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of good health , inasmuch as hard ^ J ™* £ * ? mosTcareful regularity of regimen and habit . Well , is and graceful a life as any . man in London . rf-Sir Join Pakmgton were not kept scribbling and talking he wouldbe miserable ; Mr . Walpole is . breaking down because he has nothing -to do ; if Mr . Bright were no * chained at the oar , at the club he is beginning to hke , he would be throwing off his superabundant energy iust as forcibly somewhere else . Take the mass of Members—those who have trades , and professions ,
and callings , beyond the House , and who make money and keep the Senate going at the same , time ; . which ofthemc ^ uld not , if he would , lessen his labours ; who would accept the Chiltern Hundreds , or Isn t a happier man , because of the House ? But the late sittings ! Sitting up till two and three never did anybody any harm yet , if there was average sleep enough afterwards ; young ladies do it all through the season ; fast young gentlemen all the year ; and as there are only four night sittings in the week no member ever suffers to an extent to justify complaint from that cause . On the whole , talk about " overwork" is therefore mere
cant , conventionally permitted only because it is understood that we are to be periodically charitable to 654 gentlemen who prove by their presence in the House of Commons , where men dominate by that mental energy which proceeds from perfect frames , that labour is their most intense luxury . Or , if the talk proves anything , it is this , that Parliament should sit , with better managed days , all the year round—a plan which probably only Ministers would object to . As to the public this self-government of Britons would be more clear if it wasn't that six months out of the twelve—in the recess—their governors are practically irresponsible . Parliament is all the more dull at present that the excitement about the war has gone off . Parliament
might consent to Lord Clarendon ' s interment—in a sack in the Bosphorus- —of " national honour ; " but why should Parliament be sentenced to play the mute ' s on the occasion ? If not a war , why not let Parliament have a talk about war ? That was Mr . Disraeli's entreaty to Lord John on Thursday ; but no—Lord John didn't think a key necessary where there was no " dead lock ; " he and Lord Clarendon and Lord Aberdeen could arrange easily for the self-governed country which is in profound ignorance of what is going onmuch obliged to Mr . Disraeli and Mr . Layard all the same . Lord John had oddly demonstrated his fitness
to settle the imbroglio . On the Thursday he had to apologise for a gross blunder which he had made on the preceding Monday . According to Lord Clarendon on Tuesday ( and en passant , it may be said that nothing more ungraceful , undignified , or more unintellectual , than Lord Clarendon ' s matter and manner in answering questions can be conceived ) LordJ John , on Monday , had given an opinion about the last Nesselrode note without having read the note ! Mr . Disraeli , on Monday , put a certain interpretation on that note , Lord John repudiated the interpretation ; Lord Clarendon corrected him , and with cutting courtesy Mr .
Disraeli , on Thursday , makes Lord John apologise The apology was that he had only seen the note in a newspaper , and very hurriedly ; which amounts to this , that Lord John is not quick in conception , for which he begs the Houso he leads to be good enough to excuse him ! which the House did ; Lord John with characteristic eelf-complacency , not perceiving the conspicuous absurdity of his position and his confession . The House did excuse him , because the position of the Houso is » till more ludicrous—seldom knowing anything of foreign affairs , and of this particular foreign ail ' air being assiduously kept in the dark : the excuse in the present case being very magnificent—that if it talked much about the matter it might provoko a war ; to which
the enhghtoneu House , like the enlightened country , ia holily averao . Lord John ' s blunder led to this—that for twenty-four hours the nation was misled on a most vital point ; and surely that is a circumstance which , by-and-bye , when the House begins to perceive the point , will justify a little complaint ? Lord Palmereton was sitting by Lord John when Lord John blundered ; why did not Lord Pahncrston , who is quicker , correct Lord John ? it is quite tho rule for one Minister to make fun of the other , behind tho other's back ; no doubt Mr . Disraeli and Lord Pahnerston , when they met in the dining-room , had a confidential grin at the " lenderV * ignorance of Buasian'diplomacy ; but it is not oven out of order for one Minister to
correct another , before tho other ' s face . As , for instnnco , on Monday , when that first-elans Minister and responsible statesman , Sir Charles Wood , received from Lord John KiwsoU . tho greatest snub on record , Tho diocusaiou wm on tho India liill : Sir Charles and Mr . Lowo ttgaumt tho India lloform Sooicty—these being ? ho onl y two partioH who are taking the slightest
