Punch: Punch (57.1869)

56

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[August 14, 1869.

Some people want a railway from Rangoon, through British Barmah,
PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT. to Western China. Happy Thought. Torment boys home from school

j by demanding latitudes and longitudes. If they give them, the good •
Punch informed you, • boys will know more than Mr. Grant Duff thinks most folks know
in his i accustomed i about the places in question. He seemed to hint that when the country
to be traversed had been really discovered, the railway question might
come up again.

sweet and frank man-
ner, that he thought
it very likely that both
Lords and Commons
sat on Friday, the pe-
nultimate day of July,
but that as he went
fishing, he could not

Saturday. Yes, the industrious blokes sat on Saturday, and Mr.
Torrens had the pleasure of beating the Ministry, represented by
Mr. Ayrton, who is not very popular. It was on the Metropolitan
Loans Bill, and Mr. Torrens carried, by 40 to 33, a clause pre-
venting the Board of Works from leasing to builders land that had
vouch" for "the fact" I been bought for recreation purposes. On a later day the decision was
He was ri^ht as ! reversed, and there are two sides to the question, the leasing applying
usual. Those respected ! onty to "fringes" of the parks, and beins inteuded to obtain funds for
their improvement. But the fact that Mr. Ayrton managed to get
his Ministry wopped is noticeable—and noticed.

But, Bless him, with a large B, he brought in the Appropriation
Bill. You know what that meant. Very early prorogation.

Houses did sit. Lord
Penzance moved the
Second Reading of the
Bill for protecting the
property of the poorer
sort of married woman.
It is a very good Bill,
and much needed by

Monday. Some rather sharp practice, my dear Lords, about the
Dublin Freemen's Bill, for dealing with those corrupt Irishmen. It
had been quite matter of understanding that the Bill was to pass, and
, noble Lords, its friends, left town. At the last moment there was
many ladies who are 0pp0siti0n, and Government got first a majority of 1, and then of 2.
not ot the richer sort, sav_ However, on a later night, there was better behaviour, and
as well as by t^ose ; the Bill passed. There will be some pleasant reading by and-by.
for whom rt is chieuy j p,ut now listen, my Protestants, and ye, my Dissenters, and ye, too,
meant. But it was ■ wbo heard, during the debates on the Irish Church Bill, that to endow
hustled away until the j in any way tue Catholic faith was an impossibility, and all that. The
very end of the bes- excellent member for Ennis, Captain Stacpoole, asked the Ministers
sion, so that it could a straightforward question, and it wa3 this :—
not pass, and bad husbands may go on seizing their wives earnings, j)oes Government mean to introduce a Bill to facilitate the purchase of
and selling up their furniture, for another year. Rich women are glebes and the erection of glebe houses for the ministers of all religious
protected by their marriage settlements, and, as Lord Cairns said, t denominations in Ireland?

the law ought to do the same office for those who cannot afford, the | f0 ^Wivk m;r. Chichester Fortescue, the Secretary for Ireland,
luxury of parchments. Something was grumbled about revolutionising . replied,

the law of marriage, but if that law means^ that a drunken, callous j Government hopes to introduce such a Bill early in next Session.

Mr. Punch is only equal to adding, with the late Thomas Hood

" What do you think of that, my Cat ?
What do you think of that, my Dog ?

spendthrift is to rob his wife, Mr. Punch is for the reddest revolution
against it. The Bill was read a Second Time, if that is any comfort for
the ill-treated.

On a Cattle Bill the Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol humanely
tried to carry words compelling the railway people to give food and ! Qur Govermnent wauted the next Wednesday, so the Bill for
water to the unhappy beasts whom they convey I he Bill enacts that enabU yoar Wlte>s slster to marry you faUa through for the Session,
the creatures shall not be starved longer than thirty hours Please To ■ Mr> Bebbsfobd Hope was much pleased, Mr. Thomas. Chambers
think of that, you who fancy yourselves killed if you can t have break-, declined to stiare bis » vivacity." Mr. Gladstone approves the Bill,
fast lunch, tea, dinner, and a grog at night! The Bishop pleaded tor bat m & wife>8 gister who k nQW feati ^ belieye ^ th(jre fe
twelve hours. Oh dear no j ihat would occasion great inconvenience befcter mugic thaQ Offenbach's, better reading than novels, and better

to the railway people. And as they are all powerful in the Commons,
it is not safe to irritate them. So the cattle are to be suddenly driven
out of their cool grass, and from their ponds, crowded into a cage, and
jolted, fasting, for thirty hours. Look at 'em, as you hurry past a
shunted train, you who are now hurrying to the sea, with your sand-
wich boxes and sherry flasks.

