Punch (33.1857)

32

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[July 25, 1857.

THE LATE MISUNDEBSTANDING.

To Mr. Punch.

^^js^^^ IR,—Oblige me by publish-

^%s. ) m? the enclosed corres-

g ^| J pondence.

0 *r f' Yours, Dizzy.

1 ^ Jz§^%l $K J "Dear Derby,—You are

^ti^ r reported to have said in the

iilil^ ^-Z!ls£^«r~^ House last night, that 'you

^w^- ^*^B^y'] ife . would rather not see a Jew

^—^f^^^^T ' Chancellor of the Exche-

'10^j^r^1 ^^^m/frfl i1161-' You will scarcely be

mm illl/lii(l\Wm mV/// surprised at my asking for

^.^IMw I 1 I '9\Wlii an explanation.

'''uWmJt ^kSftlfiw/ " Yours'Djzzy-"

li^MmiM^tmlmM " The Bight Hon., fyc. Sfc,

Dear Dizzy,—You do

^^^^^^^Se^^s^H July 1L"

■z^^^^^^^^^^^^3^:jffl8^. "Demi Derby,—Sol
"-^^^■-^^^^^^^^i^^^^^^lz am. Your explanation

jSi; -jji - m()>. satisfactory. 1 pre-

sume you will not object to
my forwarding this correspondence to Punch.

" The Right Hon., fyc. fyc, July 11." " Yours, Dizzy."

PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

July \Zth, Monday. Sir Colin Campbell goes out to take the
chief command in India. He could hardly have refused, for Field
Marshal Prince Consort (in imitation of the speech of Eield
Marshal the Duke of Wellington to Sir Charles Napier)
had said to him, " Either you must go, or I." But so far from wishing
to refuse, the gallant Colin was almost off before Lord Panmure
could tell him he was wanted—the India Mail was stopped at Mar-
seilles that he might catch the steamer (Scotland may like to know
that her hero started on Sunday night), and about the time that Mr.
Punch's record is read, Sir Colin must be cutting across the desert
with all his might. Woe to the Black Beetles when the Highland
Hedgehog gets at them! The above information, of course in a stu-
pider form, came out in the Lords to-night, and also in the Commons,
with the important news brought by the last mail; namely, that poor
General Anson had succumbed to disease, that Delhi was not taken,
but that the mutineers had fought, and been beaten, that more dis-
affection had manifested itself, that one way and another the Bengal
army had lost 26,000 men.

Lord Campbell's Immoral Publications Bill has passed the Lords,
the last discussion having been enlivened by Lord Lyndhurst's
telling Lord Campbell that he was such a pachydermatous peer that
he really did not know when an insulting thing had been said. Lord
Malmesbury is still unhappy about the other geese that were in St.
James's Park, although he has been repeatedly told to calm his frater-
nal feelings, for the geese are as safe and happy at Kew as he could be
at Heron Court. He took an opportunity, in the course of his
maundering against Sir B. Hall, to call Lord Palmerston a daring
and rollicking party, which Lord Granville thought rude. Lord
Campbell brought up the Select Committee's Report as to whether
Newspapers are to be permitted to give with impunity accounts of
public meetings. It is recommended that they be allowed that awful
licence, provided the meeting be called by an official and responsible
person.

The Commons went into supply, and the eternal Map question came
up once more, and was discussed for a great while and to no result.
Lord Palmerston's announcement that 14,000 troops had been
ordered to India, that more were to go, and that the troops on their
way to China were also to be used in India, was received with
satisfaction.

Tuesday. Nothing of consequence in the Lords except the reading of
some despatches from India.

In the Commons Lord Goderich carried a resolution affirming the
principle of competitive examination for the Civil Service, and Mr.
Charles Buxton carried an address against the African Slave Trade,
for which Lord Palmerston thanked him, and explained that Spain
was the European sinner against human liberty.

^ Wednesday. The Irish malcontents have defeated the Judgments
Execution Bill, justly regarding it as a new link in the chain which the
Saxon is ever seeking to rivet round the limbs of unhappy Oireland
which it unquestionably is, its tendency being to assist creditors and
prevent fraud. Sir Erskine Perry's Bill, for securing the property
of married women, was read a second time, but is doomed to mutila-
tion, if not to death. It appears to Mr. Punch that it would be as well
to legislate in this matter without exactly assuming that all husbands
are spendthrifts and tyrants, and that the best measure (and some
measure is undoubtedly wanted) would be one simply enabling a
woman to obtain, in the hour of need, some such protection as she now
obtains against personal violence- Because really, as far as Mr. Punch
has seen, most husbands are inclined to be obedient and docile, and to
let their wives haise quite as much of their own way as is good for
them, and the law, instead of interfering with unobjectionable people,
should provide remedies in the exceptional cases.

