DOI Heft:
July to December, 1848
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16547#0131
124
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
Republic, the awful weight should crush it at once into a premature grave. I send you facts, which I have
seen with my own eyes.
" You know, of course, that England is at pr ?sent the hotbed of constitutional exiles. This was
enough to excite my worst apprehensions, for whl/e there are exiles, I said, plots cannot be far distant.
1 heard, moreover, there was to be a Cabinet Council at Osborne
House. This was more than sufficient to convinte me something was
going on. I rose very early, and got into an omnibus to reach in time
the Isle of Wight. Going through St. Giles's, which is the Faubourg
St. Germain of London, where all the Legitimists hatch their vile
designs, I recognised at a window a well-known face that was yawning.
I looked four times in order to be right, and the fifth time it yawned I
became confident it was Montemolin. He was not shaved. My suspi-
cions were at once excited. He got into my omnibus. Soon after this
we passed the Turkish Ambas-
sador. As he looked into our
windows, he stroked his beard.
The sign, though very hasty,
did not escape me. I got next
to the door, determined to see the end of this drama. I was
intensely excited, as you may imagine. It was not yet day-
break, but luckily 1 had brought my spectacles. 1 did not lose
a single wink. Montemolin evidently did not like my staring
a^ him, for he moved his place three or four times. 1 followed
him each movement. He got outside—so did L It was here
I heard a horse in the distance. I kept both my ears open,
and, as I suspected, a rider flew by us. It was but a moment—he
was mounted on a brewer's horse (the most rapid steeds in
England); but my practised eye had already detected Prince
Louis-Napoleon. I held my breath, and looked at the Spanish
Pretender by my side. He could not meet my gaze, and cougtied.
It was quite enough. The next moment another cough was re-
Concorde, but it gives the substance of
it, only not half so absurdly expressed.
Really, there should be a College at
Paris for French writers, to instruct
them upon the most common English
subjects. It might be called the
" College d.es Gobemouches."
HOW TO MAKE PARLIAMENT
PROFITABLE.
A plan has been hit upon in Paris
for making the sittings of the National
Assembly a source of profit, and we
mention it in order that our own
House of Commons may take a hint for
converting such a protracted Session
as the last into a regular branch of
Revenue. The nine hundred represen-
tatives of the French people, or at
least those acting under their autho-
rity, charge sums, varying from 10 to
12 and 15 francs, for the privilege of
entree to their unique performances.
We don't know whether the receipts
go towards paying the Members their
pound each per day, or whether the
sum charged for admission is a perqui-
site of the door-keepers, the ministers,
or any other portion of the great fret-
turned. Could I doubt such unerring proofs i 1 went on—but we j^KS&^J^'^^rf^ tenia! family now quarrelling and
were, drawing near the end of /.fmgv jaHSmk starving in France; but there is cer-
our journey. Crossing Batter- w ~*Wmki: M tainly a good deal of money being
sea Fields an old man was seen r ^^^^^Bfr^P^Bfaftmade by somebody out of the attrac-
hobbling before us. There was
something about him which I
did not like. He wore a cocked
hat. He put his hand before his
face, but, iu vain ; at one glance
I had traced through his fingers the features of—who do you think P
my pen shudders as it writes the name of—Metternich ! ! Good
gracious! Here was a discovery ! I was half afraid to persevere:
but, braving the worst, I did. We reached Osborne House about
nine o'clock. Montemolin got down : 1 followed him. He evidently
did not, like it—1 need not tell you this did not influence me in the
least. He went into a beer-shop; mind you, it. was the Crown
and Sceptre—Metternich soon joined him. They had ' sixpenii orth
of dogs-noise ' between them. There was clearlv something at the
bottom of this; but I leave it to you to find out. Louis-Napoleon and the Turkish Ambassador
drew up soon afterwards. Tney all left arm-in-arm together. I followed at a short, distance,
for .Montemolin in the meantime had borrowed a stick. I did not tread too closely on their
steps, for if I ventured too near, it struck me my position might involve serious consequences,
probably plunging Europe into a war. But 1 kept my eyes upon them. They went into the Palace,
the Ambassador stroking his beard as before. 1 climbed over the wall; a shutter attracted my
notice. I peeped through a crevice. Heavens! it was a cellar; but so dark, I could hardly see
anything: a light was brought in. It was the Turkish Ambassador; the monster, I observed, was
stroking his beard once more. There was something in t he wiud, for the candle that, moment went out;
but Metternich brought in a dark lantern (fit emblem of his policy), and he was succeeded by MoiNTe-
molin with his stick, and the other two. After them came Guizot and Nesselrode, the Editor of the
Times, Louis-Philippe, Duchatel, the Baron Nathan, the Comte de Paris, attended by his nurse,
and the last arrival was the Queen! ! ! My eyesight here failed me. The excitement had been too
much for me; but I had seen enough to leave it beyond the shadow of a doubt that 1 had been led
by the most miraculous chain of accidents to be a spectator of a
cabinet council at osborne house.
