[Illustration: "Dizzy," 1847.]
_House of Commons, July 14th, 1891._--Things going on here much as
usual. Rapidly winding up Session amid familiar surroundings. OLD
MORALITY in seat of Leader of the House; Mr. G. opposite; SPEAKER in
Chair; Sergeant-at-Arms on guard by the door; and WINDBAG SEXTON on
his feet.
Brings back to my mind the first time I saw House. Wasn't in the House
then; a mere puppy, which, indeed, some say I remain to this day. The
date was August the 19th, 1841, and from seat where Strangers were
admitted in the old House (the temporary building occupied whilst
BARRY was erecting this lofty pile) I looked on at the opening of the
first Session of the Fourteenth Parliament of the then United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, appointed to meet at Westminster in the
fifth year of the Reign of HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA.
[Illustration: "The Sphinx is Silent," 1876.]
Remember it as if it were yesterday. It was MELBOURNE's Ministry; but
he of course sat in another place. On the Treasury Bench, distinctly
visible under his hat, was JOHNNY RUSSELL, Colonial Secretary and
Leader of the House of Commons. At a safe distance from him sat PAM,
then in the prime of life, and at the time holding the post of Foreign
Minister, in which he was able to make a remarkably large number of
people uncomfortable. There was Sir GEORGE GREY, Chancellor of the
Duchy, whilst a sturdily built gentleman, then known as the Right Hon.
THOMAS BABBINGTON MACAULAY, was Secretary for War; HENRY LABOUCHERE
(not the SAGE OF QUEEN ANNE'S GATE) was President of the Board of
Trade, and Master of the Mint; whilst FRANCIS BARING was Chancellor
of the Exchequer, all untroubled by the necessity of constructing a
Budget since he knew he would never be called on to bring one in.
On the Front Bench opposite was Sir ROBERT PEEL with JAMES GRAHAM at
his right elbow. In modest retirement at the end of the Bench sat a
young man, of full height, and good figure, with a mass of black hair
crowning a large, well-shaped head. Remember noticing how carefully
the hair was parted down the middle, in a fashion then unusual with
men. His face was pleasant to look upon, even mild in its expression;
but from time to time, more particularly when he spoke, there
flashed from beneath his dark and bushy eyebrows a pair of eyes that
shone like stars. This was the Mr. G. of those days, whose highest
Ministerial office, as yet, had been the Under-Secretaryship for the
Colonies, held for a few months six years earlier.
[Illustration: "W.E.G.," 1860.]
Big House on this first night, as Houses were counted then, when the
number of Members was considerably less. First business was to choose
SPEAKER. SHAW-LEFEVRE (not the Member for Bradford, but a forbear)
had been SPEAKER in last Parliament; re-elected now, PEEL, who, by
the lifting of a finger, could have put his own nominee in the Chair,
graciously consenting.
[Illustration: "The Colossus of Words," 1879.]
Of all who filled the House on that night, only two have seats in
the present Parliament--Mr. G., and the humble person who, by favour
of the Electors of Barkshire, is permitted to pen these lines.
(CHRISTOPHER TALBOT, then represented Glamorganshire, but he just
failed to live into this Jubilee time.) Yet, when I look round on the
Benches now, I see a score of men who bear the names, and are, in many
cases, descendants, of Members who sat in the Parliament that will
ever have a place in history, if only because it was born in the same
year, almost in the same month, as _Mr. Punch_. There was a THOMAS
DYKE ACLAND, representing Devonshire; there were two HENEAGES, one
representing Devizes, and the other, EDWARD, sitting for Grimsby,
as EDWARD HENEAGE sits to-day for the same borough. There was a
BORTHWICK, Member for Evesham. There was a PHILIP STANHOPE, Member for
Hertford. STANSFELD sat for Huddersfield, and MARJORIBANKS for Hythe,
a LAWSON for Knaresborough, a BECKETT for Leeds, a CHILDERS for
Malton, a MANNERS for Newark-upon-Trent, having a certain WILLIAM
EWART GLADSTONE for colleague. He was the Lord JOHN, well known to
students of poetry, who now wears a Ducal coronet.
