DOI Heft:
March 15, 1884
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17756#0138
132 PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
“igits,” and abused the Solicitor-General for Ireland for being
“ not only dp mb but absent.” Curious how Irish Members always
go for Irish Solicitor-General, who is generally a dull but other-
wise blameless man.
Cause of the rumpus was Parnellites want to amend the Land Act
by taking away whatever it left to Landlord. Trevelyan puts his
foot down and says “No!” whereupon Sexton appears, and (of
course in Parliamentary sense) accuses the Solicitor-General for
Ireland of depriving his mother-in-law of bread. That seems to
settle the matter. Bill thrown out and everybody goes home.
Business done.—Land Law (Ireland) Act Amendment Bill rejected
j by 235 votes against 72.
Thursday.—There happening to be no work for Parliament to do
just now, no important Bills requiring consideration, resolved to have
another night with Egyptian Question. Lord Bury led off in
Lords. Colonel Stanley recommenced in Commons. Really astonish-
ing, and highly creditable to command over facial muscles, the way
Hon. Gentlemen and Noble Lords come up to the scratch. Been in
session over a month. Not a sitting passed without shower of ques-
tions on affairs in Egypt. Five nights’ debate on the Vote of Cen-
sure. Seven other nights of debate irregularly sprung upon the
House. In Lords, Granville declares he has answered question
fifteen or sixteen times. Yet here to-night, in freshest paint and
with every appearance of wanting to know, comes Lord Bury in the
Lords with “ the Markis” to follow; and in the Commons Colonel
Stanley with both hands resting on the table, standing on one leg,
and swinging the other backwards and forwards whilst he asks,
“ What is your policy in Egypt ? ”
Hartington, with crushed manner and in wearied voice, goes all
through business once more. Gladstone the only man still lively on
the matter. Once more expounds his policy, and then marching in
melancholy single file comes the old procession carrying a banner
with the too-familiar device “ What’s your policy in Egypt ? ”
j “ Might as well shut up the place and go home,” says Hartington.
“ As a farce it wasn’t very good on first night, and since then never
been off the bills. We ’re sick of it. If we ’re to have obstruction, I
[ prefer old style; a long wrangle, a sudden explosion, and O’Donnell
. put out, or Joseph Gillis discovered up in Strangers’ Gallery grinning
down upon an assembly temporarily bereft of his companionship.
Business done.—None.
Friday.—A little tired of House to-night. Went and sat in
Ladies’ Gallery. Looked down on bear-pit, where they quarrelled
round Chamberlain’s passive figure. Question is, Was patronage
under Bankruptcy Act distributed among political partisans P
Chamberlain conclusively shows it was not. On contrary, quite
unusual pains taken to secure best men. Tories a little staggered.
After hesitation, determine to go on. Press for Committee, and are
beaten two to one.
“Well, now,” said Miss Crocker, one of those charming girls
America occasionally sends over to Redress the Balance between the
Old World and the New, “they talk about party squabbles in
my country, but I suppose this is about the meanest thing your
Opposition ever did ? ”
Don’t like to admit it to a stranger ; but in privacy of Diary may
say it is. I give up Joseph Gillis, Georgy Hamilton, Grand
Cross, and some other Gentlemen on Front Bench. ’Tis their nature
to. But to see Colonel Stanley and Gibson going out to vote with
their party in this pitiful spiteful personal attack, astounds me.
Business done.—None.
BEFORE AND AFTER THE DINNER.
The Lord Mayor, in proposing the toast of the evening on the
occasion of the recent. City banquet given in honour of Lord Shaftes-
i bury, announced, to the assembled company that his original idea had
not been to. preside at a grand and costly public entertainmentof the
kind at which they were then assisting, but at quite a private and
homely little affair of a very different character. It is, however, only
known to a select few that this earlier and more economical social
| gathering really was essayed and came off. As the speeches of guest
! and. host on the occasion were naturally of a very simple and
informal character, they may perhaps be read with interest by those
to whom the sudden rush made by the City with its Freedom literally
j at the head of the veteran philanthropic Nobleman, is yet somewhat
of a mystery. Subjoined is the hitherto unreported account of the
proceedings:—
At the Mansion House yesterday afternoon a chop-and-hot-potato
lunch was given by the Lord Mayor (R. N. Fowler, M.P.) to the
Earl of Shaftesbury and some half-dozen personal friends who had
expressed a wish to have a good uninterrupted stare at his Lordship.
After the usual loyal toasts had been duly proposed and honoured,
the Lord Mayor said he had now to drink to the health of his dis-
tinguished guest. He thought, as they were practically quite alone,
he could afford to be frank with the Noble Earl, and tell him how it
[March 15, 1884.
came about that he had asked him to look in and have lunch at all.
