and numbers. It was difficult to estimate its numbers with 
 any degree of accuracy at the time, because some who be- 
 longed to it pretended to be the supporters of the Whigs; and 
 others identified themselves with it only until they should see 
 whether the Tory or Liberal interest would triumph in the 
 House. By some it was supposed that, during the first four 
 weeks of the session, the Neutral party numbered from thirty 
 to forty adherents. Be this as it may, the number soon began 
 to dwindle down to a mere handful, and before the end of 
 July, though some hon. members still claimed the credit of 
 strict neutrality between Whigs and Tories, the party was 
 virtually extinct. The great body of them went openly over 
 to the Tories, not by their speeches and votes only, but even 
 as regarded their seats in the house. At first, and for three 
 or four months, the majority of the Neutrals sat at the farthest 
 end of the Ministerial side of the house that part better 
 known in the old house as the cross or neutral benches ; but 
 eventually they went over to the Tory or Opposition side, 
 and, with one or two exceptions, took their seats amongst the 
 most ultra of the Tory members. Still, two or three of them, 
 on particular occasions, have since then voted with Govern- 
 ment, and in opposition to their own party. 
 
 The leading members of the Neutral party are Lord Stan- 
 ley, Sir James Graham, Mr. F. G. Young, Mr. Robinson, and 
 Mr. Walter. 
 
 Lord STANLEY, eldest son of the Earl of Derby, is a young 
 man. He is only in his thirty-fifth year. In person he is 
 rather above the middle size; his complexion is fair, and his 
 hair red. There is something peculiar in the conformation of
 
 LORD STANLEY. 85 
 
 his face. His eyes are small and have a Wintering appear- 
 ance, but are full of expression. I forget which of the ancient 
 philosophers it was who said that the eyes are the windows of 
 the soul : the remark holds pre-eminently true in the case of 
 Lord Stanley. His eyes indicate much of that mental acute- 
 ness and hot and hasty temperament which are so charac- 
 teristic of the man. When rising to reply to some personal 
 attack, I have often seen them flashing with such visible in- 
 dignation, and so indicative of the tumultuous passions which 
 agitated his bosom, that the dullest physiognomist could not 
 have mistaken the nature of the speech about to be delivered. 
 His face is round but small, and full of primness. There is 
 nothing particularly intellectual in its general expression. 
 He seems always out of temper, and his countenance does not 
 in this respect do him injustice. The least thing excites and 
 irritates him. I do not recollect that he ever made a single 
 speech of any length, and on any subject of importance, with- 
 out betraying more or less of that ill-temper by which he is 
 characterized. He cannot separate the person from his prin- 
 ciples or arguments. In attacking the latter, he invariably 
 attacks the former also. He possesses, however, this redeem- 
 ing quality, that the moment he has resumed his seat he 
 ceases to entertain any unfriendly feeling towards the person 
 of whom he may have spoken so harshly. He is not vindic- 
 tive; he does not cherish rooted resentments, excepting in 
 cases of peculiar provocation. On the contrary, when the ex- 
 citement of the moment is over, he is fully sensible of, and 
 deeply regrets his infirmity of temper. It is well understood 
 among the members of the House of Commons, that for weeks 
 and months after his celebrated speech on his secession from 
 the Grey Administration, when he accused the Government 
 of which he had been four years a member, of thimble-rig, or 
 legerdemain practices, he most deeply regretted the indis- 
 cretion, and the wretched taste and still more reprehensible 
 feeling which the language he then made use of evinced ; and 
 it is equally well-known, that, soon after, he wrote a letter to 
 Earl Grey, expressive of his hearty concern that he should 
 have given utterance to such language, and begging the noble 
 arl to accept his most sincere apology for it. As no man is 
 more severe or pointed in his allusions to others, so no man 
 smarts more sensibly, or is more impatient, under the castiga- 
 gation of an opponent. And when thus agonizing under the 
 sarcasms or ridicule of an adversary, his usual practice is to sit 
 with his head almost buried between his knees, under the pre- 
 8
 
 86 LORD STANLEY. 
 
 text of reading some Parliamentary Papers. At intervals, 
 when touched on some peculiarly sensitive part, he rises and 
 interrupts the inemher who is speaking, even when strictly in 
 order and using the most temperate language. This habit 
 has grown much on him of late. Formerly it was confined to 
 allusions to himself or to his arguments; now it is extended 
 to anything contrary to his opinions, even though he has taken 
 no part in the debate, if he chances to be in an unsually 
 irascible mood at the time of these improper interruptions. 
 He was often on this accounnt called to order in the course of 
 last session. 
 
 Lord Stanley is a most dexterous debater. He is remark- 
 ably quick in detecting the weak points of an adversary, and 
 equally happy and effective in exposing them. He is one of 
 the most fluent speakers in the house ; always correct, often 
 eloquent in his language. His great defect as a debater, is a 
 frequent repetition of the same thing. I have known him in 
 the course of eight or ten minutes, repeat the same argument 
 three or four times. If he does not reach the highest flights 
 of genius; if there be nothing in his ideas which startle you 
 by their originality or brilliancy, or which, whether right or 
 wrong, carries you away captive wherever he chooses to lead 
 you, so, on the other hand, he never descends to common- 
 places. You are always pleased with him : you cannot but 
 admire his acuteness, and though not perhaps convinced that 
 he is on the right side of the question, yet you cannot satis- 
 factorily and immediately answer him. His forte lies in 
 reply. He does not appear to advantage in making a set and 
 carefully prepared speech ; in that case, he is deficient in his 
 usual animation and energy of manner. He acquits himself 
 best when he rises on the spur of the moment, and under 
 strong feelings of excitement ; for it singularly enough hap- 
 pens, that the more he is excited, the acuter and happier does 
 he become in his replies. His voice is clear and sweet: it has 
 something of a tenor tone. His enunciation is correct and 
 pleasing, though unusually rapid. He never hesitates, and 
 very seldom recals a word to replace it by a better. His ideas 
 flow on him much faster than he can give them utterance. 
 He does not use much gesticulation. He has generally a 
 roll of paper in his right hand, with which, at short intervals, 
 after raising it as high as his head, he pats the palm of his 
 left. 
 
 I never knew a man who fell in the estimation of the House 
 so rapidly as Lord Stanley has lately done. When a member
 
 SIR JAMES GRAHAM. 87 
 
 of Earl Grey's Ministry, he commanded the respect and 
 homage of all parties. His influence and popularity, even 
 with those who differed from him in political opinion, were 
 very great. Though he spoke much more frequently than 
 any other member, with the single exception, perhaps, of 
 Lord Al thorp and Mr. Hume, the house never showed the 
 least indisposition to hear him ; on the contrary, all was 
 anxiety and attention whenever he rose. The same feeling 
 was entertained to him for some time after his secession from 
 Lord Grey's Government, because he got credit for being 
 actuated by conscientious scruples in taking that step. The 
 first thing that damaged him was the " thimble-rig" speech, 
 as it has since been called, to which I have already alluded. 
 Since then he has been gradually losing his importance, and 
 is now comparatively nothing. How different the Lord Stan- 
 ley of 1835, from the Mr. Stanley of 1833! "Oh, how 
 fallen!" 
 
 Sir JAMES GRAHAM is in much the same position as Lord 
 Stanley. He seceded from Lord Grey's Government at the 
 same time, and from the same cause, and has adopted the 
 same line of conduct ever since, as Lord Stanley. They not 
 only share in each other's sentiments on political questions, 
 and have of late pursued the same line of conduct, but they 
 are bosom friends. They are always to be seen together 
 when in the house generally speak on the same questions 
 ancl, however, many nights the debate may chance to be ad- 
 journed, they also, in most cases, speak on the same night. 
 They are brothers in adversity ; and seem resolved to stick 
 close to each other in their reverses. Sir James Graham is 
 one of the stoutest men in the house. Washington Irving 
 might have applied to him, with great propriety, the epithet 
 of " stout gentleman." I should think he must weigh a full 
 half stone more than any other member in the house. He is 
 well-made ; has a fine full round face, and appears in excel- 
 lent health. His complexion is ruddy, and his hair dark. His 
 apostacy from his former principles is more marked than even 
 that of Lord Stanley, inasmuch as he was much more liberal 
 radical would be a better word than that noble Lord. 
 Some of the speeches he delivered in August 1830, imme- 
 diately after the French revolution, were the most violent 
 that ever escaped the lips of an Englishman. Dr. Wade's 
 Radicalism, compared with them, was moderation itself. And 
 even so late as 1832, on the struggle immediately preceding 
 the passing of the Reform Bill, the Cumberland Baronet was
 
 88 Mn. F. O. YOVNG. 
 
 so furious and extreme in his Liberalism as to be the god of 
 the idolatry of the Radicals. All at once, however, he went 
 over to the Tory party, whom lie now supports with as much 
 ardour as he formerly displayed on the other .side. He is a 
 man of superior, though certainly not of first-rate talent. He 
 is generally elear in his reasonings, and can make out a plau- 
 sible case. His style is plain and perspicuous, with very little 
 ornament. His manner of delivery is rapid and easy. His 
 voice has something of a hard sound, and yet. is by no means 
 unpleasant. It is equable in its tones ; there is hardly ever 
 the slightest variation in it, whatever be the subject. His 
 enunciation is distinct, and his action unpretending. Indeed, 
 he has very little gesticulation of any kind. He is always on 
 remarkably good terms with himself, and hardly concealed 
 from his friends that he entertained the conviction, that his 
 secession from the Grey Ministry would be the sealing of its 
 doom. He probably fancied that his Atlasian shoulders bore 
 the heavy load, and that the moment he withdrew from it, 
 down it would come in a mass of ruins. His present position 
 is a most unpleasant one to himself. He is mortified beyond 
 measure at his exclusion from office ; not that he would accept 
 a seat in the Cabinet of Lord Melbourne, with its Church 
 Property Appropriation principles ; but it is to him incompre- 
 hensible, and galling in the highest degree, that the Mel- 
 bourne Administration should not, by the power of his elo- 
 quence, have been long since scattered to the winds of heaven, 
 " leaving not a wreck behind," and a new one formed under 
 his and Lord Stanley's auspices. Sir James is in his forty- 
 third year. 
 
 Mr. F. G. YOUNG, the member for Tynemouth, though not 
 ostensibly identifying himself with the Stanley party, co-ope- 
 rated with them during the greater part of the last session. 
 No man prides himself more on his independence, nor does 
 any member so frequently boast of his being " an independent 
 man." It must be admitted there is much truth in the boast; 
 for he is to be seen by turns voting on every side of the House; 
 sometimes with Lord Melbourne's Government, on what are 
 called party questions, though perhaps oflener against them. 
 In the first part of last session, and until near its close, he 
 joined the " Section" in supporting Peel's Ministry on the 
 Church Property Appropriation question ; but having had oc- 
 casion to visit Ireland for two or three weeks in June, and 
 being convinced, from what fell under his own observation 
 when there, that the existing distribution of Church Property
 
 MR. ROBINSON. 89 
 
 in Ireland was a fruitful source of her evils and misery, he 
 manfully retracted his former opinions, and openly and cordi- 
 ally supported Lord Melbourne's Government in their Irish 
 Church and Tithes Bills. 
 
 Mr. Young- is a good-looking man. His face is full of in- 
 telligence, and his speeches show that he is well-informed. 
 In person he is above the middle size. He is about forty years 
 of age; his hair is dark, and his complexion fair. He speaks 
 often ; but his ablest displays are on subjects connected with 
 Free Trade and the Shipping interests. He is a decided ad- 
 vocate for commercial restrictions in our intercourse with 
 foreign countries. His statistical details are given with re- 
 markable clearness, even in cases of a very complicated na- 
 ture, and his reasonings are close, though sometimes his ideas 
 are overloaded with verbiage. He is one of the most rapid 
 speakers I ever heard, and yet his language is correct, though 
 not, in the strict sense of the term, eloquent. He speaks with 
 much ease, and notwithstanding the amazing rapidity of his 
 utterance, scarcely ever has to recall a word to replace it by 
 a better. No reporter can follow him ; he speaks so very 
 rapidly, as sometimes to pronounce four or five words as if all 
 one word. In the session of 1834, I recollect hearing him, 
 when addressing the House on a motion he had brought for- 
 ward relative to the shipping interests, pronounce the words 
 " Prussia, Denmark, Sweden, Russia," as if one word, and 
 certainly in as short a time as an ordinary speaker would take 
 to pronounce one of them. His voice is clear and distinct. It 
 has a tenor tone, and is remarkable for its equability. He has 
 no command over it ; whatever be the subject, he speaks in 
 the same key. He is a pleasant speaker, and is listened to 
 with attention by the House. He is a man of respectable 
 talents, and is an expert debater ; but he has no large or com- 
 prehensive views of any great question ; nor does he ever give 
 utterance to any striking or original ideas. He sits with the 
 Tories on the Opposition side of the House. 
 
 Mr. ROBINSON, the member for Worcester, is chiefly known 
 by his peculiar notions and speeches on the question of a Pro- 
 perty Tax. He makes an annual motion for a Select Com- 
 mittee to inquire into the expediency and propriety of substi- 
 tuting a Property Tax in the place of our present system of 
 taxation. On this question he is quite at home, and goes 
 through intricate details connected with it with great ease 
 and facility. He also takes part on subjects bearing on the 
 question of Free Trade ; but does not often speak on the more 
 8*
 
 90 MR. WALTER. 
 
 general topics winch come before the House. In person he is 
 about the middle size. His hair is dark, and his complexion 
 somewhat sallow, lie is of a full round face, having a ten- 
 dency to corpulency. He has been a long time in Parliament. 
 His age is about forty-five. He is not an attractive speaker; 
 his matter is heavy, and his manner wants animation. He 
 docs not command much attention in the house. When he 
 brings forward the question of a Property Tax, he has gene- 
 rally to address himself to empty benches. His audience if 
 " fit," are " few :" they seldom exceed fifty or sixty. When 
 lie brought forward his annual motion last session, there were 
 not more than forty or fifty members present. His speeches 
 on these occasions usually occupy from two to three hours in 
 the delivery. He is one of the many orators in the house 
 whose ears are never regaled with the sweet music of a cheer. 
 Since the re-accession of Lord Melbourne to power, Mr. Ro- 
 binson has sat on the Opposition side of the house amidst his 
 Tory friends. 
 
 Mr. WALTER, member for Berkshire, is hardly entitled to 
 notice on account of his parliamentary status ; but his length- 
 ened connexion with the Times newspapers, and the influence 
 he was known to exercise over the line of politics that journal 
 pursued, taken in conjunction with the circumstance of his 
 having altered his line of conduct in Parliament, at the same 
 time as it changed its politics, has brought his name some- 
 what prominently before the public of late. He is considera- 
 bly advanced in life, being now in his sixty-first year. He is 
 a man of venerable appearance, and is about the middle size. 
 Considering his age, he looks well ; his hair is white, and his 
 complexion fair. He speaks very seldom, and when he does 
 so it is only for a few minutes at a time. His voice has some- 
 thing of a hard and husky tone ; he makes no attempt at fine 
 speaking. His style is plain and clear, and his manner unas- 
 suming. He scarcely uses any gesture. His matter has gene- 
 rally the merit of being impregnated with much good sense, 
 but there is nothing striking or original about it. He is a man 
 of excellent private character, and is much respected by all 
 who know him. In his capacity of a country magistrate, he 
 lias done infinite good for the poor. He was the last of the 
 Neutral party who forsook the Ministerial side of the house 
 after the accession of the present Government. It was this 
 circumstance that led Mr. O'Connell, on the second reading of 
 the Irish Church Bill, to make his singularly happy quotation 
 of part of a popular song as applicable to Mr. Walter, which
 
 MR. WALTER. 91 
 
 made BO much noise at the time. Mr. O'Connell, looking on 
 the Ministerial side for Mr. Walter, but not seeing him there, 
 was about to express his regret that he was not in the house, 
 when, on casting his eye on the Opposition side, he observed 
 him sitting in the midst of his " Neutral" friends ; on which 
 he exclaimed in his own inimitable style, " Oh, the honourable 
 member has also gone over ! While sitting by himself on this 
 (the Ministerial) side of the house, he was ' like the last rose 
 of Summer' (Shouts of Laughter.) 
 
 "Like the last rose of summer left blooming alone, 
 All its lovely companions being faded and gone." 
 
 It is impossible to convey any idea of the effect which this 
 produced. Mr. Walter's personal friends could not refrain 
 from joining in the loud peals of laughter which burst from all 
 parts of the house, and even he himself enjoyed the harmless 
 but happy raillery. After that morning, for the circumstance 
 occurred at three o'clock, he resumed his seat, till the end of 
 the Session, on the Ministerial side : whether this was the 
 effect of Mr. O'Connell's felicitous allusion, or whether Mr. 
 Walter had only that evening gone over to the Tory side of 
 the house by accident, I cannot say.
 
 92 MR. Ill .NT. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE LIBERAL PARTY. LATE MEMBERS. 
 
 Mr. Henry Hunt Mr. Thomas Macaulay Lord Althorp Mr. 
 Charles Grant Mr. Robert Grant Mr. Jeffrey Colonel Tor- 
 rcns Mr. Cobbett. 
 
 I BEGIN with Mr. lit NT, because he was the first of those I 
 am about to name that ceased to be a member of the House of 
 Commons. His parliamentary career was short: it only ex- 
 tended to two sessions. It commenced at a time it might 
 naturally have been least expected, and closed when it might 
 rather have been expected to begin. He was chosen by the 
 electors of Preston before Parliament was reformed : when 
 reform was carried into effect, he was not re-elected by them, 
 nor chosen by any other constituency. He was altogether a 
 singular man. It is no easy matter to give a satisfactory esti- 
 mate of his character. He had something of the caprice of 
 Mr. Cobbett, and a good deal of his irritable temper; but in 
 intellect or information he could not be for a moment compared 
 with the member for Oldham. Mr. Hunt was not a man of 
 much mind. He was unfitted for grappling with any great 
 question. He never took an original view of any subject; and 
 was altogether incapable of close and ingenious reasoning. 
 He held certain principles of the most liberal kind, and had at 
 his fingers' ends most of the principal arguments which other 
 persons had urged in their favour. When these were ex- 
 hn nsted, so were his means of vindicating his principles. His 
 style was not good ; it was rough and disjointed. What he 
 excelled in was ready wit: he had few equals in this respect. 
 All parties in the house, not even excepting the most ultra- 
 radicals themselves, laboured hard to cough him down when- 
 ever he attempted to speak. It was on these occasions that 
 he generally gave the most striking proofs of his wit. Nothing 
 could disconcert him: the greater the uproar his rising to 
 speak caused in the house, the more did he enjoy it. That 
 was to him a luxury of the most exquisite kind. The fact 
 was, lie had been formed for scenes of confusion, and had all 
 his life long been accustomed to them at the meetings of his
 
 MR. MACAULAY. 93 
 
 Radical disciples; hence they came to him quite naturally. 
 In many of his repartees there was great point. One honour- 
 able member, on one occasion when Mr. Hunt was speaking 1 , 
 was unusually persevering in his efforts to cough him down. 
 Mr. Hunt cured the honourable gentleman of his cough by one 
 short sentence, which, delivered as it was with infinite dra- 
 matic effect, created universal laughter. Mr. Hunt put his 
 hand into his pantaloons pocket, and after fumbling about for a 
 few seconds, said with the utmost imaginable coolness, that he 
 was extremely sorry to find that he had not a few lozenges in 
 his pocket for the benefit of the honourable member, who 
 seemed to be so distressed with the cough, but he could assure 
 him he would provide some for him by next night. Never 
 did doctor prescribe more effectually : not only did Mr. Hunt's 
 tormentor from that moment get rid of his cough, but it never 
 returned, at least while Mr. Hunt was speaking. 
 
 His manner was as bad as his diction. It had no graceful- 
 ness in it. His gesture was awkward, and his voice was 
 harsh and croaking. The bad effect produced by the latter 
 was aggravated by a strongly-marked provincial accent. 
 
 In bodily stature he was tall and corpulent. His person 
 was clumsily formed ; at any rate, it appeared so ; but this 
 may have been partly owing to a carelessness in his dress. 
 His face, like his body, was fat and large. He had a double 
 chin. His complexion was fair, with a fresh, healthy glow 
 about it. He had light hair, and, though sixty years of age, 
 at the time of which I am speaking, had not the slightest 
 baldness. He died in two or three years after he ceased to 
 be a member. As he was regular in his attendance on his 
 legislative duties, I have no doubt, that at his time of life, his 
 corpulency of frame, and the active nature of his previous 
 habits, that circumstance hastened his days. 
 
 Mr. THOMAS MACAULAY, late member for Leeds, and now 
 a Member of Council in India, could boast of a brilliant, if 
 not very long Parliamentary career. He was one of those 
 men who at once raised himself to the first rank in the 
 Senate. His maiden speech electrified the House, and called 
 forth the highest compliments to the speaker from men of all 
 parties. He was careful to preserve the laurels he had thus 
 so easily and suddenly won. He was a man of shrewd mind, 
 and knew that if he spoke often, the probability was, he 
 would not speak so well; and that consequently there could 
 be no more likely means of lowering him from the elevated 
 station to which he had raised himself, than frequently ad-
 
 01 LORD ALTHORP. 
 
 Crossing the House. In this lie was quite right, for he had 
 no talents li>r extempore speaking. I have seen him attempt 
 it only, however, when forced to it by tlie situation tie held 
 under Government on several occasions; but in every such 
 instance, lie acquitted himself very indifferently, lie never 
 made above three or four speeches in the course of a Session 
 sometimes not so many, and these were always on ques- 
 tions involving some great principle of politics or justice, and 
 which commanded deep and universal attention at the time. 
 His speeches were always most carefully studied, and com- 
 mitted to memory, exactly as he delivered them, beforehand. 
 He bestowed a world of labour on their preparation ; and, 
 certainly, never was labour bestowed Lo more purpose. In 
 every sentence you saw the man of genius the profound 
 scholar the deep thinker the close and powerful reasoner. 
 You scarcely knew which most to admire the beauty of his 
 ideas, or of the language in which they were clothed. His 
 diction was faultless ; his matter was strongly embued with 
 the spirit of what, for want of a better expression, I would 
 call the poetry of philosophy. He was, in this respect, the 
 same man in the house as he was when penning such articles 
 for the Edinburgh Review, as his celebrated one on the 
 genius and writings of Milton. He was an excellent speaker 
 withal not forcible or vehement, carrying you away, as it 
 were, by force; but seducing you, taking you a willing cap- 
 tive, if I may so speak, by his dulcet tones and engaging 
 manner, wherever tie chose to go. Time after time has the 
 House listened to him as if entranced. 
 
 His personal appearance is prepossessing. In stature he is 
 about the middle size, and well formed. His eyes are of a 
 deep blue, and have a very intelligent expression. His com- 
 plexion is dark, and his hair of a beautiful jet black. His 
 face is rather inclined to the oval form. His features are 
 small and regular. He is now in the thirty-eighth year of 
 his age. 
 
 Lord ALTHORP, now Earl SPENCER, was the leader of the 
 House of Commons during the whole period of the existence 
 of Earl Grey's Ministry, and also during the short duration of 
 the first Administration of Lord Melbourne. He was one of 
 the worst speakers in the House, and it was the subject of 
 general wonder, notwithstanding his excellent private charac- 
 ter, and the influence and respectability of his family con- 
 nexions, that he should ever have been put forward as the 
 leader of the Ministerial party. It was a truly melancholy
 
 LORD ALTIIORP. 95 
 
 spectacle to see him vindicating Government, when, in the 
 progress of the Irish Coercion Bill of 1833 through the House, 
 that Government was assailed by Messrs. O'Connell, Shiel, 
 and other members of the Radical party. He was a mere 
 plaything in their hands. He could not put three or four 
 sentences together without stammering, and recalling his 
 words over and over again, and even when he had given his 
 sentences the last touch, there was as much room for improve- 
 ment as ever. He was not a man of very great mental capa- 
 city. His information was not extensive; nor was he capable 
 of turning to good account the little stock he possessed. He 
 had a tolerably sound judgment, which made him generally 
 take the common-sense view of a subject; and I have some- 
 times been struck with the cleverness of some of his replies 
 to an opponent ; but then the effect was sure to be marred by 
 the way in which lie stammered out the reply. He never 
 gave birth to an original idea in his life ; nor did lie ever 
 utter an eloquent expression. Still, with all his faults as a 
 speaker, he was much esteemed by men of all parties in the 
 house. He was so excessively good-natured, so simple and 
 inoffensive in his manner, that it was impossible for any one, 
 however much he might differ from him in sentiment, not to 
 respect him. Nothing could make him lose his temper. In 
 the most violent altercations, and greatest scenes of uproar 
 and confusion that took place in the house, there he stood, 
 motionless as a statue, his face shadowing forth the most 
 perfect placidness of mind. His articulation was slow, and 
 he always spoke in so low a tone, that it was often impossible 
 to hear him at any distance. Never did the reporters repre- 
 sent any member as being " very imperfectly heard in the 
 gallery," with greater truth than they did him. No class of 
 persons could have greater reason to rejoice at his elevation to 
 the Peerage than they had. It was often matter of surprise 
 how they were able to give reports of his speeches at all. 
 That they were able to do it so correctly, showed their quick- 
 ness of perception and their general intelligence. In per- 
 sonal appearance Lord Althorp is short and corpulent. His 
 frame is remarkably compact, and must, one would think, be 
 capable of enduring great fatigue. He is pot-bellied, and 
 unusually round in the face. His complexion is florid. He 
 has all the indications of good health about him. In the ex- 
 pression of his countenance there is nothing remarkable; it 
 is soft and stupid-like, rather than shrewd or intelligent. He 
 usually wears a black coat, cassimere breeches, and a light
 
 96 MR. CHARLES GRANT. 
 
 rassimero wnistroat. The latter is always double-breasted, 
 and in tln> hottest weather, when other members were within 
 a few degrees of suffocation, lie was, when in the Mouse or* 
 Commons, invariably buttoned up close to his chin, just as it' 
 he had been wintering in the neighbourhood of the Aorth 
 Pole. His appearance altogether is exactly that of a tanner, 
 and his manners are remarkable tor their unaffected simpli- 
 city. He looks younger than he is, his age being h'tly- 
 three. 
 
 Mr. CHARLES GRANT, now Lord GLENELG, was a person of 
 considerable consequence in the House, both because of his 
 being a member of the Cabinet, and because of his qualifica- 
 tions for speaking. Few members could make a better speech 
 when he prepared himself for the occasion. His reasoning 
 was always ingenious and close, and his diction elegant oft- 
 times poetical.* From beginning to end it was a pure, 
 copious, uninterrupted flow of eloquence. There is something 
 very sweet in his voice, though it be weak. His speeches 
 were always listened to with the deepest attention, and hard- 
 ly ever without the highest gratification, by the House. His 
 utterance is rapid, but remarkably fluent. His gesture is 
 graceful, and his manner altogether dignified and winning. 
 His personal stature is that of the usual size; his form is 
 slender. He is careless in his dress; his apparel is always of 
 the best quality, but is hardly ever tolerably made. He seems 
 to be one of those who like plenty of room in their clothes. 
 His face is angular; his complexion is one of the fairest I 
 ever saw, and his hair is white as the purest snow. His 
 countenance has a very thoughtful expression. There are 
 few men of a more studious disposition, though he spoke so 
 seldom in the House. Though he does not go to bed before 
 one or two o'clock, he generally rises at six. He is in his 
 fifty-second year. 
 
 * Mr. Charles Grant is a poet, though not generally known as 
 such. When at the University of Oxford, in 1806, he published a 
 poem on India, which, considering that he was then a very young 
 man, held out the most confident promises of future eminence as 
 a poet. He did not, however, cultivate the poetic vein as lie ought 
 to have done. Indeed, after quitting Oxford, he neglected it alto- 
 gethcr, in so far as publication was concerned, though he is still 
 understood to pay homage to the Muses in his more leisure mo- 
 ments.
 
 MR. ROBERT GRANT. MR. JEFFREY. 97 
 
 Mr. ROBERT GRANT, formerly Judge Advocate, and mem- 
 ber for Finsbury (now Governor of Bombay), is a brother of 
 Mr. Charles Grant's. He is an excellent speaker, and a man 
 of great talents ; but very indolent. He would only speak 
 when the duties of his office compelled him to it. With the 
 single exception of his speeches when prefacing his annual 
 motion for the last few years for the emancipation of the 
 Jews, he made few speeches of late of any importance. His 
 language, like his brother's, was always chaste and eloquent, 
 and his manner graceful. He spoke with much fluency, and 
 when prepared for the occasion, had hardly ever to recall a 
 word. When, however, he was under the necessity of speak- 
 ing extempore, I have often seen him have great difficulty in 
 getting through his speech in a tolerably creditable manner. 
 His voice is highly musical, and capable of being modulated 
 at pleasure. In person he is about the same height as his 
 brother ; but of a more robust constitution. His complexion 
 is ruddy, his face full, and his hair of a pure white. Like 
 his brother, he is a man of spotless private character, and 
 was much respected by men of all parties. He is in his fif- 
 tieth year. 
 
 Mr. FRANCIS JEFFREY,* then Lord Advocate of Scotland, 
 was first returned to Parliament in 1831, for the burgh of 
 Malton ; afterwards he was twice elected for the City of Edin- 
 burgh. I never knew a Parliamentary deb&t which was re- 
 garded with greater or more general interest, or respecting 
 the success of which more confident expectations were enter- 
 tained. He had, by means of the Edinburgh Review, which 
 he had conducted from its commencement, not only brought 
 about a complete revolution in periodical criticism, but had 
 given a tone to the literature of the nineteenth century. He 
 was called the Prince of Critics, and his critical supremacy 
 was universally acknowledged. Some of his compositions 
 his articles on Taste, for example, which were written in re- 
 ply to the Rev. Archibald Allison were admitted by every 
 competent judge, to be the most beautiful specimens of writing 
 which had appeared in the English language. The Parlia- 
 mentary debut, therefore, of a man who had performed so dis- 
 tinguished a part on the literary stage, and who was still re- 
 garded as unrivalled in periodical criticism, could not fail to 
 excite very deep and general interest ; but that interest was 
 greatly increased by the reputation he had acquired as a law- 
 
 * Now one of the Judges of the Court of Session. 
 9
 
 93 MR. JEFFREY. 
 
 yor and speaker. At the Scottish bar, and at public meetings 
 in Edinburgh, lie knew no competitor as a speaker. When it 
 was known thnt he \v;is to speak at a public Hireling 1 on any 
 important question, persons would have (locked from a circuit 
 of twenty miles to hear him. The Scottish press, knowing 
 Mr. Jeffrey's distinguished reputation in his own country as a 
 public speaker, never dreamed that he might fail in the House 
 of Commons, where the scene would not only be new to him, 
 but where he would have to compete with persons possessing 
 first-rate talents as public speakers, which he had never had 
 to do in his own country. Hence the Scotch papers increased 
 the interest with which his maiden effort in St. Stephen's 
 was looked forward to, by paragraphs without number, in 
 which they confidently predicted that he would not only gra- 
 tify, but electrify the house, by the brilliancy of his eloquence. 
 It was expected that he would speak on some important ques- 
 tion which stood for discussion the second or third night, I do 
 not recollect which, after he took the oaths and his seat. The 
 house was consequently filled in every part, and an unusual 
 number of literary characters were in and under the gallery. 
 In so far as their expectations relative to the mere circum- 
 stance of the Lord Advocate's speaking on that particular 
 night were concerned, honourable members and strangers 
 were not disappointed ; as regarded the character and effect 
 of his oratory, they were grievously so. He spoke for about 
 an hour and twenty minutes ; but the effort was a complete 
 failure. His matter was refined and philosophical in the 
 highest degree. It was nearly as unintelligible to the ma- 
 jority of his auditory as if he had spoken some most abstruse 
 article, intended for the Edinburgh Review, in answer to 
 Kant, or some other German metaphysicians. Of course, it 
 made no impression, and produced no effect. Then, the 
 amazing rapidity of his delivery operated much against the 
 speech. I think I never heard a person, either in or out of 
 the house, speak so fast as he did on that occasion. The most 
 experienced short-hand reporters were unable to follow him ; 
 they mentioned the circumstance in the papers of the follow- 
 ing morning, as a reason for not giving his speech at greater 
 length. Members usually speak at the rate of two columns 
 and a half of the Times newspaper in an hour. Had a / :< rhuli/n. 
 report of what Mr. Jeffrey spoke in an hour, been given in that 
 journal, it would have filled four of its columns. Yet notwith- 
 standing the rapidity with which Mr. Jeffrey spoke on this 
 occasion, he never so much as faltered once, nor recalled a
 
 COLONEL TORRENS. 99 
 
 word which he uttered, to substitute one more suitable for it. 
 His language, indeed, was fluent and elegant in the extreme. 
 His manner, too, was graceful, but it wanted variety. His 
 voice was clear and pleasant ; but it had no flexibility in its 
 intonations. He continued and ended in much the same tones 
 as he began. The same monotony characterized his gesticu- 
 lation. He was cheered to some extent; but the applause 
 was not so general, nor cordial, nor frequent, as to indicate a 
 successful debut. In fact, he himself saw his maiden effort 
 was a failure, and that there was all the difference in the 
 world between the House of Commons, and the Waterloo 
 Hotel, or Law-courts of Edinburgh. He never after volun- 
 teered a speech of any length. When he spoke, it was only 
 when forced to it by his office, and then always as briefly as 
 possible. Latterly, he excited no more interest in the house 
 than the least talented member. It was a great pity for 
 his oratorical fame that he ever entered the house at all. 
 
