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    JoawottiB* «1T, 1855.] TE«X8AP;EB, 8*

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    « A Stranger," In 3parliament. [Our Read...

    yfeVa & d "wlfett wehave , her Majesi ^ * 4 ti 6 < choKje tflffll in tlie ^ ufWaix 3 liy '>« o wacfce new Fefci-s . Itet aemocfafs ^ ubh a-6 ihoc * ats StS ^ te pbai ^ g ^ fo ittvalid Mr . Roebuck as the master of the situation ( that is , of the Ministry -of Wax- )—reconsider the jresourfces of % Mt glolfcras ^ biftintfy * . '• ,,. ParliameW then , ' being still merely •¦* public amusemdntf 6 tfhe public , let tis be grateful to Lord John fcussetl—as a drole . Perhaps he may ruin himself * he has—he is so fond of symmetry in B 88 tire- " « ttrned / Downiag-streefc into a Balaklava of ftbbrtfVe ' campaignmg ; aad he may ascertain that the Premiership is his Sebastopol . But then , forftr =-nately , his prescient colleague , Mr . Gladstone , has

    just brought in a Superannuation Act , so . that in Richmond Lodge he may affluently -edit Schedule A and B i » the serene retirement of the baulkefl ^ British statesman . Let Us cdriside * , in fcalculatin ' g the compensation Sue to him , ^ hat , last "Tuesday , Parliament had nothing' whatever to meet for—Lord John , himself could only thiric of an Educational ineaSure until he hit on this 'happy idea of being CUftius ¦— initttts the 'gfclf . The fearful blank prospect , for Parliament , was so thoroughly * inderstood at the -beginning o the week , that at tlie meeting on Tuesday there were not * h * rty members present in the Gbmmons—there wasat " a House . " There would not have been thirty , only that there were ten new members ^ vito Were eager for their

    privilege of being bored , and ten Irish members , who had peculiar reasons for coming to an early definitive settlement with Hayter as to what be is gcang to stand this session . And the pervading look of the assembly—the same look that comes over Convocation at its annual bathos in Jerusalemchatnber ^ -was the look of men who were interrogating their souls as to what ' they were there for . Sir Benjamin Hall made a serious mistake in supposing it was for-him and his bills : no sooner had he risen , than the House fled . Ministers evidently didn't know . Each tried to say something , and to

    give some notices of something sounding like business . The Coalition being about to break up , Mr . Card well axmounced with complacency that he had a new Law of Partnership . There being' no news , Mr . Gladstone said he was going to make the newspapers cheap ; and so on . Lord John pitied the House : he tried a make-believe of public affairs , and said something about the negotiations . But it was a flead failure . He had nothing to tell , and he broke down , under the pressure of Mr . Bright , with the confession that , after all , " the position of the

    negotiations " jseemed to be , so far as he knew , that there were ^^ no negotiations . It was absurd . Nobody—not one of the thirty- * -would have appeared lagain on Thursday only for the Club circulation of Lord John ' s lucky expedient—which is parelleled by that of Guy F « . wkes—for he intended to blow up the Parliament , and has only ruined himself :- —then , of course , there was a crowd . Clearly , if we hadn't had n ministerial crisis , wo should have had a session in which there would have been nothing but a dreary , though , perhaps , constitutionally gratifying illustration of what all our constitutional writers

    -assert as the inalienable right of the English people to—tax themselves . There wate , of course , a grent crowd of gobemouclics down at the new Palace of Westminster yesterday evening ; it was the period of gobemonclterie ; and the -Great Briton did not sound as sensible as the metropolitan Great Briton should while enjoying the ludicrous gossip and insane rumours prevalent among London clubbists , innocent of tho actual political position of their enlightened country , on every such occasion . Concentrated was the attention while Lord John passed tip the lobbies , while he sidled up the House , and took his seat on that back bench which his figure and character so well become . Excited was the sensation of the

    Houso- ~ if feeble—very feeble—the cheers -which from a few friends nppenreel to greet the unfortunate as he mounted the scaffold on which ho was about to commit his conspicuous /' do dc « e . Tho dramatic proprieties of such House of Commons spectacles were observed . There wns going to bo a scene ; and there is nothing tho House of Commons likes so well as a scene . , The . strangers credited the crisis : tho clubbists were confident there would be a revelation : the new members Bettlod themselves into their Beats with dignity : only tho old inhabitants who

    comprehend * beir < JoMitry w-ere cogmaant that they were ! goi » g -to be ipfczaled ^ r- 'but still , whieh amused them , interested . It was interesting to observe 4 he > solemnity witk wbich tliei . habitual prolusion w-as got through . As if the truth was ever told & £ such times ! As if there were -not « ourt reasons . and cabinet reasons , and reasons of conspirators and diplomatists , who preserve the honour of depredators , why the truth cannot be told . As if there was not . always an understanding as to the pretext to be protruded on a nation distinguished , among other-symptoms of greatness , by its simplicity ! Who , of the outside public , even , those who liaye votes among us , and may have-the advantage of returning an Apsiey

