Punch: Punch (76.1879)

March 29, 1879.]

135

PERMISSIVE SLAUGHTER.

{Five Thousand Shunting Accidents in Five Years !)

First Shunter {with coupling-link, awaiting Engine lacking). " I saw poor Jack's Wife and Kids last Night, after the
Funebal. Poor Things, what will be done for 'em ! ?"

Second Shunter {at Points). " Oh, the usual Thing, I s'ppose—Company's Blessin', and a Charity Mangle!-Look out,

Mate ! She's backin' ! "

with pestilential gases ? A tremendous bore it will be for him, poor : on Home-Rule principles, and " treading on the tail of me coat,"
little beggar ! will be a leading manoeuvre.

" Suppose," Britannia (always disposed to kick at Science) will be I In the meantime, the Irish Guard on Monday confined itself to
apt to whisper to John Bull, " we came back to our honest old j protecting the British purse in the interests of Ireland, andwasted
hearts of oak, with their plain and primitive broadsides, that never as much of the night as was devoted to Supply in resisting the
harmed any but an enemy ! " demand. However, for once, Parnell spoke to the purpose, and

It really looks rather like it. practically rebuked that irrepressible obstructor, Mr. O'Donnell.

If not, as no doubt this unscientific suggestion is not to be listened Tuesday {Lords).—-Lord Beaconsfield administered a sharp

to for a moment, we shall want another sweet little cherub to sit
down below, as well as the one already told off to sit up aloft, '' to

rebuke to Lord Truro for asking whether the Government had duly
considered the transmission of the Queen's message of sympathy

keep watch o'er the life of poor Jack." j with, and confidence in, Lord Chelmsford and his troops, and

{Commons.)—Mr. Cross having satisfied himself as to the corrobo- : whether they concurred in it. The message, Lord Beaconsfield
ration of Peace's confession of the murder of Cock the Manchester j said, was not an expression of unlimited confidence in the Com-
Policeman, has released William Habron. He is even going to com- mander-in-Chief, but of sympathy first, and then of confidence in
pensate the Convict, and do what, to the best of Punch's recollection, the South African Commander and his men to maintain Her Majesty's
no Secretary of State ever ventured to do before, compensate an inno- ! name and honour. This message, like any other public act of the
cent man, as|far as money can, for physical and mental sufferings ! Sovereign, had been sent on the responsibility of Her Majesty's
during two years and eight months; first through accusation, trial, Ministers. To delay it would have been to deprive Her Majesty's
and sentence of death for murder, and afterwards under the com- j act of the spontaneous grace of consolation.

muted mercies of penal servitude. Lucky for the Treasury that j Lord Truro was thankful for the explanation, even at the cost of
William: Habron's gauge of compensation is a lower-class one. i his wigging.

Punch congratulates him on his release, and Mr. Cross on the courage | {Commons.)—But to show how differently the game of question
of his admission that in such cases compensation is the least atonement
that can be made.

An Irish free fight over the Army Estimates.

Sir P. O'Brien and Mr. O'Donnell exchanged several rounds.
Sir Patrick suggests a Regiment of Irish Guards. Punch hails the | colleagues

idea. Is there not the Major to the fore—ready made ? For the | We leave our readers to reconcile these answers. No doubt the
Colonelcy, why should not all the eligible candidates take the sod , Queen's message was the spontaneous result of Her Majesty's kindly
for it, in the good ould Milesian fashion ? The great difficulty would 1 and natural desire to comfort a General under defeat, and troops
be not about officers—that would be an embarras de richesses—but under disaster ; and was neither meant to express any opinion of
about the rank and file. Of course if Messrs. Parnell and Biggar the General's merits, nor to forestall the conclusions, nor impede the
are to have anything to do with it, the Regiment will be disciplined action, of the Government in relation to him and his command.

and answer is played in Lords and Commons, Sir R. Peel, on asking
the same question as Lord Truro, was informed by Colonel Stanley
that he alone was solely responsible for transmission of Her
Majesty's message, which he had forwarded without consulting his