Of course there was a SMITH, VERNON by Christian name, Member for
Northampton; a HOULDSWOTH representing Nottinghamshire, a MACLEAN
for Oxford, a HARCOURT for Oxfordshire--nay, in this happy Parliament
there were two HARCOURTS, GRANVILLE HARCOURT VERNON sitting for East
Retford. A VIVIAN sat for Penrhyn--HUSSEY VIVIAN's father, JOHN
HENEY, sat in the same Parliament for Swansea. Lord EBRINGTON sat for
Plymouth, and CHARLES RUSSELL for Reading. ORMSBY GORE represented
North Shropshire, long a possession of his family. The Markiss
o' GRANBY sat for Stamford, with a CLARK for colleague. FREDERICK
VILLIERS (not our present Father) kept the name green at Sudbury, and
there was a WYNDHAM for Sussex. The HENRY LABOUCHERE of those less
lively days sat for Taunton, and Sir ROBERT PEEL, our SPEAKER's
father, for Tamworth. There was a HAYTER, GOOD-ENOUGH: for Wells, one
LOWTHER represented Westmoreland, and another York. A WALTER LONG sat
for North Wilts, STUART WORTLEY sat for the West Riding, and JAMES
DUFF for Banffshire. We had a BALFOUR for Haddington, and Lord DALMENY
of that day, happier than the present head of the family, sat in the
Commons for Inverkeithing, a place long since swept off the electoral
board. These surnames, with one or two others I can't recall--yes,
there was a DALRYMPLE for Wigtonshire--are familiar on the Roll of
Parliament to-day.
Amongst the prominent Members of this Parliament I remember ROEBUCK
sitting; for Bath; and PAKINGTON--then plain JOHN all unconscious
of the coming marvel of a Ten Minutes' Reform Bill--for Droitwich.
STRATFORD CANNING had a seat for King's Lynn, and MONCKTON' MILNES
was Member for Pomfret. JOHN BRIGHT was not in the House, but RICHARD
COBDEN sat for Stockport, and there was an acidulous person, then
known as RALPH BERNAL, who sat for Wycombe. We knew BERNAL OSBORNE
in many later Parliaments.
Curious to think how Ireland at this epoch belonged to the classes!
DANIEL O'CONNELL was just in his prime, and, in addition to himself
returned three of his name. SMITH O'BRIEN was yet far off the cabbage
garden, and HENRY GRATTAN sat for Meath. There is a living image of
him now among the busts in the corridor leading out of the Octagon
Hall; a fiery dramatic speaker in the House, who, as someone said of
him at the time, used in his passion to throw up his arms, bend over
till he touched the floor with his finger-nails, and thank Heaven
he had no gestures. The O'CONNOR DON whom Members younger than I
remember as he sat above the Gangway in the Parliament of 1874, then
represented Roscommon. But for the most part the Irish Members of
those days were Earls, Viscounts, Knights, Baronets, Honourables and
Right Honourables.
There were, on the Motion for the Address, big debates in both Houses
on this particular night, when I first saw the SPEAKER in wig and
gown. The fate of the Ministry could scarcely be said to hang in
the balance; they knew they were doomed. In the Lords the shrift was
short. Not too late for dinner, their Lordships divided: "Contents
96, Not Contents 168," majority against Government 72. I well remember
COVENTRY's speech; worth reciting as a model for these later days.
He followed LANSDOWNE, and House wanted to hear NORTHAMPTON. When
COVENTRY presented himself, fearful row kicked up. He stood there till
silence partially restored, then he said in deep voice, as who should
say "My name is--Norval,"--
[Illustration: "AU REVOIR!"]
"I am Lord COVENTRY. A few words from me. I think the country is in a
safe state, and I hope to find it placed in the hands of the Duke of
WELLINGTON. My Lords, I hope I have not detained you."
Then he sat down.
In the Commons, debate lasted four days; majority against Government
91.
The LABBY of 1841 spoke at length, and was followed by Mr. D'ISRAELI
(he spelt it with an apostrophe in those days): a good Disraelian ring
about the last sentence of his speech.
"The House," he said, "ought now to act as it had been acted upon in
times when Parliament was unreformed, when DANBY found himself in a
dungeon, and STRAFFORD on a scaffold. Now the Whigs hold office by
abusing the confidence of the Sovereign, and defying the authority
of Parliament."
After him came the still budding BERNAL OSBORNE, CHARLES NAPIER,
ROEBUCK, JOHNNIE RUSSELL, fighting to the last with his back to the
wall; COBDEN, HENRY GRATTAN, PAM, MILNER GIBSON, O'CONNELL, PEEL, and
Colonel SIBTHORP.
* * * * *
[Illustration: MR. PUNCH KEEPS HIS EYE ON CRICKET.