Punch (32.1857)

Juke 6, 1857.)

223

at the thing, and consider the impudence of 84 great black spiders
claiming to suck £90,000 a-year out of the public. This petition has
settled the business. Be it also mentioned that Lokd Dungannon,
on the part of the very High Church, objected to the Bishops and
others preaching in Exeter Hall, to thousands who have no other
Church-accommodation. The Bishop of London, however, made this
Puseyite prig an eloquent and admirable reply, endorsed by the Arch-
bishop op Canterbury. The Lords took holiday from Thursday to
Thursday.

A small knot in the Commons, 14 in all, endeavoured to reduce the
Princess Royal's dowry by £2,000, but 328 members confirmed the
original proposition. An attempt was also made to deprive the youn»
lady of the £40,000 voted to her, but 361 were found for giving it, and
only IS the other way. The clap-trap-setters in the minority will
easily be guessed at, but Mr. Punch will not assist the snobs in their
object by publishing their names.

The veteran Palmekston then came out as Secretary at War and
moved the Army estimates. He was doing the same thing in 1809,
when, as Mr. John Times informs us, he also gave orders for the repair
and improvement of the Horse Guards Clock. Paji and the clock have
gone on capitally ever since, both receiving such additional enlighten-
ment as the age suggested, but always showing a good face to the
world, and being looked up to as favourite authorities. As regards
the Army, he explained that there was an increase in our cavalry and
ffijjfNlf^'T'^N^ ! iW^^^^^^^^^^^P^^f 'I'Pf^'' ?• i artillery, but none in our infantry, and that he wanted about eleven
\ 1 P^^\nX^J€^i^S,,| Jfe^^^^P^A^^^^^Sft'-- if millions of money, a good deal of which was voted. The reason Lord

\I v'^WkX^mmm. 1^^^^^^^^^^^^^=^—'< $£555$ Pam assigned for making the speech was, that the new young rich Under
^^^^^c^i^te^^^^g^^fe-y^^^^-^-'"'' ~~ ■M'W'1^ Secretary, Sir John Bamsden, had not been long enough in office to

- rrg=^;J^^^^^^^^^S^^^^S:'- learn more than details. He has already learned enough, however, to
■■■ ".^^^^^^^^^^^^^^p^^^^^^s^^^^^^^^^. ; get rebuked for discourtesy to Members asking questions, so there are
'ir^^^^^^gT—r^^^^^^^^^^jf^^^S^^si^^^^ hopes that he will in time rival Bred. Peel.

jfei^^^^^^^^^g^^^l^^^^^S"-- Tuesday. Queen Victoria kept her birthday.

~-j^£ 'J,'. \\'^^^^i^^^^^~zs^^:^^^^^^f^^'' Wednesday. Blink Bonny won the Derby, as prophesied by Mr.

/' ^ \ )0B^^^y Punch on page 122 of this volume, and by no other prophet whatsoever.

• ■ _-s^^^^gT-^X jjjF Thursday. Mb. Henry Herbert, Member for Kerry, who owns

■" ^Z^^^^^^^^^^^hy^^^^fc..^ that lovely place by Killarney, where Mr. Punch, lentus in umbra, and

--,Sas=<"J^ir~"''" " '— \J^t^$0^m0^^' looking love to eyes that answered love again, did, some summers

^ since-but pshaw, this is trifling—up, Hercules from the feet of

Omphale. So, so, Mr. Punch is himself again. Mr. Herbert, then,
Bow agreeable it is, and more especially if you are late, and are dressing the amiable proprietor of charming property in teland, has accepted
against time to dine with ultra-punctual people—how agreeable it is, on the office of Irish Secretary, vacant by the resignation of the atrabilious
getting into your clean shirt, to find the laundress has been careful to fasten Horsman. Mr. Keating, the barrister, and Member for Beading, is

all the buttons for you! the new Solicitor-General.