    Pellatt or a W . Williams to represent us -in . our Commons' House , knows the truth of the row , but a year ago , between -Russell « and Palmereton ? Who of us is now likely to ascertain the facts as to the jow between Russell and Aberdeen ? The pretext is not clever this time . We are b ^ led to wonderful political conclusions just now . One . growing faith is that thegoverningclasses mustgive up being the ( governing classes . A . proposal was made in the course of the Ia 3 t riighVs debate ( by Mr . Henry i > rummond ) and was not groaned down—was , indeed , hear-heared as a capital idea— : probably by those who had welcomed Lord John , and thought that the Cincinnatus was not far off—that we should

    in our national scrape , resort to a Dictator . These ideas may be premature . ; but there was one conviction which must have been yesterday forced on the minds of all who witnessed the parliamentary . proceedings—that representative institutions now and then admit of great public silliness . Lord John Russell , who gave the tone to the Government , could not have impressed himself on the oldest Whig as a man of genias . Take not only ' the pretext—in which , you are welcome to believe , if you will— -but the manner in which it was put forward . in a low voice , a husky manner , mispronunciation in every second word , bad grammar in every sentence . this eminent Parliamentarian commenced , his

    , vindication by answering the bold Times' severe sneer at his recess oratory at mechanics' institutions : he had been overworked , he assured them—in leading th'R House !¦—last Session ; and he had a right , so he had , to -go' into the country in Recess , and make little speeches . Then , he went on—the House more and more wondering—he had not intended to resign on Tuesday morning : he resigned on Tuesday evening on hearing Roebuck ' s motion , because he admitted there had been mismanagement-in the Crimea , and because he had proposed in November that Lord Palmerston should take the Duke of Newcastle ' s place . That was the defence : he had refused to resign when Lord Aberdeen refused to do that

    which he ( Russell ) believed to be vital to the welfare of the army and the safety of the nation ; but he resolved on resigning—without again offering Lord Aberdeen the alternative—when , as if he must not have calculated in December on some such motion , an hbn . member , at the meeting of Parliament , proposed that there should , be an inquiry whether the Go . vernment ., was _ respQnsible for the failure in the Crimea . Well , as he got " tediously at these facts every one admitted that he had had « . perfect right , in his conceit of Lord Palmerston , to resign ; but every one also saw , . that it was due to the conceit of himself that his resignation should have taken place as a patriot protest in November , or last spring , and should not have been delayed , as a freak , till January .

    But Lord John was not content with this silliness ; with increasing dignity he went on to plunge deeper into bathos . His peroration was to show that , on his own grounds , he ought not to have resigned ; for , said Lord John , the public impression that our national position in this war is rather bad is a complete mistake . ' Our allies , prance and Austria , may be relied on ; and wo must win in an immediate peace or after a safe war . More : ho gloried in the course he had taken ( in sacrificing tho Whig party ) in joining the Coalition Government . Lord Aberdeen was a Christian , but a statesman : fond of peace , but with a horror of an unreal peace . Mr . Gladstone was a great man , the genius of finance , whose intellect was so splendid , that it had cast light on all his colleagues . To tho patient cleverness of Lord Clarendon wns it to be attributed that Austria had been

    secured . Lord Palmerston was a man of pre-eminent capacity . Tho Duke of Newcastle and Mr . ¦ Sidney Herbert had only failed because they were not old enough , with the authority of experience , to bully the public offices . Et catera . Yet ho had resigned . There is no describing tho perplexed expression of tho House at these gratuitous criticisms—to be explained only on the supposition that Lord John , hesitating to burn his ships behind him , wns eager to compliment all the alternative Premiers all round . But tho singularity of the exposure of his shallow nature did not end hero . Ho had heard a rumour , that afternoon , that Lord Aberdeen , in a fright , had given way , and made Pulmerstoa ^ War Minister . Tie stated that to tho House : he congratulated Lord Kilmers ton and tho Houso . and he gloried in his

    Retirement as Jiavzag fed * o tha * Tresulfc Poor old Lord Johm there is ; not even . 4 h . af * efO * : IiordSal'iBerston blandly -denied the ; wbelQjt / bdtyl :. ; : . When Lord Johq ^ aasseH . gat-dwn , iSmid a few " pitying cheers , the House , disgusted was ia * derU sive ~ mood < and there was—^ the criBisiaofcwiihstaiiding—the . poor army * v 4 e $ im of these tfoettlatfitie ^ . notwithstanding *^ - anxious and atarmed Europe notwithstanding— 'decided ' . merrifeaent . There was something humourous in Lord P * lmel ? ston s position : he , the friend for whom , fiord John had sacrificed , himself , had to rebuke * inevitably satirical ^ Lord John ' s ludicrous ooftduet ; "fcttdj apart from that , there -is always something