The matter was. very simple. He had, during his year of office, to
have what he might colloquially style an occasional “ flare up,” but
it was absolutely necessary if he desired a flare up to get hold of
“somebody ”. just to Hare up with. {Laughter.) Now the abnormal
and extraordinary dearth of “somebodies” at the present moment
obliged him to take up his Whitaker, and see whether he could put his
finger on any one who might be sard to be ripe for the Freedom of the
City. He was not particular, not he ;—a second-hand explorer would
have done,—but unfortunately he could hit on nobody. Then he
appealed in despair to the City Remembrancer. That functionary,
who never seemed to remember anything or anybody, told him he
must wait for “somebody home from Egypt,” but he, the Lord
Mayor, knew what Egyptian affairs meant, and the Ninth of next
November might be here first, and that wouldn’t do for him. (‘ ‘ Hear,
hear !'’’) Then a happy thought struck him all at once. He said
to himself, “Why! bless me!—if there isn’t old Shaftesbury!
{Laughter). Why, they ought to have made something of him forty
years ago ! But, better late than never: he’s the very thing for me !
All this Dwelling of the Poor business to the fore just now : and the
Prince on the Commission too ! By Jove, I will. I II ask him to
lunch!” And that, concluded liis Lordship, addressing the Noble
Earl, is why you are here to-day, my Lord ! {Loud laughter.)
The Earl of Shaftesbury, who on rising was received with an
encouraging cheer, said: My Lord Mayor, and you two or three
Gentlemen here assembled, I have very little to say in reply to your
frank, but, I may add, not altogether pleasing little harangue; for
you have reminded me—unintentionally, no doubt—of the fact that
had not, I confess, occurred to me before,—namely, that to come
bothering a man of my years at this advanced period of his life with
the offer of a visionary sort of honour that would have come with j
far better grace a quarter of a century back, is in rather question-
able, I might even say in rather clumsy taste ! (“ No, no ! ”) What
is the use, I ask, of the Freedom of the City to me ? {A Voice—
11 You can go up the Monument for nothing /”) Just so. But that
and the other numerous privileges conferred by the distinction, are
not of a character to tickle the fancy of one who, like myself, has
reached his eighty-fourth year, and passed most of the time in, I
trust, no very frivolous spirit. (“ Hear!”) And how do you
confer the honour, after all ? You ask me to a little—I say it
with all respect—a little twopenny-halfpenny entertainment that
I have frequently seen equalled—nay, sometimes eclipsed—by
the modest luncheon-tariff at my own Club. {Laughter.) Gentle-
men, the noble Earl went on to say, might laugh, but he should have
thought that the laugh was entirely on his side. Had his worshipful
host asked him to meet some three hundred representative guests,
and invested the whole proceedings with a decent, but seasonable
eclat, that would possibly have altered the circumstances of the case,
and have, while paying a tardy compliment to himself, at least have
given a sort of temporary stimulus to the cause for which he had
laboured, and which, if he got a good two columns in the Times to
himself, he would make them thoroughly understand he embodied.
{Cheers.) As it was, he felt much inclined to ask them to let him
alone. {“No, no!”) He meant it. {Laughter.)
On its being explained to his Lordship that “ The Freedom of the
City” included free admission to all the East-End Music-Halls, a
season ticket at the City of London Theatre, the right of lunching at
Crosby Hall for a quarter of the usual tariff, the privilege of taking
friends at all hours to see the exterior of the Monument, of visiting
the Docks (including that at the Old Bailey) without any ceremony
and in any state his Lordship pleased, with various additional
privileges, such as the right to the first cut off the joint at the Old
London Tavern, real turtle at somebody else’s expense at Painter’s,
and four-penn’orth of whiskey for threepence anywhere within the
precincts of the City,—on all this having been fully explained to
him, the Noble Earl expressed his regret still more strongly that
“ The Freedom of the City ” had not been conferred on him about
forty years ago, but added that “It was better late than never, and,
if the Lord Mayor would only take him the rounds just to start
him, he looked forward to spending many a jolly evening in the full
enjoyment of the new Liberty just conferred upon him.”
The Lord Mayor agreeing to this, a pleasant little party was
formed, and, after the banquet, a thoroughly convivial evening was
passed, and visits were paid to the various places of amusement,
within the Freedom of the City. Cabs and broughams awaited them
at the City boundary, marked by the Griffin, where, after three
cheers, rather indistinctly given, for “Freedom and Fowler! ” they
were escorted to their separate vehicles by the City Police, and
reached their homes (according to distance) between two and three
a.m., the finish-up with a stirrup-cup and a saraband at the Mansion i
House having detained them somewhat later than had been expected.
The Noble Earl says he is delighted with the Freedom of the City,
but that he had rather a headache next morning. He hopes
frequently to avail himself of the new privilege, and to take the ;
Hon. Evelyn Ashley with him on Wednesday nights.
