_Monday, March 29th._--During a brief sitting the Lords got through a good
deal of business. The Silver Coinage Bill awakened Lord CHAPLIN'S
reminiscences of his bimetallic days, when he was accused by Sir WILLIAM
HARCOURT of trying to stir up mutiny in India. Undeterred by this warning,
however, the Peers gave a Second Reading to the measure and also to the
Coal Mines Emergency Bill, which is less up-to-date than it sounds, and
deals not with the present emergency but with the last emergency but one.
They also passed the Importation of Plumage Bill, at the instance of Lord
ABERDEEN, who pleaded that beautiful birds, "the result of myriads of years
of evolution," should not be exterminated to make a British matron's
picture-hat.
[Illustration: _Mr. MACPHERSON._ "WITH ALL THESE CHERUBS GOING FOR MY KITE
FULL BLAST IT LOOKS AS IF I MIGHT KEEP THE THING FLYING."