Punch (35.1858)

224

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

i December, 4, 1858

THE FALL OF A THRONE:

hat an idea of grandeur is pre-
sented by the follow-
ing advertisement,
which lately appeared
in the columns of our
fashionable contem-
porary :—

DORTER'S HALL

L CHAIR, covered with
Black Leather, with
carved oak frame, equal
to new, recently cost £24,
to be Sold for 7 guineas ;
a great bargain.

What an idea of
grandeur — bat of
grandeur departed !
Where is no# the
proud Porter, whose
stalwart form once
filled the spacious old
Hall Chair of carved
oak with its covering
of goodly black lea-
ther ? Where are the
other livery servants ?
What is now the co-
lour of their respec-
tive plush? Where
are'theLord and Lady
of the Mansion in the
Hall whereof stood
the noble piece of fur-
niture, cost £24, to be
sold for £7 7s.—a
great bargain truly ?
Thus, all earthly
• thrones are subject

to fall; thus, or to a figure still lower,—sometimes to nought! Montalembert has been
sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Slighter circumstances have occasioned the fall of a
Throne.

OUR BROTHER AT BERLIN.

Herr Flottwell, the new Prussian Minister
of the Interior, has been addressing a Circular
to the Prussian officials, recommending them
to resist all erroneous and extreme opinions ex-
pressed at Public Meetings. M. Elottwell
may _ be quite easy. Tranquillity is assured at
Berlin. What better proof could there be of
this, than the fact that the circulation of Klad-
deradatsch, the Berlin Punch, exceeds, by many
thousands, that of any other daily paper in the
Prussian Capital. Now, German Punch, may be
—of course it is—weaker than British, but still
it is a wholesome liquor, and where it is con-
sumed in such quantities, the body politic must
be in a tolerably healthy state.

" Look on this Picture, and on that."

_" Lord Strateord de Rebcltffe, during
his stay, remained in the Bay on board of the
frigate, and did not visit the King."—Advices
from Naples.

" Lords Palmer ston and Clarendon are
conspicuous among the guests of the Emperor
at Compiegne."— Court Circular.

March of Rationality.

A Mohammedan Attorney was duly sworn in
before Lord Campbell last week. The Oriental
gentleman had served his articles, and been
passed by the Law Society, but there was doubt
as to the form of his oaths, and therefore he
came before the Court of Queen's Bench. We
are happy to add, that the enlightened decision
of Lord Campbell and his brethren did away
with the last fragment of the absurdity that
affected to see a Christian in an Attorney.

A STAIRCASE FULL OF LAWYERS.

OUR GROUND FLOOR.

" Our Staircase, Mr. Punch, somewhat resemble s a Trifle, as the
best of it comes towaids the bottom. Our Giound Eloor Chambers
are occupied right and left by Serjeant Broadgalge and Mr.
Crossbill respectively. Broadgalge is one of the favoured few who
dropped into a Parliamentary practice at the time of the Railway
mania, and is now at the top of the tree. He was quite an unknown
man at the Bar twelve years ago, but what a merry time the last twelve
years must have been for him. His only recommendations were a
pleasant gentlemanly address and being the nephew of a Railway
Director; his fame was unknown. But now, Mr Punch, Broadgalge
is ' some pumpkins,' as our Transatlantic brethren say, and it is
popularly rumouied that he dictates decisions to weak Committees.

" ' Now really, really, Brother Crusty,' exclaims Broadgauge,
when some point is being made by the other side, 'you should not
make such a statement to the Committee, the noble Lord in the chair,
will, I am sure, see that this is travelling out of the question ;' and
down he sits with offended dignity, and shakes his head ominously at
the Committee, who, not being quite clear where the question begins
or ends, invariably side with Broadgalge.

Again, when Broadgalge is summing up his case, and the Soli-
citor, in a fever of anxiety, suggests some point, little Eager, the
junior in the case, holds him back, and whispers, 'Leave him alone, he
Las got them by the nose.'

" Serjeant Broadgalge has a name now, at any rate, and whether
the promoters of some new scheme are concocting their plan at
Bally-na-shan in Ireland, or some remote country town in Scotland, or
in the City of London, the first idea that suggests itself to them is,
' We must retain Serjeant Broadgalge.'

" The Serjeant's Clerk is reported to make two thousand a year in
fees, and he taps the lid of his snuff-box and laughs if a Solicitor asks
on what day he can attend a case. Broadgalge is retained for or
against every important Bill before the Committees, and when a dozen
Committees are sitting at once, eleven clients must be minus the
Serjeant. ' My dear fellow,' he says to Mr. Soetsawder, ' I cannot
come near you till Tuesday at the earliest; you can have a consultation

at seven to-morrow morning or twelve to-night, but I can't come near
the room earlier than Tuesday.'

" He has no more, pleasure in his house in Hyde Park Gardens than
you or I, Mr. Punch, have in Buckingham Palace. He is in consulta-
tion all the time during which he is out of the Committee Room, and
in Committee hours he is hunted like a wolf by hungry Attorneys, all
entreating him to come to their aid. But every picture has a reverse
side, and I don't believe any man has a better moor in Scotland, on a
better country house than 'the Manor' in Buckinghamshire; and
after all, these are pretty good make-weights against five months' work
during the sitting of Parliament.

" At consultation is the time to see Broadgalge in his glory.
' Well, Soft sawder, now let us know something about the case in
the first place,' he remarks, after some Bill has reached the tenth day
of hearing, without the Serjeant having been near the room, or being
aware of the nature of the evidence. Poor Soetsawder begins to
doubt whether he is getting full value for the three hundred guinea
fee which was marked on the brief, and whether on the whole he would
not have been better off if he had been contented with some smaller
gun, who would have attended to his case; but there is no time for
regret, as the Serjeant is in a jocular humour, and he and the Engineer
exchange a little running fire of jokes, and Precedent, the Parlia-
mentary agent, even tries his hand at a pun, but it only fizzes like a
wet rocket, and goes out. At the end of twenty minutes the Serjeant
rings the Bell, and tells his Clerk to bring in his mutton chop when it
is ready, which is a hint to the Clients that he is going to eat his
scrambling dinner before the next consultation. After the professional
men leave the room, the Serjeant's Clerk books a consultation fee of
five guineas, and takes an approving pinch of snuff with the air of a
man who will receive a per-centage on the plunder.

" You remember, Mr. Punch, how dazzling Mrs. Broadgauge's
diamonds were at the Ambassador's Ball at Paris, and you remember
our remarking what a pity it was that an Englishwoman who was so
conspicuous and so handsome should be so horribly stuck up. Any
one can see by the way she drags in 'my Erench maid' and 'my
carriage' on every opportunity, that the novelty of those extrava-
gances has not yet worn off, and I fear that more grapes and pines
from the country seat go to some great acquaintances whom she
cultivates than to her poor relations at Islington.