 In person, Mr. Jeffrey is below the middle size, and slender 
 made. There is something of a thoughtful expression in his 
 countenance. His face is small and compact, rather, if any- 
 thing, inclining to the angular form. His eye-lashes are pro- 
 minent. His forehead is remarkably low, considering the intel- 
 lectual character of the man. His complexion is dark, and his hair 
 black. He quitted parliament last year. His age is about fifty. 
 
 Colonel TORRENS, late member for Bolton, was many years 
 in the House of Commons. The principal cause of his rejec- 
 tion by his former constituents, at the last election, was his 
 not " going the whole hog," as the phrase now is among the 
 Radical party. He was one out of many candidates who, at 
 that election, fell between the extreme parties ; the Ultra- 
 Radicals on the one hand, and the Ultra-Tories on the other. 
 It is a curious anomaly, but it is a fact, that in various in- 
 stances at the last election, and at the one which preceded it, 
 Radicals voted for Tory candidates, in preference to the Whig 
 candidates, and Tories for Radical candidates, in preference 
 to the Whig candidates. And, if I do not much mistake the 
 signs of the times, there will be many much more striking 
 illustrations, in this respect, of extremes meeting, in the course 
 of a few years. As a party, the Whigs, if not already extinct, 
 are on a fair way of being so. There will, ere long, be no 
 moderate or middle party; the Senate and Ihe country will 
 both be divided into two great parties the Conservative and 
 the Movement. Colonel Torrens, I believe, speaks feelingly 
 on this subject. He is convinced that it will no longer do to
 
 100 COLONEL TORRENS. 
 
 ground his pretensions to the honour of representing any con- 
 stituency on the principles of the old Whig school. He will 
 argue from his own experience generally a most convincing 
 species of logic to one's-solf, whatever it may he to others 
 that if a man would entertain any rational hope of being elect- 
 ed by any body of electors, where no personal considerations 
 are allowed to weigh with those exercising the elective fran- 
 chise, he must be one thing or another; either a Tory, or a 
 Liberal in the most liberal acceptation of the term. 
 
 But the gallant Colonel's exclusion from Parliament, under 
 the peculiar circumstances of the case, has led me into a slight 
 digression. He was a man of some status in the house. He 
 possesses considerable talents, and often made very effective 
 speeches. On all questions relating to the Currency, the 
 Poor Laws, Emigration, and, indeed, Political Economy in 
 genera], he is well-informed. There were then, and there 
 are now, but few Members more intimately conversant with 
 these topics. He is a pretty good speaker; but would be 
 a much better, were it not that there is something hard and 
 unmusical about his voice. There is, too, a good deal of affec- 
 tation and pomposity in his manner, which, of course, cannot 
 be in his favour. He does not hesitate or seem to be at a loss 
 for words wherewith to clothe his ideas, but his style is not 
 very highly polished. He was generally listened to with at- 
 tention in the house. He was a man of some importance, 
 both on account of his talents, and his being the principal pro- 
 prietor of the Globe newspaper, which was, during the whole 
 period the Grey Ministry were in office, understood to be the 
 accredited organ of that Government. It is generally under- 
 stood, however, that the gallant Colonel has since disposed of 
 his interest in that journal, and that he has now no further 
 influence over its politics than that which the mere private 
 respect entertained for his character by the conductors, may 
 secure to him. Since his comparative retirement from public 
 life, he has partly amused himself with his favourite study of 
 political economy. A few months since he published a large 
 octavo work in vindication of the New Australian Company, 
 of which he is one of the leading Directors, from an attack by 
 a writer in the Westminster Review. 
 
 In person, the gallant Colonel is about the usual size. He 
 has a finely proportioned figure, and a high and well-developed 
 forehead. His whole physiognomy has an intellectual expres- 
 sion. His complexion is fair, and his hair something between 
 a gray and white. He is considerably advanced in life, being
 
 MR. COI5BETT. 101 
 
 near his sixtieth year. The precursors of coming old age are 
 beginning to show themselves. Independently of the colour 
 of his hair, there are slight furrows on his face. He sacri- 
 fices a good deal to the Graces. His appearance is gentle- 
 manly and prepossessing. 
 
 I shall conclude my notice of the late members of the 
 Liberal party, with a sketch of one who for the last forty years 
 and upwards, has filled a larger space in the public eye than 
 any other person in the lower or middle ranks of life. I allude 
 to the late Mr. COBBETT. I chanced to meet with him in 
 private a few days after the nleeting of the Parliament of 
 1833, and consequently a few days after he had made his legis- 
 lative debut. Like those soldiers who delight to fight all their 
 battles o'er again, Mr. Cobbett repeated to me, verbatim, the 
 leading parts of his maiden speech in the house; and he did 
 it with zest and raciness I have never seen surpassed. He 
 mentioned to me, that for the first time in his life he did feel 
 a certain degree of tremor, when he first rose to address the 
 House of Commons ; but that it gradually wore off', and that 
 before the conclusion of his speech, he felt almost as much 
 self-possession as he ever did in delivering a public address. 
 He ascribed the cause of his trepidation, partly to the circum- 
 stance of his addressing an assembly altogether different in 
 their habits, education, manners, opinions, &c. from any he 
 had ever before addressed ; and partly because he knew that 
 not only the eyes of the house were upon him, but the eyes of 
 the whole country ; for, he added, with that egotism which 
 so largely pervades all his writings, that the people of the 
 three kingdoms looked up to him as the only man that could 
 save the country. Hence it will be seen that Mr. Cobbett's 
 egotism was not, as some people supposed, merely affected ; 
 but that he believed he had all the merit he assumed, and also 
 that the nation had as high an opinion of him as he himself 
 entertained. 
 
 Mr. Cobbett was as happy at abusing an opponent in private 
 conversation as in his Political Register. Indeed, judging 
 from some specimens he afforded me, I should say he excelled 
 himself, as a writer, in verbal vituperation. Of all the speci- 
 mens of abuse I ever met with, either written or spoken, his 
 abuse of Mr. Spring Rice, who had one evening incurred his 
 displeasure, by denying in the House the truth of some state- 
 ments he had made, was beyond comparison the richest and 
 most hearty. This was in conversation with me a few days 
 9*
 
 102 MR. COBDETT. 
 
 after Mr. Spring Rice had subjected himself to Mr. Cobbett'g 
 displeasure. 
 
 In the House of Commons, however, he was not at all in 
 this respect tin- sumo iimn. There, he was, witli very few 
 slight exceptions, careful and measured in his language when 
 replying to an opponent. I attribute this in a great degree to 
 the circumstance of Lord (then Mr.) Stanley having, soon 
 after Cobbett's admission into Parliament, treated him with 
 very great severity, in consequence of some coarse attack he 
 had made on some friend of Mr. Stanley's: for it was a singular 
 fact, that though Cobbett's very being seemed to be bound up 
 in the practice of indulging in the grossest vituperation of 
 others, there was no man who had a greater dread of being 
 abused in return, than himself. 
 
 Mr. Cobbett's manner of speaking strongly resembled his 
 mode of writing. His style was always plain, but vigorous. 
 It was all bone and muscle. Every word was in its proper 
 place ; and there were no disjointed sentences. I never knew 
 him indulge in a trope or a figure. You would have thought, 
 from the extreme felicity and colloquial character of his lan- 
 guage, that he was speaking to some private friend, instead of 
 addressing " the first assembly of gentlemen in the world." 
 
 His utterance was slow and distinct. Perhaps there was 
 no member in the House whose speeches it was so easy to 
 report. His manner was almost invariably good-humoured 
 and playful. No person who had heard him speak, could ever, 
 without the most convincing proof, have believed that he was 
 the author of the virulent and coarse abuse with which the 
 pages of the Register abounded. His action was moderate 
 and gentle. His voice was clear and pleasant, but was de- 
 ficient in variety. Occasionally it had a sort of twang about 
 it. He was not a noisy speaker. There was nothing of that 
 energy about him as a speaker, which was the leading cha- 
 racteristic, and one of the greatest merits, of his writings. 
 
 One of Mr. Cobbett's sons, in giving an account of his 
 father's death, says he believes he would have broken his 
 heart if the people of Oldham had not elected him a second 
 time. I can well credit this; for, from what he told myself, 
 I have no doubt, that high at all times as was his own esti- 
 mate of his merits and importance, it rose at least fifty per 
 cent, on his being first returned to Parliament. He mentioned 
 to me that he had, since the publication, forty years ago, of his 
 Letters under the signature of " Peter Porcupine," been the 
 first man of the age ; but then, he added, it is only now that
 
 MR. COBBETT. 103 
 
 the people have proved to me that they are of the same opinion. 
 So dignified were his notions of being a member of Parliament, 
 that he thought he had, by his return for Oldham, been elevated 
 to a far higher sphere in society than he had before moved in. 
 There was doubtless some justice in the opinion, though not 
 half so much as he thought. He had, a few weeks before his 
 election, returned from his tour through Scotland ; and I re- 
 member him asking me, after he had become an M.P., 
 whether I considered the pledge he had made the people of 
 Scotland, of revisiting them the following year, to be, under 
 the altered circumstances, still binding. His notion was, that 
 thougli " lecturing" was a very respectable occupation for 
 him before he was returned to Parliament, it would be a very 
 undignified one after he had been raised to that distinction ; 
 and on this conviction he acted, for he did not redeem his 
 pledge of paying a second visit to the people of Scotland. 
 
 Mr. Cobbett was by no means attentive to his Parliamentary 
 duties. He was not, after the middle of the first session, often 
 in the house ; and when he did attend, it was only for a very 
 short time. This, however, it is right to add, was not from 
 any defective views of his duty to his constituents and the 
 country ; but because he felt the close and heated atmosphere 
 of the house not only unpleasant, but injurious to his health. 
 It was most probably, owing to his previous enjoyment of 
 much exercise in the open air, the cause of his death ; for so 
 sudden a change, at his advanced age, in a man's habits, could 
 not but have been prejudicial in the highest degree to his 
 constitution, more especially as he was of a corpulent frame. 
 Mr. Hunt, I have no doubt, as already mentioned, also fell a 
 sacrifice for he also was advanced in life, and of a corpulent 
 person to the unhealthy atmosphere of the House of Com- 
 mons. Cobbett seemed to have laid it down as a rule, never 
 to remain in the house longer than ten o'clock : I do not re- 
 member his making more than three or four exceptions to this 
 rule. The last one was on the night on which it was known 
 that there would be a division on the question of the Irish 
 Church Appropriation Bill, brought in by Lord John Russell. 
 
 Mr. Cobbett did not speak often, and never long at a time. 
 I do not recollect his ever having made a speech which occu- 
 pied more than twenty or thirty minutes in the delivery, and 
 very seldom indeed so much as that. On the parsing of the 
 Estimates in June last, he seemed to have been seized with an 
 extraordinary love of speaking; for he made, on that evening, 
 at least twenty speeches in opposition to particular grants in
 
 104 Mil. COBBETT. 
 
 those estimates. The last speech he ever made, which was 
 about three weeks before his death) was in reply to Sir Robert 
 Peel, who opposed the motion of the .Marquis of Chandos for 
 a repeal of the Malt Tax. lie was then .> hoarse that not 
 one word he said, though ho spoke from fifteen to twenty 
 minute.-', could be heard half a dozen yards from the place at 
 which he spoke; but he appeared in excellent spirits. 
 
 His reputation gained nothing by his admission into Parlia- 
 ment. It was generally expected he would have cut a figure 
 in the house by means of his eccentricities, his prejudices, and 
 talents combined ; but the event proved there never was a 
 more groundless expectation. He not only, as I have just 
 mentioned, spoke very seldom, hut when he did, he excited no 
 inti-rest whatever in the house. In one word, his parlia- 
 mentary career was a complete failure. 
 
 Mr. Cobbett, in personal stature, was tall and athletic. I 
 should think he could not have been less than six feet two, 
 while his breadth was proportionally great. He was, indeed, 
 one of the stoutest men in the house. I have said there was 
 a tendency to corpulency about him. His hair was of a milk 
 white colour, and his complexion ruddy. His features were 
 not strongly marked. What struck you most about his face 
 was his small, sparkling, laughing eyes. When disposed to 
 be humorous himself, you had only to look at his eyes and you 
 were sure to sympathize in his merriment. When not speak- 
 ing, the expression of his eyes and his countenance was very 
 dilferent. He was one of the most striking refutations of the 
 principles of Lavater I ever witnessed. Never were the 
 looks of any man more completely at variance with his cha- 
 racter. There was something so dull and heavy about hia 
 whole appearance, that any one who did not know him, would 
 at once have set him down for some country clodpole to use 
 a favourite expression of his own who not only never read a 
 book, or had a single idea in his head, but who was a mere 
 mass of mortality, without a particle of sensibility of any kind 
 in his composition. He usually sat with one leg over the 
 other, his head slightly drooping, as if sleeping, on his breast, 
 and his hat down almost to his eyes. He sat on a particular 
 seat for weeks in succession ; but then would all of a sudden, 
 and without any one knowing for what cause, change it for 
 one in some other part of the house ; perhaps one on the other 
 side. I remember that on one of the evenings the last I 
 think on which the Appropriation question was discussed, 
 and the decision on which proved fatal to Sir Robert Peel's
 
 MR. COBBETT. 105 
 
 Administration, he went over from the Opposition side of the 
 House to the Ministerial, and sat down at the back of Sir 
 Robert, and in the very midst of the Tory party, where he re- 
 mained the greater part of the night, to the very serious an- 
 noyance of Sir Robert and his colleagues, who could hardly 
 exchange a word with each other lest it should be overheard 
 by Cobbett. There never was a more striking illustration of 
 the old adage about an enemy being in the camp. The cir- 
 cumstance afforded infinite amusement to the Liberal party, 
 and proved a corresponding infliction to the Tories. Cobbett's 
 usual dress was a light gray coat, of a full make, a white waist- 
 coat, and kerseymere breeches of a sandy colour. When he 
 walked about the house he generally had his hands inserted in 
 his breeches pockets. Considering his advanced age, seventy- 
 three, he looked remarkably hale and healthy, and walked 
 with a slow but firm step. A fortnight before his death, he 
 thought himself and so did all who saw him that he was 
 destined to live for many years to come.
 
 HHJ i.oun JOHN iii --sri i.. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MEMBERS WHO HAVE SEATS IN THE CABINET. 
 
 Lord John Russell Mr. Spring Rice Sir John Cam Hobhousc 
 Lord Morpeth Lord liowick Mr. Poulutt Thomson Lord 
 Palmcrston. 
 
 IN speaking 1 of the members of Lord Melbourne's Ministry 
 \vho have seats in the Cabinet, I shall take them at random, 
 and not according to any supposed superiority of talent. In- 
 deed, in regard to talent there are so many of them so nearly 
 on an equality, that it would be no easy matter to determine 
 which of them on that account were entitled to a priority of 
 notice. 
 
 Lord JOHN RUSSELL, from his station as leader of the Minis- 
 terial side of the House, and his having also been leader of 
 the Opposition previous to the downfall of Sir Robert Peel's 
 Administration, is clearly entitled to be first introduced to the 
 attention of rny readers. He is small in stature, considerably 
 below the middle size. He is slenderly made, and has alto- 
 gether the appearance of a person of a weakly constitution ; 
 his features are large and broadly marked, considering the 
 size of his face. His complexion is pale, and his countenance 
 has a pensive cast. He scarcely ever indulges in a smile. 
 His hair is of a brown colour. He usually wears a brown 
 coat, a light coloured waistcoat, and kerseymere trowsers of a 
 sandy complexion. He is in his fifty-third year. 
 
 Lord John is one of the worst speakers in the house, and 
 but for his excellent private character, his family connexions, 
 and his consequent influence in the political world, would not 
 be tolerated. There are many far better speakers, who, not- 
 withstanding their innumerable efforts to catch the Speaker's 
 eye in the course of important debates, hardly ever succeed ; 
 or if they do, are generally put down by the clamour of 
 honourable members. His voice is weak and his enunciation 
 very imperfect He speaks in general in so low a tone as to 
 be inaudible to more than one-half of the House. His style is 
 often in bad taste, and he stammers and stutters at every 
 fourth or fifth sentence. He has an awkward custom of re-
 
 LORD JOHN RUSSELL. 107 
 
 peating, frequently three or four times, the first two or three 
 words of a sentence, accompanied by a corresponding number 
 of what Shakspeare calls " hems," when at a loss for terms 
 whereby to express his ideas. For example, if the idea to 
 which he wanted to give expression were, that he thought the 
 motion of a certain honourable member ill-timed, he would 
 express himself in something like this manner, in the instances 
 I have supposed: "I I I hem think the motion of the 
 honourable member is is ill-timed at the at the hem 
 present moment." When he is audible he is always clear : 
 there is no mistaking hig meaning. Generally his speeches 
 are feeble in matter as well as manner ; but on some great occa- 
 sions I have known him make very able speeches, more dis- 
 tinguished, however, for the clear and forcible way in which 
 he put the arguments which would most naturally suggest 
 themselves to a reflecting mind, than for any striking or com- 
 prehensive views of the subject. His manner is usually cold 
 and inanimate in the extreme. Not only are his utterance im- 
 perfect and indistinct, and the tones of his voice weak and 
 monotonous, but he stands as motionless as the table beside 
 which he speaks. On some of the great occasions, however, 
 to which 1 have referred, I have often known him raise his 
 voice to a pitch sufficiently high to render himself audible in 
 all parts of the house. 1 have also in some such cases known 
 him make use of moderate gesture, and exhibit to the House 
 several of the leading attributes of an effective speaker. In 
 other words, I have known him, apart from the importance 
 which, from his family relations and position in the House, 
 attached to anything he said, make effective speeches 
 speeches which must have commanded attention, from what- 
 ever member and from whatever side of the house they proceeded. 
 
 I never knew a man more cool and collected when speak- 
 ing. He exhibits no signs of feeling or of warmth. You 
 would almost think him, even in many cases when his voice 
 is raised to the highest pitch of which it is capable, a sort of 
 automaton. On no occasion, even when most unwarrantably 
 and virulently attacked, have I ever known him betray a loss 
 of temper. This circumstance is the source of great morti- 
 fication to his opponents. I have often seen Sir Robert Peel 
 labour with all his might to irritate the temper of Lord John; 
 but never with effect. In fact, Sir Robert and his party see- 
 ing the task to be hopeless, have all but ceased to be severe 
 at his expense. 
 
 Lord John is an admirable tactician. His judgment ia
 
 108 MtRI) JOHN KINSELL. 
 
 singularly good as to the best course to be pursued in all cases 
 of difficulty. I am satisfied he lias, in this respect, no equal 
 in the House. I am persuaded there is not a man out of the 
 six hundred and fifty-seven who would, had he been in liis 
 situation of leader of the Opposition, before the downfall of the 
 Pod Administration, have acted, in the trying circumstances 
 in which he was then placed, with equal judgment and dis- 
 cretion. The difficulties of his position during the Peel dy- 
 nasty, did not chiefly arise from the number and unanimity of 
 the adverse party. These were formidable enough, certainly ; 
 but they principally arose from the imprudence of the most 
 zealous and honest of the Reformers themselves. Some of 
 these were, day after day, intent on bringing forward special 
 motions, to bring the question, as they said, of which party 
 was to triumph in the House, to a decision at once. One ex- 
 pedient, with this view, suggested by a very large number of 
 the Radical party, and coincided in by many others, was, that 
 of proposing a formal vote of want of confidence in Sir Robert 
 Pool's Government. Lord John opposed this, as a rash step, 
 and one which there was every reason to fear would be thu 
 means of establishing the very Government it was intended 
 to overthrow; inasmuch as many sincere Reformers would 
 have voted against such a motion, on the ground that, as 
 Sir Robert Peel demanded a fair trial, it would be advisable 
 to let him have it, as then, in the event of his failing to 
 bring forward liberal measures, the dissolution of his Govern- 
 ment would be hailed by all classes of Reformers in the coun- 
 try, while the mouths of his own party would be shut as to 
 any charges against the Liberal party of unfair conduct, or of 
 Sir Robert's Government being condemned unheard. Then 
 came the proposition of Mr. Hume, founded on a recommen- 
 dation of Sir John Campbell, in an election speech at Edin- 
 burgh, to stop the supplies. Mr. Hume gave formal notice of 
 a motion to that effect, and he was encouraged to persevere in 
 it by a considerable portion of the Liberal press, and by a very 
 large proportion of the Liberal members of the House of Com- 
 mons. Lord John Russell saw that the result would be the 
 very reverse of what Mr. Hume and others had anticipated 
 that instead of a majority for such a motion, there would be a 
 considerable majority against it. He saw clearly that many 
 Reformers would vote against it, on the ground that they 
 were anxious to avoid everything which could be construed 
 into a factious opposition to Sir Robert's Government ; while 
 others would be equally adverse to it, from an apprehension
 
 MR. SPRING RICE. 109 
 
 that, if carried, it would be attended with serious conse- 
 quences to the credit of the country. Sir Robert himself saw 
 the matter in the same light; and hence, to use his own 
 words, he " panted" for either motion being brought forward, 
 as the rejection of it could not fail to be the salvation of his 
 Government. Lord John, in both these respects, evinced 
 consummate judgment, and also a decision of character which 
 but very few possess ; for, on the one hand, he was pressingly 
 importuned to bring forward some such motions himself, by 
 means of the most seductive flattery ; and on the other, when 
 he expressed his disapprobation of such a course, he was 
 charged by many less discerning Reform members with purpose- 
 ly betraying the liberal cause, and playing designedly into the 
 hands of the Tories. He wisely determined to wait the first 
 opportunity which would be afforded the Reformers of joining 
 issue with the Peel Government, by Sir Robert himself bring- 
 ing forward some motion involving some great principle. The 
 Irish Tithes Bill of Sir Robert furnished that opportunity. 
 As it made no allusion, either to the actual existence of any 
 surplus property in the Church of Ireland, or to its appropria- 
 tion, Lord John determined on moving that no Tithes Bill for 
 Ireland would be satisfactory to the House which did not re- 
 cognize the principle of appropriating to th'e general purposes 
 of education any surplus revenues in the Irish Church which 
 might be found to exist. This brought the matter to a bear- 
 ing at once. No Reformer could shrink from asserting that 
 principle. There was no room for the imputation of factious 
 motives on the part of the Liberal party. The opportunity of 
 asserting their principles was not ostensibly of their own seek- 
 ing, however anxiously they may have longed for it. The 
 necessity was, in a manner, imposed on them by Sir Robert 
 Peel himself, as it would have been deemed by the country a 
 cowardly abandonment of their principles, to have suffered the 
 Tithes Bill to be read a second time, without coupling with it 
 the record of their sentiments on the question of Appropria- 
 tion, both subjects being so closely associated together in the 
 case of Ireland. The event proved the soundness of the 
 judgment and the excellence of the tactics of Lord John. 
 
 Mr. SPRING RICE, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and 
 Member for Cambridge is, perhaps, from the prominent part 
 he takes in the debates in the House, the next member of the 
 Cabinet entitled to notice. Like Lord John Russell, he is of 
 diminutive stature, though not nearly so slenderly made. 
 10
 
 110 MR. SPRING RICE. 
 
 Though small in size, he has a rather handsome person, of 
 which, ho\ve\er, he is immoderately proud. He is somewhat 
 of a dandy, lie wears a profusion of rings on his fingers. I 
 think I have counted, on more than one occasion, seven or 
 eight, though I will not now be positive as to the exact, num- 
 ber, lie usually wears a green surtout, and a smart black 
 stock. The collar of his shirt is of unusual height. James 
 Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, mentions in his autobiography 
 that the first time he saw Mr. Gait, the left ear of that cele- 
 brated writer was completely concealed from view by the 
 height or depth, call it which you please, of his collar. Mr. 
 Gait once alluded, in conversation with me, to this statement 
 of Hogg, which he characterised as altogether unfounded, 
 but charitably ascribed it to some imperfection of memory, or 
 other unintentional mistake, on the part of the Ettrick Shep- 
 herd. I only, however, speak the words of truth, when I 
 mention, that Mr. Spring Rice's shirt collar is so higli that I 
 have often wondered his ears were no cut by it. Without a 
 high collar and a smart stiff stock he would be nothing in his 
 own estimation. He has altogether a prim appearance, both 
 in his manners and dress. 
 
 He is a native of Ireland, and is now forty-five years of 
 age. He has a long sharp face, of a rather pleasant and in- 
 telligent expression. His forehead is well developed, and his 
 complexion is clear and healthy. His manner is courteous 
 and conciliatory to all parties, whether friends or foes. He 
 seems to have few personal dislikes ; or if he have, he has 
 the policy to conceal them. He is never coarse or personally 
 abusive in his replies to an opponent; and I do not think he 
 has many, if any, personal enemies in the House. He is a 
 man of considerable talents, but more showy than solid. 
 
 As a debater he has no pretensions to be ranked in the first 
 class, but he is far above mediocrity. His enunciation is al- 
 ways clear, and his voice is audible in every part of the 
 House ; but there is a studied pompousness about his manner, 
 which cannot fail to strike every one who hears him. He 
 aims much at an imitation of the manner of Sir Robert Peel. 
 His voice is not, in its compass, and the power he has over it, 
 unlike that of the member for Tamworth, but it wants its 
 sweetness and melody of tone. In his most pathetic moods, 
 Mr. Spring Rice's voice has a strong nasal tone. He uses a 
 good deal of gesticulation, chiefly with his right hand, and by 
 turning about his face from one part of the House to another.
 
 SIR JOHN CAM HOBHOUSE. Ill 
 
 Like Sir Robert Peel, however, he principally addresses his 
 own party, and in every instance when he says, or fancies he 
 has said, something clever, looks them wistfully and smilingly 
 in the face for the expected cheer. They understood the 
 thing perfectly well, and are seldom cruel enough to refuse 
 him the ' hear, hear, hear!" the laugh, or the " hurrah!" He 
 is fond of making long speeches, and therefore, as might be 
 expected, frequently repeats himself. When, in the Session 
 of 1834, Mr. O'Connell brought forward his motion for the 
 Repeal of the Union, Mr. Spring Rice opposed the measure 
 in a speech which occupied five hours in the delivery. Had 
 the oration been stript of its verbiage and the tautology it 
 contained, one-third of the time would have sufficed for its 
 delivery. In bringing forward the budget, in August last, 
 though it contained fewer alterations in the taxation of the 
 country than any budget I ever recollect to have heard sub- 
 mitted to Parliament, he occupied the House about two hours 
 and a half, being double the usual time which previous Chan- 
 cellors of the Exchequer, excepting in peculiar cases, were 
 accustomed to take in making their financial statements. 
 Ten minutes would have been ample time for the delivery of 
 his expostf, had the length of the speech been regulated by 
 the relevant matter it contained. 
 
 Sir JOHN CAM HOBHOUSE, member for Nottingham, and 
 President of the Board of Control, is another prominent mem- 
 ber of the Cabinet. Ever since his rejection by the West- 
 minster electors, until the beginning of last Session, Sir 
 John took very little part in the proceedings of Parliament. 
 During that interval he hardly delivered a single speech of 
 any importance or of any length. The loss of the represen- 
 tation of Westminster, where he fancied he was securely 
 seated for life, made a deep and lasting impression on his 
 mind, and, for a time, in a great measure paralyzed his ener- 
 gies. The return, however, of the Tories to power, and the 
 peculiar circumstances under which Lord Melbourne's Minis- 
 try, of which he was a member, were dismissed to make way 
 for that of Sir Robert Peel, aroused him from his comparative 
 lethargy. Few men were more instrumental in overthrowing 
 the Administration of the Tamworth Baronet than Sir John 
 Hobhouse. In speaking of Sir Robert Peel, I have adverted 
 to the effectiveness of Sir John's attacks on that right hon. 
 gentleman and the Cabinet of which he was the head. I 
 have seldom seen happier efforts than some of those which
 
 112 SIR JOHN CAM 
 
 Sir John made during the temporary existence of the Peel 
 (.inuTiiiiK'nt.. H>' M'i/.i-d willi u sort of hilhlliblu and intuitive 
 sagacity on tin- weak points both in the government and the 
 ches of Sir Robert, and these he assailed with a skill, 
 energy, and eiibct, which could not have been surpassed. 
 Almost every sentence he uttered was a spoken dagger to the 
 breast of the unhappy Sir Robert. Both the latter indivi- 
 dually, and his Ministry collectively, seemed like mere play- 
 things in the hands of Sir John, which he could use at his 
 pleasure. I have referred, in a former part of the work, to 
 Sir John's speech on the appointment of the Marquis of Lon- 
 donderry as ambassador to the Court of Russia. It was a 
 perfect masterpiece of its kind. I never knew a speech 
 which told with better effect on the House; and what added 
 to its merits was the fact that it was altogether spontaneous, 
 and scarcely seemed to require an effort. Sir John's whole 
 heart and soul appeared to be thrown into his words. As he 
 felt he spoke, and as he spoke Sir Robert and his friends 
 felt, aye, and as formerly mentioned repeatedly changed 
 colour too. 
 
 Sir John's manner is very changeable. As a speaker he 
 appears to far greater advantage in attack than in defence. 
 He is then, especially on important questions, full of fire and 
 animation. His voice, which has something of a bass tone in 
 it, is raised to an unusually high pitch, and his action becomes 
 correspondingly energetic. Sometimes he raises both arms 
 above his head, and violently beats the air with them. At 
 others, he puts them both behind his back, when he joins his 
 hands together. When in this position he usually recedes 
 four or rive feet from the table, and then rapidly advancing 
 towards it again, disengages his hands, and knocks the box or 
 the books on the table, with some energy, with his right hand. 
 At other times he places his arms across each other on his 
 breast, and looks the opponent at whom he is levelling his ar- 
 guments and his ridicule full in the face, with an air of half- 
 suppressed scorn. 
 
 In defence, again, you would hardly think he was the same 
 man. He speaks in a subdued tone, and sometimes lowers 
 his voice so much as to be inaudible in various parts of the 
 House. He then uses but little gesture, and that of a very 
 gentle kind. One favourite attitude, in most cases, is leaning 
 his right elbow on the table, and placing his left arm on his 
 side. You will at once perceive that he then speaks from
 
 SIR JOHN CAM IIOBHOt'SE. 113 
 
 necessity, not from choice; in which case it is impossible he 
 can speak so well. In defending himself, towards the close 
 of last Session, when attacked by Mr. Praed for rescinding 
 the appointment of Lord Heytesbury to India, he spoke in a 
 very confused manner, and did not exhibit the least animation. 
 He often stammered, and sometimes recalled, not whole words 
 only, but whole sentences that were out of joint. Any one, 
 to have heard him on that occasion for the first time, would 
 have gone away with a very unfavourable impression both of 
 his oratory and his argumentative powers. The speech, how- 
 ever, though thus so much damaged in the delivery, was one 
 of very great ability, as it was universally admitted to be by 
 every one who read the report of it in the newspapers of the 
 following day. 
 
 In person, Sir John Hobhouse is rather below the middle 
 size, and is slightly inclined to corpulency. He is now in his 
 fifty-first year. His hair is dark, and his complexion pale. 
 His countenance is strongly marked, chiefly from the promi- 
 nence of his nose. It is both large and singular in its con- 
 formation, partaking a good deal of the quality called Roman, 
 when that term is applied to the nasal organ. There is some- 
 thing of a pensive cast about Sir John's countenance, though 
 no man can be more humorous when he chooses to indulge in 
 jokes. He is a man of versatile, as well as superior talents. 
 I question if there be a man of greater or more varied talents 
 in the Cabinet: there is certainly none of greater liberality of 
 opinion. As a politician he is, perhaps, one of the most up- 
 right and straightforward men in the House. He bordered 
 on Radicalism, and never shrunk from an open avowal of his 
 opinions, at a time when the word Reformer was considered 
 Bynonimous with everything that was low, unprincipled, and 
 degraded. He now points, with proud exultation, to the time 
 when he and his friend and colleague in the representation of 
 Westminster, Sir Francis Burdett, stood almost single-handed 
 in St. Stephen's, in the assertion of liberal principles, and 
 when, to use his own words, his politics were so unpopular 
 among the upper classes, that his personal friends would have 
 passed him in St. Jamcs's-street without ever deigning to 
 give him a nod of recognition. The circumstance of Sir 
 John's resigning his seat for Westminster, and at the same 
 time an office worth 5,000 a-year, when he conceived it his 
 duty to vote contrary to the views of his constituency, is 
 10*
 
 114 LORD MORPF.TH. 
 
 known to every one, and affords a beautiful illustration of his 
 political integrity of character. 
 