" Keep this matter dark at present. The horrible conspiracy must soon come to light ; but to reveal
it at present would onlv cause the head of your correspondent to be rolling the next, minute down the
vawning precipice of Holborn Hill." We do not say that the above is literally the article m the
tion which the National Assembly holds
out to foreigners and sight-seers. We
understand that for 5 francs extra,
any of the Members will attend at a
private house, and make a speech,
either legitimist or communist, at the
option of the hearer; or, if particularly
desired, a Member will bring with
him a representative whose opinions
are opposite to his own, so that a
debate, or even a personal altercation
—either with or without blows—may
be provided at an hour's notice.
It is expected that this will ulti-
mately become the most profitable
portion of the labours of the Assembly,
which has done little as yet, beyond
proposing 500 amendments to the new
Constitution, and voting itself — as
well as its salary of a pound per head
every day—en 'permanence.
Legislation is now almost the only
thing that pays in France ; for a
Legislator may positively not only live,
which few people in the Land of
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity can
do, but may actually save money,
which nobody in the land aforesaid
thinks about. Some of the Members
have been trying to push their trade
beyond its legitimate limits"; and,
among others, one M. Leroux has
been trying to get off the unsold
copies of an old pamphlet, by speaking
the whole of it as a speech, and letting
it be known that the production could
be had for a few sous, in the lobby.
This advertising trick was discovered
and exposed by a rival; but ingenuity
will no doubt find other modes of
turning a seat in the National Assem-
bly to pecuniary account, the only
account in which it appears to be held
by many of those who have arrived at
the dignity.
the real speaker op the house OS
commons.
Mr, Chisholm Anstet.
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
Republic, the awful weight should crush it at once into a premature grave. I send you facts, which I have
seen with my own eyes.
" You know, of course, that England is at pr ?sent the hotbed of constitutional exiles. This was
enough to excite my worst apprehensions, for whl/e there are exiles, I said, plots cannot be far distant.
1 heard, moreover, there was to be a Cabinet Council at Osborne
House. This was more than sufficient to convinte me something was
going on. I rose very early, and got into an omnibus to reach in time
the Isle of Wight. Going through St. Giles's, which is the Faubourg
St. Germain of London, where all the Legitimists hatch their vile
designs, I recognised at a window a well-known face that was yawning.
I looked four times in order to be right, and the fifth time it yawned I
became confident it was Montemolin. He was not shaved. My suspi-
cions were at once excited. He got into my omnibus. Soon after this
we passed the Turkish Ambas-
sador. As he looked into our
windows, he stroked his beard.
The sign, though very hasty,
did not escape me. I got next
to the door, determined to see the end of this drama. I was
intensely excited, as you may imagine. It was not yet day-
break, but luckily 1 had brought my spectacles. 1 did not lose
a single wink. Montemolin evidently did not like my staring
a^ him, for he moved his place three or four times. 1 followed
him each movement. He got outside—so did L It was here
I heard a horse in the distance. I kept both my ears open,
and, as I suspected, a rider flew by us. It was but a moment—he
was mounted on a brewer's horse (the most rapid steeds in
England); but my practised eye had already detected Prince
Louis-Napoleon. I held my breath, and looked at the Spanish
Pretender by my side. He could not meet my gaze, and cougtied.
It was quite enough. The next moment another cough was re-
Concorde, but it gives the substance of
it, only not half so absurdly expressed.
Really, there should be a College at
Paris for French writers, to instruct
them upon the most common English
subjects. It might be called the
" College d.es Gobemouches."
HOW TO MAKE PARLIAMENT
PROFITABLE.
A plan has been hit upon in Paris
for making the sittings of the National
Assembly a source of profit, and we
mention it in order that our own
House of Commons may take a hint for
converting such a protracted Session
as the last into a regular branch of
Revenue. The nine hundred represen-
tatives of the French people, or at
least those acting under their autho-
rity, charge sums, varying from 10 to
12 and 15 francs, for the privilege of
entree to their unique performances.
