Punch (30.1856)

May 3, 1856.J PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 171


AT WORK.
She was a lovely creature;
ovely, and pensive withal.
And she sat upon the sea-
shore, and the flags of
nations were at her feet.
Very beautiful was the
creature; with dove-like
eyes, and golden hair.
An olive branch—a little
brown and sere—lay at
her side.
Twas plain she scarcely
deemed it worth her
while
To pick it up !
And the lovely being sewed
and sewed and sewed ;
Taking a bit of bunting
here and there :
A bit of England's flag—a
bit of tricolor—a bit of
Turkey—

THE LAST Of THE CABMEN.
The Cab-owners contemplate a sort of suicide>
or rather a kind of transmigration into another
body, which is to be a body of stage-coach pro-
prietors. Anything for a change seems to be
desirable, as far as the cabs are concerned, for a
cabman is never satisfied. Whether he will be
more complacent and courteous when he has
five or six passengers instead of one, is a point
that may be open to argument; but if he divider
his abuse among half-a-dozen, it may fall more
1 gbtly on the public than it has done hitherto.
We perceive that a resolution has been passed
to call the new concern the " London Minibus
Association." We do not profess to be suffi-
ciently up in our Classics to be able to translate
the word minibus, which we suppose is intended
as a companion to the Latin word, omnibus.
Perhaps, however, as the Cabmen have gene-
rally a very peculiar language of their own,
minibus may be a term in their vocabulary,
which may be perfectly understood by them-
selves, though the public may be not yet ac-
quainted with its meaning. Possibly it may be
a misprint for the word minimis, and the Cabmen
may be so far relying on the maxim de minimis
non curat lex, as to hope that the law will not
be able to lay hold of them in their new
character.

Shakespeare in France
Let George Sand write Consuelos—beautiful,
passionai e, eloquenf Consuelos !—but let her keep
ner white hands off Shakespeare, the "divine
Williams." She has made sad work of As You
Like It, which she calls Comme il vous Plaira ;
so very sad that, far from doing honour to the
Swan of Avon, she has done nothing more than
cook his goose.

Sardinia gave a bit, and Russia too !
A" d Punch serenely to the sewer said—
" Your name is Peace, and so you do peace-work.1 __
And then the maiden sigh'd, and answered
" Not peace-work, Punch; but patch-work." A. Woman's Will—Wron'

t i

PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

upon the squibs did not pledge Parliament to approve the Treaty.
Another curious intimation came from Sir George Grey, namely,
April 21st, Monday. Lord Albemarle continues to work the t-hat though we might arrange for our Fireworks before the Treaty was

Honourable East India Company, and to night exposed its blunderings
upon the subject of coinage, showing that a recent experiment upon the
money of *he Singapore people was at, once absurd, costly, and oppres-
sive. His Lordship made a neat typographical joke, to which Mr. Punch,
in testimony of his respect for Lord Albemable's cbaracter,will allot the
singular honour of Apotheosis. He said that he he'd in his hand a tabular
statement, published by t he Indian Government, being an attempt toadapt
the fractional parts of a rupee to the fractional parts of a dollar. In
this he found the word "pie," with which as applied to finance he was
previously unacquainted, but which was, he supposed, used in the sense
in which it was employed in a printing-office—10 describe the confusion
of the whole matter.
The Government Church Discipline Bill was then brought on for
second reading. The principal object of this measure was very desirable
—the providing better means than at present exist for keeping erratic
paisons in order; but the plan, which was to take away the authority
of the bishops, and give it to the archbishop, was not so satisfactory.
Without entering, with one of the speakers—need Bishop Punch name
his friend Bishop Exeter—into the question of the divine authority
of bishops, the former hierarch respectfully protests against relieving
his brethren from the duties which they are paid—not very meanly—
to dischai-ge ; aud he is not displeased that the measure was rejected,
and the Government defeated by H to 33. The English episcopals
opposed the bill, even uoor Db. Bangor thinking that he ought to do
his duty; but tie Irish bishops supported it, which was a course con-
sistent and honourable in them, the vital nrinciple and essence of the
Church of Ireland being her receiving a large income for doing ex-
ceedingly little.
In the Commons, there was much talk about the Peace Eireworks,
which really find very little favour now, though, of course, if they are
let off, everybody will desire to see them. People are in no humour to
rejoice about a Peace which they cannot help regarding as premature,
and of the patchwork order. Some Members deemed it necessary to
extort from Government the assurance that the House was not to be
bound by the fiieworks, and that the abstaining from throwing water

ratified, it would not be right as yet to appoint a day of Thanksgiving.
How very subtle must be the process of theological and pyrotechnical
logic by which Sib George discovers the date when it is right to send
up rockets, but not thanksgivings.
The Commons could not help talking about the delightful holiday
they were to have on the Wednesday; and Mr. Staeeord was quite
ecstatic with Government for selecting so admirable a ship as the
Perseverance for the Members. He knew the Commander—had been
with him on the raging ocean—he w~as the noblest Captain tha1; ever
lived, and all would go charmingly.
Messrs. Grissell and their mortars then (same up, and the final
statement of Mr. Monsell, for Government, is, that the Gbissells
"inserted plugs for the purpose of concealing defects in the material,
and had not acted as respectable persons would have done." They are
rich men, and of course found apologists, Malins, the barrister, who
therefore counts for—a barrister, and others ; but Lord Lovaine
complained that Government should be censured for laying its finger
on contractors who attempted to deceive them. Mr. Tite, speaking
tor Administrative Reform, appeared to think that as the casting-
mortars was "a matter of doubt and difficulty," people who cast
unworthy mortars should not be blamed, a deduction everyway worthy
of the body which says it returned him, and is quite welcome to the
glory of the exploit.
There was rather- an interesting debate, in Supply, on the British
Museum vote, and Mb. Milnes, by a general attack on the manage-
ment of the Museum, brought up the Speaker himself, as one of its
Trustees, to defend the appointment of Mr. Panizzi, against whom
Mr. Milnes had raised the somewhat unworthy objection that he was a
foreigner. The Speaker emphatically declared that Mb. Panizzi was
appointed Chief Librarian because he was the very best man for the post,
and adduced various documentary evidence in support of his statement, to
which Mr. Layard gave the strongest confirmation, and Mb. Disraeli
bore similar testimony. Several excellent suggestions for rendering
the Museum and Library more available for public use were offered,
especially one for opening an Evening Readrng-room for those whose