notice of the legislation for the 150 , 000 , 000 " fellowsubjects , sir ! " Mr . Bright leading the India Reform Society , with a vehement and unaffected contempt for Sir Charles Wood , which intimidated Mr . Lowe , was urging that that portion of the third clause should be omitted which enacted that the nominee directors , to be created under this bill , should be required to possess the same property qualification in India stock as is to be possessed by the ordinary elected directors . His reasons for this were cogent and complete ; it was twelve o ' clock , and there was a tolerable -House of members who had nothing else to do , and had thought
they might as well " look in ; " and Mr . Bright ' s reasons were cheered : it is Tory tactics now to cheer Mr . Bright whenever he is bullying a Minister , which he generally is . Sir Charles Wood is remarkable for his fondness for to ' s when he talks , and his answer was something like this : — " ¦ Pwoow pwoow—wi dwont agrwee withw those honwblwe gentwlemwen . Verwyw nwecwesswssarwy thwawt thwerwe shwoulwd bwe cwommwunwity ofw intwerweswts betweenw allwthwe dwirwectwors . Swuggewstwion qwitw awbswurvvd . "
( Hear , hear , from Mr . Lowe . ) But several gentlemen agreed with Mr . Bright , and said so ; and a good deal was saidaboutthegeneralabsurdityof property qualifications ; ¦ o that when Mr . Bowyer got to talk the Radicalism of that point , he was called to " Question . " " That is the question , " said Mr . Bowyer , sitting down timidly and ashamed . " The question is , " said Mr . Bouverie , in the Chair , —so and so :- —^ will the honourable gentleman divide ? " "Why , " said Mr . Bright , " it is really of .. the utmost importance : ; I . beg the President of the Board of Control will think over the matter . "
The idea of Sir Charles thinking : he crossed his arms resolutely , and murmured , " Pwoohw- —pwoohw : " Mr . Lowe hear- —hearing him . " Then I'll divide / ' said Mr . Bright , sullenly . The Tories cheered : Lord John just woke up from a deep sleep , —Sir James Graham , Lord Palmerston , and Sir William Molesworth ( of course ) were stretched snoring by his side , —and catching a suspicious smile on Mr . Disraeli ' s , face , he inquired what was going on , was informed , and parted the cries
of " Divide- —divide , " by getting on his legs—Sir Charles wondering , —Mr . Lowe respectful . " Ah—I think there is—ah—much weight to be attached to what the honourable member for Manchester says—ah —( cheers from Mr . Blackett , " Hear , hear , " from Mr . Bright . ) " I should have been- —ah—glad—if—ahthere had been a—ah—more general expression of—ah —opinion on the point : but , as the House has not expressed its opinion geuerajly , I—ah—think the suggestion of—ah—the honourable member—had better be
agreed to . " ( Cheers from the Indii * reformers and the Tories , Sir Charles Wood ' s head in his papers , Mr . Lowe making for the door . ) Mr . Disraeli saw that Lord John had seen his intention , and congratulated the Government on their admission of an error , smiling sarcastically , but unable to catch the buried eye of Sir Charles , whose mortified glance he would have enjoyed —all in tho " noble competition" of parties . The words Mr . Bright objected to were accordingly omitted : the clause , as amended , was agreed to , Sir Charles not saying a word ; Mr . Lowe astutely not re-appearing . Well , Ministers no doubt have to endure snubs in private , but was thero ever such a snub offered in public ?
except , perhaps , Lord Aberdeen ' s to Lord John , in the Monsell correspondence : this being Lord John ' s retaliation , perhaps , on his next colleague in rank . You would conclude that Sir Charles would resign that night , and have a correspondence with Lord Aberdeen , and arrango ta go back with colours flying in tho face of imperturbable Lord John . But not at all ; this sort of thing is selon les regies in a coalition ; tho rebuff positively did for Sir Charles Wood ; when the India Bill waa next on ( Thursday ) he wtis even respectful to Mr . Bright , less ilippant with his w ' s ; and actually adopted a suggestion made by Mr . Bright—that old India merchants should be eligible with old India officials , for the nominee Directorship—adopted it with
alacrity—perhaps , becauso he saw that Lord John , aroused by Mr . Urighfc's emphatic elocution , was making enquiries what was going on . There are other instances of free and easy manners among tho coalitionists . Ait honourable member of tho Radical party ( Sir Joshua Walmsley ) said to Mr . James Wilson , ono night lost W eek , that Mr . ' James Wilson was not' tolling tho truth ( it was it question whether tho Houso of Keys , the Isle of Man Legislature , had consented to certain
Customs alterations proposed by Mr . Wilson ) . " Oh , oh , " said tho Houso ; " really , " said Mr . Wilson ; " but I menu it and will prove it , " said Sir Joshua : and , strangely enough , Mr . Wilson gave way , and consented that the matter should stand over . It did till Monday , whon Sir Joshua asked Mr . Wilson if—why , if he had told tho truth ? " Really , " said Mr . Wilson , " it was all a mistake ; " and it appeared that Mr . Wilaon , instating that tho Houbg of Keys Imcl cQiiBontod , had told tUo