Thursday. Lord Ellenborotjgh again spoke about India, and
proposed that five millions should be lent her, to aid her out of her
present difficulty. With less generosity he mentioned that he had
acquaintance with great numbers of gentlemen connected with India,
and they all had the most thorough distrust of Vernon Smith.
Mr. O'Elaherty has been turned out of the representation of
not seem to be aware that j Galway, and Mr. Punch is still more happy to state that Archbishop
you are a Christian. j Mac Hale and his clerical tail have received a signal blow, the Mayo

Yours, Derby." i Committee having extruded Mr. George Henry Moore, and having
denounced the system of spiritual intimidation by which he was
returned. The respectable Boman Catholics of Mayo must now rally
round Mr. Higgins, who deserves all credit for dragging Mac Hale,
Moore & Co. into the Parliamentary dock.

Mr. Roebuck then brought on an utterly useless discussion on the
Persian war, and endeavoured to get the House to " reprobate " the
conduct of Lord Palmerston in not having consulted Parliament before
falling upon the Shah. Some smart speaking took place. In the
course of the debate Mr. Roebuck said that we might lose India. There
burst from the Conservative benches such an indignant "No" that
Mr. Roebuck's own plucky heart was touched, and he declared that
it was a most "English" expression of resolution, and that he sympa-
thised with it cordially. Lord John Russell, Mr. Gladstone, Mr.
Walpole, and Mr. Disraeli each took a shot at old Pam, but all
stood by him on division, and Mr. Roebuck was beaten by 352 to 38.

Fraudulent Trustees will please to accept this intimation, that the
Bill for bringing them to book has passed the House of Commons.

Friday. Lord Brougham came out nobly in the cause of African
freedom, and against the proposed system of exporting black emigrants
—true to the work which he has been doing for sixty years. Lord
Harrowby read a letter from an African king, which showed what
were his Majesty's notions of the plan. This Anointed sovereign (whose
anointing far exceeds that of European monarchs, with their one dab of
oil, he oiling himself all over every day) writes from old Calabar Palace,
and says, m curious orthography, that no free emigrants will come, but
that he and other " gentlemen " will be happy to supply " emigrants "
at the price of four boxes of brass and copper rod per head. An Anti-
Slavery address to the*Queen was agreed to.

The Commons were chiefly occupied with the renewal of the
Hebrew question. The Lords having again rejected the Bill for
admitting the Jew, his friends have held meetings on the subject, and
the result is, that Lord John Russell proposes to introduce a Bill,
enabling persons in all cases to take oaths in the form most binding on
their consciences,—whether wearing a hat, breaking a saucer, or
kissing a volume, be the outward and visible sign that the swearer
intends a solemn appeal to Providence. He tried to bring the Bill in on
Friday; but, the Opposition, emulous of the obstructive reputation of
the Peers, set themselves against him in array, stopped his address in
the first part of the evening, because he went to work too early, and
hours afterwards resisted him, because he went to work too late.
They divided four times in favour of adjournment; and, as this process,
if pursued, is always successful, he was obliged, at four in the morning,
to give way, and announce the Bill for the next Tuesday. The Oppo-
sition game will, of course, be to postpone and protract the discussion
as much as possible, so that the measure cannot pass in a Sessioa
whose hours are numbered. Lord Palmerston might beat their
tactics by refusing to prorogue; but dares he ask the territorial
aristocracy to give up Grouse for Jews ?

A personal row between Mr. Horsman and some other Members
came on, Horsman, who is Chairman of an Election Committee,
being accused of procuring its adjournment (causing expense to the
parties) in order that he might attend the Jew-claim meeting. He
denied, very elaborately, that he had done any harm; but another
Member of the Committee, Lord Galway, declared, that had he
known why the adjournment was asked, it should not have taken place,
and Horsman does appear to have rather " managed " the thing.
Lord Palmerston made another demolition of the Isthmus of Suez
Canal project, explaining that the real objection to it was, that it would
give other powers a great start of England, in the event of hostilities
in the Indian seas. The Persian War Vote was taken in Supply, and