Punch (29.1855)

A PORTRAIT OF MT PUNCH ABOUT TO Flf^E HIS ^9 POUNDER-

PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

1V/TONDAY, June 25th. In the Commons the First Lord of the
Admiralty apprised the house of the actual extent of the Hango
atrocity; and also mentioned the contradictory lies by which the
Russian authorities affected to vindicate it. It. appears that the
ruffians at Hango murdered outright but six of the boat's crew, (two
their own fellow-subjects), and wounded the same number, the
remainder of the party being made prisoners. The Russians pretend,
first, thar, they did not see the flag of truce; and, secondly, that they
had been irritated into firing upon it, by learning that elsewhere
soundings had been taken under the protection of such an ensign ; a
third lie, no such thing having ever been done. "From the contemptu-
ously inconsistent character of the answer, it is manifest that the
Russians glory in one of the foulest crimes ever perpetrated.

Lord Palmerston announced, that the government meant to throw
over the biJl for dealing with Doctors' Commons, and some important
Scotch and Irish bills. He also proposed that the question of
education—about which there could of course be no hurry—should
stand over until next year. He would pass, if he could, the bill for
transferring the Ordnance property to the Secretary at War, the bill
regarding Limited Partnership, and the Board of Health bills. Mr.
Punch reserves his sentiments upon the utility of Parliaments until
he sees whether even this modified programme be carried out.

The Premier made a much more satisfactory announcement, in
stating that our losses in the late gallant attack on the Redan, though
they are not to be spoken of lightly, were very small compared to the
estimate at first made-

The rest of the night was occupied with Lord John Russell's
unconstitutional constitutions for Victoria and New South Wales, and
towards the end of the debate many members had acquired a tolerably
distinct idea as to what part of the world those places were situate in.

Tuesday.—In the Lords, Lord Lyndhurst made another of his
masterly exposures of 'he conduct of Prussia, Austria, and our Foreign
Office, in regard to the war. He deliberately declared, that he had no
confidence in Prussia, and that the " subserviency " of that wretched
nation to Russia, deprived her of "the title to be called an independent
power." He owned to having had some hope of Austria, as a military
country under a young and spirited monarch, but she had also turned
craven, and was in a state of "humiliation." He showed how Russia
had first bamboozled and then scoffed at our negociator, of whom the
old Tory was unkiud enough to say, that he never knew a man involved
in difficulties and perplexities extricate himself from them with more
address and dexterity than that noble lord, and he believed that the noble
lord would voluntarily place himself in situations of difficulty, in order
to exert his skill in escaping from them. But upon this occasion the
artful dodger had been done. Finally, he was so good as to remind
Lord Palmerston that the present crisi* was one of exceeding difficulty,
and that though he had come into office amid popular applause, he
must mind most particularly well what he was about, if he meant to
preserve either applause or office. Lord Clarendon grumbled that
Austria, and Germany in general, should be spoken of disrespectfully,
but admitted that we had failed in bringing them to behave decently,
and added, that the result was that France and England were now
unfettered, and might make auy peace they pleased—a great triumph, as
those nations must feel. However, they have a little more war to
make before they make any peace.

In the Commons, Lord Robert Grosvenor intimated that he did
nof, believe that the people were opposed to his Sunday Trade Bill, and
that he meant to go on with it. How is this man to be convinced ?
He has written a letter objecting to being thrown into the Serpentine,
and ieally one does not know what process of conviction would be

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