“igits,” and abused the Solicitor-General for Ireland for being
“ not only dp mb but absent.” Curious how Irish Members always
go for Irish Solicitor-General, who is generally a dull but other-
wise blameless man.
Cause of the rumpus was Parnellites want to amend the Land Act
by taking away whatever it left to Landlord. Trevelyan puts his
foot down and says “No!” whereupon Sexton appears, and (of
course in Parliamentary sense) accuses the Solicitor-General for
Ireland of depriving his mother-in-law of bread. That seems to
settle the matter. Bill thrown out and everybody goes home.
Business done.—Land Law (Ireland) Act Amendment Bill rejected
j by 235 votes against 72.
Thursday.—There happening to be no work for Parliament to do
just now, no important Bills requiring consideration, resolved to have
another night with Egyptian Question. Lord Bury led off in
Lords. Colonel Stanley recommenced in Commons. Really astonish-
ing, and highly creditable to command over facial muscles, the way
Hon. Gentlemen and Noble Lords come up to the scratch. Been in
session over a month. Not a sitting passed without shower of ques-
tions on affairs in Egypt. Five nights’ debate on the Vote of Cen-
sure. Seven other nights of debate irregularly sprung upon the
House. In Lords, Granville declares he has answered question
fifteen or sixteen times. Yet here to-night, in freshest paint and
with every appearance of wanting to know, comes Lord Bury in the
Lords with “ the Markis” to follow; and in the Commons Colonel
Stanley with both hands resting on the table, standing on one leg,
and swinging the other backwards and forwards whilst he asks,
“ What is your policy in Egypt ? ”
Hartington, with crushed manner and in wearied voice, goes all
through business once more. Gladstone the only man still lively on
the matter. Once more expounds his policy, and then marching in
melancholy single file comes the old procession carrying a banner
with the too-familiar device “ What’s your policy in Egypt ? ”
j “ Might as well shut up the place and go home,” says Hartington.
“ As a farce it wasn’t very good on first night, and since then never
been off the bills. We ’re sick of it. If we ’re to have obstruction, I
[ prefer old style; a long wrangle, a sudden explosion, and O’Donnell
. put out, or Joseph Gillis discovered up in Strangers’ Gallery grinning
down upon an assembly temporarily bereft of his companionship.
Business done.—None.
Friday.—A little tired of House to-night. Went and sat in
Ladies’ Gallery. Looked down on bear-pit, where they quarrelled
round Chamberlain’s passive figure. Question is, Was patronage
under Bankruptcy Act distributed among political partisans P
Chamberlain conclusively shows it was not. On contrary, quite
unusual pains taken to secure best men. Tories a little staggered.
After hesitation, determine to go on. Press for Committee, and are
beaten two to one.
“Well, now,” said Miss Crocker, one of those charming girls
America occasionally sends over to Redress the Balance between the
Old World and the New, “they talk about party squabbles in
my country, but I suppose this is about the meanest thing your
Opposition ever did ? ”
Don’t like to admit it to a stranger ; but in privacy of Diary may
say it is. I give up Joseph Gillis, Georgy Hamilton, Grand
Cross, and some other Gentlemen on Front Bench. ’Tis their nature
to. But to see Colonel Stanley and Gibson going out to vote with
their party in this pitiful spiteful personal attack, astounds me.
Business done.—None.
BEFORE AND AFTER THE DINNER.
The Lord Mayor, in proposing the toast of the evening on the
occasion of the recent. City banquet given in honour of Lord Shaftes-
i bury, announced, to the assembled company that his original idea had
not been to. preside at a grand and costly public entertainmentof the
kind at which they were then assisting, but at quite a private and
homely little affair of a very different character. It is, however, only
known to a select few that this earlier and more economical social
| gathering really was essayed and came off. As the speeches of guest
! and. host on the occasion were naturally of a very simple and
informal character, they may perhaps be read with interest by those
to whom the sudden rush made by the City with its Freedom literally
j at the head of the veteran philanthropic Nobleman, is yet somewhat
of a mystery. Subjoined is the hitherto unreported account of the
proceedings:—
At the Mansion House yesterday afternoon a chop-and-hot-potato
lunch was given by the Lord Mayor (R. N. Fowler, M.P.) to the
Earl of Shaftesbury and some half-dozen personal friends who had
expressed a wish to have a good uninterrupted stare at his Lordship.
After the usual loyal toasts had been duly proposed and honoured,
the Lord Mayor said he had now to drink to the health of his dis-
tinguished guest. He thought, as they were practically quite alone,
he could afford to be frank with the Noble Earl, and tell him how it
[March 15, 1884.
came about that he had asked him to look in and have lunch at all.
