Punch (35.1858)

August 7, 1858.]

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI

61

Miss Matilda. "Go on. Fido !—There's one great Drawback to these Hats—trey hake one look like everybody else." {Ahem!)

THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE HOUSE.

Mr. Hume, who, last week, addressed a question to Lord John
Manners, on the truth of the recent reports that the foundations of
the House have given way in an alarming manner, may have been
satisfied by Lord John's assurance that Sir C. Barry and the Office
of Works considered that there was no ground for the rumour, bat
we can assure him that the official answer is far from generally
satisfactory.

The public who consider that the foundations of the House of
Commons are public respect and confidence, are of opinion that these
corner stones of the edifice have rarely been so shaken as in the
present session.

Lord Palmerston, who is of opinion that the foundation stone of
lite House is belief in him, has no doubt that the House is very shaky
indeed.

Lord John Russell, who believes the House can never be safe
unless it rests on a solid substratum of Old Whig family clique, is
seriously apprehensive that the want of such a basis at present
endangers the whole structure.

Wi scount Williams, who holds that penny wisdom is the founda-
tion stoue of St. Stephens, sees the most grave reasons to fear that
one day we shall have the costly fabric about our ears.

Messks. Spooner, Newdegate, and Warren have no faith in any
House of Commons that is not based on Protestant principles, and the
Protestant principles of the House have notoriously been giving way
for many years past.

Lastly, Mr. Bentinck, in whose eyes the only solid foundations
of the Legislature is Protection to British Industry, has lived to see
that stone rudely shivered at the hands of a Derby administration, and
of course he is satisfied that the British Constitution, to say nothing
of the House of Commons, is destined to speedy ruin.

a rare habit oe philosophy.

It is not every man who can laugh ud his sleeve when he happens
to be out-at-elbovvs.

A FEMALE VIOLINIST.

We have heard Mdlle. Humler. She plays on the violin with a
most charming grace. We split a spotless pair of gloves (laven-
der—4s. 'id) in applauding her. It was more than we could do
to keep our hands quiet; and yet it is not once in a hundred weeks
that we do applaud. The temptation occurs so seldom. Mdlle.
Humler must send us the address of her gantier; for, listening to
her, we became reckless. She made that stupid-looking bit of wood
appeal, cry, laugh, whisper, scream, fall on its knees, tumbie head over
heels, sing, talk, persuade, charm, convince, make love, do everything
that man and woman generally do, and generally do most indifferent ly.
Mademoiselle has no need to talk to express her thoughts. The
violin is her conversation. It talks and sings at the same time, your
ears ail the while being held, as by a loving hand, to catch every
little touching word. She is an instrumental Bosio, warbling just as
sweetly with her fiddlestick, that seems to have a voice in it. We
heard Mr. Distin (a great trumpet in his way) loudly apostrophise
her as a "female Paganini.5' More than Paganini, she pleases as
well as astonishes. With her it is not merely (ours deforce, but
tours de plaisir, d'extase, de larmes, de de'lire, de Septieme Paradis—so
to speak in a musico-fanatico style.

On most occasions we would rather walk over several muddy cross-
ings to avoid hearing the violin, against which our excoriated ear
cherishes a most hearty hatred; but to hear Mdlle. Humler, we
would wade any day through a Novemberish depth of mud to pay
aural homage to the eloquent music she has the power of extracting
from that instrument of torture.

Mettemich Outdone.

The Machiavelli of Vienna delighted in saying " Apres mot, It
Deluge" If the mouth of the Thames could but speak, it might, with
a feeling of pain rather than pride running through its heaving bosom,
ejaculate the same thing; for we are sure it requires after it nothing
short of a Deluge to cleanse it of all its impurities.

Axiom eor the "TJnivers."—The only legitimate liberty of con-
science consists in being free to confess.