.____________t Prussia has signed with Switzerland ; so that storm in a teacup is

: -—^- -:—:-1. hushed. Mr. Boebuck brought on a debate upon our relations with

_ .., _ j Brazil, and Lord Palherston explained that we keep a rod hanging

PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLiAMENT. over the Brazilians'heads, to be administered elsewhere only in the

Turn™ ok irn~j~., t>u r>™™> n 1 ,i T i,__■ „ i event of their not actively discouraging the slave trade. Sir Charles

thf.nf%Vl % s v ¥?' f f p r g i ' ^ ■ Napier (failing, as usual) moved for a committee to inquire into the

V W ^T oT WA constitution of the Board of Admiralty, and among other pleasant
excuses tor iigiitenmg its labours this weeic. the .Lords applied .t,- > / n j • i +1 + • „ „.-.aa^

themselves to one subject only, namely the Divorce Bill, which they * un^ °la ^ Z ^rih 5

discussed in Committee on Monday and Thursday. The result of h-^^sia.QuEENT cToms^ rf
their labours has to be edited by the Commons, and therefore it is™h* 1%°^% t*™ ?nSS

necessary only to say that the Boman Catholic Dure op Norfolk : co™ d of the .Jeetf ,Be^al °s^Rf \W TwiH \J ft of
was defeated by 123 to 26 in his attempt to get rid of the Bill on the i w, f S°T ■ S&T^ Wl T ™S fftrS t
ground that marriage was indissoluble-thlt Lord St. Leonards 'statements involving at^i^^^^It^d^
carried, against Government, a clause for depriving husbands, who Le#lr ^at SlE ?H^™Sr^^Wrtt ^ f^L^F
have separated from their- wives, of the power of seizing the property I thf^ Serv%e> or that Sm, Charles Wood ought to be hanged
of those unfortunate women-that Lord Lyndhurst was unsuccessful:, LoM> ^W,* 18 ™f™S fZ
in an attempt to have it declared that five years'abandonment should j tr^m» to. help the helpless endeavoured to obtain a committee or
amount to dissolution of marriage, and that the Bishop op Oxpord m™Wg into the working of the Act for punishing aggravated assaults
carried by 53 to 47 a clause prfventing the re-marriage rfdiro^lft:^
persons. Hushed with his victory, the haughty Soapey made another
professional demonstration, and sought to leave it to an individual
clergyman to say whether he would or would not read the marriage
service over any one who happened to have been divorced, and desired to
wed a new consort. But this was a little too priestly for the Lords,
and Samuel was beaten by 78 to 26. Finally, an excessively strong
amendment was concocted and agreed to, namely, that henceforth,
where the wife has erred, there shall be no action for damages, but
that any man violating the Seventh Commandment shall be guilty of
a misdemeanor and punishable by fine or imprisonment. In this
form the Bill stands at present, and all that Mr. Punch intends to say
upon a subject of more importance than nineteen-twentieths of the
topics that come before Parliament, is, that the House of Lords is
treating the measure with the grave and earnest consideration it
demands, and that he trusts the Commons will show equal good taste
and good feeling.

A noticeable point was one raised on the report of the Wills Bill.
It was urged by 84 out of 104 proctors, that the Bill would reduce
their profits from £90,000 to £15,000 a-year. We wonder that the
announcement of such a boon to the public did not induce the Lords
instantly to suspend the standing orders, and pass the Bill in five minutes.
Assuredly, here are 75,000 reasons in favour of the measure. Just look

believe that the Act was doing much good, refused to consent to
the production of proof; and the motion, for which 84 voted, was
rejected.

Friday. Blink Bonny won the Oaks. The Chancellor op the
Exchequer ventured upon one of those pieces of official hypocrisy
which, thanks to Mr. Punch, are now seldom risked. He boldly de-
clared that Members of Parliament had no right to nominate candi-
dates for public situations. Literally taken, his assertion was true —
they have no such right. But in practice we should like to know
what Mr. Hayter would say to a regulation forbidding him to mark
his sense of the exemplary conduct of a Member of Parliament, by
handing him a bit of patronage for a meritorious constituent. What
is the use of talking such folly ? If Mr. Punch's lofty virtue and
leaded baton did not make it dangerous_ to approach him with unworthy
suggestions, he has but to hint, any night, that he intends to divide
against Ministers, and there would be a sudden recollection that a
place in the Treasury was ready for his son, one in the Post Office for
his nephew, and one in the Custom-House for any member of the
Blacking Brigade who last polished Mr. P.'s button-boots.

Mr. Bowyer is the organ of the Romish priests, and they, hating
Prussia as a Protestant power, nave set this amiable but silly man to
endeavour to fix an insult upon the Prussian Court. He moved, s.ud