We don't know whether the receipts
go towards paying the Members their
pound each per day, or whether the
sum charged for admission is a perqui-
site of the door-keepers, the ministers,
or any other portion of the great fret-
turned. Could I doubt such unerring proofs i 1 went on—but we j^KS&^J^'^^rf^ tenia! family now quarrelling and
were, drawing near the end of /.fmgv jaHSmk starving in France; but there is cer-
our journey. Crossing Batter- w ~*Wmki: M tainly a good deal of money being
sea Fields an old man was seen r ^^^^^Bfr^P^Bfaftmade by somebody out of the attrac-
hobbling before us. There was
something about him which I
did not like. He wore a cocked
hat. He put his hand before his
face, but, iu vain ; at one glance
I had traced through his fingers the features of—who do you think P
my pen shudders as it writes the name of—Metternich ! ! Good
gracious! Here was a discovery ! I was half afraid to persevere:
but, braving the worst, I did. We reached Osborne House about
nine o'clock. Montemolin got down : 1 followed him. He evidently
did not, like it—1 need not tell you this did not influence me in the
least. He went into a beer-shop; mind you, it. was the Crown
and Sceptre—Metternich soon joined him. They had ' sixpenii orth
of dogs-noise ' between them. There was clearlv something at the
bottom of this; but I leave it to you to find out. Louis-Napoleon and the Turkish Ambassador
drew up soon afterwards. Tney all left arm-in-arm together. I followed at a short, distance,
for .Montemolin in the meantime had borrowed a stick. I did not tread too closely on their
steps, for if I ventured too near, it struck me my position might involve serious consequences,
probably plunging Europe into a war. But 1 kept my eyes upon them. They went into the Palace,
the Ambassador stroking his beard as before. 1 climbed over the wall; a shutter attracted my
notice. I peeped through a crevice. Heavens! it was a cellar; but so dark, I could hardly see
anything: a light was brought in. It was the Turkish Ambassador; the monster, I observed, was
stroking his beard once more. There was something in t he wiud, for the candle that, moment went out;
but Metternich brought in a dark lantern (fit emblem of his policy), and he was succeeded by MoiNTe-
molin with his stick, and the other two. After them came Guizot and Nesselrode, the Editor of the
Times, Louis-Philippe, Duchatel, the Baron Nathan, the Comte de Paris, attended by his nurse,
and the last arrival was the Queen! ! ! My eyesight here failed me. The excitement had been too
much for me; but I had seen enough to leave it beyond the shadow of a doubt that 1 had been led
by the most miraculous chain of accidents to be a spectator of a
cabinet council at osborne house.
" Keep this matter dark at present. The horrible conspiracy must soon come to light ; but to reveal
it at present would onlv cause the head of your correspondent to be rolling the next, minute down the
vawning precipice of Holborn Hill." We do not say that the above is literally the article m the
tion which the National Assembly holds
out to foreigners and sight-seers. We
understand that for 5 francs extra,
any of the Members will attend at a
private house, and make a speech,
either legitimist or communist, at the
option of the hearer; or, if particularly
desired, a Member will bring with
him a representative whose opinions
are opposite to his own, so that a
debate, or even a personal altercation
—either with or without blows—may
be provided at an hour's notice.
It is expected that this will ulti-
mately become the most profitable
portion of the labours of the Assembly,
which has done little as yet, beyond
proposing 500 amendments to the new
Constitution, and voting itself — as
well as its salary of a pound per head
every day—en 'permanence.
Legislation is now almost the only
thing that pays in France ; for a
Legislator may positively not only live,
which few people in the Land of
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity can
do, but may actually save money,
which nobody in the land aforesaid
thinks about. Some of the Members
have been trying to push their trade
beyond its legitimate limits"; and,
among others, one M. Leroux has
been trying to get off the unsold
copies of an old pamphlet, by speaking
the whole of it as a speech, and letting
it be known that the production could
be had for a few sous, in the lobby.
This advertising trick was discovered
and exposed by a rival; but ingenuity
will no doubt find other modes of
turning a seat in the National Assem-
bly to pecuniary account, the only
account in which it appears to be held
by many of those who have arrived at
the dignity.
the real speaker op the house OS
commons.
Mr, Chisholm Anstet.