 Lord Moiu'KTii, member for the West Riding of Yorkshire, 
 and Secretary for Ireland, is a young nobleman of considera- 
 ble promise. He has only been a lew years in Parliament, 
 but in that short space has acquired some weight and distinc- 
 tion in the House. lie is a man of a cultivated mind, espe- 
 cially in what is called light and elegant literature. lie 
 used to contribute to The Keepsake and other annuals. His 
 contributions were chiefly in poetry, and were written with 
 much good taste, but furnished no evidence of a strong mas- 
 culine mind. The same may be said of his speeches in Par- 
 liament. Nothing can be more classically correct than his 
 style, particularly when his speeches have been previously 
 studied, which they almost invariably are ; but they do not 
 afford any indication of genius, or even of a vigorous or com- 
 prehensive mind. The greatest fault, perhaps, that attaches 
 to his parliamentary efforts is, that there is an air of pedantry 
 about everything he says. It is probable, however, that a few 
 years of the wear and tear of office will rid him of this. He 
 is a pleasant speaker, and there is much to admire in his elo- 
 cution. He has a fine voice, always speaks audibly, and yet 
 not too loud. His utterance is timed with much good judg- 
 ment to the ear ; but he is monotonous. He always speaks 
 with the same tone of voice, whatever be the subject. I never 
 yet knew him make the least alteration in his voice. The 
 most trifling and most important subjects, the most ludicrous 
 and most solemn, are spoken of by him in the same key and 
 in the same tones. He appears to have no command over his 
 voice to be incapable of raising or lowering it as the subject 
 requires. He occasionally attempts to be humorous; but cer- 
 tainly with very limited success. On one or two occasions I 
 have seen him attempt a pun at the expense of suffering 
 humanity. When Mr. Sharman Crawford, one of the most 
 benevolent men in the house, brought the subject of the ex- 
 treme distress then prevailing in the county of Mayo before 
 the House, in July last, and asked Lord Morpeth, as Secretary 
 for Ireland, whether Government had taken any steps to re- 
 lieve the distress, he replied that he could assure the honour- 
 able member, that the proceedings of Government had not 
 been stationary on the subject. The pun was in extremely 
 bad taste, to say the least of it, at a time when, as Mr. Craw- 
 ford stated, hundreds of poor creatures were daily dying from
 
 LORD MORPETH. 115 
 
 sheer want. And yet it were doing Lord Morpeth very great 
 injustice were any one to infer from this that he is of an un- 
 feeling mind. He is, on the contrary, a man of a kind and 
 generous heart. Few men are more capable of sympathizing 
 with his fellow-creatures when in distress; and there is no 
 doubt that the remark to which I have just referred, was made 
 thoughtlessly, or from a notion that there was something ex- 
 tremely clever in the pun. 
 
 Lord Morpeth is a nobleman of excellent private character, 
 and this circumstance, added to the respectability of the family 
 to whom he belongs, goes a great way to secure that attention 
 and respect which the House invariably accords to him when- 
 ever he addresses it. He is a man of a mild disposition, and 
 is gentlemanly and urbane in his manners. He never indulges 
 in personalities or vituperation himself, and perhaps there is 
 not a member in the house who is less the subject of per- 
 sonalities or abuse on the part of others. 
 
 I have said that Lord Morpeth is a man of a cultivated 
 rather than of a masculine mind. My opinion, however, 
 is, that as he is only now in his thirty-third year, his mind 
 may expand and gain in vigour while it loses in elegance. I 
 think I can see a visible improvement in this respect within 
 the lust two years. His speech in July last, on the introduc- 
 tion of the Church of Ireland and Tithes Bill, though not by 
 any means what so great and momentous a subject would have 
 admitted of, certainly exhibited proofs of a close and compre- 
 hensive thinker. Even Sir Robert Peel complimented the 
 noble Lord for the ability he displayed on that occasion. 
 
 In person, Lord Morpeth is about the middle stature. He 
 is handsomely made, and proud of his person. He is always 
 smartly dressed, though not deserving the appellation of a fop. 
 His hair is of a brown complexion and his face pale. He has 
 a large mouth, and his under lip is prominent and pendant. 
 In speaking, he uses verly little action, but is nearly as tame 
 and formal in his gesture as he is monotonous in the tones of 
 his voice. The affectation so generally visible in his speeches, 
 is to be seen in his conduct even when taking no part in the 
 proceedings. One practice which he has, and which Lord 
 Stanley also had when he sat in the same seat, is that of ex- 
 tending his feet to the table before the Speaker. There are 
 several other little airs of affectation about him which are 
 more easily and readily seen than they can be described. 
 
 I come now to speak of a young nobleman whom I consider
 
 116 LORD HOWICK. 
 
 to be decidedly the most promising 1 man within the walls of 
 the house. I allude to Lord HOWICK, Secretary at War, and 
 member for Northumberland. Lord Howick is the eldest son 
 of Earl Grey, and inherits much of the stern principle, rigid 
 integrity, and senatorial talents of his father. On the question 
 of Negro Emancipation, his opinions were equally decided and 
 liberal. They were, indeed, much more liberal than were 
 those of his father's Administration; and because, in 18532, he 
 could not bring over Earl Grey's Ministry to the adoption of 
 those decided measures for the emancipation of the slaves, 
 which he conceived both the justice and the humanity of the 
 case demanded, he, rather than compromise his principles, re- 
 signed his office as Under Secretary for the Colonies, and 
 ceased to be a member of his father's Government At that 
 time, Lord Howick was considered a man of more than re- 
 spectable talents ; but his intellectual resources were then 
 only beginning to develope themselves. In his new situation 
 as a member of Lord Melbourne's Administration, he acquitted 
 himself in the course of last session, in a manner which ex- 
 cited the admiration of every member in the house. I never 
 knew so marked an improvement in any man in so short a 
 space of time. His speeches generally displayed a sound 
 judgment, great acuteness, a thorough knowledge of the sub- 
 ject, and a masculine mind. He is withal an excellent de- 
 bater. He is ready to speak on any question at a moment's 
 notice. He is happy in reply. I have known him on various 
 occasions rise to answer some leading member of the Opposi- 
 tion, the moment that member had resumed his seat, and de- 
 molish most triumphantly every argument which the other 
 had advanced. On such occasions I have seen him speak for 
 an hour and a-half or two hours, and yet never, during all that 
 time, hesitate or faulter one moment, nor appear in the least 
 degree disconcerted. His style is fluent : perhaps it is so to 
 a fault. He might sometimes express his ideas with more 
 energy and effect if he used fewer words. Every word, how- 
 ever, is always in its proper place. You do not see how the 
 most fastidious taste could improve the construction of his 
 sentences. 
 
 Without being personal or coarse, Lord Howick treats an 
 opponent with great severity. 1 am not sure that he is re- 
 markable for the equability of his temper. Be this as it may, 
 he never allows any slight irritation he may feel to get the 
 better of his judgment. He will never be an orator, in the
 
 MR. POULKTT THOMSON. 117 
 
 proper acceptation of the term. His voice has not sufficient 
 volume or variety in its tones for the higher order of oratory. 
 He is always audible in every part of the house ; but there is 
 a shrillness about his voice, and a monotony in its tones, which 
 will always, to some extent, impair the effect of his best 
 speeches. He is one, in short, of that class of speakers who 
 convince the judgment, but do not influence the passions. In 
 his action, when addressing the house, there is nothing pecu- 
 liar. His gesticulation is not violent. He gently moves 
 about his body, as he looks first at one part of the house and 
 then at another. He uses his arms to a moderate extent, and 
 occasionally strikes the books or box on the table with his right 
 hand. 
 
 In person. Lord Hovvick is tall and slender. He has a de- 
 fect in his right leg, by which he is slightly lame in his walk, 
 and which gives him somewhat of a crouching appearance 
 when he is addressing the house. He is not good-looking. 
 His countenance is pale, and his person altogether has an 
 emaciated appearance. He possesses tolerable health, though 
 any one who did not know him, would infer from his look that 
 he -was labouring under serious indisposition. His hair is of a 
 bright brown colour. He is one of the many instances in 
 which the principles of Lavater are found to be at fault. If 
 his face have nothing absolutely unintellectual about it, it is 
 equally certain, that no physiognomist would give him credit 
 for the strong and cultivated mind he possesses. Lord Howick, 
 is only in his thirty-third year ; and as he has risen to so much 
 distinction during the nine years he has been in Parliament 
 and is at this moment rising with accelerated rapidity, there 
 is every reason to believe that in a few years he will be one 
 of the most distinguished men in the House of Commons. 
 
 Mr. POULETT THOMSON, member for Manchester, and Pre- 
 sident of the Board of Trade, is chiefly distinguished for his 
 Free-trade notions. He is intimately acquainted with com- 
 mercial subjects, and is tolerably informed on most political 
 questions. He is a man of very considerable talents ; but his 
 manner of delivery greatly mars the effect of his speeches. 
 He invariably speaks in a drawling, melancholy sort of tone, 
 as if labouring under great dejection of spirits. There is a 
 twang about his voice, especially at the conclusion of hie 
 sentences, of which it were impossible to convey any idea by 
 mere description, but which has a saddening effect on his 
 hearers. His enunciation is, notwithstanding, very distinct ;
 
 118 LORI) PALMERSTON. 
 
 and though he does not speak very loudly, he is generally 
 audihle in all parts of the house. His personal appearance is 
 of a pensive serious cast. Nature, I think, must have intended 
 him tor the pulpit. He uses very little gesture when speak- 
 ing, and that little is ;is monotonous as are the tones of hrs 
 voice. He slightly moves his right arm, and from the begin- 
 ning to the close of his speech, turns his face, first to the 
 members of the Opposition on his left hand, and then to those 
 on his right. He appears to most advantage in a set speech, 
 though I have seen some of his replies very happy. He is of 
 a mild disposition. He never indulges in coarse abuse or per- 
 sonal vituperation of an opponent. When he speaks he is 
 always listened to with attention. His utterance is rapid, 
 and he speaks seemingly with much ease. His language is 
 correct, but there is no appearance of its being studiedly 
 polished. 
 
 In person Mr. Poulett Thomson is rather above the mid- 
 dle size, and of a somewhat slender make. His hair is dark 
 so is his complexion. He rejoices in whiskers of goodly 
 proportions. His nose is large, and of a form approaching to 
 the aquiline. His features are strongly marked; so much so 
 that any one who had seen him once would be sure to recog- 
 nize him again. He is about forty years of age. He is al- 
 ways plain in his dress. 
 
 Of Lord PALMERSTON, Foreign Secretary, and Member for 
 Tiverton, I have but little to say. The situation he fills in 
 the Cabinet gives him a certain degree of prominence in the 
 eyes of the country, which he certainly does not possess in 
 Parliament. His talents are by no means of a high order. 
 Assuredly they would never, by their own native energy, have 
 raised him to the distinguished position in the councils of his 
 Sovereign in which a variety of accidental circumstances 
 have placed him. He is an indifferent speaker. I have 
 sometimes seen him acquit himself, when addressing the 
 house, in a very creditable manner; but he often stutters 
 and stammers to a very unpleasant extent, and makes alto- 
 gether an indifferent exhibition. His voice is clear and 
 strong, but has a degree of harshness about it which makes it 
 grate on the ear. He is very indolent. He is also very 
 irregular in his attendance on his Parliamentary duties, and 
 when in the house, is by no means active in defence either 
 of his principles or his friends. * Scarcely anything calls him 
 up except a regular attack on himself, or on the way in which
 
 LORD PALMERSTON. 119 
 
 the department of the public service with which he is en- 
 trusted, is administered. 
 
 In person, Lord Palmerston is tall and handsome. His face 
 is round, and is of a darkish hue. His hair is black, and al- 
 ways exhibits proofs of the skill and attention of the perru- 
 quier. His clothes are in the extreme of fashion. He is 
 very vain of his personal appearance, and is generally sup- 
 posed to devote more of his time in sacrificing to the Graces 
 than is consistent with the duties of a person who has so 
 much to do with the destinies of Europe. Hence it is that 
 the Times newspaper has fastened on him the soubriquet of 
 Cupid. He is about forty-five years of age.
 
 TJO 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT WHO HAVE NOT SEATS IN THE 
 CABINET. 
 
 The Attorney-General The Solicitor-General The Lord Advo- 
 cate Mr. Robert Cutlar Fergusson Sir George Grey Colonel 
 Leith Hay Sir Henry Parnell Mr. Charles Wood. 
 
 SIR JOHN CAMPBELL, the Attorney-General, and one of the 
 members for the city of Edinburgh, has risen very rapidly 
 into notice within the last few years. For a considerable 
 time past his name was well known among the members of 
 the English bar, but was but seldom before the public. He 
 is a man of great weight and influence in the House, and is 
 daily acquiring additional importance. He is by no means a 
 fine speaker. His voice is rough and husky, and yet can 
 hardly be said to bo unpleasant. He uses little gesticulation, 
 and yet there is an energy and determination in his manner, 
 which teJl with great effect on the House. He is always lis- 
 tened to with attention. He has much honesty, as well as 
 energy of purpose. There is nothing Jesuitical or equivocal 
 about him. He fearlessly expresses the convictions of his 
 mind. There is no reserve about him. His style is vigorous 
 and plain; it is correct, without being polished. What he 
 says is always to the point, and there is no mistaking his 
 meaning. He seldom makes long speeches ; they are almost 
 invariably short, but pithy. There is often more matter in a 
 speech of his which occupies a quarter of an hour in the de- 
 livery, than in speeches of many other honourable members 
 which take six times that space to deliver them. 
 
 Sir John Campbell still retains much of the Scottish ac- 
 cent, though he has been upwards of a quarter of a century 
 in England. Any one who hears him speak five sentences, 
 would perceive at once that he is a Scotchman. He is about 
 fifty years of age. In person he is of the middle size. He 
 is of what is called a firm make. I should take him to be a 
 man of great physical strength. He always dresses plainly, 
 sometimes with an appearance of carelessness. His whole 
 aspect is what, in his own country, would be called " uncouth."
 
 MR. ROLFE MR. JOHN ARCHIBALD MURRAY. 121 
 
 His hair is of a light colour, and his countenance has a slight 
 tinge of ruddiness about it. His eyes have a watery appear- 
 ance. He is short-sighted, and uses an eye-glass. 
 
 Though there is much energy, both of matter and manner, 
 in what Sir John Campbell says, he never indulges in per- 
 sonalities, and he is seldom made the subject of vituperation 
 on the part of others. I never knew him excite the bile of 
 the' Tories so much, or be so much abused by them, as when, 
 last session, in the course of some of the discussions on the 
 Municipal Corporation Reform Bill, he represented the free- 
 men of corporations as the most debased and worthless class 
 of men within his Majesty's dominions. The Tories, on that 
 occasion, discharged the vials of their wrath on Sir John's 
 devoted head, without measure and without mercy. In his 
 attendance on his parliamentary duties he is very exem- 
 plary. 
 
 Of Mr. ROLFE, the Solicitor-General, and member for 
 Penryn, little need be said. His name is very little known 
 to the public, and he speaks very seldom in the House. He 
 never speaks when he can help it, and then as shortly as 
 possible. His talents are not above mediocrity : as a speaker, 
 he is below it. His voice is not very pleasant, and his man- 
 ner is generally awkward. There is good sense in what he 
 says; but nothing approaching to originality or eloquence, 
 in person, he is rather short and stout. He is light-haired, 
 and of an angular face. Accidental circumstances, and not 
 any merit he possesses, raised him to his present situation. 
 As a Chancery lawyer he is a man of some distinction. His 
 age is about forty. He has been in Parliament since the 
 passing of the Reform Bill in 1832. 
 
 Mr. JOHN ARCHIBALD MURRAY, the Lord Advocate of Scot- 
 land, and member for Leith, was, for many years before he 
 entered Parliament, one of the most popular political men in 
 Scotland. He was one of a celebrated trio, whose names 
 will go down to posterity as men who made a bold and reso- 
 lute stand against Toryism in the northern part of the empire 
 when in its most triumphant state, and when to profess liberal 
 opinions was not only the sure way to put an extinguisher on 
 all hopes of promotion at the Scotch bar, of which he and the 
 other two Francis Jeffrey and John Clark* were members, 
 
 * These two were afterwards, when Liberal principles obtained 
 the ascendancy in the councils of the King, raised to the rank of 
 Judges. 
 
 11
 
 122 MR. ROBERT CUTI-AR FERCJUSSON. 
 
 but also to exclude them, in a great measure, from respecta- 
 ble society. These three were the chief agents, both by their 
 speeches and writings, in giving that impulse to liberal 
 opinions in Scotland, which in the burghs so triumphantly 
 bore down all the opposition of the Tories at the last elec- 
 tion. 
 
 The Lord Advocate is now considerably advanced in life. 
 He is about fifty years of age. In stature he is somewhat 
 above the middle size. He is stoutly and firmly made, but 
 cannot be called corpulent. He appears to have an unusually 
 strong constitution, considering his years. His hair is of a 
 light colour, and his complexion fair: he is of a full round 
 face. His countenance is indicative of that straightforward- 
 ness, energy, and decision of mind, which are the leading 
 attributes of his character. He is not a fine or eloquent 
 speaker ; but he is one whom you can at all times listen to 
 with pleasure. He always appears master of his subject, and 
 it does not seem to cost him an effort to deliver his sentiments. 
 He has no pretensions to originality or genius; but he is a 
 man of more than respectable talents. He always takes the 
 common sense view of a subject, and never fails to make 
 himself clearly understood. His style is plain, but vigorous, 
 and he always speaks to the point. There are few speakers 
 in the house who give an equal quantity of well-reasoned 
 matter in the same space of time. He never makes long 
 speeches, nor does he address the House on other than sub- 
 jects immediately connected with his office. 
 
 Mr. ROBERT CUTLA.R FERGUSSON, the Judge Advocate, and 
 member for Kircudbright, has for many years exercised con- 
 siderable influence in the house. He is not a man of first- 
 rate talent, though far above mediocrity. He is popular both 
 in the house and the country. His popularity, however, 
 owes more to his past history, and the side he generally es- 
 pouses in politics, than to anything brilliant about him. His 
 adherence to liberal principles in early life, both in this coun- 
 try and in India, during times when those principles were 
 anything but popular, is not, and ought not to be, forgotten 
 by the Reformers of the present day. The zeal and energy 
 he evinced in the cause of the Poles during their struggle, a 
 few years since, with the Northern Autocrat, did much to 
 render him popular in the country. His attachment, how- 
 ever, to liberal principles has diminished, as has been so often 
 found in the case of others, with his accession to office. During
 
 SIR GEORGE GREY. 123 
 
 the last session I have repeatedly heard him defending men 
 and measures, in whose favour, before he joined the Govern- 
 ment, he would have been ashamed to utter a syllable. 
 
 He is a respectable speaker, which is the most that can be 
 said about his oratorical powers. He speaks with ease and 
 with considerable fluency. His style is vigorous, and his 
 matter always to the point. Take him unawares, and he does 
 not appear to much advantage in reply ; but when he knows 
 beforehand the line of argument or attack which an opponent 
 is to take, he prepares himself for his task, and acquits him- 
 self in a very creditable manner. His voice has something of 
 a melancholy tone about it: it reminds me, in some measure, 
 of the sound emitted by a muffled drum. His action is not 
 violent ; nor can it be said to be graceful. His appearance 
 altogether has a great deal of sternness about it. His hair is 
 white; part of his head is slightly bald. He wears large 
 whiskers, which heighten the sullen aspect of his countenance. 
 He is rather above the middle size, of a firm make, without 
 being corpulent. His advanced years, and long residence in 
 the East, have left their traces in the shape of various slight 
 wrinkles in his face. He is nearly sixty years of age; but ap- 
 pears to be in excellent health, and of a strong constitution. 
 He used to speak a good deal in the house ; but he has not 
 spoken often since his appointment to office. When he does 
 speak, it is principally on questions immediately connected 
 with his own office, or with Scottish affairs. In matters con- 
 nected with his own country he is a Scotchman he takes 
 a great deal of interest. Those who recollect the animation 
 and energy with which, some years ago, he proclaimed the 
 wrongs of Poland, and the withering denunciations which he 
 hurled at the head of their oppressors, cannot but regret that, 
 since he joined the Government, his voice has been mute on 
 these points. He is a striking illustration of the great differ- 
 ence between a member out of office and in office. 
 
 Sir GEORGE GREY, member for Devonport, and Under 
 Secretary for the Colonies, is a gentleman of remarkably mild 
 and engaging manners. His office obliges him to speak pretty 
 often in the House ; but he never volunteers a speech, in other 
 words, never speaks when not officially called on to do so. 
 He speaks with great ease, and his manner, without being at- 
 tractive, is pleasant enough. There is much good sense 
 in what he says, and he confines himself strictly to the point
 
 124 COLONEL LKITH II \Y. 
 
 at issue. He makes no effort at display : on the contrary, you 
 see in every word ho utters, as well as in his simple and un- 
 assuming manners, the inherent modesty of his character. 
 
 Sir tii-orgo is now in his thirty-sixth year. In person he is 
 rather above the middle size, and well made. He is dark- 
 haired, and of a clear healthy-looking complexion. Yon can 
 read good-nature in his face. He is decidedly good-looking: 
 his features are regular, and conciliatory in an unusual de- 
 gree, and his uniform conduct in the house only serves to con- 
 firm the favourable impression which he invariably makes on 
 the mind of a stranger. He is much esteemed by men of 
 every grade of political opinion in the house. 
 
 Colonel LEITH HAY, member for the Elgin district of 
 Burghs, and Clerk of the Ordnance, is a man of considerable 
 weight in the house, though he speaks but very seldom. Like 
 Sir George Grey, he only speaks when compelled to it by the 
 situation he holds. This is to be regretted, for not only is he 
 listened to with much attention when he does address the 
 house, but he acquits himself very creditably as a public 
 speaker. He is one of those who professed liberal principles 
 at a time when they were most unpopular; and he did so at 
 great personal sacrifice. He distinguished himself in the 
 Peninsular war, and but for his political principles Toryism 
 being then in the ascendant would have doubtless obtained 
 that promotion in the army to which distinguished bravery 
 and great merits as an officer entitled him. His father, the 
 venerable General Hay of Rannes, is now the patriarch of 
 liberal principles in Scotland. He is upwards of ninety years 
 of age. He also crowned himself with undying honours by 
 his gallantry and military skill in the Peninsular war. The 
 father is worthy of the son, and the son of the father. 
 
 On the meeting of the Session of 1834, Colonel Leith Hay 
 did one of the noblest things I ever witnessed. On the second 
 night of that session, when the question was about to be solved, 
 which of the Irish members (as affirmed by Mr. Hill, member 
 for Hull) had played the traitor by admitting, while he 
 violently opposed the Coercion Bill, that that measure was 
 indispensably necessary for the peace of Ireland, and that he 
 only opposed it to please his constituents, on that occasion, 
 when Lord Althorp was badgered by Mr. Shiel to give up his 
 authority for the statement, and when Mr. Shiel plainly inti- 
 mated to his Lordship, that if he did not give the name of his
 
 SIR HENRY PARNELL. 125 
 
 informant, he would hold him personally responsible, Colonel 
 Leith Hay rose up, and in the most energetic yet dignified 
 manner said, addressing himself to Mr. Shiel, that precisely 
 the same statement as that made to Lord Althorp had been 
 communicated to him, and that he would not, any more than 
 the noble Lord, give up his authority, but would hold himself 
 personally responsible. I never yet knew anything produce a 
 greater effect on the house. There was not an honourable 
 member in it but deeply felt for Lord Althorp at the time ; 
 and when they saw him in a great measure relieved from the 
 embarrassing situation in which his refusal to betray the confi- 
 dence reposed in him by a friend, had placed him by the 
 generous and well-timed interposition on the part of the gal- 
 lant Colonel, a murmur of suppressed admiration of the con- 
 duct of the latter was heard in every part of the house, and was 
 with difficulty repressed even by the strangers in the gallery. 
 
 Colonel Leith Hay is about fifty years of age. In person 
 he is tall and well-proportioned. His hair is dark, and hia 
 complexion approaches to ruddiness. His features are a true 
 index to his character; they indicate great energy of mind 
 and firmness of purpose. He is one of the most handsome and 
 gentlemanly-looking men in the house ; and his manners are 
 in accordance with his appearance. He is courteous and kind 
 in all the relations both of public and private life. He has 
 acquired some distinction as a literary man ; his Narrative of 
 the Peninsular War, published a few years ago, in two vo- 
 lumes, met with a favourable reception from the public. 
 
 Sir HENRY PARNELL, member for Dundee, and Paymaster 
 of the Forces, is a gentleman whose name has not been much 
 before the public for the last twelve or eighteen months ; but 
 it was so prominently eo for many years before that time, and 
 his services in the cause of Reform have been so great, that it 
 were unpardonable to pass him over in silence. It was in a 
 great measure to the success of his motion in 1830, on the 
 propriety of inquiring into the state of the Civil List, that the 
 Wellington Government of that period owed its dissolution. 
 Sir Henry had before been popular in consequence of his de- 
 cidedly liberal opinions, and his respectable talents ; but the 
 result of that motion, and the effects which followed, raised 
 him to a distinction, and gave him an importance both in the 
 house and the country, which he had not before acquired. It 
 paved the way for his appointment to an important situation 
 in the Government. 
 
 11*
 
 1^6 Sill HENRY PARNELL. 
 
 Sir Henry is a respectable but by no means a superior speaker. 
 He has a tine clear voice, but ho never varies the key in 
 which he commences. He is, however, always audible in all 
 parts of the house. His utterance is well-timed, and he ap- 
 pears to speak with great ease. He delivers his speeches in 
 much the same way as if lie were repeating some piece of 
 writing he had committed to his memory in his schoolboy 
 years. His gesticulation is a great deal too tame for his 
 speeches to produce any effect. He stands stock still, except 
 when he occasionally raises and lets fall his right hand. Even 
 this he does in a very gentle manner. What he excels in is 
 giving a plain, luminous statement of complex financial mat- 
 ters. In this respect he has no superior; I doubt if he has an 
 equal in the house. He fully understands all such questions; 
 and has got the very rare talent of making his own views of a 
 subject as clear to others as they are to his own mind. His 
 work on Taxation and Finance, published four years ago, 
 must have convinced many thousands of this. It is by far the 
 clearest and most comprehensive ever written on the subject. 
 
 Sir Henry, as I have already intimated, has spoken very 
 little of late. As far as I can recollect, he did not open his 
 mouth more than once in the house all last Session; and then 
 only for a few minutes : his reputation is suffering in conse- 
 quence. Politicians and senators, above all other classes of 
 men, ought to do something to keep up their reputations ; if 
 indolent if they do not appear with some frequency before 
 the public, they are sure to be all but completely forgotten. 
 They are differently circumstanced from authors; an author 
 may earn an imperishable reputation by one work of merit, 
 because that work, continuing to be read for a long period of 
 years, perpetuates, of course, the name and reputation of the 
 writer ; but it requires a series of good speeches and active 
 exertions to procure distinction as a politician or senator; and 
 as these speeches and exertions are of necessity but of tempo- 
 rary interest, it requires a perseverance in the same course of 
 frequent speaking and unremitting action, to maintain the 
 reputation which has been so acquired. 
 
 Sir Henry is gentlemanly in his appearance ; so is he also 
 in reality. His manners are highly courteous. His stature 
 is of the middle size, rather inclining to stoutness. His com- 
 plexion is fair; his features are regular, with a mild expres- 
 sion about them; and his hair is pure white. He dresses 
 with much neatness, but not in the extreme of fashion. His 
 age is sixty-one.
 
 MR. CHARLES WOOD. 127 
 
 Mr. CHARLES WOOD, member for Halifax, and Secretary to 
 the Board of Admiralty, took a very active part in the begin- 
 ning of last Session in opposing the Government of Sir Ro- 
 bert Peel ; since then he has spoken but little. He is a young 
 man, being only on his thirty-fifty year. He is married to 
 the thirteenth and youngest daughter of Earl Grey, which 
 circumstance, and his being Secretary to the Board of Trea- 
 sury from 1832 to 1834, gave him a good deal of importance, 
 during those two years, in the house. He is whipper-in to 
 the Liberal party ; but he is not half so efficient in that office 
 as Mr. Holmes was when he performed the same office to the 
 Tories. It is related of Mr. Holmes that when he saw any 
 of his party about to quit the house immediately before some 
 important division was expected to take place, he used to 
 seize them by the collar when going out of the lobby, pro- 
 vided they were persons with whom he was on familiar terms, 
 and by mere physical force compel them to return to their 
 parliamentary duties. His experience had by this time taught 
 him, that the promises of honourable members to return in 
 five or ten minutes, or any other short period they might 
 mention, were not always to be depended on ; and therefore 
 he very wisely acted on the maxim " a bird in hand is worth 
 two in the bush." Mr. Wood had hard work of it at the 
 commencement of last Session to keep the Liberals to their 
 posts. The small majority of ten on the question of the 
 Speakership, and the still smaller one of seven on that of the 
 amendment to the address in answer to the King's speech, 
 were an earnest to him that the office was to be no sine- 
 cure. 
 
 Mr. Wood is a good speaker. He has a fine, deep-toned 
 musical voice ; but he sometimes mismanages its intonations. 
 The effect, too, is generally in some degree impaired by a too 
 rapid utterance. He speaks with great fluency ; he never 
 hesitates or is at a loss, either for ideas, or for words where- 
 with to express them. His language is elegant ; it is evi- 
 dently highly laboured when he makes a set speech. He is 
 happy in reply. He is unquestionably a man of considerable 
 talents. Perhaps a more accurate idea of his character will 
 be conveyed by saying he is clever. He wants depth of 
 thought and vigour of expression. His manner is affected. 
 The usual position in which he puts himself when addressing 
 the House is to fold his arms on his breast, and stand up as 
 erect as if some one were going to measure his personal
 
 128 MR. CHARLES WOOD. 
 
 height He is tall and well-made, though somewhat slender. 
 His face is angular, his features are regular, and his com- 
 plexion of a rather darkish hue. The colour of his hair is a 
 deep brown. He is usually rather foppish in his dress. 
 
 There are several other members who are connected with 
 the Government, but their names do not come with sufficient 
 frequency before the public as speakers in the House, to en- 
 title them to notice.
 
 MR. ALDERMAN WOOD. 129 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE METROPOLITAN MEMBERS. 
 
 Mr. Alderman Wood Mr. Grote Mr. Crawford Mr. Pattison 
 Sir Francis Burdett Colonel Evans Sir Samuel Whalley 
 Mr. Henry Lytton Bulvver Mr. Thomas Duncombe Mr. 
 Thomas Wakley Dr. Lushington Mr. Clay Mr. Daniel 
 Whittle Harvey Mr. Sheriff Humphrey Mr. Tennyson Mr. 
 Hawes. 
 
 BEFORE the passing of the Reform Bill the metropolitan 
 members were only six in number; four of these were re- 
 turned by the Liverymen of the city : the other two by West- 
 minster. They are now sixteen in number; four are still 
 returned by the City, and two by Westminster the qualifica- 
 tion being a 10 rental and the other are chosen by the 
 burghs in the vicinity. 
 
 Mr. ALDERMAN WOOD is not only the oldest of the City 
 members, but he is the oldest of the metropolitan representa- 
 tives. His age is nearly seventy. He is a man of venerable 
 appearance ; his countenance is open and cheerful. His head 
 is in a great measure bald ; what hair there is on it is white 
 as snow. His features are small, and his complexion is fair. 
 There are a few wrinkles in his face, but he looks well for a 
 man of his years. In his earlier years he used to speak often 
 in Parliament; and in the defence and protection of Queen 
 Caroline, he evinced extraordinary zeal within as well as 
 without the walls of St. Stephen's; but for some years past 
 he has spoken but very little. He is still, however, as liberal 
 in his principles as ever, and is as much attached to them as 
 at any period when his name was so frequently before the 
 public. 
 
 Mr. Alderman Wood is but an indifferent speaker. His 
 voice has a harsh, grating sound, the bad effect of which is 
 increased by its monotony. Its tones are the same whenever 
 he speaks, or on whatever subjects he expresses his senti- 
 ments. Whether he speaks in the House of Commons, on 
 the hustings in Guildhall, in the Common Council-room, or at 
 a Lord Mayor's dinner whether the subject be one in which
 
 130 MR. GROTE. 
 
 the destinies of the world are involved, or it be only the pro- 
 visions of a bill he proposes to bring in to permit police offi- 
 cers to take up dogs in the hot weather, when supposed to be 
 mad, Mr. Alderman Wood's voice is Mr. Alderman Wood's 
 voice the same as it ever was ; the same, I may add, as it 
 ever will be. His manner has something of awkwardness 
 about it ; and his language is plain, sometimes not very cor- 
 rect. I doubt if he ever stumbled on half a dozen eloquent 
 sentences in the whole course of his lengthened public life. 
 He has no pretensions to talent: it is the liberality of his 
 principles and his consistent conduct, not his abilities, that 
 have recommended him to the City of London, and induced it 
 to choose him for one of its representatives. 
 
 Mr. GROTE is another of the City members. His princi- 
 ples are decidedly liberal : they are essentially the same as 
 those of Mr. Alderman Wood. He is a man of very consi- 
 derable talent, and occasionally makes long and effective 
 speeches in Parliament. He is much respected by men of 
 all parties, and is always listened to with great attention in 
 the house. For some years past he has brought forward a 
 motion every Session for Vote by Ballot. His speeches on 
 these occasions occupy from two to three hours in the de- 
 livery; and in every instance have displayed a strong and 
 masculine, as well as highly cultivated mind. I have seldom 
 heard more strictly argumentative speeches delivered, on any 
 question, in the house. Everything that can be said, in 
 favour of the Ballot, will be found in Mr. Grote's speeches on 
 the subject, and found put in the most forcible manner. From 
 the growing numbers in favour of the Ballot, there is not a 
 doubt it will be speedily carried. At this moment there is a 
 majority of members in the House in favour of it, and the 
 reason why it has not been carried before now is, that other 
 matters have always clashed with it at the time the question 
 has been brought forward. 
 