The Lords read a Second Time the Bill for temporarily protecting the
Trades' Unions from being plundered by their officers. It has since
passed.

In the Commons, Mr. Disraeli made graceful acknowledgment of
a graceful and liberal act. It had been sought to buy, for the National
Gallery, a very interesting portrait of Hogarth at his easel, painted by
the great William himself. The Trustees bid 335 guineas, but more
was offered by the well-known firm of Agnew & Sons, Manchester.
Those gentlemen, however, were not aware that they were bidding
against the Government, and on learning the factj_wrote to say that
they had the greatest pleasure in waiving their claim.'and allowing the
National Gallery to have the picture. Mr. Disraeli added,

"It is so rare a thing for a dealer in pictures who has obtained a very
advantageous purchase to waive his rights in this way, and this is an act of
such great public spirit, that I think it is due to the Messrs. Agnew, as well
as to the public, that it should be known. I have before had occasion to
notice the existence of public spirit in the city of Manchester, and I think
this act has added to the numerous instances we have of it."

Mr. Punch adds his cheer to the cheers with which the House of
Commons received this statement.

There was a Fortifications Debate. Mr. Peter Taylor tried to
prevent the going into Committee on the subject, but only got 32
against 100. But Captain Beaumont, who understands the question,
moved a specific reduction in the amount to be voted, and gave
rational grounds for his motion. So rational did they seem to the
Committee, that the Government was saved a defeat only by the
squeaking majority of 9—82 to 73 being the numbers.

Mr. Newdegate moved for returns which were calculated to annoy
the Roman Catholics, in the matter of their charities, and there was a
good deal of uncharity bestowed. In the end the proposal was rejected,
but only by 53 to 50.

work than flirting, before that Bill shall become law.

The way they wrangled over the Scotch Education Bill, and at last
huddled it up and shoved it back to the House of Lords, was a caution.
The Government is abused for its concessions to the Territorials, but
Punch fancies they afforded the only chance of passing the measure
this year. See Friday.

Tuesday. Lord Winchilsea continued to be exercised about the
National Pictures, and wanted to carry an instruction to Mr. Boxall
not to buy any more old pictures without showing them to the Trustees
of the Gallery. But as Mr. Boxall happens to know more about
pictures than all the Trustees put together, Mr. Punch rejoices that
Earl Granville would sanction no such proposal.

Temple Bar had spent a bad night. For the Committee on the Law
Courts had decided, by a small majority, that the Carey Street Site
ought to be adopted. Mr. Gladstone, interrogated, said that as the
Report had not been presented, he could not say anything more at
present. The Bar is in a more parlous state than ever.

You have heard of India ? It is a large place. One hundred and
forty-seven millions of its inhabitants are our fellow-subjects, and fifty
other millions are more amenable to our influence than the nearest
inhabitants of this quarter of Europe. So said Mr. Grant Duff,
introducing the Indian financial statement in a better speech than we-
ever heard from an Indian official, eyen Lord Salisbury. Economy
now, and railways in the future, are the hopes of India, which is really
in no bad way—quite the reverse. You may read Mr. Grant Duff's-
speech without being bored, if you omit the figures ; and that is a great
thing to say. But then Punch is always saying great things.

Mr. Fawcett brought on his motion for throwing open Trinity
College, Dublin, to all religionists; when, lo and behold, Dr. Bull
suddenly flung the doors open. He said that while the Episcopal
Church was that of Ireland, it was the duty of the University to stand
by it; but the Church being disestablished, there was no reason for
excluding anybody. But Government, supposed to have its own
designs upon T. C. D., did not hail this surrender, and declared that it
was not what the people of Ireland wanted.

Mr. Eykyn very properly raised the case of the young Bank Clerics-
who, according to the police, were disorderly in. the Haymarket, butj.