Punch (74.1878)

76

PUNCH, OK THE LONDON CHARIVARI. | February 23, 1878.

it had "better wait the Report of the Committee on English Registra- he has, in some sense, bat the Government doesn't see it, and has
tion. Besides, Sir J. McKenna had another Irish Bill on the same j told him so. Gortschakoff intimates, in effect, that he means to

subject. It is admittedly only a little Bill. But its fountain-head
is] Biggar, and that, we fear, did not recommend it to the House,
so it was thrown out by 134 to 96.

Mr. Ramsay's Scotch Valuation Bill was talked'out; the House
Occupiers' Disqualification Removal! Bill. (Scotch) passed through
Committee ; and the Bills for raising the'Six Millions were brought
in. It will be worse when they bring us in the Bills for spending
them.

treat us to an entertainment d la Russe. If he do, John Bull de-
clares he will give the Muscov his desert. The Sea-Crab thinks it only
prudent to have the Stamboul Star-Fish within reach of his claws —
which he has no wish to use—but objects to the Land-Crab claiming
the same privilege for the nippers he has just been so freely fleshing.

The Lord Chancellor brought in his Bill to assimilate Law to
Lay-Reason, which had taken it for granted that our legal jurisdic-
tion at sea reached the three-mile limit of our territorial water.

3 ^ ■ \\N-

" CLAWS OFF 1»

Thursday (Lords).—A full House, and as much anxiety to know
what Government had done, and is going to do—or, rather, how it
is going to be done—in the Bosphorus, as their Olympian Lord-
ships can be expected to show.

Lord Derby informed their Lordships that the ships had gone up
the Dardanelles to Prince's Island (ten miles below Stamboul) where
they were now anchored, in the Sultan's teeth, who, however,
bad not shown them, but protested only. Prince Gobtschaeoff
had written to say that as we had sent up our Fleet to protect British
interests, he had ordered in the Russian Army to protect the inte-
rests of all Christians. The Prince thought he had us there—and so

This would have seemed scarcely to require a statute ; but as] seven
Judges to six decided otherwise in the case of the Franconia, the
law has evidently not till now been that perfection of reason the
legal text-books assert it to be.

(Commons.)—A very full House on the tenter-hooks of expecta-
tion, to which Sir Stafford told all that Lord Derby had told the
Peers. As yet our Fleet bad the Sea of Marmora to itself. Sir L.
Pale— that "County Member, of good family and great posses-
sions," who has been chosen Chairman of the Irreconcilables who
want to make short work of Lord Derby, the Russian Bear, and
most othtr things that stand in their way-asked if Government