The matter was. very simple. He had, during his year of office, to
have what he might colloquially style an occasional “ flare up,” but
it was absolutely necessary if he desired a flare up to get hold of
“somebody ”. just to Hare up with. {Laughter.) Now the abnormal
and extraordinary dearth of “somebodies” at the present moment
obliged him to take up his Whitaker, and see whether he could put his
finger on any one who might be sard to be ripe for the Freedom of the
City. He was not particular, not he ;—a second-hand explorer would
have done,—but unfortunately he could hit on nobody. Then he
appealed in despair to the City Remembrancer. That functionary,
who never seemed to remember anything or anybody, told him he
must wait for “somebody home from Egypt,” but he, the Lord
Mayor, knew what Egyptian affairs meant, and the Ninth of next
November might be here first, and that wouldn’t do for him. (‘ ‘ Hear,
hear !'’’) Then a happy thought struck him all at once. He said
to himself, “Why! bless me!—if there isn’t old Shaftesbury!
{Laughter). Why, they ought to have made something of him forty
years ago ! But, better late than never: he’s the very thing for me !
All this Dwelling of the Poor business to the fore just now : and the
Prince on the Commission too ! By Jove, I will. I II ask him to
lunch!” And that, concluded liis Lordship, addressing the Noble
Earl, is why you are here to-day, my Lord ! {Loud laughter.)
The Earl of Shaftesbury, who on rising was received with an
encouraging cheer, said: My Lord Mayor, and you two or three
Gentlemen here assembled, I have very little to say in reply to your
frank, but, I may add, not altogether pleasing little harangue; for
you have reminded me—unintentionally, no doubt—of the fact that
had not, I confess, occurred to me before,—namely, that to come
bothering a man of my years at this advanced period of his life with
the offer of a visionary sort of honour that would have come with j
far better grace a quarter of a century back, is in rather question-
able, I might even say in rather clumsy taste ! (“ No, no ! ”) What
is the use, I ask, of the Freedom of the City to me ? {A Voice—
11 You can go up the Monument for nothing /”) Just so. But that
and the other numerous privileges conferred by the distinction, are
not of a character to tickle the fancy of one who, like myself, has
reached his eighty-fourth year, and passed most of the time in, I
trust, no very frivolous spirit. (“ Hear!”) And how do you
confer the honour, after all ? You ask me to a little—I say it
with all respect—a little twopenny-halfpenny entertainment that
I have frequently seen equalled—nay, sometimes eclipsed—by
the modest luncheon-tariff at my own Club. {Laughter.) Gentle-
men, the noble Earl went on to say, might laugh, but he should have
thought that the laugh was entirely on his side. Had his worshipful
host asked him to meet some three hundred representative guests,
and invested the whole proceedings with a decent, but seasonable
eclat, that would possibly have altered the circumstances of the case,
and have, while paying a tardy compliment to himself, at least have
given a sort of temporary stimulus to the cause for which he had
laboured, and which, if he got a good two columns in the Times to
himself, he would make them thoroughly understand he embodied.
{Cheers.) As it was, he felt much inclined to ask them to let him
alone. {“No, no!”) He meant it. {Laughter.)
On its being explained to his Lordship that “ The Freedom of the
City” included free admission to all the East-End Music-Halls, a
season ticket at the City of London Theatre, the right of lunching at
Crosby Hall for a quarter of the usual tariff, the privilege of taking
friends at all hours to see the exterior of the Monument, of visiting
the Docks (including that at the Old Bailey) without any ceremony
and in any state his Lordship pleased, with various additional
privileges, such as the right to the first cut off the joint at the Old
London Tavern, real turtle at somebody else’s expense at Painter’s,
and four-penn’orth of whiskey for threepence anywhere within the
precincts of the City,—on all this having been fully explained to
him, the Noble Earl expressed his regret still more strongly that
“ The Freedom of the City ” had not been conferred on him about
forty years ago, but added that “It was better late than never, and,
if the Lord Mayor would only take him the rounds just to start
him, he looked forward to spending many a jolly evening in the full
enjoyment of the new Liberty just conferred upon him.”
The Lord Mayor agreeing to this, a pleasant little party was
formed, and, after the banquet, a thoroughly convivial evening was
passed, and visits were paid to the various places of amusement,
within the Freedom of the City. Cabs and broughams awaited them
at the City boundary, marked by the Griffin, where, after three
cheers, rather indistinctly given, for “Freedom and Fowler! ” they
were escorted to their separate vehicles by the City Police, and
reached their homes (according to distance) between two and three
a.m., the finish-up with a stirrup-cup and a saraband at the Mansion i
House having detained them somewhat later than had been expected.
The Noble Earl says he is delighted with the Freedom of the City,
but that he had rather a headache next morning. He hopes
frequently to avail himself of the new privilege, and to take the ;
Hon. Evelyn Ashley with him on Wednesday nights.