Punch (34.1858)

March 13, 1858.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 101

THE SNOW.

Old Mr. Jones as he appeared when asked for the Twentieth
Time if he would " Have his door done."

MOVEMENTS OT M.P.'s.

{From our own Observer.)

Exclusive sources of intelligence enable us to state that very early
in the morning after the defeat of the late Ministry, the servant who
obeyed Lord Derby's summons for his shaving water was the_ bearer
of me cards of eleven staunch Conservatives who had voted with the
radicals for throwing out the Government. Prom the messages which
had been left with the night-porter, it appeared the honourable gentle-
men had merely called to say Lord Palmerston was beaten, and that
if Lord Derby happened to be sent for, they'd feel much obliged to
him if he would form a Cabinet.

Half-an-hour later an intelligent footman in the service of Lord
Derby was observed to leave the area-gate upon the jar, and to pro-
ceed in the direction of the house of Mr. Disrakli ; and in exactly
twenty minutes and three-quarters from that time, the area-gate was
closed by a person dressed in livery, but who was not the footman who
had left it open. It is more than half suspected that a celebrated
novelist and political romance-writer had, with his known strong love
of mystery, assumed the menial garb that he might better cloak his
movements, and prevent the publicity which would have otherwise
attached to them.

At twelve o'clock precisely Lord Donklngton, the talented
member for East Brayshire, and the Hon. Mr. Sfooneley, the no
less distinguished representative of Mufl'boiough, called to proffer their
assistance to the noble Earl of Derby, as an additional inducement
for him to form a Ministry. ,

Mr. Milner Gibson remained at home till two, receiving visits of
congratulation upon his attaining his majority. It was an agreeable
feature of the ceremony, that the union of parties which had been so
happily effected in the House appeared to be cemented quite as firmly
out of it. Messieurs Newdegate and Bright were the first to reach
the doorstep, and they were followed at brief intervals by Mr. Roun-
dell Palmer with Sir J. V. Shelley, and by Lord John Manners
arm in arm with Mr. Roebuck.

Before the fact became known that the Premier had resigned,
Mr. Weathercocke had penned a letter to the Times to say he had
intended to vote with the Government, as he considered that the
passing of the Conspiracy Bill was essential to the peace and safety of
the country. On his way to the Post Office he however was informed
that Ministers were out, and that Lord Derby was prepared to form
a Government. Whereupon Mr. Weathercocks went home and
wrote another letter to the Times, explaining his intention to have
voted against Palmerston ; as he held the Bill to be an insult to
Great Britain, wliich need never stand in awe of braggadocio French
upstarts.

About the hour when Lord Palmerston proceeded to the Palace
for the purpose of tendering his official resignation, a whisper got
abroad that Mr. Cox, the indefatigable Member for Finsbury, had
professed himself in readiness to undertake the Premiership, and had
every expectation of a summons from Her Majesty. It is understood
that Mr. Cox, when this suggestive rumour reached him, immediately
rushed home to put on his Court suit, and gave directions that a
Hansom cab should be in waiting, that he might lose no time in obeying
the behest.

The Honourable Mr. Harduppe, the representative of Rotten-
borough, employed the whole of Saturday in calling on his tradesmen;
assuring them that, now Lord Derby would come in, he was certain
of a place, and they were certain of some payment.

Upon leaving the Palace, after giving in his resignation, Lord Pal-
merston was met by the Marquis of Clanricarde ; and the two
proceeded in close conference until they reached the residence of the
Earl of Derby. Lord Palmerston at parting was observed to wink
distinctly twice with his left eye ; and the Marquis of Clanricarde,
after solemnly slapping his nose with his right fore-finger, threw away
his cigar-end down the Earl of Derby's area, as an intimation pro-
bably that his attempt to form a Ministry would doubtless end in
smoke.

Somewhat later in the evening a conference was held in the small
supper room at the Tantivy Club, at which the voices of Lord Scat-
| terbrain and Sir Noysey Ratteltrappe, the members for Great
Boresboth, were most in the ascendant. The conference was afterwards
adjourned to the smoking-room, but we are unaware if anything
resulted from it more important than a headache.

We are, we think, exclusively enabled to report that, throughout the
interregnum, there have every night been meetings in the Card-room
of the Loo Club ; and we believe that some deep games are understood
to have been played there. Among other current rumours, it was
whispered that Lord Pigeonne, the member for South Elatshire, had
given his adhesion to a Bill of Mr. Pluckwell's, by affixing his
signature in the usual way across it.

A rumour having somehow got abroad that Viscount Williams
had been honoured with a message to attend the Royal Presence, it
was instantly reported that Her Majesty intended to raise him to
the Peerage, and confide in him the task of the formation of a Cabinet.
It was explained, however afterwards, that the business upon which
the noble Viscount had attended, had been more of a commercial
nature than political : the cabinet which he had been commissioned to
fit up being in reality the work of an upholsterer.

On hearing that the Tories, or at least that the Conservatives, were
likely to come in, Mr. Oldeschoole, the venerable Member for Great
Goosebury, hunted up and dusted the court suit which he purchased
in the reign of William Pitt, and in which he had kissed hands on
his appointment as Master of the Bucks.

Rather late on Monday night, after Lord Derby's acceptance of
office had been formally announced by the noble Earl of Malmesbury,
Sir Verigreene Eitznoodleton, M.P. for Closeborough. was ho-
noured with an interview with Capt. Handlecue and Mr. Hawksly,
on business which was thought to be of some importance. The inter-
view took place in the billiard-room of the Green Cloth Club ; but as
the marker was not present, it is of course impossible to say exactly
what transpired.

We believe that it is perfectly superfluous to state that the move-
ments of the Honourable Mr. Tittle Tattler, the much respected
ex-M.P. for Chattersley, have been throughout the week as eccentric
as is usual to him. Every day has seen him flying to and fro among
his friends, with the latest-fledged canard which the Clubs have giveu
birth to. One of the " reliable " pieces of intelligence which Mr.
Tittle Tattler could " in confidence " communicate, we believe was
to the purport that, everybody else having failed to form a Ministry,
the Queen had in despair commissioned Mr. Spooner to undertake
the task, and that, conceiving it might give him a good chance to
settle Maynooth, Mr. S. had set about the business in good earnest,
and had succeeded in securing the support of Mr. Cox, on condition
of that gentleman being made Lord Chancellor, as a suitable reward
for his great legal merits. Another " strictly confidential and exclu-
sive" whisper was that Lord Clanricarde had handed in a pro-
gramme, headed by himself as First Lord of the Treasury, with
Mr. Roebuck as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr. John
Bright as Secretary for War.

A Bad Look Out.

The arrests are becoming so numerous in France, that we wonder
there is a free person left—we do not mean "free," in the sense that
Freedom is enjoyed in England, but "free" inasmuch as he is not in
prison. The " strong arm of the Law " seems to be employed amongst
our neighbours in doing nothing but taking everybody into custody.
Let this system of general_ incarceration continue, and soon the popu-
lation of France will be divided into only two classes—prisoners and
gaolers.