 Mr. Grote is in person about the middle size. His hair is a 
 jet black, and his complexion dark. His countenance indi- 
 cates thought and reserve, but is by no means stern or un- 
 pleasant. His voice is not strong, but his clear and distinct 
 enunciation makes him heard in every part of the house. He 
 does not aim at effect. He seeks to convince his audience by 
 reason and argument, rather than to bring them over to his 
 views by any of the clap-trap oratorical expedients so often 
 resorted to. He is a pleasant and easy speaker. He is never
 
 MR. WILLIAM CRAWFORD MR. JAMES PATTISON. 131 
 
 at a loss for words to express his ideas; nor, which is a 
 greater matter still, is he ever at a loss for ideas. The fact 
 is, that he very seldom speaks and then he is very brief 
 without having prepared his speeches before-hand. When he 
 intends making a long speech on any particular subject, he 
 writes it out at full length and commits to memory. He is 
 in his forty-first year. 
 
 Mr. WILLIAM CRAWFORD is another of the City of London 
 representatives. He is intimately conversant with commer- 
 cial subjects, especially with those connected with India, 
 where he resided for many years, and where he realized a 
 handsome fortune. He is a tolerable speaker, but scarcely 
 ever opens his mouth in the house. He is a man of respect- 
 able talents. His principles are Liberal, without being Radi- 
 cal. He does not go quite so far on many questions as his 
 colleagues, Mr. Alderman Wood and Mr. Grote. In person 
 he is about the middle size ; he is of a full make without 
 being corpulent. His hair is of a slightly dark colour. His 
 complexion is dark, and his countenance has an intelligent 
 expression. His forehead is large and well developed, and 
 his features are regular. He is a pleasant looking man ; his 
 age is upwards of fifty. 
 
 The other member for the City of London is Mr. JAMES 
 PATTISON, Governor of the Bank of England. He is now in 
 his fifty-ninth year, but never was in Parliament till returned 
 in March last for the City. He has not yet spoken in Par- 
 liament, nor is it likely he ever will ; for he is not only a bad 
 speaker, or rather no speaker at all, but he has the good sense 
 to know it I heard him on one occasion attempt to speak in 
 public, but he made sad work of it. There was not only no 
 eloquence in what he said, but there was not even tolerable 
 grammar. Either no idea occurred to his mind, or if they 
 did, he could not find words to express them. If, however, 
 his speech, if so it might be called, was "not " sweet," it had 
 certainly the merit of being " short." 
 
 Mr. Pattison, in his personal appearance, reminds me of an 
 English farmer of the old school. He is tall and corpulent: he 
 is unquestionably the most " big-bellied man" in the house. 
 If he is not distinguished for his weight, morally speaking, in 
 Parliament, he is certainly a man of great weight in the 
 physical sense of the term. He always dresses with great 
 plainness. He invariably wears knee inexpressibles of a 
 sandy colour, with gaiters of the same complexion, and indeed
 
 132 SIR FRANCIS BURDETT. 
 
 of the same cloth. There is something remarkably "jolly" 
 I know not a more significant word in the expression of his 
 countenance. It is full of good-nature. He always looks 
 pleased himself, and wishes to see every body in the same 
 happy mood. His countenance is not a fair index of his in- 
 tellect. There is nothing intelligent about it; but lie is a 
 man of very extensive information, and of a sound judgment. 
 In fact, his holding the situation of Governor of the Bank of 
 England, is of itself a proof of this. 
 
 I now come to the members for Westminster, Sir Francis 
 Burdett and Colonel Evans. 
 
 Sir FRANCIS BURDETT has been one of the representatives 
 for Westminster since 1807. For many years he stood al- 
 most alone the advocate of Liberal principles, and submitted 
 not only to be excluded from aristocratic society, but to heavy 
 fines and imprisonment; rather than suppress his opinions. 
 There is not living at this moment a man, either in or out of 
 Parliament, who, all things considered, has made such great 
 and numerous sacrifices for his political opinions, as Sir Fran- 
 cis has done. For many years he was in one sense an hourly 
 martyr for his principles; but a great change has come over 
 the spirit of his politics. There is no more similarity between 
 the Sir Francis Burdett of 1835, and the Sir Francis Burdett 
 of 1815, than there is between light and darkness. He still 
 makes a profession of Liberal principles, but it is only profes- 
 sion ; the substance or reality is wanting. He affected to feel 
 no confidence in the Government of Sir Robert Peel and yet 
 refused to take a single step towards its overthrow. Nay, 
 when his constituents asked him to oppose it, he peremptorily 
 refused, and plainly told them that any such opposition would 
 be factious. In the single instance of the Irish Church Pro- 
 perty Appropriation Question, last session, he voted with the 
 Liberal party ; in all other cases, he either did not vote at all, 
 or else he voted in favour of Tory principles. He was not, I 
 am persuaded, more than eight or ten times in his place in 
 Parliament during the whole of the last session; and in no 
 one instance did he express an opinion on any of the great 
 questions which were brought under the consideration of the 
 house. The only time he ever opened his mouth at all, was 
 on the subject of some new company which proposed supply- 
 ing the metropolis with water. He did, indeed attempt to 
 speak when the question was before the house, whether or not 
 Mr. Pilgrim, one of the persons committed to Newgate for
 
 *IR FRANCIS BURDETT. 133 , 
 
 bribery at the Ipswich election, ought to be liberated at that 
 particular tirrfe ; but some other member caught the Speaker's 
 eye before him, and he did not again rise with the intention 
 of speaking, so far as I saw or could learn. What side he 
 meant to take on that question, I have no means of knowing; 
 nor is it of any importance, as the Reformers were divided 
 among themselves in reference to it. If any proof, in addi- 
 tion to his general conduct for two or three years past, were 
 wanting as to the character of his political principles, it would 
 be found in the fact, that his favourite newspaper, and indeed 
 almost the only one he reads with any attention, is the Stand- 
 ard. Sir Francis made an admission to this effect, in the 
 presence of several persons, a few months since. 
 
 Sir Francis is now in his sixty-fifth year. In person he is 
 considerably above the middle size, and is rather well- made. 
 His face is thin, and of a sharp angular form. His eyes are 
 sunken. He lias little forehead, while his nose, which is 
 somewhat of an aquiline form, is unusually large and promi- 
 nent. His complexion is remarkably fair, with a mixture of 
 red, and his hair is of a pure white. 
 
 Sir Francis used to be considered a good speaker. His 
 language was always vigorous, and his matter excellent. He 
 never introduced anything extraneous into his speeches for 
 the purposes of ornament. He always spoke to the point, and 
 there was no mistaking his meaning. In his earlier days he 
 evidently spoke from the fulness of his heart: hence there 
 were great energy and animation in his manner. He often 
 reached, without attempting it, or being aware of it at the 
 time, the higher, if not the highest flights of eloquence. His 
 action sometimes bordered on extravagance but was generally 
 graceful. His voice, which is clear and shrill, made the 
 walls of the house re-echo, when, in some of his more impas- 
 sioned moments and he did on such occasions speak as if in- 
 spired by the spirit of freedom he raised it in defence of the 
 liberties of his country. 
 
 What the eccentric Hon. Lady Stanhope said of Sir Fran- 
 cis Burdett to one of her countrymen some years since in her 
 voluntary exile in the East, is still true: He dresses like a 
 gent Ionian and has the manners of a gentleman. His favour- 
 ite dress, though of course there must be a variation with the 
 season and with circumstances, is a blue coat, a light colour- 
 ed waistcoat, and light-coloured knee breeches. Top-boots 
 he almost invariably wears. He is very particular in the
 
 134 COLONEL EVANS. 
 
 make of his clothes; not, indeed, in having them made accord- 
 ing to the existing fashion, but according to what he con- 
 ceives ought to be the fashion, or which was most probably 
 the fashion some forty or fifty years ago. He is fond of long 
 waistcoats: they generally appear three or four inches longer 
 than his coat, when the latter is buttoned, which it usually is. 
 
 Colonel EVANS is Sir Francis Burdett's colleague in the 
 representation of Westminster. The gallant Colonel is per- 
 haps the most liberal in his politics of all the metropolitan re- 
 presentatives, with the single exception of Mr. Wakley, one 
 of the members for Finsbury. In fact, he belongs to the Ra- 
 dical school. As a speaker he is respectable, but nothing 
 more. It is not, however, a long time since he was not even 
 that. When he first entered Parliament for the borough of 
 Rye, which is only a few years since, he was no speaker at 
 all. It was with the greatest difficulty, and not without stam- 
 mering and hesitating at every second sentence that he could 
 express his sentiments on any subject. His connexion with 
 Westminster, however, imposed on him a sort of unavoidable 
 necessity of taking part in almost all the Radical or Reform 
 meetings held in the Metropolis during the last few years, 
 and the result has been that he has greatly improved by prac- 
 tice. He can now express his sentiments on any subject with 
 considerable ease and fluency. He is not a man of more than 
 average talents, and has no pretensions to eloquence. In the 
 Session of 1834 he spoke pretty often : last Session only a very 
 few times. He never makes long speeches. 
 
 Colonel Evans is an Irishman. He is about fifty years of 
 age ; but appears much older than he is in consequence of the 
 great fatigues he underwent, and the wounds he received, in 
 the late war. In person he is about the middle stature, but 
 very thin. He has the appearance of a person in ill health, 
 or of one whose frame has been worn down by active service : 
 but he is much stronger than he appears, and is in excellent 
 spirits ; a fact which he has sufficiently atteste.d by his having 
 lately voluntarily encountered the fatigues and dangers of 
 war in the service of the Queen of Spain. His hair is jet 
 black ; and his complexion is so dark that he is often mistaken 
 for a Spaniard or Portuguese. He possesses an uncommonly 
 high sense of honour. In short, he seems to have a penchant 
 fur duelling. I have often seen him, as it appeared to me, go 
 out of his way, when personal altercations were going on in 
 the House of Commons, in order that he might stand a chance
 
 SIR SAMUEL WHALLEY. 135 
 
 of receiving a challenge. In the army few men have more 
 distinguished themselves by acts of personal bravery than 
 Colonel Evans. He dresses with extreme plainness, some- 
 times almost slovenly. His clothes are never well made, and 
 hardly ever look as if new. He almost invariably wears a 
 blue coat and dark trowsers, and generally has " a shocking 
 bad hat." 
 
 Of the members for Marylebone, Sir SAMUEL WHALLEY is 
 entitled to a priority of notice, both on account of his being an 
 older representative of that burgh than his colleague, and of 
 his name being much more frequently before the public. He 
 is quite a young man, being only in his thirty-third year. In 
 person he is below the middle stature, but well-proportioned. 
 His hair is black, and his complexion dark. He has a hand- 
 some face full of intelligence, cheerfulness, and good-nature ; 
 qualities which he invariably evinces in his intercourse with 
 his fellow men. But his extreme good-nature never leads him 
 to compromise his principles. He has great fixedness of pur- 
 pose about him, and is a man of the strictest political integrity. 
 I do not know a man in the house who has adhered more 
 closely to his principles, and this, too, in opposition to the 
 strongest temptations to abandon them. He is a remarkably 
 fluent speaker. He has a great command of words. I have 
 heard him express the same sentiment in an infinitely varied 
 phraseology. Indeed, his command of words often has the 
 effect of making him wordy. He could speak for hours on 
 any given subject without hesitating for a moment, or being at 
 a loss for a word ; and every sentence would be as tastefully 
 constructed, as if the speech had been the result of months of 
 the closest study. His mind is not of a very masculine order. 
 If he does not fall below mediocrity in the matter 'of his 
 speeches, he does not very often rise far above it. He chiefly 
 excels in quiet sarcasm. His voice is clear and musical, and 
 his enunciation distinct He is a man of most gentlemanly 
 and amiable manners. The electors of Marylebone %re most 
 warmly attached to him, and certainly few representatives are 
 more worthy of the regards of their constituents. He is ac- 
 cessible to them at all times, and is remarkable for his can- 
 dour and straightforwardness in all his intercourse with them. 
 He is most exemplary in the discharge of his parliamentary 
 duties. I know of few members, although he is in a delicate 
 state of health, who are more regular in their attendance in 
 the house.
 
 13T Mil. HENRY LYTTON BULWER MR. T. DUMOMHE. 
 
 Mr. HENRY LYTTON Bt I.WKK, is Sir Samuel Whalley's col- 
 league, lie is the brother of Mr. Edward Lytton Bulwer, 
 member for Lincoln, and author of "Eugene Aram," &c. 
 Mr. II. Bulwer himself also makes some pretensions to literary 
 talent. These are chiefly grounded on his late work entitled 
 " France Social, Political, and Literary," which is undoubt- 
 edly one of considerable merit. He is ardently attached to 
 his brother, and his brother is equally so towards him. I have 
 sometimes seen this commendable feeling of fraternal regard 
 get the better of the good taste of the member for Marylebone, 
 by prompting him to pay compliments to his brother's literary 
 merits in public, which would have come with a much better 
 grace from a more disinterested quarter. 
 
 Mr. H. L. Bulwer is a young man. He is only about thirty- 
 five years of age. In person he is rather tall and_ handsome. 
 His complexion is fair, and his hair of a dark shade, without 
 being, strictly speaking, black. His features are regular, and 
 the expression of his countenance intelligent, and, on the 
 whole, pleasing. He has a good deal of conceit about him. 
 He is vain both of his person and intellect He is foppish in 
 his dress, and has too much of an aristocratic air in his man- 
 ners. He is a man of fair talents, but nothing more. He 
 does not speak often ; and even then, unless the speech has 
 been previously prepared, but for a very short time. His 
 voice is not powerful, but it is pleasant. His utterance is 
 rapid, and an aifected pronunciation sometimes makes it diffi- 
 cult to hear him distinctly. He is not a man of any weight in 
 the house ; whatever distinction he. possesses, he owes, in a 
 great measure, to his relationship to Mr. Edward Lytton Bulwer. 
 
 I come now to the members for Finsbury Mr. T. Dun- 
 combe and Mr. Wakley. Mr. BUNCOMBE has been many 
 years in Parliament, having, previous to 1832, sat during 
 several Parliaments, three, I think for the burgh of Hert- 
 ford. In stature he is about the middle size. His person is 
 handsome, and it is set off to great advantage by the tasteful 
 manner in which he dresses. His hair is quite black, and his 
 complexion very dark. His eyes are small, but full of fire 
 and intelligence. He is a man of very respectable talents. 
 His agreeable manners make him a general favourite both 
 within and without the house. He does not speak often, 
 hardly ever, unless he has previously prepared himself for the 
 occasion. When he does address the house he acquits him- 
 self in a very creditable manner. His voice is clear and
 
 MR. WAKLEY. * 137 
 
 pleasant in its tones, and his manner is easy and unaffected. 
 I know of few members who have the happy tact in a greater 
 degree than Mr. Duncombe, of saying a great deal in a few 
 words. He is never tedious ; nor does he ever wander from 
 the subject. Instead of encumbering his arguments with a 
 world of verbiage, as is too often done, or inflicting on the 
 House sentences without number containing no argument at 
 all, he states his arguments in the fewest possible terms, 
 almost every new sentence, indeed, contains a new argument. 
 He is singularly happy in giving a clear, intelligible state- 
 ment of facts in the shortest possible space, and in the fewest 
 possible words. His style is correct, without being polished. 
 It is smooth and pleasant, never disfigured by a straining after 
 effect by means of metaphorical, or any of the other meretri- 
 cious expressions so often mistaken, by persons of a false taste, 
 for eloquence. 
 
 Mr. WAKLEY, Mr. Buncombe's colleague, was well known 
 to the public before his admission into the house. His fre- 
 quent unsuccessful contests for Finsbury, the prominent part 
 he has taken for years in the proceedings at the Radical meet- 
 ings of the metropolis, and his editorship of The Lancet, 
 which he still conducts, and of The Ballot newspaper, which 
 is now incorporated with The Examiner, have made his name 
 familiar to all. In his political opinions he is of the Ultra- 
 Radical school ; but has not been nearly so violent in the ex- 
 pression of his sentiments, nor so obstinate and self-willed in 
 the course of conduct he has pursued in the house, as was 
 generally apprehended. In fact, he has acted with a modera- 
 tion, in consequence of yielding to the advice of others, rather 
 than pursuing the bent of his own inclinations and acting" ac- 
 cording to the dictates of his own judgment, which has dis- 
 pleased a great many of his constituents, and given rise in 
 their minds to suspicions that he is not the man they took him 
 for. 
 
 Mr. Wakley is an excellent speaker, though he does not 
 appear to the same advantage in the house as out of it. His 
 voice possesses a fine musical tone, which he can modulate at 
 pleasure. Sometimes he speaks a little too fast, but generally 
 his utterance is well-timed to the ear. He is always audible 
 in every part of the house. The only speech of any length or 
 importance he has yet made in Parliament, was in July last, 
 for a remission of the sentence passed on the Dorchester 
 labourers. And that was, in every point of view, a highly 
 12 *
 
 1- MR. WAKLEY. 
 
 creditable effort; it was so considered by men of all parties. 
 He attempted to speak two or three times when Sir Robert 
 Peel was in office, on Lord John Russell's motion respecting 
 the Appropriation of the surplus property of the Church of 
 Ireland to other than ecclesiastical purposes, but was not for- 
 tunate enough to catch the eye of the Speaker. He is inva- 
 riably fluent, often eloquent. His matter is always good, 
 though he is sometimes wordy. His delivery is graceful. 1 
 never heard two voices so like each other as his and the late 
 Mr. Cobbett's; only that he speaks, as already stated, with 
 much rapidity, while Cobbett was one of the slowest speakers 
 I have ever heard. Mr. Wakley has a strong provincial ac- 
 cent, which sometimes has a ludicrous effect. One would, 
 from his mode of pronouncing some words, take him to be a 
 Scotchman. For example, the word " halfpennies" he always 
 pronounces "ha'pnies." 
 
 Mr. Wakley has a good taste for the humorous, and makes 
 some happy hits that way. As a mimic he certainly stands 
 unrivalled in the house, and has few equals out of it. The 
 only specimen he has yet given in the house of his powers in 
 this way was indescribably happy, and called forth peals of 
 laughter from all parts of the house. He was mimicking one 
 of the electors of South Devon, who voted against Lord John 
 Russell, when he proceeded in this strain, as nearly as print 
 can convey an idea of his manner : 
 
 " He had been down in Devonshire during the late election, 
 and what was the cry of the farmers who had been brought up 
 to vote against the noble lord (Lord John Russell) ' 1'se have 
 na Lard Russell ; I'se have na refaarm ; 1'se have Ha Paape' 
 (Great laughter). When he asked one of the farmers 
 whether he would not prefer to go up and vote independently, 
 instead of being thus brought up in the train of the landlord, 
 the man said ' Na, I'se aalways rides to the poll a-horseback' 
 (Renewed laughter). When he asked another elector, 
 whether he would not like to go to poll by way of the ballot, 
 his answer was, 'I daan't kna zur ; I'se aalways goo by way of 
 Daalish.' " (Peals of laughter). 
 
 Mr. Wakley is about forty-five years of age. In person, 
 he is tall and handsome. He is full six feet in height ; his 
 complexion is fair and his hair red. His countenance is plea- 
 sant, except when speaking, when it very often assumes a 
 contemptuous sort of expression, which is anything but agree- 
 able. I have, on several occasions, been amused by observing
 
 DR. LUSHIXGTON MR. CLAY. 139 
 
 him and his colleague sitting each in an empty seat by himself 
 at the back of the Ministerial benches, and carrying on a con- 
 versation together across the passage, as if severally perform- 
 ing quarantine. The circumstance has sometimes reminded 
 me of Hazlitt's story of two servant maids gossiping about 
 their sweethearts, or abusing their mistresses, by putting their 
 heads out of the windows nearest to each other, of their re- 
 spective houses. 
 
 The members for the Tower Hamlets are Dr. LTJSHINGTON 
 and Mr. Clay. The name of the former has been prominently 
 before the public for many years. He was a strenuous and 
 able Reformer in the worst and most perilous times. He is a 
 man of distinguished talents. If he have no pretensions to 
 genius, or if he seldom delights his audience by anything 
 brilliant or original, he never fails to put the most obvious ar- 
 guments in favour of the view he takes of a subject, in their 
 clearest light. His speeches are always argumentative and 
 forcible. I know of few members who deal less in general 
 declamation. He still speaks pretty often, but not by any 
 means with the frequency he did before and during the great 
 struggle for the Reform Bill. His notion is, in the first place, 
 that the battle may be already said to be won ; and, in the 
 second, that as there are now so many able advocates for what 
 yet remains to be accomplished, on behalf of the great cause 
 of civil and religious liberty, it would be a species of unne- 
 cessary obtrusion of himself on the house were he to address 
 it as often as he did when the battle was at its hottest, and 
 the result as to time at least a matter of doubt. 
 
 Dr. Lushington's voice is clear and shrill. When he in- 
 tends to address the house at any length, he pitches it in so 
 high a key as to sound unpleasant to the ears of those imme- 
 diately around him. He usually makes " the welkin ring 
 again." His utterance is somewhat slow at the commence- 
 ment,' but as he proceeds and warms with the subject, he 
 speaks with more rapidity, but never with too much. He 
 evidently feels strongly when addressing the house on ques- 
 tions which involve first principles, and gives a full and fear- 
 less expression to his sentiments. His elocution is somewhat 
 impaired by his inability to pronounce the letter r. 
 
 In person, Dr. Lushington is somewhat above the middle 
 size. His complexion is dark, and his hair something between 
 a black and brown colour. His features are distinctly marked. 
 He has a projecting brow and a prominent nose. His mouth
 
 140 MR. DANIEL WHITTLE IIARVEY. 
 
 is large, and in speaking he usually opens it so wide as to 
 show most of his teeth. His under lip droops considerably. 
 His eyes are black, and when speaking on any question in 
 which lie feels a special interest, they emit the most fiery 
 and piercing glances. In his mode of dressing there is nothing 
 peculiar. He dresses plainly but not slovenly. His age is 
 about fifty-five. 
 
 Mr. CLAY owes his seat and his popularity chiefly to the 
 liberality of his opinions. In several instances, when there 
 were divisions in the house, he has gone much farther towards 
 pure Radicalism than Dr. Lushington was prepared, or thought 
 it advisable at the time to go. Hence he is, or was some 
 twelve or eighteen months since, a greater favourite with the 
 electors of the Tower Hamlets than Dr. Lushington. Though 
 he does not speak often not on an average above three or 
 four times a session he can acquit himself very creditably 
 when he has had time to prepare his speech and commit it to 
 memory before-hand. The Corn-Law question is his favourite 
 subject; and he has made several motions on the subject, 
 which he always prefaces with a very respectable speech and 
 of considerable length. His voice has little power or volume, 
 but it is clear and pleasant, and he speaks with ease and 
 fluency. He has not much action ; but what he has is grace- 
 ful. He is a handsome man. There are few more handsome 
 men in the house. He is tall and well-proportioned ; and the 
 appearance of his person is much improved by the tasteful 
 manner in which he dresses. He has a fine forehead; his 
 features are regular, his complexion is fair, and his hair par- 
 tially dark. He is about forty-five years of age. 
 
 I come next to the members forSouthwark Messrs. Daniel 
 Whittle Harvey, and Sheriff Humphrey. There are few men 
 in the house whose names are more familiar to the public than 
 that of Mr. HARVEY. He is one of the little band still in 
 Parliament who ably and unflinchingly advocated Reform 
 when the cause was so unpopular, and when success was all 
 but hopeless. He is a man of great talents. There are but 
 few more gifted men in Parliament. On whatever subject he 
 speaks, he is sure to say something clever. He is one of the 
 few speakers in the house whom one would never tire of 
 hearing. His ideas always strike you as excellent, and his 
 illustrations are usually of the most felicitous kind. You are 
 often surprised, as well as pleased, by the brilliant things he 
 says. His language is elegant to a fault. I have heard him
 
 MR. SHERIFF HUMPHREY. 141 
 
 deliver speeches of considerable length, through the whole of 
 \vljich there ran a vein of the richest poetical imagery. I 
 never saw a better illustration than is furnished by his 
 speeches, of the practicability of" speaking poetry in the garb 
 of prose." Even on the question of the Pension List a most 
 unpoetical subject, one would think I have heard Mr. Harvey 
 express himself; from the beginning to the end, in the most 
 poetical diction. At refined sarcasm he has few equals, either 
 in or out of the house. No one can cut an opponent mor& 
 delicately, and at the same time so deeply. Some of his efforts 
 in this way have been the happiest that ever met my notice, 
 either in speeches I have heard delivered, or in the course of 
 my reading. 
 
 Mr. Harvey is also one of the best speakers in the house. 
 The delivery of many of his speeches has often appeared to 
 me a model of correct and graceful elocution. He has a fine 
 melodious voice, over the tones, and intonations of which he 
 has a perfect control. His utterance too, is neither too rapid 
 nor too slow, it is the happy medium. His speeches, when 
 well prepared, fall with all the softness and symphony of 
 music on the ear. . Even when" not prepared, he often speaks 
 admirably. I have frequently heard him get up and make a 
 speech from thirty to forty minutes' duration on the spur of 
 the moment, in which there was not a single misplaced word, 
 or the slightest unnecessary pause ; while the delivery seemed 
 as perfect as the human voice could make it. But he is not 
 always, when unprepared, equally happy. On other occasions 
 I have repeatedly seen him falter and stutter, and appear 
 awkward altogether in the delivery. He, therefore, who 
 hears him in such cases, can have no idea of what he is in his 
 happier moments. 
 
 Mr. Harvey is considerably above the middle size, and of 
 proportional thickness. His shoulders are unusually high, 
 lie is white-haired, and his face is of a fair complexion. Ad- 
 vancing years are beginning to tell upon it in the shape of a 
 few slight wrinkles. He is in his fifty-first year. He dresses 
 plainly. He almost invariably wears a blue coat with a velvet 
 collar. The other parts of his dress vary with the season, 
 but his predelictions seem to be in favour of a light colour. 
 
 Mr. Sheriff HVMI-HUEY (Mr. Harvey's colleague) has not, 
 so fiir as I am aware, ever attempted to speak in the house. 
 He is no speaker ; and he has the good sense to know it : it 
 were devoutly to be wished that several other hon. members 
 possessed the same species of knowledge. He ia remarkably
 
 142 MR. TENNVSON MR. HAWES. 
 
 plain and unsophisticated in his manners, and yet is quite the 
 gentleman. I do not know a more consistent man; certainly 
 no hon. member adheres more faithfully to his hustings pledges. 
 He is a great favourite, and deservedly so, with his consti- 
 tuents. In person he is middle-sized, but very stout, without 
 being, strictly speaking, corpulent. His complexion is ruddy, 
 and his countenance is full of cheerfulness and good-nature. 
 His hair is of a brown colour. In his dress he is always plain 
 but neat He is about forty-five years of age. 
 
 The only other of the Metropolitan boroughs whose repre- 
 sentatives remain to be noticed, is that of Lambeth. The 
 members for this borough are Mr. Tennyson and Mr. Hawes. 
 Mr. TENNYSON first brought himself before the public as a 
 zealous Reformer in the year 1827, by his exertions to get 
 the elective franchise transferred from the corrupt borough of 
 East Retford, to the large and populous town of Birmingham. 
 His exertions in the cause of Reform have, in one shape or 
 other, subjected him to a very serious expenditure out of his 
 private fortune. Few men are more attached to their princi- 
 ples than Mr. Tennyson. They are, in one sense, a part of 
 his being. He is ready to make any sacrifice for them. He 
 goes to the extreme of Liberalism, without being ultra Radi- 
 cal. The result of his abstract reasonings on the subject, as 
 well as his own observation of the evils of long Parliaments, 
 have led him to attach the very greatest importance to fre- 
 quent elections : he has, therefore, brought forward a motion 
 every session, for some years past, in favour of Triennial Par- 
 liaments. These motions he always prefaces with a speech 
 of considerable length, and, generally, of ability. I am not 
 sure that he has struck out any new course of argument on 
 the subject ; but those arguments which most naturally sug- 
 gest themselves to any reflective mind, he arranges with judg- 
 ment, and puts in a clear and forcible light. He is a respect- 
 able speaker, but nothing more: indeed he makes no preten- 
 sions to fine speaking. His voice is not strong, but it is 
 pleasant. He is always audible except when there is a noise 
 in the house, a circumstance of by no means unfrequent occur- 
 rence. 
 
 Mr. Tennyson is in person about the middle size, rather, if 
 anything, under it. His hair is black, and his complexion 
 dark. He has a fine forehead. His eyes are small, but full 
 of fire and animation. He has large whiskers, and a small 
 tuft, on his chin. He is about forty-five years of age.
 
 MR. HA WES. 143 
 
 Mr. HAWES is by no means so popular among the electors of 
 Lambeth as Mr. Tennyson, not being so decided and liberal 
 in his principles. He owes his seat in Parliament chiefly to 
 the influence he possesses in the borough by means of his 
 extensive business in it as a soap manufacturer. He speaks 
 pretty often, but it is generally on the details of some compa- 
 ratively unimportant question. I know of no great principle 
 or measure with which he has identified himself. There is 
 nothing peculiar in his voice, or in his manner of speaking, 
 except that he speaks fast. He is a little man, round in the 
 face, and of dark hair and dark complexion. He is in his 
 forty-third year.
 
 1 1 1 MH. m MT. 
 
 rilAI'TKR XIII. 
 
 THE COUNTRY I.IUERAL PARTY. 
 
 Mr. IJuuio Mr. <iisl>orne Mr. Warburton Mr. Charles Duller 
 Mr. Ewart Mr. Ellice Mr. Thomas Attwooil Mr. Roebuck 
 Mr. Ward Lord Dudley Stuart Mr. Pease Sir Edward Cocl- 
 rington Mr. Wallace Mr. Serjeant Wilde. 
 
 IT is not intended, under this head to give sketches of all 
 the Country Liberal members whose names appear most fre- 
 quently before the public. I shall confine myself, in this 
 chapter, to those members of the Country Liberal party, who 
 cannot, with so much propriety, be classed under the heads 
 which are to follow. 
 
 At the head of the Country Liberal party stands Mr. HUME. 
 He is entitled to be first noticed, both on account of his being 
 the representative of the most important county (Middlesex) 
 in the country, and also on account of his great influence with 
 Reformers in all parts of the land. He is, in person, about the 
 middle size, and of a stout and firm make. There is a tendency 
 to corpulency about him. He is a man of great physical 
 strength, and can endure an incredible ajnount of fatigue. He 
 thinks nothing, as I have elsewhere said, of sitting for weeks 
 and months in succession, in the house, almost from the time 
 of its meeting till the adjournment, to say nothing of the 
 number of speeches he delivers, of which I shall have to 
 speak presently. The only occasion on which I ever heard 
 him particularly complain of exhaustion, was at the close of 
 the contest for Middlesex in the beginning of the present 
 year. He then confessed he was fairly " done up;" and added, 
 that he would not again encounter the same anxiety of mind, 
 and undergo the same amount of physical exertion, as he did 
 on those two days, for 20,000. And no one, acquainted 
 with the circumstances, need wonder at the observation; for 
 in the first place, he was quite unprepared for such a struggle. 
 He never dreamed that his opponents had been moving heaven 
 and earth, for weeks previously, to oust him, and that they 
 had succeeded in gaining over to their side a great many of 
 those who had formerly proved his staunches! friends. In the 
 second place, hb committee had misunderstood each other, as
 
 MR. HUME. 145 
 
 to some important steps which should have been taken to in- 
 sure his return, the consequence of which was that the first 
 day his opponent was several hundreds a-head of him on the 
 poll. This of course doubled his anxiety all that night and 
 next day as to the result an anxiety which very nearly ap- 
 proximated to despair. In the third place, the season was the 
 middle of winter, and after being 1 kept a great part of each 
 night with his committees at different places, he had to drive 
 in breathless haste through the day, from one polling station 
 to another, where he was, as soon after the close of each day's 
 poll as possible, obliged to address the electors at considerable 
 length and with all the strength of lungs he possessed. When 
 I say that for eight or ten days before he had been almost 
 constantly employed in addressing large assemblages of the 
 electors and non-electors of Middlesex, it will at once be seen 
 that to speak so often and at so many different places during 
 the two days of the election, as he had occasion to do, was no 
 easy task. All circumstances considered, the mental exertion 
 and bodily fatigue which Mr. Hume underwent at the last 
 election for Middlesex, were such as might have shaken the 
 nerves of the strongest minded man, and tried the most Her- 
 culean constitution. It is no wonder, therefore, if he should 
 have shrunk back at the bare contemplation of other two such 
 days. 
 