House of Commons . whati literally , was not the case ^ -fand on such a matter that was surely a queer blunder But it is not rumoured- that Mr . Gladstone has called on Mr . Wilson toresigH ; and Mr . Wilson goes on with his usual reputation—as ;¦ " a capital man at figures / There is equal fulness creeping round Parliamentary proceedings , because Government by party no longer exists ; her Majesty ' s Opposition has abdicated its functions . M * . Disraeli is still to be found sidling up t <* and purring in his place at the hour of sixj and is generally seen asking all the important questions sugbut it
gested by his lounge over the morning papers ; is fully understood that he is talking as a potent individuality— -no longer as the leader of a partywhich he has deseried , no one knows for what , and the general conclusion being that he is now the Micawber of politics—having nothing to do , biding his time , and not seeing his way , waiting till something turns up . Lord Stanley is content with what he did , in moving the famous India Bill amendment ; and leaves the Indian Bill to its fate ever since ; Mr . Isaac Butt , who led away the Tories from Lord Stanley on that amendment ( they say because Lord Derby didn't give , when
he could have given , Mr . Isaac Butt an office ) having disappeared , perhaps , in the direction of the Dublin exhibition ; the Tories who accompanied him on the amendment being just as invisible and just as reckless about the 150 , 000 , 000 . And when there is no Opposition , " independent membership" becomes a farce ; and the suicide Lord Palmerston suggested becomes not only expedient ; but inevitable . Mr . Milner Gibson ' a /^ o de sa with , his County : Expenditure Bill , on Wednesday , was an . unavoidable catastrophe ; for why should he have , as Lord Palmerston phrased it * a " conversazione" about a bill which he couldn't carry , first * because there werenofriendsaroundhimtoaid ; secondly
because the squires were plentiful with quarter-sessions amendments ; and lastly , because Lord Palmerston ( leader on Wednesdays , when Lord John can't get up early en # ugh ) was contemptuously indifferent- —his thoughts away on the Pruth or the Bosphorus , —and by bo means inclined , out of present Home-Secretary conscientiousness , to narrow his mind to parochial contemplation for the amusement of Milner Gibson or Sir John Pakington . And when his brick in the Wednesday ' s orders came down , a score of others followed . None of the moving independent members ( who had taken for
granted Milner Gibson and the squires would have been . at one another for the whole day ) being present to move * the result was a gratifying sweeping away of a crowd of sham panaceas . For one circumstance we have no reason to regret Mr . Gibson ' s surrender ; just as the absence of leading counsel in court often opens a path and a career to juniors , so , on Wednesday , the non-appearance of Mr . Robert Phillimore ( who was down for a dissertation on simony ) , presented an opportunity to take a Houso of Commons position to Lord Goderich , the seconder on the back of the bill . He
availed himself gracefully of the opportunity , and in a brief speech , marked by that repose which indicates breeding—in other words , self-possession—and which always tells on tho House , he said all that had to be said on tho question , and—withdrew the bill . Brief as the speech was , it had its significance ; and tlic Radicals that day , when they got the news , must tyave beon deeply mortified that they had not been there to hear
a lord talking Radicalism—a lord , in the crack Westend club , speaking to tho governing classes to the effect that they only sent into the church those of their sons who were too ugly for the army , and too stupid for the bar ! Were it not tho cruel fate of Lord Goderich that ho must some day or other go up to the Peers , pno might bo disposed to predict of the young man mukjng such speeches a future of vast political ascendancy . ' A Stjbangek .
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Love . —That in tho true season of love , whon we believe that wo albno can lovo , that no ono could ever have loved so before w , and that no one will lovo itt tho samd way after us . —From Goethe ' s Opinions . ,,
Immokawty op an Acuc—The immorality of the ago is a standing topic of complaint with Home men . But if any ono likoa to bo moral , I can boo nothing in tho ago to provont him . —From Goethe ' s Opinions . Akt . —Art is a serious business ; moat serious when employed on grand and aapred objects . Tho artiat stands highor than art , and higher than tho object . Ho uses art for his purposes , and doals with tho object * flbor Iub own fashion ,-, From Goethe ' * Opinion *
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NOTICES TO COBEESPONDENTS . The nature of the communication from Mr . William Sykeo appeared to us to require a private answer . We accordingly forwarded ono to Crosuland Moor Bottom , and wo desiro to know whether he has received it . ¦ " Quooator" does not give his name and address . . Several papers under consideration . " Tho Moral of Tory Triumphs at Liverpool , " next woelc .
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690 THE LEADER . [ SATPiftPAY ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 16, 1853, page 690, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1995/page/18/
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