Punch (72.1877)

March 17, 1877.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

ill

PUNCH'S ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

E have found it easier to call up the
irrepressible Pepys than to lay
his perturbed spirit. Though the
Chinese Ambassador was anxious
to have given us a report of last
week's debates,—he is particularly
interested in the Naval Estimates
V since he took his trial-trip and

fired the big gun aboard the Delta,
and declares " Me no put piecee
cotton in ears any more now"—
Samuel fairly hustled the amazed
Celestial down the stairs of our
office, and forced his own MS. upon
our devil before the less self-asser-
tive Chinaman could 'Dull himself
together. For a ghost, Pepys is about the
most solidly materialised spirit hesh and
blood can come across, and a Chinaman, above
all a literatus, wasted by the competitive
^P^^-^S^OSS^MV^- ✓ T ~ NN\ examinations of a lifetime, has no chance

'^-' :O^^L^M^ M^^^C'"^^miyjO€ X / \ \ with him.

A^ ^ ^^^W^^^mWsX llir ''^IftK f / J? ' a \ The Pepys reports are remarkable for their

^_^<^^^^KJHH|waJSs«^^ ^ ^Mw - #56S, SOO . \ cool ignoring of all but what interests the

<;2^^^^^^^^1^^\v^^^^(S&s. "VSs. S J] <5®j° & {> \ author. Thus, on Friday, March 2, we find

^^^X ?^3^^«K >^^^^^^^^y\ I / 4_——~cT~n~nC ' I no word of the Chancellor oe the Exche-

fly^^wS^lii^X L -5 ' J QtTER's answer to Messrs. Mttn"T)ella and

A'-.y//' WSf/ ' ' ^"^vSP^ ' \A Samuelson, showing that the inquiries by the

, ; §3!?/ -j/' / '/WSSr, ' - / -< B|| | Philippolis Commission had been a farce, re-

', / / / / (ZM\^7^Jfi w'rUtI J///n^^k. itMBilB&fas suiting only in the acquittal of Tossoon Bey,

<i ,: / / Mjm I ^M///////^ one of the worst offenders, and Mr. Baring's

\ '/, y / /X^^F't-s}? W/////// /////''III l! M j ' illU \\ \v \ withdrawal in disgust from proceedings he
' ^/i^, / / / jf^&^pS*- I lii •ilij 17/1/ ; { i ! I ] uh1 K \{ ] oould not control and would not countenance.

• .^j^ Vjlfc ' t>\T /tT vtv_ / '// /' 'f| [j I' I \li \ \\ But he bursts into the Declaration debate:—

The House to-night would do going back
from the Declaration' of Paris, for ail Mr.

Percy Wyndham 'spoke mighty smart to. show'that if free ships were to be permitted to make free goods, England's power on the sea
were as good as eone in war time. And methinks it was pretty to hear Ministers, that some can remember loud and lusty in their knocks
against your free-traders, fain to hold with them that the less war was allowed to meddle with neutral bottoms the better : and which,
indeed, is common sense for us that are oftenest neutral, and great carriers of goods by sea, and please Cod will long be so. And so I
am glad to hear Mr. Bourke, and one so high-stomached on the other side as Sir William Harcourt, holding the same discourse;
and do see clearly that time opens the eyes even of your stiffest fanatiques, so you give them a reasonable turn [of Office, which
indeed is a great corrector of your high-flier. And I do take it as settled to-night, by 170 to 56, that free ships shall make free goods
henceforth: and no more dispute thereof possible, methinks, to any good purpose,—but indeed I know not it, failing dispute to good
purpose, there be not some that must needs have it to no purpose at all.

Monday.—Talk among my Lords, but to no end, over a Bill of my Lord Camperdown for Election of the Metropolitan Board of
Works by Ratepayers instead of Vestries. My Lords did think no good would come thereof to the Board; which, indeed, I know not,
nor could learn, but would gladly have the best Board that may conveniently be gotten. But the Bill was negatived without a division.
„In the Commons, Sir C. Legard, and many country gentlemen at his back, have taken sore amiss a thing said by my Lord
Chief Justice Coleridge, in a poaching case at the Durham Assizes, that he would give no certificate for costs in such cases, for
that if gentlemen would make laws to protect the amusements of the rich, the rich must e'en pay for the maintaining of them. Which,
I thmk, though it may be a true thing enough, was scarce a seemly saying for a Judge on the Bench, that should know nothing of law
for rich or law for poor, but should look only to the law that he is set there to administer, and the breaking of it that he is bound to punish.

Still, when one thinks of all the crimes that do come of poaching nowadays, one can understand that the Judge who has to punish