 I have said that in person Mr. Hume is of a stout and firm 
 make. He is short-necked, and his head is one of the largest 
 I have seen. His hair, which is dark brown, mixed with 
 gray, is always long and bushy; his face is fat and round, and 
 his complexion has that rough yet healthy-like aspect which 
 is so common among gentlemen farmers. He is beginning to 
 get slightly furrow r ed with wrinkles. The impression which 
 Mr. Hume's physiognomy invariably creates in the mind of a 
 stranger, is that of a man of strong nerves and great deter- 
 mination of purpose. This is exactly his character. He is 
 quite impervious to ridicule or sarcasm. He cares not what 
 quantity of abuse however virulent in quality may be 
 heaped on him. All the ridicule, nay, all the calumny in the 
 world, will not divert him from his purpose, if satisfied in his 
 own mind it is a commendable one. And as it is impossible 
 for his enemies to force or frighten him out of any course he 
 intends to pursue, so, in the infinite majority of cases, it is a 
 most difficult matter for his friends to persuade him from it. 
 There, is not a man of purer motives or greater integrity in 
 13
 
 146 MR. HUME. 
 
 the house; but his self-willed disposition has occasionally done 
 mischief to the cause he has so much at heart, and in more 
 than one instance perilled its success at least for a time 
 altogether. While giving him the fullest credit for unbound- 
 ed zeal in the cause of the people, and for the purity of his 
 intentions, it must be clear to every reflecting person, that 
 had he persisted in bringing forward either of the motions of 
 which he gave notice soon after the beginning of last session, 
 for a vote of want of confidence in the Peel Ministry, or for 
 stopping the supplies, the effect would most certainly have 
 been to defeat the objects of his own party. It was with the 
 greatest difficulty, and not without the most urgent solicita- 
 tion from the most influential men of all classes of Reformers, 
 that he was prevailed on to relinquish his intention. I know 
 of no man who has more improved as a speaker than Mr. 
 Hume. He is a striking instance of what may be accom- 
 plished in this way by mere dint of perseverance. When he 
 first entered Parliament, which was in 1818 or 1819 I do 
 not recollect which he was one of the worst speakers in the 
 house. He not only stammered at every fourth or fifth sen- 
 tence, but his language was in the worst possible taste. It 
 often outraged not only all the acknowledged principles of 
 English grammar, but his sentences were often left unfinished. 
 Now, however, without any pretensions to being a first-rate 
 speaker, Mr. Hume acquits himself, when addressing the 
 house, in a highly creditable manner. He speaks with much 
 ease, and always expresses his thoughts with great clearness 
 and propriety; often with considerable vigour of language. 
 His style is not polished or flowery. Though celebrated all 
 the world over for his love of figures of arithmetic, I never 
 yet knew him use a figure of rhetoric in any of the innume- 
 rable speeches I have heard him make. On the other hand, 
 I may state, that I scarcely ever knew him make a speech of 
 any length, into which he did not introduce a greater or less 
 number of arithmetical figures. He takes a pounds, shillings, 
 and pence view of almost every subject. 
 
 Mr. Hume's voice is strong and clear: its tones have occa- 
 sionally something musical about them. If, instead of allow- 
 ing himself to fall into a monotonous way of speaking, he had 
 carefully cultivated the natural capabilities of his voice, so as 
 to modulate it according to the subject, I am satisfied he would 
 have been a much more effective speaker than he is. 
 
 His gesticulation cannot be said to be graceful; neither is
 
 MR. HUME. 147 
 
 it awkward. When he intends making a speech of some 
 length, he carefully lays his hat, which is always full of pa- 
 pers, on the seat close to the spot on which he was sitting, 
 and exhibits, as he rises, one or more Parliamentary papers, 
 most probably connected with the " estimates," rolled up and 
 firmly grasped by his right hand. With these papers, so 
 closely rolled up as to have the appearance of a solid piece of 
 matter, he often, in the course of his speech strikes the palm 
 of his left hand with some force. If he is saying, or imagines 
 he is saying, something particularly good, he stretches out his 
 right arm to its full length, and whirls the roll of paper with 
 considerable energy in the air. When he intends to be brief 
 in his addresses to the house, he does not trouble himself 
 about the locality of his hat, and seldom takes any papers in 
 his hand, unless he intends to read something to the house, 
 when he uses an eye-glass. His gesture on such occasions 
 chiefly consists in gently raising and lowering both his arms 
 at the same time, very much in the way a person working at 
 a double-handed saw does. When he rises again, to give an 
 explanation of a personal nature, Mr. Hume always puts his 
 hat under his left arm, that part of it into which his head goes 
 fronting honourable members on the other side of the house. 
 In such cases he uses no gesture at all ; he stands stock still. 
 H. B., the celebrated political caricaturist, gave a most graffic 
 sketch of him with his hat under his left arm, as explaining, 
 when called on for that purpose by Sir Robert Peel, in April 
 last, what he meant when he charged Sir Robert with acting 
 dishonourably in the course he was then pursuing. 
 
 In almost all Mr. Hume's long speeches, he repeatedly in- 
 timates that he is about to conclude long before he does so ; 
 sometimes perhaps, before he has got half through. his address. 
 The only symptom that can be depended on of his being about 
 to resume his seat, is that of his giving a glance to his hat. 
 He always concludes in two or three sentences after he has 
 done that. 
 
 I think I am within the mark when I say, that Mr. Hume 
 speaks more in the course of a Session than any other three 
 members put together. He takes part in almost every dis- 
 cussion that arises in the house; and when the house is in 
 Committee, and he has the right of speaking as often as he 
 pleases, he addresses it with a frequency which would appear 
 incredible to those who have not witnessed it. On one occa- 
 sion, in May last, when the miscellaneous estimates were
 
 149 MR. CISBORNE. 
 
 under consideration, he spoke no fewer than forty times in 
 one night. 
 
 He is not a man of very superior talents; but every thing 
 he says is characterized by strong good sense. If he never 
 gives utterance to any thing brilliant, he never descends below 
 mediocrity. He is well informed on matters of general poli- 
 tics. His memory is very tenacious. 
 
 He is of an easy and agreeable temper. I never yet knew 
 him, notwithstanding the loads of the coarsest personal abuse 
 I have seen heaped on him, lose his temper. He acts on the 
 Scriptural rule of not rendering evil for evil, or returning 
 railing for railing. It is principles and measures, not persons 
 that he attacks. He has been of great service in advancing 
 the popular cause. His zeal and exertions on behalf of that 
 cause are almost as great out of the house as in it. Nothing 
 but the most robust constitution could have stood the labours 
 and fatigues he has undergone in the cause of civil and reli- 
 gious liberty. In his dress Mr. Hume is always plain. He 
 usually wears a blue coat. During last Session he chiefly 
 wore a tartan waistcoat and light-coloured cassimere trowsers. 
 His waistcoat is always double-breasted, and is usually close 
 buttoned up to his chin. He is in his fifty-eighth year; but, 
 from his healthy appearance and strong constitution, the 
 more surprising as he resided for many years in India, joined 
 to his temperate habits, there is every reason to believe he 
 may live for a long period to come. 
 
 As so many of the other country Liberal members are so 
 nearly on an equality, both as regards their talents and their 
 influence in the house, it would be impossible for me, were I 
 to attempt it, to assign them their respective places in the 
 scale of importance. I shall, therefore, take them at random, 
 beginning with Mr. Gisborne, the member for South Derby- 
 shire. 
 
 Mr. GISBORNE has been in Parliament since the passing of 
 the Reform Bill; but brought himself into more extensive 
 notice last Session than during the whole of the previous 
 three. He took a most active part in the efforts of the Libe- 
 ral party to overthrow the Peel Ministry, and contributed es- 
 sentially to the success of those efforts. Some of his speeches 
 in opposition to the Government of Sir Robert, were among 
 the best which were delivered from' the Liberal side of the 
 house during the two months' existence of that Government. 
 Latterly he took a conspicuous part both in the Committee (of
 
 MR. GISBORNE. 149 
 
 which he was Chairman) of Inquiry into the alleged bribery 
 and corruption at the Ipswich election, and in the proceedings 
 adopted by the House for the punishment of the parties con- 
 victed. In this, as in previous cases, he gave striking proof 
 of his possessing a sound judgment, united to great energy 
 and determination of purpose. His conduct on the occasion 
 was the subject of private eulogy by every one not even 
 excepting the Tories acquainted with it. 
 
 He is a man of great talents. His mind is vigorous and 
 comprehensive, and there is much terseness in his manner of 
 expressing himself. There is always stamina in what he 
 says. He is not a fine speaker. He is one of the many 
 members in the house who labour under a defect in their 
 organs of speech when attempting to pronounce the letter r. 
 His voice has something of a clear yet strong tone about it. 
 He cannot be said to speak fluently; and yet, with the excep- 
 tion of an occasional stammer, makes his speeches without 
 any seeming effort. His speeches are usually short; but 
 there is more matter in them than in those of many other 
 honourable members of four or five times the length. Every 
 thing he says tells directly on the point at issue. He does 
 not use much gesticulation: he generally contents himself 
 with raising and lowering his right arm, with more or less 
 violence, according to the warmth of his feelings at the 
 time. 
 
 Mr. Gisborne is rather a tall man, and is otherwise well- 
 proportioned ; a large part of his head is bald ; the little hair 
 he has on it is of a dark brown. He has a fine well-formed 
 forehead. In the general expression of his countenance, you 
 would not be struck with anything as particularly indicative 
 of a superior mind. His complexion is fair, and his features 
 are strongly marked. He dresses with great plainness. He 
 almost invariably wears a blue coat, with dark or light waist- 
 coat and trowsers, according to the season of the year. His 
 trowsers are generally remarkable for their shortness. They 
 remind one of schoolboy-days, being two or three inches from 
 the upper part of the shoes, and showing the stockings to ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 Mr. Gisborne is much respected by men of all parties, both 
 for his talents and his upright and consistent public conduct. 
 He is always listened to with the greatest attention by all 
 parts of the house. He is about fifty years of age. 
 13*
 
 150 MR. WARBURTON. MR. CHARLES DULLER. 
 
 Mr. WARBURTON, the member for Bridport, has many points 
 of resemblance to Mr. Gisborne. In personal appearance 
 they are very much alike, with this difference, that Mr. \Var- 
 burton is not so tall, while he is considerably older. Mr. 
 Warburton is also partially bald-headed, and what hair re- 
 mains on his head is of a dark brown colour. His complexion 
 is likewise dark, and his features are strongly marked. Like 
 Mr. Gisborne, he also dresses with great plainness, and is 
 scarcely ever to be seen in any other than a blue coat. He 
 is not an attractive speaker. His voice is naturally bad, and 
 his elocution is partially impaired by a slight lisp. His man- 
 ner is cold, though no man is more sincere or decided in his 
 opinions. He scarcely uses any action. He is often inaudi- 
 ble. But though his manner is bad, his matter, like that of 
 Mr. Gisborne's, is always good. It is true, he has not the 
 same masculine mind; but he possesses an excellent judg- 
 ment, and is one of the most intelligent men in the house ; 
 what he says is always to the purpose; and the view he takes 
 of a subject is, in most cases, so obviously the right one, that 
 what he says cannot fail to commend itself to the reason of 
 those who are blessed with that faculty. In committees, he 
 is, perhaps, one of the most useful of the whole six hundred 
 and fifty-eight. He is now considerably advanced in years, 
 his age being about sixty. 
 
 Mr. CHARLES BULLER, the member for Liskeworth, is a 
 young man of considerable promise. He is well informed on 
 most of the subjects which come before the house. He is 
 distinguished for acuteness rather than for any great grasp of 
 mind. His forte lies in reply. His answers to the speeches 
 of his opponents are often pervaded by a vein of good-natured 
 but happy satire. He often turns their own arguments against 
 themselves with excellent effect. He is a fluent speaker, but 
 his voice is too weak and monotonous for his ever becoming 
 an impressive one. His utterance is so rapid, and his matter 
 is often so argumentative, that it is only by the closest atten- 
 tion you can appreciate the merits of his speeches. He usea 
 very little gesture, and that little chiefly consists of his occa- 
 sionally striking the palm of his left hand with the fore part 
 of his right hand. He is understood to be a frequent contri- 
 butor of leading articles to the Globe Newspaper: the Times 
 has, on more than one occasion, identified him with the 
 editorship; but the Times has been misinformed on the sub- 
 ject
 
 MR. EWART. MR. ELLICE. 151 
 
 The conformation of Mr. Buller's face is of a peculiar cast. 
 He has a projecting 1 forehead, and a small, flat, cocked-tip 
 nose. His physiognomy very much resembles that expression 
 of countenance which is characteristic of natives of the south 
 of Ireland, and which it is much easier to imagine in one's 
 mind than to convey an idea of by description. He is good- 
 tempered, and of mild and conciliatory manners. There is a 
 perpetual smile and expression of cheerfulness in his face. 
 His complexion is fair, and his hair of a bright brown colour. 
 He is a general favourite in the house. His age is under 
 forty. 
 
 Mr. EWART, the member for Liverpool, is one whose name 
 very often appears in the reports of the Parliamentary de- 
 bates. He speaks occasionally on subjects of general politics; 
 but he acquits himself most creditably on commercial ques- 
 tions, with the most of which he seems to be intimately con- 
 versant. He never makes long speeches ; the longest he 
 ever has made, have been those with which he has prefaced a 
 motion, which he has made each Session for the last three 
 years, to equalize the duties on East and West-India sugar. 
 He speaks with considerable ease, and with much rapidity. 
 His language is correct without being eloquent: he is not, 
 and never will be, an effective speaker. His voice is pleasant 
 but weak : he has not the slightest control over it. He is one 
 of the most monotonous speakers in the house. His manner, 
 too, is cold and spiritless. He never seems to feel what he 
 says. The only gesticulation he ever uses is a slight move- 
 ment of his right arm. He is nevertheless much respected 
 in the house, and is generally listened to, by those to whom 
 he is audible, with attention. He is very decided in his poli- 
 tical opinions, and is firm and fearless in the expression of 
 them. He is a man of very respectable talents, and of un- 
 blemished private as well as public character. He possesses 
 a humane mind, and has greatly distinguished himself by his 
 unremitting efforts to modify the sanguinary character of our 
 Criminal Code. 
 
 Mr. Ewart is in stature about the middle size, and of a 
 Blender make. His complexion is somewhat sallow. His 
 features are regular, and his face, altogether, handsome. His 
 hair is of a dark brown, and he generally wears it long. He 
 is a young man, being only about thirty-five years of age. 
 
 Mr. ELLICE, the member for Coventry, is a man who is al- 
 ways listened to with great attention in the house, and who
 
 152 MR. THOMAS ATTWOOD. 
 
 exercises some influence there, though he does not speak 
 otb'ii. Last Session he made only one speech worthy the 
 name : this was owing to ill health, which made it impossible 
 for him to attend to his Parliamentary duties. The speech I 
 refer to \vus made on Mr. ShiePs motion respecting the ap- 
 pointment of the Marquis of Londonderry to the office of 
 British Ambassador at the Court of Russia. Mr. Ell ice then 
 chiefly repelled the attacks which had been made, in the 
 course of the discussion, on the first Government of Lord 
 Melbourne, of which he was a prominent member. To these 
 attacks Mr. Ellice replied with great energy and effect. He 
 is not a fine speaker, but when addressing the house on any 
 question involving important principles, he always speaks 
 with much animation and feeling, and, as already remarked, 
 commands the deepest attention of the house. His voice is 
 strong and powerful, though not without a degree of huski- 
 ness which is not always pleasant to the ear: his command 
 over it seems to be complete; he raises it and lowers it at 
 pleasure, and with excellent effect. His utterance is usually 
 rapid, but is sometimes impeded by his ideas crowding too 
 fast on his mind. His action, when his manner is animated, 
 is generally violent. His use of his arms is extravagant on 
 such occasions, and he turns about his whole body from one 
 part of the house to another, in a manner not unlike the move- 
 ments of a weathercock on a windy day. In stature he is 
 above the middle size, and very corpulent. His face is round, 
 his complexion sallow, and his hair of a dark brown. His 
 countenance has a good-natured expression about it; but is by 
 no means intellectual. He is, however, a man of superior 
 talents. His principles are liberal in the extreme, though not 
 absolutely Radical. He was understood to be the most Libe- 
 ral member of Lord Melbourne's first Cabinet, and certainly 
 he was one of the most honest men in it, as well as the boldest 
 and most uncompromising in the assertion of his opinions. 
 The delicate state of his health, which renders a residence in 
 Italy desirable, is the cause assigned by Lord Melbourne's 
 friends for his not having been included in the arrangements 
 for the reconstruction of that nobleman's Cabinet. Mr. Ellice 
 is apparently about fifty years of age. 
 
 Mr. THOMAS ATTWOOD, the member for Birmingham, does 
 not possess that weight or influence in the house, which his 
 great popularity and influence among Reformers out of doors 
 would have led one to expect before his election. His poli-
 
 MR. ATTWOOD. 153 
 
 tics are the extreme of liberality ; but he is not a man of ex- 
 tensive information or of a vigorous mind. With the Cur- 
 rency Question, indeed, he is most intimately acquainted; but 
 his knowledge of politics generally is but limited. He is a 
 man of one idea : that idea is the necessity of a paper currency. 
 This he holds to be the only panacea for the evils of the 
 country this the grand remedy for national distress. Hence, 
 whatever be the subject of debate whether the Quadruple . 
 Treaty of Alliance the Emancipation of the Negroes in the 
 West-Indies the Policy of Russia Triennial Parliaments 
 the Vote by Ballot Poor Laws for Ireland, or anything else 
 he is sure, if he take any part in the discussion, to lug in a 
 small note currency, and to hammer away at the idea through 
 at least three-fourths of his speech, whether long or short. I 
 never yet knew him make a speech since his admission into 
 Parliament, in which the staple matter was not a paper cur- 
 rency. 
 
 Mr. Attwood is a man of much private worth, and his public 
 character stands unblemished. There is not a more honest 
 politician in the house. He knows not what it is to com- 
 promise or conceal his opinions. The word expediency has 
 no place in his vocabulary. You see the mind of the man the 
 moment he opens his mouth ; and you see him to be as unso- 
 phisticated as if he had never for one moment inhaled the 
 atmosphere of a region instead of breathing it for three 
 years in which trimming, and compromise, and apostacy, are 
 often the order of the day. 
 
 As a speaker Mr. Attwood does not rank high. He speaks 
 with sufficient ease, and his language, without being polished, 
 is tolerably correct; but he has a broad, gruff, unearthly voice, 
 aggravated by a stro'ng provincial pronunciation, which sounds 
 strangely in the ears of those who hear him. If you heard 
 Mr. Attwood speaking, and did not see or know who he was, 
 you would be sure to conclude that some uneducated farmer 
 was addressing you. The word Birmingham he always, in 
 the broadest possible accent, pronounces " Brummagem ;" and 
 this, too, though every time he does it, he is greeted by the 
 loud laughter of the house. His gesture is not violent, neither 
 can it be said to be ungraceful. It principally consists of a 
 gentle movement, up and down, of his right arm, accompanied 
 with a slight occasional movement of his eye and face from 
 one part of the house to the other. 
 
 Mr. Attwood is about forty-five years of age. He is middle-
 
 154 MR. ROEBUCK. 
 
 sized, and proportionally stout. His face has not an intel- 
 lectual expression. Like his pronunciation, it is " countri- 
 fied." It is of an angular conformation. His hair and his 
 complexion are both dark. 
 
 Mr. ROEBUCK'S politics are substantially the same as those 
 of Mr. Attwood ; but he is a very different person, in many 
 respects. A fracas with an opponent, at the time he was 
 elected member for Bath, gave him the character of an ill- 
 tempered and easily-irritated man. His conduct in the house, 
 as well as out of it, has proved the character he then got was 
 a just one. You see the cynic in his face. He is one of thu 
 most petulant and discontented, and at the same time, con- 
 ceited-looking men in the house. He is full of airs. He is, 
 in his own eye, one of the most important men within the 
 walls of Parliament. He not only must needs speak on every 
 question of importance that is to say, if he is sufficiently for- 
 tunate to catch the Speaker's eye as if there were some- 
 thing oracular in everything he says; but lie has the pre- 
 sumption often to attempt to get possession of the house, im- 
 mediately after some of the ablest members of the Opposition 
 have spoken, with the view of replying to them. He is a man 
 of fair talents, but nothing move. He speaks with consider- 
 able fluency when he makes a set speech, because, in that 
 case, he writes it out at full length, and commits it to memory 
 in the same way as a school-boy does his task ; but when he 
 attempts speaking on the spur of the moment, he often stam- 
 mers, and has to correct and re-correct his ilKconstracted 
 sentences. His voice is feeble, but clear and distinct in its 
 tones. His favourite gesture is to raise his right arm, spread 
 out his fingers, and turn his face and body from one part of 
 the house to the other; but when he flatters himself which 
 he often does that he is saying something unusually clever 
 and of commanding importance, he strikes the books or box 
 on the table with his right hand, with great violence, having, 
 before commencing his speech, removed, for that purpose, 
 from his usual seat to one close to the table. 
 
 Mr. Roebuck is diminutive in person. He is much under 
 the middle size, and is so slender withal that he has quite a 
 boyish appearance. His countenance is of a pale and sickly 
 complexion ; it has very little flesh on it. His nose is rather 
 prominent, and his eyes are disproportionately large and sunk- 
 en. There is a scowl so visibly impressed on his brow, that 
 the merest novice in physiognomy must observe it. He is in
 
 MR. WARD. 155 
 
 his thirty-third year. He is not a favourite in the house, and 
 the limited popularity he has acquired out of doors, seems to 
 be on the decline. He is not only the author of the political 
 pamphlets which are published weekly in his name ; but has 
 written various articles for some years past in the Westmin- 
 ster Review, Taifs Magazine, and the London Review. Of 
 the latter work, indeed, he is one of the leading contributors, 
 his brother-in-law, Mr. Thomas Falconer, being the editor. 
 
 Mr. WARD, the member for St. Albans, though so little 
 known a fetv years ago that his name was hardly ever men- 
 tioned out of doors, is now one of the most popular men in the 
 country. I mention, as a striking instance of Mr. Ward's 
 popularity out of doors, that it was intended, though I am not 
 sure he is up to this moment himself aware of it, to in- 
 vite him to stand at the last election for the burgh of Maryle- 
 bone, in opposition to Sir William Home, and in the same 
 interest as Sir Samuel Whalley. A resolution to this effect 
 was agreed on by a large majority of the leading men in the 
 burgh, and there could not have been a doubt of Mr. Ward's 
 return which his admirers engaged should be effected free 
 of expense to him but it was stated most confidently by indi- 
 viduals who affected to speak advisedly, that he and his con- 
 stituents at St. Albans were so attached to each other, that he 
 would not on any consideration sever the friendly connection. 
 The electors of Marylebone, therefore, were induced to look 
 out for another person to represent them, when, owing to a 
 variety of accidental circumstances, the choice fell on Mr. 
 Henry Lytton Bulwer. 
 
 It was Mr. Ward's celebrated motion, with the speech 
 which preceded it, in 1834, affirming the right of Parliament 
 to appropriate the surplus property of the Church of Ireland 
 to other than ecclesiastical purposes, that first brought him 
 into notice. Before then owing in some measure to his long 
 residence abroad, his political principles were unknown to 
 almost all members in the house. The general impression, 
 indeed, was that he was a Tory. But that motion, and the 
 bold and able speech with which he prefaced it, at once earned 
 for him the reputation of being a man of liberal opinions and 
 of superior talents. Since then Mr. Ward has often spoken 
 on important questions, and every speech he has made has 
 confirmed the accuracy of the impression formed regarding 
 him from the speech and motion to which I have referred. 
 
 He is not a fine speaker. There is too much tameness in
 
 156 LORD DUDLEY STUART. 
 
 his manner; and his voice is quite monotonous. It has also a 
 certain 'degree of huskiness about it. He speaks with much 
 rapidity, and seemingly with great ease. His style is terse 
 and vigorous?, and his matter is in most cases highly argu- 
 mentative. He is much respected in the house by men of all 
 parties. 
 
 Mr. Ward is about forty years of age. He is rather tall 
 and athletic. His complexion is florid. His face is full and 
 round. His nose inclines to flatness. His hair is of a light 
 brown. He sports unusually large whiskers. His counte- 
 nance has a pleasing good-natured expression, but has nothing 
 particularly intellectual about it. He is the son of Mr. 
 Ward, the celebrated author of Tremaine, and other popular 
 novels, and is often confounded with him. 
 
 L.ORD DUDLEY STUART, member for Arundel, is a nobleman 
 whose name does not appear very often in the reports of the 
 debates in the house; but he has strong claims on every 
 friend of freedom and humanity were it only for the exertions 
 he made in favour of the Poles, both within and without the 
 house, at the time of their late great struggle with the north- 
 ern despot. Events have proved that he felt much more 
 strongly in the cause of Poland than did Mr. Cutlar Ferguson, 
 though the latter managed to make a much greater parade of 
 his exertions in that country's behalf. Lord Dudley Stuart's 
 sympathy with the Poles was fervent, pure, and lasting. It 
 had its origin in the best principles of our common nature, and 
 was fed and perpetuated by that which called it into existence. 
 His was the feeling of a Christian, and a lover of his race. 
 His exertions, first to avert their re-subjugation by Nicholas, 
 and afterwards to administer pecuniary relief to such of them 
 as escaped to this country, were most strenuous and unremit- 
 ting; and I could speak, but I know his modesty of disposi- 
 tion would make him prefer my silence on the subject, I 
 could speak as to the extent of his own pecuniary liberality. 
 But it is not the Poles alone who have found in him a warm 
 friend and a zealous advocate in the time of need. Whenever 
 the great principles of humanity are brought into collision, in 
 the house or out of the house, with those of an opposite char- 
 acter, he is always to be found at his post. All the exertions 
 which have of late been made to put a stop to those frightful 
 instances of cruelty to the brute creation, which are so com- 
 mon in the metropolis, have been most cordially and effi- 
 ciently seconded by Lord Dudley Stuart.
 
 , MR. PEASE. 157 
 
 As a speaker he has little or no pretensions. He feels 
 great difficulty in finding words wherewith to express his 
 tlioughts. This chiefly arises from his extreme modesty. His 
 voice is weak, and not very clear. He is in his thirty-second 
 year. He is tall and slender in person. His hair is of a 
 dark brown, and his complexion something between dark and 
 sallow. His countenance has a mild and pensive expression. 
 In his features there is nothing peculiar. 
 
 Mr. PEASE, the Quaker Member for Durham, is one of the 
 most useful, though not one of the most shining, members in 
 the house. In his attendance on his legislative duties he is 
 the most punctual and close of any man I ever saw. He even 
 beats Mr. Hume himself. From the beginning of the business 
 till the adjournment, no matter how late the hour, there he is, 
 not indeed in one particular seat, but in some part or other of 
 the house, all attention to what is going on. It is clear he 
 acts from principle. As to a party object, he knows not what 
 it is. A more conscientious or upright man never sat in the 
 house. His amazingly close attention to his duties in parlia- 
 ment has told visibly on his constitution. He is much thinner, 
 and much more sallow in his complexion, than when he en- 
 tered the house. 
 
 Mr. Pease speaks pretty often, but it is chiefly in Commit- 
 tees, or on questions which do not call up the leading members. 
 His mode of address is, of course, different from that of other 
 members. He never uses the word " Sir," in addressing the 
 Speaker, which all other members do at almost every fourth 
 or fifth sentence ; nor does he call any member, according to 
 the invariable practice of all other members when addressing 
 the house, " the honourable member," but simply says " the 
 member" for such a place. In short, agreeably to the princi- 
 ples of the society to which he belongs, he applies no honorary 
 titles to any one. 
 
 He speaks with great rapidity, and is never at a loss for 
 words or ideas. His style is correct but plain. In his manner 
 there is no action whatever. He stands stock still. His 
 voice is weak, which, with his great rapidity of utterance, 
 often renders him inaudible. 
 
 He is about forty-five years of age. His stature is of the 
 middle size. His face is of an angular form, and is expressive 
 of the mildness and intelligence for which he is distinguished. 
 His complexion, as I have already intimated, is somewhat sal- 
 low, and his hair of a light brown. He is not a man of brilliant 
 14
 
 158 SIR EDWARD CODRINOTON. 
 
 parts; but his judgment is remarkably sound, and he always 
 takes the common-sense view of a subject. He is not only a 
 man of great intelligence, but is always correct in the state- 
 ments he brings to bear on any question. Taken all in all, 
 he is, as I observed in the outset, one of the most useful 
 members in the house. If he is a fair specimen of the society 
 to which he belongs, the country would have no reason for 
 regret were the entire six hundred and fifty-eight members 
 selected from the Society of Friends. 
 
 Sir EDWARD CODRINGTON, member for Devonport, is better 
 known for his exploits as a naval officer than for anything he 
 has yet done or is likely to do as a statesman. His splendid 
 achievement at Navarino will be remembered, when the fact 
 of his having been a senator has been long forgotten. His 
 name, however, comes pretty frequently before the public in 
 the latter capacity. He speaks a good deal, though never 
 much at a time. When naval matters are brought before the 
 house, he is sure to speak. On the subject of impressment in 
 the navy, and on that of the abolition of flogging in the army, 
 he has always taken a lively interest. He is not a Radical in 
 the fullest acceptation of the term ; but he goes much farther 
 than the Whigs of the old school. He is an advocate for Free 
 Trade, for a Repeal of the Corn Laws, the Abolition of the 
 Assessed Taxes, for the Vote by Ballot, and for Shortening the 
 Duration of Parliaments. Notwithstanding, however, the 
 liberality of his sentiments, he is not very popular, even 
 among the Liberals. What the reason of this is, I do not 
 exactly know. He is not a fine speaker : there is nothing at- 
 tractive in his manner, and nothing indicative of superior 
 talent in his matter; his ideas are usually common-place, 
 though generally marked by good sense, and his language has 
 something of the roughness of the sailor about it; his voice is 
 clear, but not strong. His articulation is sufficiently distinct, 
 but there is something of a provincial accent about it. There 
 is no variety in the tones of his voice : it is monotonous at all 
 times and on all subjects. He speaks with seeming ease and 
 somewhat rapidly. His speeches produce but little impression 
 in the house : indeed they are not listened to with any very 
 great attention. 
 
 His personal appearance is rather venerable. He is seem- 
 ingly about sixty years of age. His face is angular; his 
 complexion has something of ruddiness about it ; his hair is 
 white, but the process of becoming bald has begun, and may
 
 MR. WALLACE. 159 
 
 be expected to advance with some rapidity in a person of his 
 age, and long and active maritime service. He is tall, and of 
 a somewhat handsome figure. He usually wears a blue coat. 
 Mr. WALLACE, the member for Greenock, is one of the few 
 decidedly Radical representatives returned by Scotland. His 
 great characteristics are, honesty of purpose and plainness of 
 manners. I believe his integrity has never been questioned. 
 The Tories are always forward to admit, however much they 
 may conceive him in error, that he is himself on all occasions 
 thoroughly convinced he is in the right. There is a kind of 
 primitive simplicity in his manners. He has much of that 
 homeliness about him which is often to be met with in his own 
 country. Nothing would prevail on him, though he could do 
 it successfully which, however, he could not to affect the 
 airs of a fashionable man. He loves what he calls the sim- 
 plicity and artlessness of nature ; and is just such a person as 
 would remain the same in his manners let the etiquette and 
 fashions of society change as often as they pleased though 
 he were to reach the good old age of Methuselah. Mr. Wal- 
 lace dresses well, though plainly. You see his manners the 
 moment you see his person. In height he is about the middle 
 size. Without being, strictly speaking, corpulent, he is 
 stoutly and compactly made. His head is in a great measure 
 bald : what hair there is on it is white as unsunned snow. 
 His forehead is rather low and slanting. His complexion is 
 fair, and has the freshness of health about it. Wrinkles begin 
 to show themselves in his face, which inclines to the rotund 
 form. He has small, dark blue, laughing eyes, strongly ex- 
 pressive of a contented and good-natured disposition. His 
 nose is unusually flat. Whenever he speaks you would think 
 he was smiling. He is, practically, one of the greatest utili- 
 tarians according, of course, to his own notions of utility 
 in the house, and is, like Mr. Hume, a remarkable instance 
 of what a man of very humble talents may accomplish by mere 
 dint of perseverance. The two great subjects to which he 
 has almost exclusively bent his attention since he has been in 
 the house, are a Reform in the Law Courts of Scotland, and a 
 Reform in the Post-office. The former object has been al- 
 ready accomplished to a certain extent : the latter is on the 
 eve of being fully gained. I remember some years since, 
 when he first brought the alleged abuses in the Post-office 
 system under the consideration of the house, and sought to 
 get the whole system re-modelled, that he was regarded by all
 
 160 MR. WALLACE. 
 
 parties, not even excepting the most sanguine Radicals in the 
 house, as having engaged in one of the most hopeless enter- 
 prises ever undertaken by a human being. Neither Whigs 
 nor Tories would even hear his detail of the alleged abuses, 
 or " lend their ears" while he submitted his proposed plan of 
 Reform. The bringing forward of his motion on the subject, 
 and his speaking two or three hours on it, were hailed by the 
 great majority of members as constituting a sort of episode in 
 the usual business of the house, during which honourable 
 members might either, as best suited themselves, quit the 
 house altogether, or remain and talk over with each other any 
 topics they pleased. Mr. Wallace, however, never seemed in 
 the least disheartened by this, but plodded through his statistics 
 and calculations with as much apparent self-satisfaction as if 
 the house had been all attention. Every year since he began 
 he has had a grand post-office h'eld-day, and the result has 
 been, that there is now every prospect of the post-office de- 
 partment speedily undergoing that extensive reform for which 
 Mr. Wallace has laboured so long and so assiduously. When 
 he had finished the speech with which he prefaced, in the be- 
 ginning of last August, his last motion on the subject a 
 speech which occupied three hours in the delivery both 
 Whigs and Tories admitted the necessity of reform in the 
 post-office to a very considerable extent. Lord Lowther, Mr. 
 Vernon Smith, and other members not even excepting Mr. 
 Spring Rice whose situations more immediately connected 
 them with the post-office, all in substance conceded the point 
 which Mr. Wallace contended for. 
 
