Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

12 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

BSABTLESS CONDUCT OF A BROTHER.

PRUSSIA AND THE SOUTH GERMAN…

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THE FALLING OF A HOUSE IN…

ALARMING ACCIDENT ON A RACECOURSE.

GREAT YARMOUTH ELECTION COMMISSION.

THE SOLDIER'S BLIND MOTHEB…

DEATH OF A GAROTTES.I

THE FATAL COLLISION OFF THE…

--THE SOCIAL SCIENCE CONGRESS.

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. I wandered along Fleet-street, admiring the shop windows and other gratuitous exhibitions of a like nature, so profuse in the great metropolis. I passed along the Strand to Charing-cross, thence down by the Admiralty, the Horse Guards, the Treasury, and so on, to Westminster Hall and the Abbey, till I reached an entrance hall door, where something like a wail-bred crowd was standing, to see a number of gentlemen enter, some of whom arrived by means of walking and some by carriages, in which occasionally were elegantly dressed ladies, who did not alight like the gentlemen, but drove off again in the vehicles. Amongst the arrivals, I was struck with the appearance of my elderly fat friend who bad dined, so gratifying to himself, at the bay window of the hotel, and who was now all alive and active, as he dropped from his cabriolet and toddled along the passage that led inwards. I now inquired of a bystander what im- portant gathering this wa3, when he informed mo it was that of the House of Commons, and that the gentlemen I had observed were honourable members pouringin—arather interesting debate, on an important subject to the nation, being expected to take place that evening. Unless I had been told that the gentlemen walking into this lobby were members of Parliament, I confess I would never have guessed them to have been such, for, although a few were decidedly good- looking and gentlemanly in their appearance, the generality of them more resembled decent clerks, or honest shopmen, or respeotable schoolmasters, than what they were some having under their arms rolls of paper, or in their hands parcels of books, or, stick- ing out of their pockets, petitions all of which had a considerable resemblance to the commodities that per- tain to the worthy professionals I have named. There were likewise a number of tottering and seemingly doted old gentlemen, who I thought would have been better at their flresJdesthan where they were; and not a few mere youths, or as we would denominate them in Scotland, "laddies," who, apparently, looked upon the House of Commons as a very good sort of lounge, or club. I felt a desire to witness the debate, and having learnt from my informant that I might obtain this gratification by the exercise of a little patience, and the payment of half-a-crowu, I pressed my way along a passage that was pointed out to me, and up a dark, narrow, and crowded staircase, till I arrived at a door, through which I was admitted, after a lapse of about half an hour, to a gallery, where I found myself in the presence of the assembled Com- mons of England, in fall debate, the scene being some- thing like that of a bear-garden, for many vociferous and angry members were on their feet at once, and the Speaker, with stentorian voice, was calling out "Order, order;" while not a few honourable gentle- men, by way of supporting the Speaker, were bawling "Chair, chair!" and Hear, hear!" thereby adding, as I thought, more to the disorder than otherwise. Daring this period, we ia the gallery were under the strict surveillance of the half-crown recipients, who, the moment any one of us, carried away by the excite- ment of the members, smiled, or made a remark to his neighbour, or stood, up, to see to more advantage the melee, would order him at once to be quiet, ortobe seated3 as the case might be, so that we looked more like a par- cel of Quakers, staring a company of comedians while enacting a farce, out of countenance, than an audience of free-born Britons, witnessing unrestrainedly the proceedings of their representatives, and for which they had paid full admittance money. This sort of drama, although new to me, was, somehow or other, not strange, and on inquiring the reason why, in my own mind, I found it was because the squabbling had a resemblance to what used to go on, in my infantile doys, in the Goosedubbs, on the occa.sion of some of the crowded social meetings pertaining to the locality, with this difference, that while the members of either regarded each other with equal malignity—go far as expression of countenance oould reveal-tbere was a modification here in the expression, of speech. For instance, intheGoosedubbs, we called a, spa,de, a spade; but in the House of Commons, thsy gave it a very roundabout name, so that when one member wished to insinuate that another was bouncing, he did it in such a way as follows: The honourable member has made an allegation; well, all I have to say is, that any alligator may do so! while shouts of laughter and cries of Hear, hear," or I' Oh! oh saluted the vile attempt at a pun. The scene, which had con- tinued fully five minutes, at last moderated down, and the debate then flowed on monotonously and drowsily, so much so that most of the members composed them- selves to sleep, and conspicuously so, amongst them, my elderly friend, who had dined at St. Paul's Coffee- house. I now saw there was to be no further excite- ment that evening, so, after giving two or three yawns, I left, heartily tired of the House of Commons.—The Beggar's Benison.

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