    gay ,,-reckless , laughing , in Ms voice , even 'dn . Me serious occasions . The fan sow was obvlotis * * nd when , vigorously seekiag to 'be grave , he assured Lord feTohn that bygoaes were bygonesy -atod that they were excellent friends , aad that they need not be t < he less friends because , « s separated Ministers , he ( Palmerston ) had to ass'we his late colleague that his late colleague had oil tfee whole behaved somewhat ungenerously ^ aot very . patriotically , and uaequi vocally f © oiishly- * -rwrhy -then the House < jouM not help it' -Hihe Hou « fe gvkiAed © a evety benteh . Mr ( . DisraeM , an excellent ;» etoi » , was laughing outrigh't ; and Mr . Gladstone vat © xereisutg « U his mental

    energy : ia keeping his «©*!& tenaiice . And wheft Lord Palmetfstons with his unhappy habit of perarating , went on * ' following Ibord John ' s sui * , to compliment Louis NapoleoH , the responsible House of Commons , satisfied that * he personal matter was Over , « nd perfectly indiflferent * o « . -mere speech > even about o » r " admirable « Jiy , " w ^ s m a buzz of jocose and insouciant conversation ,, Considering that this was Lord ' Paknetston '* first appearance as leader in the House of Commons , the disrespect d * i not : promise well-for the Hew aMangenieta . They were -always inattentive to iitord John * but they never laughed-at him—fee was too-awful a leader forthat .

    The farce went on . Lord Palaierston had announced ( Lord Aberdeen was at the « airte-time , witfe still -greater coolaess , noti ^ iagr it to th © other House ) , that the Government would vent «* e to flu * the batten . of ~ Mr . J ^ oebuck ^ iftto ' . Roback rose « paralytic , but patriotic : —but th © House went to dinner . M . t . Roebuck-was at this motoent gettist ^ f his first chance of a Ministry ; the chance w « s | ia connexion with i « ord John Russell and the Whigs * But , observe the grand , independence of this honest Englishman ; whose life has been of little use to thfe England which puts its Roebucks toy in favour of

    old lords . He commenced , pointing his finger at Lord John Russell : " You have said you will take nopart in debating or voting for my motion—th £ motion that you , < as a Minister , could not venture to resist ; and I therefore soy , my lord , you are not so patriotic as you suppose . " That vraa cheered by the remaining be-dined ; and the cheers encouraged Mr . Roebuck . He began to apeak in * clear , ringing voice , in his own old sharply-cuA sentences—model style for House of Commons -talk . But it was an expiring gleam of a brilliant intellect ; theeflfortwas too much-forhim ; -and-those whohad . remembered in the scene between Russell and

    Palmerston , the scene between Burke and Fox , were now afforded another parliamentary reminiscence—the dying speeches of Chatham . Mr . Roebuck could not keep his fe et : his mind wandered ; he reserved strength enough to move his resolution ; and then fell back into his seat—faint with five minutes ' speech . The House is fond of its heroes : and it wasgreatly touched . Farce recommenced , however . A great crisis—a resolution just moved which meant impeachment : and yet there were now , at 6 o ' clock , loud cries fora division—nobody knowing , nevertheless , how they would vote . A Minister must speak : Mr . Herbert

    got up and made wn elaborate defence of a great Government to fifteen senators . Fortunately it will bo reported : it was exquisitely delivered , and they indeed must be desperate Whigs tsowhdm Mr : Herbert fails to bIiow in that one cogent and statesman * like speech , that it is not he—tt is the system- * which is to blame . His speech leads to tho inference that he holds the generals responsible ; but he will live to admit that tho great error was in going to the Crimea . Lord John overlooked that blunder when , in tho month ho was gasconading about *>? b «" topol , he was consenting to the appointment of < th «* D « ke of Newcastle who will not monopolise t ? ie

    military appointment * for Whig creature * . # r MYlt Then loitered into tho Housei die «**»** patriots who had been at dinner . Mr . «« nt yVr u 7 * mond was sarcastically forcible to * TS ! S ? Jl showing ( in support of the motion !) that « iere *« J no use censuring individuals : the X ' eace had creMJJ the evils which Jmvo ted to failure « vW « - _ £ lm Marquis of Gmnby imdo a got-off 4 isooui « e to *» effect : his lenders absent , consulting , dOttfctkMB j hw * they would require the Marquis to tote . Mir . W-S . Lindsay , a man of City precision of iuteUect , contributed in a speech of good delivery and welt balanced periods , a ^ eiicrAl opinion that tho ^ -. Yw not being dorto aa he , a man oY business ,. would Ilka

    Joawottib* «1t, 1855.] Te«X8ap;Eb, 8*

    JoawottiB * « 1 T , 1855 . ] TE « X 8 AP ; EB , 8 *

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 27, 1855, page 15, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_27011855/page/15/