 Mr. Wallace is not, as already hinted, a man of much in- 
 tellect. He has no comprehensive views on great questions. 
 No one knows this better than himself I wish I could say as 
 much of many other honourable members and he conse- 
 quently never seeks to address the house on topics involving 
 first principles. These he very wisely leaves to those of more 
 enlarged views and greater experience in such matters. He 
 acts on the modern principle in political economy, though 
 making no pretensions to the character of a political econo- 
 mist, of a division of labour. He has taken up the two ques- 
 tions which I have mentioned ; to them he confines himself, 
 and from them nothing will divert his attention, according to 
 his own statement, until he has succeeded in accomplishing 
 the reforms which he maintains to be so imperatively called 
 for. He is a very indifferent speaker. He is always audible,
 
 MR. SERJEANT WILDE. 161 
 
 but there is something hard and shrill about his voice which 
 grates on the ear : it has no flexibility: it is the same key and 
 the same tones from beginning to end. His enunciation is 
 rapid ; occasionally, but not often, he stammers slightly. His 
 language has no pretensions to eloquence : it is plain and un- 
 polished. I could never discover a single elegant expression 
 or rounded period in any of his speeches. He uses hardly any 
 gesture when speaking : never anything more than a slight 
 occasional movement of the right arm. He is about sixty 
 years of age. 
 
 Mr. Serjeant WILDE, member for Newark, does not speak 
 very often. He reserves himself for great occasions, and then 
 generally acquits himself in a highly creditable manner. He 
 is an excellent speaker. His voice is strong, clear and sono- 
 rous, though he does not always modulate it with the best 
 taste or judgment. His manner, too, is, on the whole, good. 
 It has considerable energy about it. Sometimes he assumes a 
 stooping posture, which is by no means graceful ; but usually 
 he stands erect, and slightly moves his face from the right to 
 the left of those members in the immediate vicinity of the 
 Speaker's chair. I should mention, that when he speaks he 
 always does so from the floor of the house, to which he ad- 
 vances three or four feet from the front row of benches. The 
 side of the house depends, of course, on whether his party be 
 in office or in the Opposition at the time. His back is turned 
 on the door, and his lace directly towards the Speaker, except 
 when, as just remarked, he occasionally glances his eye on 
 those members on the right or left of the Chair. He makes 
 considerable use of his right arm when speaking. With it he 
 beats the air with some energy ; but when he waxes particu- 
 larly warm, he raises both arms above his head, and lets them 
 descend again with great rapidity. On such occasions his 
 hands are usually firmly clenched together. He is generally 
 listened to with much attention by all parties. His speeches 
 have much less of declamation in them than is generally to 
 be found in the speeches of those members who are in the way 
 of displaying considerable energy of manner. They are usually 
 pervaded, from beginning to end, with the exception of the 
 exordium and peroration, by a vein of close and powerful argu- 
 ment. I have said he does not speak often. I do not suppose 
 he has made above ten or twelve speeches of any length or 
 importance during the three Sessions he has been in the house. 
 Last Session, if I remember right, he only made one speech 
 14*
 
 162 MR. SERJEANT WILDE. 
 
 of any importance; and that one, which was certainly very 
 able and highly argumentative, and must otherwise have pro- 
 duced a great impression, fell, as it were, still-born from his 
 lips, because of the unseasonable time he chose for its de- 
 livery. It was on the question of Municipal Corporation 
 Reform, but instead of being delivered, as it ought to have 
 been, when that question was in Committee, for it will be 
 recollected that, owing to the Tories offering no opposition to 
 the principle of the measure, no discussion or division took 
 place on the second reading, instead, I say, of the learned 
 gentleman delivering his speech when the bill was in Com- 
 mittee, he did not deliver it until about a week before the 
 close of the Session, when the measure was sent back by the 
 Lords to adopt the amendments which they had made on it. 
 The subject had by that time, at least in so far as mere dis- 
 cussion went, lost all its interest, and therefore the house paid 
 little or no attention to the learned Serjeant's speech. He 
 saw this, and, in consequence, cut it comparatively short ; for 
 though he spoke for an hour and a quarter, it was clear, from 
 the nature of the ground he took, that the speech had been 
 intended for a two and-a-half or three hours one. In fact, the 
 universal impression in the house was, that the speech had 
 been cut and dry, and, as the booksellers say, " ready for de- 
 livery," when the Municipal Corporation Bill was in Com- 
 mittee ; but some unforeseen circumstance had prevented that 
 delivery taking place. Probably that circumstance was the 
 claims which the great mining cause of " Small versus Att- 
 wood" had at the time on his attention, he having had, as was 
 generally understood a retaining fee in the case of eight thou- 
 sand guineas. 
 
 Mr. Serjeant Wilde is one of those who have raised them- 
 selves from comparatively humble and obscure circumstances, 
 into wealth and eminence, by their own talents and energy 
 of character. He was originally an attorney's clerk, but has 
 now one of the most lucrative businesses at the English bar. 
 In person he is somewhat above the middle size, and stoutly 
 and compactly formed. His complexion is fair, and his hair 
 of a light brown. His eyes are large and are full of fire and 
 intelligence. His forehead is prominent. He is good-look- 
 ing, and is of gentlemanly appearance and manners. His age 
 is about forty-five.
 
 MR. O'CONNELL. 163 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE IRISH LIBERAL MEMBERS. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell Mr. Shiel Mr. Feargus O'Connor Mr. Henry 
 Grattan Mr. Ruthven. 
 
 MR. O'CONNELL is not only the most distinguished of the 
 Irish members, but he is in some measure the Irish member. 
 His influence in Ireland, and in the house, on all Irish sub- 
 jects, is much greater than is generally supposed, although 
 admitted on all hands to be of very great extent. A very 
 large portion of it is indirect, and is in a great measure un- 
 known even to himself; for as he*is known to lead and direct 
 public opinion in that country, measures have been brought 
 forward, both by the Government here and in Ireland, with- 
 out his knowledge, merely because the Ministry, or Lord 
 Lieutenant of Ireland, knowing that he will approve of them, 
 are convinced they will be hailed with satisfaction in that 
 country. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell's influence is increasing every day, both in 
 Parliament and in the country. When he first appeared in 
 the House of Commons, it was comparatively limited indeed 
 in that house, and even in Ireland it was chiefly confined to 
 the lower classes. The fact is, that he was then, and for two 
 or three years afterwards, miserably deficient in judgment. 
 He then, thoughtlessly and recklessly, opposed himself, by his 
 strenuous advocacy of the Repeal of the Union, not only to 
 the prejudices of the house, but to those of the most respecta- 
 ble and intelligent, even of the Liberal party in Ireland. In 
 the expression of his opinions, which were always extreme, 
 on other great political questions, he was also imprudent. 
 Those opinions he at all times boldly asserted, and regulated 
 his support or opposition to certain measures by them, without 
 the least regard to circumstances. Hence his objects were 
 not only defeated, but his influence, instead of increasing only 
 diminished the oftener he spoke in the house. So late as the 
 middle of the Session of 1834, when he brought forward his 
 motion for the Repeal of the Union, his influence was at a 
 very low if not its lowest ebb ; and the opinion of many of
 
 164 MR. O'CONNELL. 
 
 his greatest friends was, that he had then, in some measure, 
 sunk to rise no more. 
 
 Circumstances, however, favourable to Mr. O'Connell's re- 
 covery of his influence, occurred in November 1834, and lie 
 had the judgment to avail himself of them. The abrupt dis- 
 missal of the Melbourne Ministry, and the formation of a Go- 
 vernment on Conservative principles, in November last year, 
 inspired a large proportion of the nation with a hatred of 
 Toryism and an attachment to Liberal principles, incompara- 
 bly greater than they had ever felt before. Mr. O'Connell 
 sympathized with the opinions and feelings of the Movement 
 party on that occasion, and at once proclaimed himself the 
 friend of the Government which had been so suddenly ejected, 
 and the relentless opponent of that which had succeeded it. 
 He buried in the dust all his past differences with the Mel- 
 bourne Ministry, individually and collectively, and laid aside 
 all his own peculiar opinions, in order that he might more 
 effectually grapple with what he regarded as the common foe. 
 For the first time his great talents then began to have full 
 scope; and from that moment to the present, he has acted 
 with the most consummate judgment and tact in so far as 
 the interested views of his party are concerned and with a 
 corresponding effect. The result has been to confer on him- 
 self an importance, and invest himself with a power, for good 
 or evil, incomparably greater than the importance which at- 
 taches to, or the power that is possessed by, any other indi- 
 vidual of the present day. In fact, the Duke of Wellington 
 was, after all, quite right, when he said that no man has pos- 
 sessed so much power in this country since the revolution 
 of 1688. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell is a man of the highest order of genius. 
 There is not a member in the house who, in this respect, can 
 for a moment be put in comparison with him. You see the 
 greatness of his genius in almost every sentence he utters. 
 There are others Sir Robert Peel, for example who have 
 much more tact and greater dexterity in debate ; but in point 
 of genius none approach to him. It ever and anon bursts 
 forth with a brilliancy and effect which are quite overwhelm- 
 ing. You have not well recovered from the overpowering 
 surprise and admiration caused by one of his brilliant effu- 
 sions, when another flashes upon you and produces the same 
 effect. You have no time, nor are you in a condition to weigh
 
 MR. O'CONXELL. 165 
 
 the force of his arguments ; you are taken captive wherever 
 the speaker chooses to lead you, from beginning to end. If 
 there be untenable propositions and inconclusive reasonings 
 in his speech, you can only detect them when he has resumed 
 his seat, and his voice no longer greets your ear. What 
 greatly adds to the effect of the effusions of Mr. O'Connell's 
 genius is, that you see at once they are perfectly spontaneous, 
 the result of the feeling of the moment, and not of careful 
 thought in a previous preparation of his speech. I have known 
 him, times without number, both in the house and elsewhere, 
 make some most brilliant and most effective allusions to cir- 
 cumstances which had only occurred either while speaking, 
 or immediately before he commenced his address. The re- 
 ference to the " last rose of summer," in the case of Mr. Wal- 
 ter, as noticed in the short sketch I have given of that gentle- 
 man, was one among innumerable other instances of a similar 
 kind. 
 
 One of the most extraordinary attributes in Mr. O'Connell's 
 oratory is the ease and facility with which he can make a 
 transition from one topic to another. " From grave to gay, 
 from lively to severe," never costs him an effort. He seems, 
 indeed, to be himself insensible of the transition. I have 
 seen him begin his speech by alluding to topics of an affecting 
 nature, in such a manner as to excite the deepest sympathy 
 towards the sufferers in the mind of the most unfeeling per- 
 son present. I have seen, in other words I speak with re- 
 gard to particular instances the tear literally glistening in 
 the eyes of men altogether unused to the melting mood, and 
 in a moment afterwards, by a transition from the grave to the 
 humorous, I have seen the whole audience convulsed with 
 laughter. On the other hand, I have often heard him com- 
 mence his speech in a strain of the most exquisite humour, 
 and by a sudden transition to deep pathos, produce the still- 
 ness of death in a place in which, but one moment before, the 
 air was rent with shouts of laughter. His mastery over the 
 passions is the most perfect I ever witnessed. He can touch, 
 and touch with inimitable effect, every chord in the human 
 breast. The passions of his audience are mere playthings in 
 his hand. If he cannot " call spirits from the vasty deep," he 
 can do as he pleases with the spirits of those on the confines 
 of the earth. Nor is Mr. O'Connell's complete power over 
 the passions confined either to a refined or to an unintellectual 
 audience. It is equally great in both cases. His oratory
 
 166 MR. O'CONNELI.. 
 
 tells with the same effect whether he addresses the " first as- 
 sembly of gentlemen in the world," or the ragged and igno- 
 rant rabble of Dublin. 
 
 A very striking instance of the powerful impression he is 
 capable of producing, occurred at a dinner given at Hackney, 
 in July last, to celebrate the successful registration of the 
 Liberal electors in the Tower Hamlets. There were about 
 two hundred and fifty persons present, including several mem- 
 bers of Parliament. On that occasion he dwelt with so much 
 eloquence and pathos on the fact of a poor innocent girl in 
 Ireland being killed by the soldiery, while enforcing the col- 
 lection of tithes, -of which circumstance intelligence had 
 only been received that morning, that there was hardly a 
 dry eye in the meeting, and almost every person present, im- 
 mediately on the conclusion of his speech, rose from his seat, 
 and rushing up to him, shook him most cordially by the hand, 
 although the great majority were strangers to him. Modern 
 times cannot furnish a parallel to this splendid proof of the 
 effect produced by oratory. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell does not excel as a reasoner. His speeches 
 are seldom argumentative, and when they are intended to be 
 so, they are by no means happy. His great forte, when he 
 seeks to discomfit an opponent, is to laugh or banter him out 
 of his positions. And here again he stands alone : no man 
 in the house at all approaches him in the effectiveness of his 
 wit and ridicule; and yet there is no man, unless provoked to 
 it, who indulges in fewer personalities. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell's style is not polished or elegant ; but it is 
 terse and vigorous. He is fond of short, pithy sentences. 
 His style reminds me, in some measure, of that of Tacitus. 
 His ideas flow too rapidly on him to allow him to elaborate 
 his diction. As Mr. Shiel once observed, in one of his series 
 of" Sketches of the Irish Bar," which appeared ten or eleven 
 years ago, in the New Monthly Magazine, " Mr. O'Connell, 
 with the improvidence of his country, flings a brood of robust 
 thoughts upon the world, without a rag to cover them." 
 
 With most men it requires an effort of no ordinary kind to 
 hit on a few tolerable ideas. In Mr. O'Connell's mind they 
 grow up naturally, and with a luxuriance which, if there be 
 propriety in the expression, is inconvenient to him. I have 
 known his mind to be so overcharged with ideas, as to render 
 him miserable until he got an opportunity of ridding himself
 
 MR. O'CONNELI,. 167 
 
 of a portion of them, by " flinging them abroad on the world," 
 in prodigal profusion. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell is not a graceful speaker, either as respects 
 the management of his voice or his gesture. He has a broad 
 Irish accent, which, though by no means unpleasant, falls 
 somewhat strangely on an English ear. His voice is rich, 
 clear, strong, and often musical. It is capable of being modu- 
 lated 'with the best effect; but the art of modulation is one 
 which Mr. O'Connell seems never to have studied. The in- 
 tonations of his voice are never regulated by any artificial 
 rule; they are regulated, unconsciously to himself, by his 
 feelings alone. If, therefore, the subject on which he is 
 speaking be not one involving important principles, or one 
 which appeals to his feelings, there is a degree of coldness 
 about his manner, and a monotony about the tones of his 
 voice, which is sure to make a person who never heard him 
 before, go away with an unfavourable impression of his ta- 
 lents, and wondering how he could ever have attained to so 
 much popularity. Sir Robert Peel, Lord Stanley, and several 
 other members appear excellent speakers, whenever, and on 
 whatever subject, they open their mouths; with Mr. O'Con- 
 nell it is otherwise. Even his happiest efforts, though, as I 
 have already stated, most effective, are not graceful speci- 
 mens of oratory. In fact, the very circumstance I have men- 
 tioned, of his ideas flowing so rapidly on him, must, of neces- 
 sity, mar the gracefulness of his speaking. He sometimes 
 not often stammers slightly, simply from two or more ideas 
 struggling at the same moment in his mind for priority of 
 birth. I have often known him, in this conflict of ideas, break 
 off abruptly in the middle of a sentence, which he would 
 never afterwards finish, owing to some brilliant thought sug- 
 gesting itself at the moment. A person of less impetuous 
 and more artificial mind, would first finish the sentence, and 
 then give expression to the new idea which had occurred 
 to him. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell's gesture is also very deficient in graceful- 
 ness. He puts himself into an endless variety of attitudes, 
 every one of which is awkward. At one time you see him 
 with his head and body stooping, and his right arm par- 
 tially extended; at another, and perhaps the next moment, 
 you see him with his head thrown back, and his arms placed 
 a-kimbo on his breast. Then, again, you see him stretching 
 out his neck, and making wry faces, as if about to undergo
 
 168 MR. oYo.NNri.r,. 
 
 the process of decapitation. If you withdraw your eyes a 
 few .seconds from him, you see him, when you again look at 
 him, with both his arms raised above his head, and his fists as 
 firmly clenched as if about to engage in a regular Ponny- 
 brook row. Then again you see him apply both his hands to 
 his wig he wears a wig with as much violence as if about 
 to tear it in pieces, but instead of this it turns out that IK- lias 
 only carefully adjusted it. But the most singular thing I 
 ever heard of his doing in the course of the delivery of any 
 of his speeches, was that of untying and taking oft' his cravat, 
 when in one of the best parts of his speech, in 1834, on the 
 Repeal of the Union, and when he had worked himself up to 
 the utmost enthusiasm of manner. I was not in the house at 
 the time, but was credibly assured this was a fact. 
 
 The great characteristics of Mr. O'Connell's manner, are 
 its boldness, its fervour, and its utter disregard of all artificial 
 forms. You see, as Mr. Shiel observes, the impetuous Irish 
 blood revelling in his veins. Agitation or excitement is ne- 
 cessary to his very being as much so as the air he breathes. 
 He is in his element when in the midst of the political storm 
 and tempest and whirlwind. I once heard him say, that in- 
 deplerfdently of the great object for which he is struggling, 
 he exults in the struggle itself. -A state of quietness and 
 tranquillity would be insupportable to him. If his country 
 had no wrongs to be redressed, if no materials for agitation 
 existed, he would hardly deem life desirable. Like Alexan- 
 der the Great, who sat down and wept when he had conquer- 
 ed all that was then known of the world, because there w&s 
 no other field for the gratification of his military propensities, 
 Mr. O'Connell, though he would rejoice on account of his 
 countrymen, would feel unutterably wretched on his own, 
 were a political millenium to take place in Ireland. 
 
 He is always in excellent spirits. You never see him cast 
 down or dejected. In the most adverse circumstances, his 
 faith in the eventual triumph of the great cause of justice 
 and humanity, is unbounded. It never wavers for a moment. 
 He always has his eye fixed on the sunny side of the picture. 
 Hence he is ever cheerful. You see a perpetual smile on his 
 countenance, whether he be addressing the house or reclining 
 in his seat, whether in the family circle or haranguing the 
 populace at the Corn Exchange. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell is said to be a man of great generosity and 
 kindness of heart in private life. A striking instance of his
 
 MR. O'CONNELL. 169 
 
 fenerosity was afforded in the case of D'Esterre, whom he 
 illed in a duel. Not only did he feel such strong " com- 
 punctious visitings," because he had shed the blood of a fel- 
 low-being though he was the challenged, not the challeng- 
 ing party as caused him to " register a vow in heaven" 
 never under any circumstances to fight another duel; but he 
 felt that he had done an irreparable injury to the widow of 
 his deceased antagonist, and therefore offered to settle an an- 
 nuity of ,150 upon her for life. The Corporation of Dublin, 
 however, prevailed upon her not to accept Mr. O'Connell's 
 generous offer by engaging to settle an adequate allowance 
 on her out of their own funds. This was the least they could 
 do, as it was for the purpose of vindicating that Corporation 
 from the epithet " beggarly," which Mr. O'Connell had ap- 
 plied to it, that her husband had called him out, and received 
 the wound which ended in his death. I mention this because 
 the circumstances connected with that duel are not generally 
 known. 
 
 Mr. O'Connell's person is tall and athletic. His frame is 
 one of the most muscular in the house, especially about the 
 shoulders. If any of his enemies were to attempt to put their 
 threats of personal chastisement into execution once, they 
 would not, I am sure, attempt it a second time. If compelled, 
 in self-defence, to play the pugilist, I am satisfied there are 
 very few men in the country who would prove a match for 
 him. 
 
 He has not only, as I have already observed, a perpetual 
 flow of excellent spirits, but he seems as healthy and of as 
 vigorous a constitution, notwithstanding the wear and tear of 
 sixty-one years, most of which have been spent in hard and 
 constant labour, as if his age were only thirty. It is this 
 circumstance, coupled with that of most of his ancestors 
 having lived to nearly one hundred years of age, which has 
 caused him to adopt the singular notion that he is to live other 
 thirty years yet, making his age, at the supposed time of his 
 death, ninety-six. 
 
 His face, like his person, is large. It is round, but can 
 hardly be called fat. His complexion has a freshness and rud- 
 diness about it, which are indicative both of his good health 
 and excellent spirits. His nose is rather flat, and is slightly 
 cocked up. He has dark, laughing eyes, expressive at once 
 of benevolence and intellect. His forehead has nothing pecu- 
 liar about it. It is by no means fine ; at least as far as his 
 15
 
 170 MR. 8HIEL. 
 
 wig will allow one to judge. His hair namely, of his wig 
 is dark brown. :uid judging from its rough and uproarious ap- 
 pearance, it is not much troubled with a comb. He invariably 
 wears a dark green surtout, except on St. Patrick's day, or 
 when at smut 1 dinner party, when his coat is black and of the 
 usual cut. The brim of his hut is broader than that of any 
 Quaker. He always wears his hat cocked on the right side 
 of his head, in the manner so common among sailors. His 
 whole appearance, indeed, is like that of a sliip captain, for 
 which he is often taken by strangers. When sitting in the 
 house, his usual position is that of having his right leg over 
 his left. His son Maurice, to whom he is particularly at- 
 tached, though devotedly fond of all his family,* often sits be- 
 side him, and I have repeatedly seen him, in the most affec- 
 tionate manner, take Maurice's hand in his own, and keep his 
 hold of it for a considerable length of time. 
 
 Among the Irish members, Mr. SHIEL ranks next to Mr. 
 O'Connell, both in talents and influence. He is in person a 
 man of very diminutive stature. He is much below the middle 
 size. His face is proportionably small. His complexion is 
 dark, and his hair black. His eyes are dark and piercing, and 
 his whole physiognomy indicates the quickness and hastiness 
 which are the most prominent qualities in his character. His 
 features are deficient in regularity, but are by no means un- 
 pleasant. His chin slightly protrudes. ^In his dress he is 
 
 * Mr. O'Connell has three sons in the House Morgan, Maurice, 
 and John. Neither of them hardly ever speak. I do not recollect ever 
 hearing Morgan utter a syllable. I have heard John deliver him- 
 self of some dozen or fourteen sentences, on one or two occasions, 
 on some unimportant subject. Maurice made a respectable speech 
 which lasted an hour, in August last, in moving for a Committee 
 of Inquiry in General Darling's case. His manner is easy but 
 tame. Morgan is likest to his father ; but is neither so tall or so 
 robust, by a good deal. He is somewhat of a fop in his dress. 
 Maurice, on the other hand, is careless about bis personal appear- 
 ance, except when he is going to speak, when he very carefully oils 
 and combs his hair. He is rather tall and slender in person. His 
 hair and complexion are fair. John is much under the middle 
 size, and slenderly made. He has a good face, is of dark com- 
 plexion, and has black hair. He dresses with taste, but there is no 
 foppery about him. Neither of them has a particle of the genius 
 or talent of their father.
 
 MR. SHIEL. 171 
 
 careless. His linen is not of the finest manufacture for which 
 his country is distinguished, nor can his washer-woman's bills 
 be any very serious item in his weekly expenditure. There 
 was more truth than was generally supposed in the statement 
 of the Standard, that he went as one of the deputation to the 
 King to present the answer of the Commons to his Majesty's 
 most gracious address at the opening of the present Parlia- 
 ment, with a shirt by no means remarkable for its cleanness, 
 and in clothes which had seen better days, but which, even 
 when they came from the hands of the tailor, were by no 
 means, either as to cut or colour, particularly appropriate for 
 the presence of royalty. These are not the Standard's words, 
 but they embody the facts contained in the statement of that 
 journal ; and that statement I can confirm from my own per- 
 sonal observation on the occasion in question. I take the 
 secret of the thing to be, that, the address being presented on 
 a Saturday, that, as Dr. Johnson would have said, was not 
 " clean-shirt day" with Mr. Shiel. His dress on that occa- 
 sion was exactly the same in every respect as it usually is, 
 namely, a black silk handkerchief, tied very carelessly around 
 his neck, a brown coat, with dark vest and pantaloons. 
 
 Mr. Shiel is a man of superior talents, and of considerable 
 genius. There are few men in the house who confine them- 
 selves more strictly to the subject of debate. His ideas are 
 always good, often striking and brilliant. His language is at 
 once eloquent and forcible. His sentences are remarkable for 
 their brevity; but so full is his mind of ideas, that almost 
 every sentence, however short, contains one. He has a fine 
 imagination, and when he gives loose reins to it, his diction is 
 glowing and poetical. He is always listened to with great 
 attention. He is liked by all parties in the house. He is of 
 a kindly and liberal disposition. He never indulges in per- 
 sonalities, and is not often the object of vituperation on the 
 part of the Tories. He has a high sense of honour ; but is so 
 careful not to transgress the bounds of gentlemanly language 
 himself, when dealing with an opponent, that he hardly ever 
 gets into a personal quarrel. The only one I recollect his 
 having got into was with Lord Althorp, in the instance I have 
 referred to in speaking of Col. Leith Hay. And that was 
 with him a matter of necessity, not of choice. He only inti- 
 mated that he would hold his lordship responsible for the im- 
 putation, when the latter refused to give up the name of the 
 person on whose information he grounded the charge.
 
 172 MR. SHIEL. 
 
 Mr. Shiel though an effective, is a most awkward speaker. 
 His utterance is more rapid than that of any other member in 
 the house. He speaks with such amazing rapidity, that the 
 most expert reporter in the gallery is unable to follow him. 
 Hence, when he is anxious to be reported at length, he is 
 obliged to write out his own speeches, and send a copy to the 
 office of one of the leading newspapers, from which the other 
 journals procure slips when put in types. Formerly, he used 
 to write out his speeches before-hand, and carry them with 
 him in his pocket wherever he went to speak; but having 
 some years since given a copy of his speech to the proprietors of 
 an evening paper some hours before the time appointed for the 
 delivery of it, and the clamour and uproar of the meeting at 
 which it was to have been delivered it was a meeting in 
 favour of the Catholic Claims, held in 1829, on Penenden 
 Heath being so great as to prevent his proceeding, while the 
 Journal in question represented him as having " spoken his 
 speech," and gave four or five columns of matter as his, of 
 which he never uttered a word, Mr. Shiel, ever since this 
 " untoward occurrence," has not only never given his speech 
 to any reporter until the actual delivery of it, but does not 
 until then write it out for the use of the newspapers. 
 
 Mr. Shiel does not speak often. Mr. O'Connell makes at 
 least twenty speeches for his one. Mr. Shiel writes out at 
 full length, and commits to memory, all his speeches on im- 
 portant questions. He hardly ever attempts extempore speak- 
 ing. I am surprised at his want of confidence in tins respect. 
 Judging from the only specimen I ever heard of his extem- 
 pore speaking, I should conclude his fame would not suffer 
 were he often to get up on the spur of the moment. The 
 speech I refer to was one of some length. It was in the middle 
 of last session, in reply to one of Sir Robert Inglis, in which 
 that right honourable Baronet charged the Roman Catholic 
 members with having, by voting for the affirmative of the 
 Church Property Appropriation Question, violated the oaths 
 they took on entering Parliament not to do anything hostile 
 to the interests of the Church of England, as by law esta- 
 blished. A happier or more powerful speech I have seldom 
 heard. His indignation at the charge was so great, that he 
 could not, notwithstanding his diffidence as to his qualifica- 
 tions for extempore speaking, confine it to his own bosom. 
 
 When Mr. Shiel is going to speak, he does not rise, like 
 any other member, but literally leaps or jumps off his seat on
 
 MR. SHIEL. 173 
 
 the floor, as if about to run out of the house. The fact is, he 
 is quite the creature of impulse. Everything he does, he does 
 in as great haste as if it were a life and death affair. His 
 motions when addressing the house are quite mercurial. Not 
 content with the most redundant gesture, in so far as his arms 
 are concerned, he sometimes bends his body to such a degree, 
 that you are not without fears he may lose his equilibrium, 
 and fall, head foremost prostrate on the floor. At other times, 
 he advances to the table, gives three or four lusty strokes on 
 the box, and then suddenly retreats backwards four or five 
 steps. In a few seconds, you see him, by another sudden 
 bound, leaning over the table, and stretching out his neck, as 
 if trying to reach some honourable member opposite, his eye 
 fixed on him, meanwhile, with as great an intensity of gaze, 
 as if he were determined to flash conviction on him by the 
 piercing glances of his optics, should he fail to produce it by 
 the words of his mouth. 
 
 Mr. Shiel's articulation is very indistinct. This arises 
 partly from the extraordinary rapidity of his delivery, but 
 chiefly from the screeching tones of his voice, and the loud 
 key at which he pitches it. His manner in this respect ia 
 unlike anything I ever heard either in the house or elsewhere; 
 it is impossible, by words, to convey any adequate idea of it. 
 His voice has often such an irregular effect, that you would 
 think the sound came from between the wall and the ceiling 
 opposite the place whence he addresses the house. A stranger 
 is, indeed, sometimes apt to mistake him for a foreigner. An 
 instance of this occurred last Session, when a gentleman in 
 the gallery, who was not aware that Mr. Shiel was the person 
 then speaking, and forgetting for the moment that none but 
 natives of the United Kingdom were eligible to a seat in the 
 house, innocently inquired of another gentleman, who was 
 sitting next to him, whether that was not a foreigner who 
 was then addressing the house 3 
 
 Mr. Shiel is a man of very considerable literary attainments. 
 He has written various articles, which have been much ad- 
 mired, in the New Monthly Magazine, and other periodicals. 
 To the New Monthly, when under the editorship of his friend, 
 Mr. Thomas Campbell, he was a regular contributor for some 
 years. The account of the proceedings of the deputation, of 
 whom he was one, sent over to this country by the Roman 
 Catholic Association of Dublin, and the " Sketches of the Irish 
 Bar," which appeared in the New Monthly some years since, 
 15*
 
 174 MR. FEARGTJS O'CONNOR. 
 
 were from his pen. He has also written several tragedies, in 
 all of which there are many beautiful passages, glowing and 
 burning with the poetic spirit; but, as a whole, they are not 
 admired, and consequently have not been successful. 
 
 Mr. Sliiel is in the prime of life, his age being only forty- 
 two. There is, therefore, reason to expect his reputation will 
 rise still higher. It used to be said that Mr. O'Connell was 
 jealous of him, fearing he might one day become his rival, 
 and that consequently he did not regard him with any very 
 friendly feelings. There never was a more unfounded in- 
 sinuation against Mr. O'Connell. He is one of Mr. Shiel's 
 greatest friends, and warmest admirers. There is not a man 
 in the house, when Mr. Shiel speaks, more cordial or liberal 
 in his cheers than Mr. O'Connell. The impression of each 
 of these men is, that there is ample scope for all the talents, 
 and patriotism, and exertions of both, in the present state of 
 Ireland. 
 
 Mr. FEARGUS O'CONNOR'S name is too familiar to the pub- 
 lic to be passed over in a work of this kind, though at the mo- 
 ment I write he be not a member of Parliament; especially 
 as, from the circumstances under which he was unseated, and 
 his popularity among the Radicals in England as well as Ire- 
 land, there is little chance of his being long excluded. In 
 person he is moderately tall, and of a firm compact make, 
 without anything approaching to corpulency. He is red- 
 haired, and of very fair complexion. There is a slight protru- 
 sion in his brow, which gives that part of his face about the 
 eyes somewhat of a sunken or retiring appearance. His nose 
 is prominent, not from its size, for it is rather small, but from 
 its cocked-up conformation. He is yet but a young man, his 
 age being about forty. 
 
 Mr. Feargus O'Connor is a man of more than respectable 
 talents. He is a fluent and graceful speaker: the chief 
 blemish in his speeches, is that they are generally too wordy. 
 His voice has something of a bass tone in it; he cannot modu- 
 late or alter its tones : he continues and ends in exactly the 
 same key as he began. He is a man of sterling integrity in 
 his public character. There is not a more honest man in the 
 house. No earthly consideration will induce him on any oc- 
 casion even on a single occasion to swerve from his prin- 
 ciples. Rather than act contrary to his convictions of what 
 is right, he would a thousand times sooner peril his seat. I 
 recollect one occasion, towards the close of the Session of 1834,
 
 MR. HENRY GRATTAN. 175 
 
 in which he strenuously opposed Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Shiel, 
 and all the other Irish Liberal members, on some question of 
 Irish Policy, the nature of which I now forget, with the 
 fullest impression on his mind, that the consequence of the 
 course he was pursuing would be the loss of his seat. He 
 alluded to the probability of such being the penalty of the line 
 of conduct he adopted on the occasion, adding, that if his anti- 
 cipations should be realized, he would most cheerfully retire 
 into the solitude of private life, consoled with the reflection 
 that he had acted according to the dictates of his conscience. 
 Had Mr. O'Connell thought fit to quarrel with Mr. O'Connor 
 for his conduct on the occasion I refer to, there was no ques- 
 tion that he could have prevented Mr. O'Connor's re-election 
 either by the constituency of the county of Cork, which he 
 then represented, or any other constituency in Ireland. Mr. 
 O'Connell, however, had too high an opinion of Mr. O'Con- 
 nor's talents and integrity of character, to have ever dreamed 
 of excluding him from Parliament on any such ground. He 
 has, on many occasions, been one of Mr. O'Connell's most 
 zealous and most efficient coadjutors in the efforts of the latter 
 to procure redress for the evils of Ireland. 
 
 Mr. HENRY GRATTAN, member for Maynooth, is a name 
 with which every reader of the debates in Parliament must 
 be familiar. He is the eldest son of the great Henry Grattan, 
 one of the ablest and most zealous, as well as most eloquent, 
 patriots which Ireland ever produced. He has much of the 
 attachment to his native country which blazed in the breast 
 of his illustrious father ; but unhappily he has not a tithe of his 
 talent. Indeed, he cannot be said to be a man of talent at all. 
 He, however speaks tolerably well. If there are no traces of 
 genius, no approaches to eloquence, there is always an abun- 
 dant infusion of burning Liberalism in his speeches. It is 
 impossible for him to give expression to half-a-dozen sentences 
 without getting into a downright passion, and indulging in 
 such violence of gesture, that it is quite unsafe for any mem- 
 ber to sit with his head within reach of his right arm. He is 
 by far the best specimen of a wild Irishman " wild," in Lady 
 Morgan's sense of the term in the house. He is open, gene- 
 rous, straight-forward, in all the relations both of public and 
 private life. In stature he is tall, without being robust. His 
 hair is dark, and his complexion has something of sallowness 
 about it. His face is angular. His general appearance is 
 gentlemanly, and he seems in excellent health and spirits.
 
 176 MR. SHARMA.N CRAWFORD MR. Rl'THVEN. 
 
 His age is upwards of forty. He is often confounded with 
 Mr. Thomas Grattan, the author of "High Ways and Bye 
 Ways." 
 
 Mr. SIIARMAN CRAWFORD, the member for Dundalk, is not 
 a man whose talents will ever bring him prominently before 
 the public ; for these are not above mediocrity. But the active 
 part lie takes, both in and out of the house, in everything 
 that relates to Ireland, joined to the extreme honesty of his 
 character and liberality of his opinions, makes him deservedly 
 respited both in his native country and in the house. He is 
 a man of great modesty. He wants confidence in himself. 
 Hence, in the delivery of his speeches, there is no animation, 
 and scarcely any gesture. He is the only Protestant member 
 from Ireland who acts almost uniformly with the Liberal or 
 Catholic Irish members ; for the terms are convertible in this 
 case. His person is rather above the usual height, and slen- 
 derly made. His complexion is dark, and his hair black. His 
 face is thin and angular, and is slightly pitted with small pox. 
 The expression of his countenance is pensive, with a tinge of 
 melancholy about it He is one- of the most humane men in 
 the house. Judging from appearances, one would conclude 
 that he is in delicate health. His age is about forty-five. 
 
 Mr. RUTHVEN, the colleague of Mr. O'Connell in the repre- 
 sentation of the city of Dublin, is entitled to a few words of 
 notice because of his eccentricities. He stands alone in the 
 house in all the leading elements of his character. " None 
 but himself can be his parallel." Last year he not only 
 brought himself into notice, but kept himself before the house 
 and the public by moving the adjournment of the house, night 
 after night, at a certain hour, no matter how important the 
 business before it, or who was speaking at the time. When- 
 ever he himself attempted to speak and he often did, in the 
 literal sense of the terms, " trespass on the attention of the 
 house" he was sure to be assailed with all sorts of yawns, 
 coughs, groans, &c. He soon, however, made the grand dis- 
 covery, that an effectual, and the only effectual, means of put- 
 ting down such interruptions, was by threatening, if not allow- 
 ed to proceed, to move the adjournment of the house. 
 
 Mr. Ruthven is altogether so singular a person that it is 
 impossible to convey any idea of him to those who have not 
 seen him. Though he often speaks, he cannot put two sen- 
 tences of ordinary English together. When he gives utter- 
 ance to a sentence of any length, the chances are two to one
 
 MR. RUTHVEN. 177 
 
 that the latter part of it has no connexion with the first. In 
 fact, though he has the name of being a good scholar, he can- 
 not speak the English language at all. He often tries to cor- 
 rect himself, and stammers away at an extraordinary rate in 
 the attempt, but he only in the end flounders the more deeply 
 in the mire of bad English. 
 
 His voice has a curious, unearthly kind of sound. He 
 speaks with sufficient strength of lungs to make such a noise 
 as is heard in all parts of the house, but from the unusual 
 tones of his voice, aggravated by a bad articulation, what he 
 says is often known to himself alone. He is not now yawned 
 or coughed at for the reason I have mentioned, but he is not 
 listened to when he addresses the house. He often speaks 
 what are called Irish bulls, to the great amusement of honour- 
 able members. He sometimes rises for the purpose of telling 
 the house that he has nothing to say on the subject before it, 
 but that as he is on his legs, he may as well say that he will 
 give his vote in a particular way. But though Mr. Ruthven 
 speaks a great deal of nonsense, he certainly does, on many 
 occasions, take a common-sense view of the questions before 
 the house, and assign, though in wretched English, very good 
 reasons for the course he has made up his mind to pursue. 
 
 His personal appearance is made to match with the peculiar 
 conformation of his mind. He is of the middle size, and of a 
 full make without being corpulent. He is slightly hunch- 
 backed, or at least his mode of walking gives him somewhat 
 of that appearance. His manners are awkward in the ex- 
 treme. He looks like a person newly imported from the 
 country, and who has all his life been a working farmer. He 
 is one of those men who are completely proof against the 
 march of manners. Suppose he were to live for a thousand 
 years to come his present age is about fifty-five he would 
 not be a whit more advanced in the practice of the art of po- 
 liteness than he is at this moment. He feels a thorough con- 
 tempt for the very name of Chesterfield. If any one would 
 put that nobleman's " Letters to his Son" into his hand, he 
 would toss them into the fire the next moment, as if there 
 were pollution in the very touch. His hair is beginning to 
 turn gray. His head is large and massy. His nose is large ; 
 so are his eyes. His complexion is ruddy. The expression of 
 his countenance corresponds with the sketch I have given of 
 his character. In his dress he is rather careless, without 
 being slovenly : his clothes never fit him. He ia always to be
 
 178 MR. RUTHVEN. 
 
 seen moving slowly about on the floor of the house. He has 
 no fixed seat ; at one time you see him where from his prin- 
 ciples and sympathies he ought always to be seated beside 
 the Irish Liberal members; at another you see him on the 
 opposite side in the very midst of the Tories. Notwithstand- 
 ing his eccentricities he is a man who knows well when any 
 personal affront is intended him, and there are few men in the 
 house who will more readily resent it. 
 
 I do not think that any other of the Irish Liberal members 
 stand out with a sufficient prominence to render a notice of 
 them necessary. They are in number about sixty, all of 
 whom, with two or three exceptions, are Roman Catholics, 
 and are remarkable for their unity of purpose and action.
 
 MR. EDWARD LYTTON BULWER. 179 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 LITERARY MEMBERS. 
 
 Mr. Edward Lytton Bulwcr Lord Francis Egerton Dr. Bowring 
 Mr. Buckingham. 
 
 SEVERAL members of some pretensions to literary talents 
 have, with greater propriety, been included under other heads. 
 The most distinguished literary man in the house is Mr. E. 
 L. BULWER, member for Lincoln, and author of Pelham, 
 Eugene Aram, &c. He does not speak often. When he 
 does, his speeches are not only previously turned over with 
 great care in his mind, but are written out at full length, and 
 committed as carefully to memory as if he were going to re- 
 cite them at some annual examination of some public school. 
 He is artificial throughout the mere creature of self-disci- 
 pline in all his exhibitions in the house. You see art and 
 affectation in his very personal appearance in his mode of 
 dressing, and in his every movement. One of his school- 
 fellows has told me, that at school he was as much noted for 
 his attention to the cut of his coat, as to his intellectual pur- 
 suits. He is the same man still. He is a great patron of the 
 tailor and perruquier. He is always dressed in the extreme 
 of fashion. He sometimes affects a modesty of demeanour ; 
 but it is too transparent to deceive any one who has the least 
 discernment. You see at once that he is on stilts; that it 
 costs him an effort even to assume the virtue which he has 
 not. His manner of speaking is very affected : the manage- 
 ment of his voice is especially so. But for this he would be 
 a pleasant speaker. His voice, though weak, is agreeable, 
 and he speaks with considerable fluency. His speeches are 
 usually argumentative. You see at once that he is a person 
 of great intellectual acquirements, though his speeches appear 
 much better in print than when you hear them delivered. 
 His articulation is impaired by the affected manner of his 
 pronunciation, and the rapidity of his utterance. His favourite 
 subject in the house, is the Repeal of the Taxes on News- 
 papers. On that question he makes a motion every Session. 
 I believe him to be sincerely anxious for the abolition of those 
 duties ; but, had he, last year, not yielded to the previously
 
 180 LORD FRANCIS EOERTON t)R. BOWRING. 
 
 expressed solicitations of the friends of Mr. Spring Rice to 
 withdraw his motion, the newspaper taxes would by this time 
 have ceased to exist. There were a considerable majority in 
 the house at the time, in favour of his motion, and I recollect 
 observing the exultation expressed in their countenances, at 
 their anticipated triumph. But the secret of the matter was, 
 that he brought forward his motion at that time, not with the 
 intention of carrying it, but for the mere sake of a little dis- 
 play, coupled, perhaps, with a wish to make an appearance of 
 redeeming a pledge he had previously given, to bring the sub- 
 ject forward in the course of the Session. 
 
 Mr. Bulwer is a fine-looking man. He is rather tall and 
 handsome. His complexion is fair, and his hair of a dark 
 brown. His nose is aquiline and prominent, and his face an- 
 gular, lie usually wears a green surtout. He is young. I 
 cannot give his precise age, but I am certain it cannot exceed 
 thirty-five. He is understood to average from 1,200 to 
 Jt 1,500 a-year by his literary labours. 
 
 Lord FRANCIS EGERTON is better known as a literary man 
 by his previous title of Lord F. L. Gower. His literary re- 
 putation chiefly rests on his knowledge of the German lan- 
 guage, and several of his translations from the poetical works 
 of Goethe. He has also written several small original poeti- 
 cal pieces, which possess the merit of sweetness of senti- 
 ment, elegance of style, and harmony of versification ; but 
 they want vigour and originality. He is a nobleman of a 
 cultivated mind, and of varied information, especially on the 
 subject of modern literature. He hardly ever speaks, and 
 then but very indifferently. He spoke for twenty-five or 
 thirty minutes on the question of the answer to the King's 
 Speech, at the opening of last Session. Being a Tory, though 
 not an ultra one, he, of course, supported the Government of 
 Sir Robert Peel on that occasion. His voice is harsh and 
 husky, and not very strong. There is no variety either in it 
 or in his gesture. Both are monotonous in a high degree. 
 In person he is tall, and well made. His hair is black, and 
 his complexion dark. His face is partially angular, and his 
 features regular, but with a somewhat pensive expression. 
 He is much respected by his own party, both for his private 
 worth and high family connexions. 
 
 Dr. BOWRING, the member for Kilmarnock, is one of the 
 new members. He is a man of varied, though not of pro- 
 found literary acquirements. He has written, and written
 
 MR. BUCKINGHAM. 181 
 
 well, in almost every department of literature. For some 
 years he conducted the Westminster Review. His political 
 articles in that periodical were more distinguished for the 
 ease and accuracy of their style, than for originality of con- 
 ception or comprehensive views. It is as a polyglot he is 
 most celebrated. Here he stands unrivalled. He has a cri- 
 tical knowledge of almost every language in Europe, and has 
 given translations from the poetry of most of them. He has 
 written some original poetry, but it has little pretensions to 
 merit, beyond the elegance of the style, and the amiable feel- 
 ing it, for the most part, breathes. He is not a good speaker. 
 His delivery has something drawling about it. His voice ia 
 clear, and capable, with proper management, of being made 
 pleasant to the ear. But he seems to have no control over it: 
 he speaks often, but never long. He has not realized the ex- 
 pectations of his friends since his admission into the house. 
 He has committed two great errors. The first is, his speaking 
 too often on topics of trifling importance : the second is the 
 circumstance of his never having brought forward a motion 
 on any question of commanding interest, nor ever made a 
 speech of any length, on any great question brought forward 
 by others. He is most regular in his attendance in the house : 
 I know of few members who are more so. He is always to 
 be seen bustling about on the floor, or in the side galleries, 
 with a bundle of papers in his hand. I do not recollect ever 
 seeing him, on a single occasion, without a large quantity of 
 parliamentary papers in his hand or under his arm. 
 
 Dr. Bowring is in person rather below the middle size. His 
 hair is black, and his complexion pale. He is short-sighted, 
 and is consequently obliged to wear glasses. His face is an- 
 gular, and his chin slightly protrudes. His physiognomy ia 
 rather expressive of mildness and good-nature qualities 
 which he does possess in an eminent degree than of any- 
 thing intellectual. He is not old. Judging from his appear- 
 ance, I should think he is not much above forty. If he does 
 not make a shining member, he promises to be one of the most 
 useful ; for he unites in a high degree the closest attention to 
 his parliamentary duties with a sound judgment and the 
 strictest integrity. 
 
 Mr. BUCKINGHAM, the member for Sheffield, is a person 
 whose name has been, for the last eight or ten years, most 
 prominently before the British public. He is generally sup- 
 posed to have something of the quack in him. I am not sure 
 16
 
 2 MR. BUCKINGHAM. 
 
 that the charge is altogether unfounded, though I am per- 
 suaded he has often been actuated by the most disinterested 
 motives in cases in which the general impression has been 
 quite the reverse. I believe he may unconsciously I have 
 no doubt have exaggerated the extent of his pecuniary 
 losses by the arbitrary proceedings of the Indian Government; 
 but it cannot be denied that he did, in addition to the abstract 
 tyranny and injustice of those proceedings, suffer in purse, or 
 perhaps, more properly speaking, prospectively, to a very 
 large amount. That he has kept his persecutions, by the In- 
 dian Government, before the public, with a prominence and 
 steadiness at which other persons similarly circumstanced 
 would have shrunk back, is not to be denied; but great allow- 
 ances are to be made for him, when it is recollected that he 
 lost not a part, but the whole of his fortune, by his deporta- 
 tion from the East Indies, and that ever since he has had to 
 struggle with all the horrors of poverty, sometimes, indeed, 
 with something approaching to absolute want. 
 
 Mr. Buckingham, is a man of more than respectable lite- 
 rary attainments. His travels in Mesapotamia and other 
 countries in the East, are among the best that have been pub- 
 lished respecting those countries. His Oriental Herald also, 
 a great part of which was written by himself, was a Journal 
 of considerable merit. The great fault of his style is its ex- 
 treme wordiness. 
 
 As a member of Parliament he has not earned much repu- 
 tation. On first entering the house he made great efforts, by 
 repeated speeches of considerable length, to acquire for him- 
 self a name as a legislator; but the attempt was quite a 
 failure. There was a strong prejudice against him, owing, iu 
 a great measure to the general impression that he was a 
 political adventurer. When he rose to address the house, the 
 circumstance became a signal, sometimes for forced coughs, 
 yawnings, &c. and always for inattention and other marks of 
 want of due respect. The result has been that he now 
 scarcely ever speaks at all. Nor was he by any means regu- 
 lar in his attendance in the house last Session, though pre- 
 viously he was one of the most exemplary in this respect, out 
 of the whole six hundred and fifty-eight. 
 
 Mr. Buckingham is a fine speaker. His manner is remark- 
 ably easy and pleasant. There is not a more fluent speaker 
 in the house. His voice is sweet and melodious; but there is 
 a sameness in its tones. His action is graceful, but is defi-
 
 MR. BUCKINGHAM. 183 
 
 cient in energy. He can speak at any time and on any sub- 
 ject. In person he is tall and handsome. Notwithstanding 
 all the hardships and fatigues he underwent in his extensive 
 journeyings in tropical countries, he appears to be of a vigor- 
 ous constitution and in excellent health. His complexion is 
 fair and his hair of a light gray. He has a fine forehead. 
 His features are regular but distinctly marked. His face is 
 full, and has something very intellectual about it. In his ap- 
 pearance and manners, he is quite the gentleman. He is 
 about fifty years of age.
 
 184 KEI.KilOrS MKMRERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 RELIGIOUS MEMBERS. 
 
 Sir Andrew Agnew Mr. Buxton Mr. Andrew Johnston Mr. 
 Wilks Mr. Baincs Mr. Finch Colonel Perceval Major Gum- 
 ming 1 Bruce Mr. Poultcr Mr. Sinclair. 
 
 THE decided course which Sir ANDREW AGNEW, member 
 for the Wigton district of burghs, has taken for some years 
 past on all questions of a religious character which have been 
 brought before the house, and the notoriety, especially, into 
 which he has brought himself by his perseverance, session 
 after session, in defiance of all the ridicule which has been 
 heaped upon him, with his Sabbath Bills, entitled him to a 
 priority of notice in this chapter. His appearance exhibits 
 nothing particularly serious. He looks soft and good-natured 
 rather than grave or serious, nor is there anything in his 
 manner, when he rises to address the house, which at all 
 marks the zealot. His mode of speaking is remarkably cold 
 and destitute of animation. He appears as if he were timid ; 
 and yet he is not so. Had he not the quality of moral courage 
 in a very high degree, he would never have persisted in his 
 measures for the better observance of the Sabbath, in the face 
 of the ridicule he has always had to encounter. His voice is 
 either weak, or he does not exercise his lungs in any degree 
 when addressing the house ; nor does he use much gesture. 
 He extends his right arm, and gently moves it up and down, 
 which may be said to constitute the whole of his gesticula- 
 tion. He is a man of easy temper ; not at all disposed to take 
 offence at what an opponent says ; on the contrary, I have re- 
 peatedly seen him smile when some of the Radical party were 
 heaping ridicule on his peculiar religious opinions. He never 
 speaks, except on his own Sa'bbath Bills, or on those brought 
 in from time to time by others. His speeches are seldom of 
 any length. In his political opinions he is moderately liberal. 
 In person he is tall and slender. His complexion is sallow, 
 and his hair of a dark brown colour. His face is sharp and 
 angular. There is a strong resemblance in the form of his
 
 MR. F. BUXTON. MR. ANDREW JOHNSTON. 185 
 
 nose to the beak of an eagle. He is not old. I do not know 
 his exact age ; but it is, I have no doubt, under forty. 
 
 Mr. F. BUXTON, the member for Weymouth, is one who 
 takes a great interest in all questions of a religious nature. 
 His exertions for the emancipation of the West-India slaves, 
 are too well known to require any particular allusion to them. 
 They had their origin in religious principle. He is a Dissen- 
 ter. His piety is decided, without being tinged with fanati- 
 cism. The great question in which he felt the deepest in- 
 terest, was that of the Emancipation of the Negroes in the 
 West-India Colonies: when it was before the house, he inva- 
 riably spoke. Since it has been in a great measure settled, 
 he seldom addresses the house. His voice is strong, but 
 pleasant. There is much simplicity in his manner of speak- 
 ing. He makes no pretensions to, nor efforts at oratory. He 
 hardly uses any gesture, except it be in the moderate move- 
 ment of his right arm. He is a man of respectable talents. 
 There is always much good sense in what he says, and occa- 
 sionally some happy ideas. He is listened to with attention 
 by the house. In fact, his irreproachable private character, 
 and his consistent public conduct, could not fail to command 
 respect from men of all shades of political feeling. He is, in 
 person, very tall and muscular. He is full six feet two in 
 height, and of proportional stoutness, He usually wears a 
 blue coat. His clothes are always good, but they are never 
 well made. He is slightly pitted with the small-pox. His 
 features are distinctly marked. His nose is large, and is 
 made more prominent by its being generally surmounted by a 
 pair of spectacles. He is, as already hinted, greatly esteemed 
 by men of all parties in the house. He is in his fifty-fourth 
 year. 
 
 Mr. ANDREW JOHNSTON, member for the St. Andrew's dis- 
 trict of burghs, has lately become son-in-law to Mr. Buxton. 
 He is a young man, being only about thirty-five years of age. 
 He is about the middle size in personal stature, and of a some- 
 what slender make. His hair is dark, and his complexion 
 slightly fair. His features are regular, and his countenance 
 has altogether a pleasing aspect. He speaks tolerably well, 
 but not without previously committing what he means to say 
 to memory. The question in which he takes the deepest in- 
 terest is that of the existing state of church patronage in 
 Scotland. He is for the repeal of the statute of Queen Anne, 
 which took from the male members and hearers of every 
 16*
 
 186 MR. WILKS. 
 
 church, the right of choosing their own pastor, and transferred 
 that right to some one individual having large property in the 
 respective parishes. For the last three or tour Sessions he 
 has brought forward a formal motion for the repeal of this 
 statute; but the friends of Ministers have always taken care 
 either that there should be no house on the night fixed for the 
 motion, or if there were at the commencement of his speech, 
 that it should thin sufficiently, before he had got to the middle 
 of it, to admit of its being counted out. The opinions of the 
 house have consequently never yet been ascertained on this 
 subject, though it be one in which the people of Scotland take 
 the liveliest interest. 
 
 The treatment Mr. Johnston has lately received from his 
 constituents is sure to lead to one out of two effects as regards 
 other members. It will either prevent their giving positive 
 pledges to the electors at all, or if they do, they will give 
 those only which they mean in earnest to redeem. At the 
 last election, Mr. Johnston, according to the representations 
 of his constituents, pledged himself to vote for the appropria- 
 tion of any surplus church property that might be found to 
 exist, to other than ecclesiastical purposes ; but when Lord 
 John Russell brought forward his motion, recognizing the 
 right of the State to deal with church property as it thought 
 fit, he did not vote at all. Since then, he has been called on, 
 time after time, by large bodies of his constituents, to resign 
 his seat, which they say he also pledged himself on the hust- 
 ings to do, should a majority of his constituents require such 
 resignation at his hands. He and they give different versions 
 of what he said on that occasion. Which party is in the right, 
 whether the representative or the represented, I have no 
 means of knowing. If he did break a positive unequivocal 
 pledge, he has been amply punished for it ; for his seat must 
 have been one of thorns to him ever since. There can be no 
 justification for a man who makes pledges and breaks them ; 
 but I cannot help saying that Mr. Johnston has been hardly 
 dealt with compared with many other honourable members, 
 some of whom have violated their pledges, made in the heat 
 of a hustings speech, by the dozen. 
 
 Mr. WILKS, the member for Boston, is the great champion 
 of the Dissenters. In fact, he may be called their representa- 
 tive. In everything that relates to their interests, he takes 
 the lead in the house. When a measure affecting their rights 
 and privileges is brought forward, one may with certainty
 
 MR. BAINES. 187 
 
 conclude from the course he takes as to the reception such 
 measure will meet with from that numerous body throughout 
 the country. He is a man of respectable talents. As a 
 speaker he is somewhat above mediocrity. He has a rather 
 awkward way of mouthing the words, and sometimes expecto- 
 rates slightly, but he speaks with ease and some fluency. 
 His voice is not good : it wants clearness, which, in conjunc- 
 tion with his not very distinct articulation, makes him some- 
 times difficult to be heard. He is occasionally animated in 
 his manner, and makes a rather effective speech. He is 
 defective in pronouncing the letter r. He speaks pretty 
 often, though all his best efforts are on questions affecting the 
 Dissenters. He by no means acquits himself so well in the 
 house as out of it. I have heard him make really excellent 
 and effective speeches at Exeter Hall, and other places, in his 
 capacity of Secretary to the Society for the Protection of Civil 
 and Religious Liberty. 
 
 In person, Mr. Wilks is of the middle size, full and well 
 formed. He has a venerable appearance. His face is angu- 
 lar. His nose is prominent, and his eyes are large. His 
 complexion is florid, and his hair of a dark brown. The 
 crown of his head is partially bald. He is nearly sixty years 
 of age. He usually sits on the Opposition side of the house. 
 
 Mr. BAINES, the member for Leeds, is also a Dissenter. He 
 is a respectable speaker. His voice is clear, but monotonous. 
 He times his utterance to the ear with good taste, and speaks 
 with much ease and accuracy of language. If he is never 
 eloquent, he invariably speaks great good sense. His speeches 
 are always short, but pithy and to the point. They would 
 have more effect, if delivered with greater animation. He is 
 a man of extensive information on all subjects connected with 
 manufactures, especially those of Lancashire. He is also in- 
 telligent on general topics. He is proprietor of the Leeds 
 Mercury, which is conducted by his son, with whom he is 
 sometimes confounded. It was Mr. Baines, junior, and not 
 Mr. Baines, the member, who lately^ published an able and 
 very elaborate work on the manufactures of Lancashire. He 
 is, however, the author of a History of Lancashire. Mr. 
 Baines is much respected in the house. His manners are 
 mild and conciliatory, but very plain. He usually wears a 
 blue coat. In personal height, he is about the middle size, 
 but of a robust frame. His hair is red, and his complexion 
 fair. His countenance is pleasing, and rather intelligent.
 
 188 MR. FINCH. COLONEL PEIICIVAL. 
 
 His features are regular. lie is what would be called a good- 
 looking man. He is in his sixty-first year. 
 
 Mr. FINCH, the member for Stamford, always takes an 
 active part in all proceedings in the house which affect the 
 interests of the Church of England. He is a man of respecta- 
 ble talents, and is a pleasant, though certainly not a showy, 
 speaker. His voice is clear, but not strong. He speaks with 
 ease, but never rises to eloquence. He is a man of excellent 
 private character. In his politics he is Conservative. He 
 occasionally takes a Bible with him in his pocket to the house. 
 When, towards the close of last Session, a keen discussion 
 took place one night relative to some proposed grant of money 
 for the purposes of education in Ireland, of which grant the 
 Roman Catholics were to receive a part, some honourable 
 member chanced to introduce a verse from the Scriptures, which 
 bore on the point in dispute, when another honourable mem- 
 ber I think it was Mr. Sergeant Jackson, for nearly twenty 
 years Secretary to the Dublin Kildare-street Society, main- 
 tained that the text was not correctly quoted. Several other 
 members gave quite different versions from what either of the 
 first two had done ; in short, the floor of the House of Com- 
 mons became an arena for the display of the biblical know- 
 ledge of the members. The controversy as theological con- 
 versies usually do became very keen as to the literal version 
 of the text in question, when Mr. Finch at once set the matter 
 to rest, by putting his hand into his pocket, and*pulling out a 
 very handsome diamond Bible, from which, amidst shouts of 
 laughter, he read the passage in question. If I remember 
 rightly, all the honourable members who took part in the dis- 
 cussion as to the exact wording of the passage, were more or 
 less in error. 
 
 Mr. Finch is small in bodily stature, but firmly and com- 
 pactly made. His face is round, and has a cheerful expression. 
 His complexion is dark, and his hair a jet black. His eye- 
 lashes are large, and his eyes have always a laughing appear- 
 ance. He is about forty years of age. 
 
 Colonel PERCEVAL, member for the county of Sligo, is 
 equally zealous with Mr. Finch in his attachment to the 
 Church of England. He is also of the same political opinions. 
 He is above mediocrity as a speaker. He has a fine powerful 
 voice, but it wants variety. He speaks with much ease and 
 fluency, and, without any seeming effort, makes himself heard 
 in all parts of the house. In his manner you see a man of de-
 
 MAJOR CUMMING BRUCE. 189 
 
 cisive mind and firmness of purpose. His gesture, when speak- 
 ing, is very gentle. It consists almost exclusively of a slight 
 movement of the right arm. He is good at reply, and is happy 
 at pinning down an opponent to any injudicious admission he 
 has made. He also excels in keeping members to the real 
 question at issue. He is an Orangeman, and ably and boldly 
 vindicates that party from the charges preferred against it by 
 the Irish Liberal members. He never shrinks from grappling 
 with Mr. O'Connell or Mr. Shiel, and I believe Mr. O'Connell 
 thinks him one of the most formidable opponents he has in the 
 house, in all matters of dispute between the Orange and Ro- 
 man Catholic parties of Ireland. 
 
 Colonel Perceval is, in person, of the usual height, but of a 
 strong muscular frame. He has a fine handsome face. His 
 appearance altogether is that of a perfect gentleman. His age 
 is about forty-five. 
 
 Major GUMMING BRUCE, the member for the Inverness dis- 
 trict of burghs, and grandson- in-law to Bruce,* the celebrated 
 Abyssinian traveller, has distinguished himself, during the five 
 years he has been in Parliament, by his zealous advocacy of 
 the Church of Scotland as at present constituted. He strenu- 
 ously opposes every proposition for the slightest alteration in 
 the constitution of that Church. In his political opinions he 
 is a decided Tory, He is a very fair speaker, and a man of 
 considerable talents. His voice has a curious sound, of which 
 it is difficult to convey an idea. It is clear, but has a sort of 
 twang. It is not, however, unpleasant. He speaks easily 
 and with some fluency. He is a man of great moral courage. 
 However unpopular his opinions he never shrinks from a fear- 
 less assertion of them. I have heard him make some able 
 speeches. Those he makes on religious subjects and he 
 seldom speaks on any other have much of a decidedly reli- 
 gious character about them. There are few men in the house 
 better acquainted with the Scriptures, and I have never heard 
 any member quote from the Bible more largely. The house 
 often, in such cases, attempts to put him down, but never with 
 effect. He never loses his presence of mind, and is not to be 
 driven from his purpose. 
 
 * In consequence of his marriage with the grand-daughter of 
 Bruce, the Major has added that of Bruce to his former name of 
 Gumming.
 
 190 MR. POULTER. 
 
 In person he is tall, and of a slender form. He is in deli- 
 cate health. His countenance has a studious pensive ex- 
 pression. His complexion is pale, and his hair of a dark 
 brown. His face is angular, and his features are rather large. 
 He is about forty-five years of age. 
 
 Mr. POULTER, member for Shaflesbury, has brought himself 
 into some distinction by the bills for the better observance of 
 the Sabbath, which he brought into the house in the Session 
 of 1834, and in that of the present year. His views on the 
 subject of the way in which the Sabbath ought to be kept, are 
 not nearly so strict as those of Sir Andrew Agnew. He is 
 willing, for example, to make an exception in favour of the 
 gardeners and green grocers in Covent Garden and other 
 places, and also in favour of the venders of certain other kinds 
 of perishable commodities. When a deputation of persons 
 connected with Covent Garden waited on him to remonstrate 
 with him respecting certain provisions of his last Bill, he ex- 
 pressed himself willing to hear any objections to his measure, 
 and to make any alterations and amendments which could be 
 proved to be necessary, adding that he begged it to be dis- 
 tinctly understood he was no Puritan. In politics he is mode- 
 rately Liberal. He opposed the Government of Sir Robert 
 Peel, and almost invariably supports that of Lord Melbourne. 
 He is a grandson of the late Brownlow North, Bishop of Win- 
 chester. He is by profession a barrister, though I believe he 
 does not now practise. 
 
 Mr. Pouller is a man of fair talents. He is a good speaker. 
 His voice is both powerful and pleasant, and his utterance is 
 well timed to the ear. His style is clear and correct. He 
 speaks with much ease and fluency. He is a ,man of excellent 
 private character. Few men have more self-possession when 
 interrupted in speaking, which he sometimes is by certain 
 members who deem the introduction of religious matters in 
 any shape, into the house, an infliction of no ordinary kind. 
 I have repeatedly admired the good temper, perfect coolness, 
 and gentlemanly conduct he has displayed on such occasions. 
 In describing one of the general scenes in the house, it will be 
 seen that he was one of the members assailed with the tre- 
 mendous uproar which was caused on that occasion. Even 
 then, when a man might as well have been attacked by all the 
 Furies in concert, he appeared as calm, collected, and well 
 pleased, as if there had been a breathless silence in the house.
 
 MR. SINCLAIR. 191 
 
 He does not speak often, and seldom at any great length at a 
 time. 
 
 Mr. Poulter is a handsome-looking man. In personal height 
 he is about the middle size, and of a rather stout and compact 
 make. His complexion is slightly dark, and his hair quite 
 black. He has a fine forehead, and his features, which are 
 regular and prepossessing, have an intelligent expression. 
 He is seemingly about forty years of age. 
 
 Mr. SINCLAIR, the member for Caithness-shire, is the last 
 of the religious members I shall notice. He was formerly, 
 like his father, Sir John Sinclair, the celebrated agricultural 
 and statistical writer, of decided Whig principles, but he took 
 the same view of the Irish Church Appropriation question as 
 the Government of Sir Robert Peel, when that question was 
 brought before the house by Lord John Russell since which 
 time he has uniformly voted and acted with the Conservatives. 
 Like Mr. Andrew Johnston, Mr. Sinclair has chiefly dis- 
 tinguished himself by his exertions to procure a repeal of the 
 law of patronage with respect to the Church of Scotland. He 
 is a man of respectable talents ; but has fallen far short of that 
 eminence in the world to which Lord Byron, who was his 
 school companion and most intimate friend in early life, pre- 
 dicted he would attain. Byron's opinion was, that Mr. Sin- 
 clair possessed splendid talents, though at the time he uttered 
 the above prediction they had not been fully developed. Time 
 has only served to show how erroneous are the estimates 
 which the greatest geniuses sometimes form of the intellects 
 of others. 
 
 Mr. Sinclair is a passable speaker. His voice is sufficiently 
 audible when he endeavours to make himself heard ; at other 
 times, he is but imperfectly heard by those who are most re- 
 mote from him. His voice is clear and pleasant, but wants 
 flexibility. His gesture is usually moderate, though occasion- 
 ally he is not without energy of manner. He does not speak 
 often. The best speech 1 ever heard him make was a short 
 one on the dissolution of the Administration of Sir Robert Peel, 
 and the reconstruction of the Melbourne Government. In this 
 speech there were several clever points. " I have," said he, 
 " refrained from hazarding any remarks as to the new, or 
 rather renovated Ministerial edifice, until the complete eleva- 
 tion shall stand before the public in all the stateliness of its 
 outline, and in all the symmetry of its proportions. The three 
 divisions of the empire have contributed their respective
 
 192 MR. SINCLAIR. 
 
 quotas towards promoting its stability and providing for its 
 embellishment It must be admitted, that consummate dis- 
 cretion and admirable dexterity have been displayed, not only 
 in the choice but in the exclusion of certain materials. Some 
 hypercritics expected to see the main building supported by a 
 colossal column of basalt from the Giant's Causeway ;* but " 
 
 Here Mr. Sinclair was interrupted by Mr. Methuen rising 
 to order, and saying " he could not see what the Giant's 
 Causeway had to do with the question before the house." 
 
 Mr. Sinclair resumed. " I believe that if we were to dig a 
 trench deep enough to reach the foundations, we should find 
 the corner-stone of the edifice so entirely composed of that 
 substance, that if its support were taken away, the whole 
 would at once be laid prostrate on the earth. The fabric of the 
 late Government is now destroyed ; and the noble Secretary-at- 
 War (Lord John Russell), who on two late occasions said he 
 would consider that event a misfortune, may now, like Marius 
 on the ruins of Carthage, wander amid the storied urns and 
 broken columns, indulging in a lugubrious soliloquy on the in- 
 stability of human greatness, unless the official syrup, which 
 has now been administered, shall operate as a soothing and 
 salutary anodyne to calm his perturbed spirit. With respect 
 to the new Administration, I fear that they will find their po- 
 sition most painful and embarrassing. They will feel them- 
 selves compelled to pursue a dubious and vacillating course, 
 now veering towards the Radical reefs of Scylla, and then 
 tacking towards the Conservative quicksands of Charybdis. 
 They will be halting between the Court and the Radicals 
 anxious to keep well with the one, and yet afraid to break with 
 the other bold enough to alarm the Tories, and yet too timid 
 to satisfy the Destructives. The consequence of which will 
 at length be, that at an early period of the ensuing Session, if 
 not before (on some day which I leave to be settled in the next 
 edition of Moore's planetary almanack,) an ominous and tem- 
 porary junction will take place between the Wellington Mars, 
 and the O'Connell Jupiter, with all his tributary satellites 
 a motion will be made (perhaps by the Right Hon. Baronet, 
 the member for Kent,f and seconded by Mr. O'Dwyer, the 
 late and probably future member for Drogheda) that the house 
 
 * The reference here was to Mr. O'Conncll. 
 t Sir Edward Knatchbull.
 
 Hit. SINCLAIR. 193 
 
 has no confidence in his Majesty's Ministers ; and on a divi- 
 sion, the number will appear: Ayes 426, Noes 197 Ma- 
 jority 229." 
 
 Mr. Sinclair is in personal height about the usual size. 
 His complexion is fair, and his hair light. On the fore part of 
 his head there is an incipient baldness. His features are large, 
 and have something of an intellectual expression about them. 
 He is in his forty-fifth year. 
 
 It may be proper to mention, in concluding this chapter, 
 that the above are not all the religious members in the house. 
 They are those only who, on all occasions when religious 
 topics are introduced, take the most prominent part in the dis- 
 cussion of them. 
 
 17
 
 194 NEW MEMBERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 NEW MEMBERS. 
 
 Sir William Follett Mr. Serjeant Talfourd Mr. Borthwick 
 Colonel Thompson. 
 
 THE number of new members returned at the last election 
 was not so great as might, under the circumstances, have 
 been expected ; and but very few of those that were then re- 
 turned tor the first time, had previously occupied any very 
 prominent place in public estimation. 
 
 On the Tory, or Conservative side, the most valuable new 
 return, beyond all question, was that of Sir WILLIAM FOLLETT, 
 the member for Exeter. Sir William, though only in his 
 thirty-second year, had already raised himself to the highest 
 distinction as a lawyer. He was known not only to be an 
 excellent speaker, but a man of very rare talents, and of great 
 intellectual acquirements. He was known, at the same time, 
 to be decidedly in favour of Conservative views: hence that 
 party greeted him with a most cordial welcome on his en- 
 trance into Parliament. He was also appointed Solicitor 
 General by Sir Robert Peel, which gave him additional im- 
 portance. His maiden speech was looked forward to with 
 great anxiety, not only by the Conservative party, but by the 
 Whigs and Radicals. It was generally expected that he 
 would have spoken on the answer to the King's speech ; but 
 he allowed the occasion to pa.ss over without saying a word. 
 Weeks passed away and he was silent. The Church Surplus 
 Property Appropriation question came on for discussion, and 
 as that was a question which not only most deeply affected 
 some of the principles he most warmly cherished, but was, in 
 its results, to be decisive of the fate of the Government of 
 which he formed a part, he could no longer remain mute. He 
 accordingly spoke, on the second night of the debate, if I re- 
 member rightly, and seldom had an abler or more effective 
 speech been delivered within the walls of Parliament. His 
 speech occupied an hour and a quarter in the delivery, and 
 was listened to from beginning to end witli breathless atten- 
 tion. The regret which men of all shades of political opinion
 
 SIR WILLIAM FOLLETT. 195 
 
 felt, was that it did not last longer. It was commended in 
 the warmest terms by every one who heard it. The next 
 great question on which he spoke was that of the Municipal 
 Corporation Reform. On it he spoke repeatedly, and with 
 very great eloquence and ability. There is a remarkable 
 clearness in his speeches. He makes you understand, as fully 
 as he does himself, the drift of his argument. His mode of 
 thinking is vigorous, and his reasoning is close and masterly. 
 He never digresses for a moment from the object he has in 
 view, nor loses sight of the positions he wishes to establish. 
 You see what he would be at, and you see he is leading you 
 to it by the most direct road. His style is also chaste and 
 nervous ; it is elegant without being flowery. He never goes 
 out of his way in quest of rhetorical expressions. He employs 
 the phraseology which most readily and naturally suggests 
 itself to his mind, and yet it could hardly be improved, how- 
 ever great were the amount of labour bestowed, upon it. 
 His manner is also simple and natural. He does not use any 
 extravagant gesture : he chiefly confines it to a slight move- 
 ment of his face and body from one part of the opposite side 
 of the house to another, and to a gentle raising and lowering 
 of his right arm, accompanied by an occasional stroke of his 
 hand on the table. His voice partakes, in a very great de- 
 gree, of a bass tone, which, as he can modulate it at pleasure, 
 is particularly effective in the most impassioned parts of his 
 speeches. His utterance is timed with much good taste to 
 the ear ; it is neither too rapid nor too slow. His articulation 
 is very distinct ; and he always speaks loud enough to be heard 
 in all parts of the house. 
 
 In personal height he is about the usual size ; but inclines 
 to stoutness. His frame is compact, and seemingly very 
 strong. His features are strongly marked. His nose is short 
 and flat ; and his eye-lashes unusually large. His face is 
 round, his complexion very dark, and his hair black. His 
 countenance is pleasing, but certainly wants the intellectual 
 expression which might be expected in such a man. He is 
 undoubtedly the most promising man, of any party, who has 
 entered Parliament for some years past. The Conservatives 
 may well be proud of him. 
 
 Among the new Liberal members returned at the last elec- 
 tion, Mr. SERJEANT TALFOCRD was by far the best known. I 
 never knew a man enter Parliament concerning whom I had 
 higher expectations. I had heard him speak repeatedly out
 
 196 MR. SERJEANT TALFOURD. 
 
 of doors, and coupling that with his acknowledged literary 
 attainments, and the burning enthusiasm with which he was 
 known to cherish his principles, I was fully persuaded, in my 
 own mind, that his first exhibition would dazzle and delight 
 the house. The event proved I had made a miscalculation. 
 He made his deb(it the night after Sir William Folleft, to 
 whose speech his was chiefly a reply. He spoke tor about an 
 hour, but did not, to any extent, gain the attention of the 
 house. Considerable noise, and great listlcssness, prevailed 
 all the time. In short, his debtit was a complete failure in so 
 far as effect was concerned, though the speech was one of 
 great eloquence and ability. There were many accidental 
 circumstances, it is true, which operated against him. He 
 was, in the first place, most unhappy in the time he chose for 
 addressing the house. It was so early as six o'clock, an hour 
 when no man of any note is ever expected to speak, and when, 
 from the noise and confusion, caused by members entering 
 the house, even the most popular and influential members 
 could hardly insure attention. Then, again, the house was 
 remarkably thin at the time ; and nothing can more seriously 
 impair the effect of a good speech, than its delivery when the 
 benches are empty. Lastly, he pitched his voice in too low a 
 key. He spoke no louder than he was accustomed to do in 
 the courts of law, forgetting the house was six times as large, 
 and the members diffused over eight or nine times the space ; 
 for in courts of law, all the persons present are generally con- 
 gregated within a few yards of the counsel. But besides 
 these disadvantageous circumstances, there was something in 
 the matter of the speech, which militated greatly against its 
 enthusiastic, or even favourable reception. It was far too re- 
 fined : it was one of the most elaborate and philosophically 
 reasoned I ever heard delivered in the house. There were 
 but few members who, even after the most close attention, 
 would have been able to follow the speaker, and if once you 
 lost the thread of his argument, the rest would have been in 
 a great measure unintelligible to you. It was exactly a speech 
 of that nature, which ought to have been delivered in a quiet, 
 snug room, to a dozen or so of the most philosophical \nen of 
 the present day. In that case it would have been appreciated : 
 the admiration of it by such an audience, would have known 
 no bounds. 
 
 Mr. Serjeant Talfourd is poetical and eloquent in the high- 
 est degree. His matter almost cloys one with its richness.
 
 MR. BORTHWICK. 197 
 
 In beautiful and appropriate imagery, he excels all men I ever 
 heard speak: I mean in the more carefully wrought passages 
 when speaking on important questions. He is fond of intro- 
 ducing a great deal of scriptural phraseology into his speeches. 
 In his maiden efforts in Parliament, there was much of this. 
 He talked of " quitting themselves like men," of being " knit 
 together in love," &c. &c. 
 
 His second, and I believe, only other speech in the house, 
 was in defence of the Municipal Corporation Bill. It was 
 very short. It did not occupy above ten minutes in the deli- 
 very. It was much less refined than the other, and was de- 
 livered at a more suitable hour of the evening, and to a house 
 in a more attentive mood. It consequently told with better 
 effect. Still, the reception he met with on the occasion, was 
 not at all equal to what would have been expected by those 
 who have heard him in the courts of law. 
 
 In person Mr. Sergeant Talfourd is about the middle size, 
 and well made. His hair is black, and his complexion very 
 dark. His features are small, and his face round. He has the 
 most piercing eyes I ever saw ; they have much of what lovers 
 call a languishing expression about them. His face has alto- 
 gether much of a soft and feminine appearance. He is a man 
 of much kindness of heart, and much affability of manner. I 
 question if there be a man of more cultivated mind in the 
 house. He is about forty years of age. 
 
 Mr. BORTHWICK, the member for Evesham, is one of whom 
 great expectations were also entertained by those who pre- 
 viously knew him. He is a Conservative, and is returned 
 through the influence of a rich Conservative baronet. As a 
 speaker at public meetings, before he entered Parliament, he 
 has seldom been surpassed ; as a debater, I hardly ever knew 
 his equal. His talents for public speaking and debating were 
 so warmly spoken of by those who had an opportunity of form- 
 ing an opinion on the subject, that the West-India interest 
 appointed him, in 1832-33, to make the tour of the country, 
 for the purpose of replying to the statements made by the 
 Abolitionists, respecting the condition of the negroes in the 
 colonies. And ably did he perform his task. I may mention, in 
 proof of the expectations which his own party entertained of 
 a successful parliamentary debut, that the first time he spoke, 
 which was in the second week of the Session, Sir Robert 
 Peel paid the most marked attention to him for fifteen or 
 twenty minutes; but, as if satisfied that Mr. Borthwick's 
 17*
 
 198 COLONEL THOMPSON. 
 
 talents had bocn over-rated, the right honourable Baronet then 
 quitted the house. Mr. Borthwick continued to speak for 
 nearly an hour after, but very little attention was paid to what 
 he said. He has often spoken since, but somehow or other is 
 very unpopular in the house. In the very last speech he 
 made, which was within a fortnight of the close of the Ses- 
 sion, he was coughed, and sneezed, and yawned at, and ironi- 
 cally cheered, to a very unpleasant extent. In the midst of 
 these interruptions, he uttered a rather unusual threat. He 
 said, that if the house did not allow him to conclude in his 
 own time, and in his own way, he was determined not to 
 conclude at all. A universal shout of laughter greeted the 
 sentence. 
 
 In stature he is rather under the middle size. He is well 
 formed, and has a very handsome face. His complexion is 
 slightly dark, and his hair a beautiful black. He is about 
 thirty-five years of age. 
 
 Colonel THOMPSON, the member for Hull, was not returned 
 at the last general election. He was chosen on the death of 
 Mr. Carruthers, the late member. He was one from whom 
 great things were expected by the Radical party, to whom he 
 belongs, and for whom he has done so much by his writings 
 in the Westminster Review. Of that journal he is now sole 
 editor, Dr. Bowring having quitted the management of it 
 eighteen or twenty months since. Colonel Thompson cannot 
 be said to have failed, because he has not yet attempted any- 
 thing in the way of speaking. He has not yet, I believe, de- 
 livered a single sentence even in the course of the desultory 
 conversation which so often occurs when the house is in Com- 
 mittee. I have heard him speak in public ; he is by no means 
 an attractive speaker, and I have no idea he will ever acquire 
 any distinction in that way in the house. As a writer, how- 
 ever, he is one of the most nervous and acute, though gene- 
 rally quaint in style, of the present day. He is a thorough- 
 going Radical, and is allowed, by all who know him, to be a 
 man of the strictest integrity. 
 
 In person, he is short and stout. He dresses plainly. He 
 generally wears a blue coat. His complexion is a mixture of 
 red and fair. His face is large, and has something of the oval 
 form. His hair is beginning to get gray. He is about sixty 
 years of age. He is one of the most attentive men to his par- 
 liamentary duties in the house.
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 199 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 IT can hardly be necessary to mention, that in selecting for 
 special notice the members whose names I have given in pre- 
 vious chapters of this work, I have been guided solely by the 
 frequency with which their names appeared before the public. 
 The consequence has been that I have been obliged to give 
 sketches of some honourable gentlemen who, on the mere ab- 
 stract ground of talent, were not so much entitled to a notice 
 as many others whose names scarcely ever meet the public 
 eye. There are many members in the house who are known 
 to those on terms of intimacy with them, to be men of exten- 
 sive information and distinguished abilities, who never open 
 their mouths at all. I could mention the names of many such 
 individuals, but am prevented from doing so lest I should 
 thereby be unintentionally unjust to others, who, although 
 unknown to me, possess equal claims to be so singled out. 
 There are other members, again, of very great abilities almost 
 as much unknown to Parliamentary fame, who deliver one 
 speech, perhaps, in the course of two or three Sessions. I 
 cannot forbear to mention the name of Mr. Charles Russell, 
 member for Reading, as an instance of this. Mr. Russell is 
 a liberal Tory, and has sat for the above borough since 1830; 
 but he has spoken so very seldom as to be almost entirely un- 
 known to the public. Towards the close of last Session, how- 
 ever, he made a speech in opposition to Mr. Grote's motion 
 for the Vote by Ballot, which was allowed on all hands to be 
 one of the ablest, if not the very ablest, ever delivered on that 
 side of the question. It lasted for about an hour, and was 
 certainly one of the most closely and ably reasoned speeches 
 1 ever heard in the house. The manner of delivery, however, 
 was very much against it. Mr. Russell had evidently care- 
 fully studied it before-hand, and that circumstance concurred 
 with a natural habit to speaking rapidly, to make him hurry 
 'through it in that monotonous and mechanical way in which 
 school-boys repeat the tasks they have committed to memory. 
 His voice, too, is weak, and therefore he was but imperfectly 
 heard in the more distant parts of the house. Had the speech 
 17*
 
 200 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 been delivered by Sir Robert Peel, or any other first-rate 
 speaker, it would have electrified the auditors. 
 
 I have often been struck with the number of members who 
 have shone on the hustings, and at public meetings, who have 
 completely failed in the house. The cause of this is some- 
 times to be found in the members themselves, sometimes in 
 the house, but more frequently in both. The confidence 
 which sustains public speakers when addressing a mixed mul- 
 titude, often forsakes them in their maiden efforts in the house, 
 and there is consequently a corresponding inferiority in the 
 quality of their matter if the speech be not previously pre- 
 pared and proportionate deduction from the excellence of the 
 delivery. No one but those who have experienced it can 
 form any idea of the paralyzing effect produced, both on the 
 matter and manner of the speaker, when, instead of having 
 his almost every sentence greeted with the deafening plaudits 
 of a mixed assembly, he is not only heard without a murmur 
 of applause, but perhaps with the most marked indifference 
 and inattention. A new member who meets with a cold re- 
 ception when making his first speech in the house, especially 
 if previously popular with promiscuous assemblages of people, 
 is usually so mortified, disappointed, and disheartened, that he 
 either never makes another experiment of the kind, or if he 
 do, the chances are ten to one he will be so disconcerted by 
 the recollection of his former failure, as to meet with no better 
 success on his second effort. There are many new members, 
 who make an unsuccessful debtit, as I have already men- 
 tioned when speaking of Mr. Serjeant Talfourd's failure, 
 simply from ignorance of the best time to address the house. 
 Unless the person have a very high out-of-doors reputation, 
 indeed, for his oratorical acquirements, he is sure to have a 
 listless unwilling audience if he speak between the hours of 
 five and nine o'clock, when a question of importance is before 
 the- house. Not only, as observed in a previous chapter, is no 
 good speaker, or member of talent, expected to address the 
 house in that interval of time, but the constant bustle and 
 noise occasioned by the ingress and egress of members, are 
 most unfavourable to oratorical effect. 
 
 I know there are many new members who are aware, that 
 to address the house at an early hour when any question of 
 importance ia under discussion, is sure to operate against 
 them ; but then they are equally aware that there is very 
 little chance of catching the eye of the Speaker at a later
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 201 
 
 hour, the most distinguished men in the house being, in almost 
 every instance, previously fixed on in the Speaker's mind, for 
 addressing the house after nine or ten o'clock. The best 
 course for new members to adopt, who are qualified, or con- 
 ceive themselves to be so, for making an appearance, as it is 
 called, in the house, would be to give notice of a motion for a 
 particular evening on some question of general importance. 
 They would, in that case, make their debftt under every ad- 
 vantage. Those anxious to see how they would acquit them- 
 selves on their first effort, would be present, and be attentive 
 listeners, which would go far to insure the attention of others. 
 The debutant would be allowed to speak as long as he pleased, 
 and would be certain of meeting with no clamour or inter- 
 ruption ; for I hardly recollect one instance with the single 
 exception of the case of Mr. Hunt, when he brought forward 
 a motion which had folly on the face of it, respecting the pro- 
 priety of granting a general pardon to those who had been 
 convicted by the Special Commission of that period, and which 
 he prefaced by a speech extending to so unreasonable a length 
 as to occupy four hours in the delivery,* with this exception, 
 I scarcely recollect an instance of any attempt to put down a 
 speaker when introducing a motion to the house. Then, 
 again, new members have, in this case, the right of reply, 
 which affords an excellent opportunity to those who have 
 talents for extempore speaking, of displaying those talejits to 
 advantage. 
 
 Every one acquainted with the house, must have been 
 struck with the great addition to the number of religious 
 members, which has been within the last few years. This 
 fact has been conclusively shown in the reception which late 
 Bills for the better observance of the Sabbath have met with, 
 compared with the way in which those formerly introduced 
 were treated. Sir Andrew Agnew's first Sabbath Bill, four 
 years ago, was lost, on the second reading by a majority of 
 two to one. In 1834, Mr. Poulter's Sabbath Bill was read a 
 second time by a small majority, though lost in the third 
 reading. The second reading of the Sabbath Bill of the same 
 gentleman introduced last Session, was carried by a conside- 
 rable majority, with reference to the numbers in the house at 
 the time, though lost in an after-stage by a small majority. I 
 
 * This motion was negatived by a majority of 209 to 2.
 
 '202 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 am aware thorp aro several Members who voted for the Sab- 
 kit h Bills of Mr. Poulter, who would not have voted for those 
 of Sir Andrew Agnow, the latter being of a much more 
 sweeping character than the former ; but from a calculation I 
 have made, I am satisfied Sir Andrew Agnew's minority, 
 were he to re-introduce either of his former Sabbath Bills 
 into the house, would be a third larger than on any former 
 occasion. So great was the increase in the number of the 
 supporters of his Bill, or of those in favour of the principle of 
 the measure, last year, that the second reading was lost by a 
 majority of only 36, the number being, for the second reading, 
 125; against it, 101. 
 
 It must often have been remarked by my readers that cer- 
 tain honourable members now and then emerge, by means of 
 some accidental occurrence, from obscurity, and in a day or 
 two fall back again into as great oblivion as ever. Mr. Hume 
 has been the means made use of by several honourable mem- 
 bers for bringing themselves into this temporary notice. He 
 is known to be a man of a remarkably peaceable disposition, 
 and not likely either to give or accept a challenge. In the 
 course of last Session, there were two memorable instances of 
 members emerging for a few days from obscurity through 
 means of attacks on Mr. Hume. The first was Mr. Charlton, 
 the member for Ludlow, whose name hardly ever before met 
 the public eye. Mr. Hume, or he, I do not recollect which, 
 was addressing a few remarks to the house in the midst of 
 considerable noise, when the other dissenting from some par- 
 ticular expression, the party speaking said, with much tart- 
 ness of manner, " Hold your tongue, Sir !" The other re- 
 torted, " You are an impudent fellow." So at least the latter 
 thought and said. Mr. Charlton that night penned a chal- 
 lenge to Mr. Hume, which the latter received the next morn- 
 ing. Mr. Hume immediately on the house meeting brought 
 the subject before it as a breach of privilege, dwelling in a 
 most pathetic strain on the fact of his having received the 
 hostile billet just as he was in the act of sitting down to 
 breakfast, and which proved fatal to an appetite, the excel- 
 lence and keenness of which, but a moment before, had never 
 been exceeded. A discussion of some length followed ; and 
 Mr. Charlton was attacked in the Morning Chronicle and 
 other Liberal papers of the following day. Tins gave him an 
 opportunity of replying in those papers; so that, for a few 
 days, hia name met every body's eye, and was in every body's
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 203 
 
 mouth. In a week after, Mr. Charlton was forgotten, and 
 has not since been heard of. He is, according to his own re- 
 presentation, a moderate Reformer. 
 
 On another occasion it occurred v l think, in the beginning 
 of July last honourable members were much amused at the 
 way in which Mr. Kearsley, member for Wigan, brought 
 himself into temporary notice by attacking Mr. Hume. The 
 house was in a Committee of Supply at the time, and the 
 member for Middlesex was, as is usual on such occasions, 
 making quite a field-day of it. He opposed almost every 
 grant of money that was that evening proposed for the public 
 service. While opposing one of these grants, 
 
 Mr. Kearsley rose and addressed the Chairman as follows, 
 looking, however, not at him, but at Mr. Hume in the face: 
 " Mr. Bernal: It has often been said in this house and else- 
 where, that the honourable member for Middlesex has been 
 very useful to the country by checking the extravagant ex- 
 penditure of Ministers. But after what I have just seen with 
 my own eyes, I put down his conduct as perfect humbug. 
 (Roars of laughter with some cries of hear! hear!) Yes, and 
 I pronounce the honourable member himself, to be a complete 
 humbug. (Renewed bursts of laughter, with cries of order, 
 order ! from a few voices.) I do not mean any personal un- 
 kindness to the honourable member, but I must say, that when 
 a vote was put to the house for granting some secret service 
 money, it was thirty something (loud laughter) 30,000 
 odd, I believe, I saw an honourable gentleman connected 
 with the noble Lord (Lord John Russell) opposite, go up to 
 him, and give him a check for coming forward (loud laughter 
 mingled with cheers from the Conservative side of the house), 
 I saw, it, Sir, (laughter) yes, Sir, with my own eyes I 
 saw it, (renewed laughter from all parts of the house). It's a 
 perfect humbug, Sir; a complete humbug, Sir, and nothing 
 else (hear, hear! and roars of laughter). 
 
 Mr. Kearsley, who is a short, thick-set, and remarkable 
 good-natured man, delivered these observations with an em- 
 phasis and peculiarity of manner, staring Mr. Hume who 
 was directly opposite him all the while in the face, that had 
 the celebrated weeping philosopher of antiquity himself been 
 present, he could not have refrained from joining in the uni- 
 versal laughter. 
 
 Mr. Hume replied to the charge of being " a humbug" " a 
 complete humbug," "a perfect humbug" as follows: " I am
 
 204 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 afraid that the honourable member's optics are not in the best 
 possible state to-night. (Great laughter.) I think the honour- 
 able member sees double. (Continued laughter.) I certainly 
 did protest against voting 30,000 secret-service money ; but 
 I am glad we have reduced the grant so low, for we formerly 
 voted j60,000 and upwards for the same purpose. As to the 
 honourable gentleman's charge against me, I tell him that no 
 person whatever spoke to me on the subject. No man has 
 ever attempted to control or check me in my public conduct. 
 I will be controlled by no man and least of all shall the 
 honourable member control me." 
 
 Mr. Kearsley, on this, leaped to his feet, or, as the Times 
 of the following morning had it, " started up with great ani- 
 mation," and looking Mr. Hume steadily and very significant- 
 ly in the face, gave vent to the emotions which agitated his 
 bosom, as follows : " And I tell the honourable member for 
 Middlesex, in return, that of all men he is not the person 
 whom I shall suffer to control me. If I have any infirmity of 
 sight, and cannot see, it is not very civil on the part of the 
 honourable member to tell me of it. (Laughter.) It's not 
 what I call politeness. (Order, order! and renewed laughter.) 
 I tell the honourable gentleman, that if my sight is not so 
 good as it ought to be, neither is his head so good as it ought 
 to be. (Loud laughter, and cheers from the Opposition.) I 
 tell him that I can see to count up the " tottel* of the whole" 
 as well as he can. (A loud and universal roar of laughter 
 followed this.) No, I'll not be put down by the honourable 
 member for Middlesex. (Cries of order, order !) No, nor will 
 I be put down by any man who supports him, whether he be 
 on the honourable member's right hand or left hand. (Loud 
 laughter, with cries of order!) The eyes of the country are 
 upon us, and they'll soon judge which of us is right, and 
 which of us is wrong who's a humbug, and who is not. (Re- 
 newed bursts of laughter.) 
 
 Mr. Hume, whom it is impossible to put out of temper, said 
 by way of rejoinder: " I beg the honourable member not to 
 mistake me ; I did not say anything about the infirmity of his 
 eyes. I did not accuse him of not seeing; I only accused 
 him of seeing too much." (Loud laughter.) 
 
 * This is a common expression of Mr. Hume's ; the word total 
 being always pronounced with a broad Scotch accent " tottel."
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 205 
 
 Mr. Kearsley, who seemed by this time to have recovered 
 his usual composure and good-nature, said in reference to 
 this: "The honourable member is out of his reckoning 
 again." (Laughter.) 
 
 The matter then dropped, but the account of the harmless 
 interchange of wit between Mr. Kearsley and Mr. Hume, 
 occupied a conspicuous place in the newspapers of the follow- 
 ing morning, and went the round of the provincial journals, 
 accompanied in some instances with a " word of comment." 
 Mr. Kearsley's name was consequently for eight or ten days 
 kept constantly before the public eye. He then, like Mr. 
 Charlton, fell back again into his obscurity, and nothing more 
 has since been heard of him. 
 
 The practice of seeing double in the house, after a certain 
 hour, is not new. It was quite common as far back as the 
 days of Pitt and Dundas. They were in the habit of dia- 
 loguing each other after having dined together, as follows: 
 
 PITT. " I can't see the Speaker, Hal ; can you ?' T 
 DUNDAS. "Not see the Speaker, Billy ! I see two!" 
 
 It is often amusing to witness the undue importance which 
 some honourable members attach to particular measures, while 
 others of incomparably greater moment, seem scarcely to excite 
 the least attention in their minds. One very striking illus- 
 tration of this occurred towards the close of last session. Mr. 
 Freshfield, the member for Penryn, and a barrister by profes- 
 sion, conceived the most inveterate dislike to Sir John Camp- 
 bell's bill for the Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt, and that 
 dislike he took every opportunity of evincing. He opposed 
 the bill most strenuously in its every stage through the 
 house. Even after it had gone through Committee, and was 
 fixed for a third reading, he opposed it (though such a course 
 is most unusual) as vehemently as ever. The third reading 
 was appointed for a Saturday, and though there were not 
 above fifteen or twenty members in the house, and only one 
 or two, as far as I could learn, opposed to the measure, he 
 spoke, and certainly with considerable ability, more than an 
 hour in opposition to it. If its certain effect had been to 
 plunge the country into an immediate and universal revolution, 
 he could not have dwelt more earnestly on the evils with 
 which, as he alleged, it was fraught. He denounced not only 
 Sir John Campbell himself, but all those who sanctioned the 
 18
 
 206 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 measure, as committing an offence against the well-being of 
 the country and society of the most enormous magnitude. In 
 short, I never knew a man feel more strongly on any subject. 
 
 I have known many instances of members who had been 
 silent during the whole of a long parliamentary career, hav- 
 ing their mouths opened, as they say when licensing a cler- 
 gyman in Scotland to preach, by some measure which imme- 
 diately affected themselves personally or their constituents. 
 One instance of this occurred in the case of the right honour- 
 able Colonel Francis Grant, of Grant, member for the united 
 counties of Moray and Nairn, and a gentleman of great pri- 
 vate worth. The gallant Colonel has been in Parliament 
 nearly thirty years, but never, so far as I am aware, attempt- 
 ed to utter a word in it, until, in the year 1832, the house, 
 when in Committee on the Scotch Reform Bill, came to that 
 clause which proposed a junction between the counties of 
 Moray and Nairn in the return of a representative to Parlia- 
 ment. The gallant Colonel was not only strenuously opposed 
 to such union individually, but the thing was most unpopular in 
 the county he represented, and his constituents urged him to 
 offer every opposition to it in his power. He accordingly 
 made a speech of some lengtfi and much ability against it. 
 The speech was greatly admired by those who heard it, as it 
 afterwards was by those who read it in the Mirror of Par- 
 liament. The gallant Colonel, who is of a retiring and diffi- 
 dent disposition, has not spoken in the house since then ; at 
 least, not to the best of my recollection. 
 
 Mr. BISH, the member for Leominster, of " Lucky Corner'* 
 and 30,000 prizes celebrity, could never be prevailed on to 
 open his mouth in the house, except on two subjects. The 
 one was always brought forward by himself, I refer to his 
 singular annual motion, for some years past, for Parliament 
 sitting once every three years in Dublin. The other subject I 
 allude to is that of Government Lotteries. If any other 
 honourable member ever mentioned this subject, up started 
 Mr. Bish the moment he sat down, and descanted on the in- 
 finite benefit of which such lotteries were productive to the 
 country. He was sure on all such occasions, stoutly to main- 
 tain, that Government lotteries were the very life and soul of 
 the country that to sanction them was the most striking 
 proof of enlightened legislation which ever any senate ex- 
 hibited to the world and that to do away with them was
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 207 
 
 "demonstration strong" of our rapid retrogression towards 
 barbarism. 
 
 Schedule A in the Reform Bill, which destroyed so many 
 close boroughs, worked miracles in the way of causing dumb 
 legislators to speak. The zeal which many of the represen- 
 tatives of these boroughs, who felt a presentiment, that, with 
 their extinction would close their own legislative career, 
 evinced, when the clauses proposing their annihilation, were 
 read, exceeded anything I ever witnessed. The representa- 
 tives of these places dwelt on the irreparable injury the House 
 was therein doing to the Constitution, with an energy and 
 animation which surprised all who heard them.
 
 j IN
 
 $35 
 
 r 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 Santa Barbara 
 
 THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW. 
 
 Series 9482
 
 
 UTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACIUTY