The Press. — London, England, 1853-06-25 00:00:00

JuNE 25,1853. THE PRESS. 181 postprandial, the leek of Wales adorned his button-hole, the rose of England surmised his countenance ; he had been dining out ; had he lust caste for this one sentence ? we silent members could not justify but we did not excommunicate him. Months passed away—he main tained the most unblemished dumbness— " Vocal no more since Cambria's bind day." His friends began to be sanguine, when he again yielded to his old allurement, again addressed the House, and so now. alas ! he may speak as often as the Phillimores. Then again it has been asked, is there no locus reniteatim for those who have &lieu into oratory, no means of recovering their primal paradise? Lock hospitals and other reformatory institutions have not without weight been quoted. Mr. OSBORN); has been named as one whose mute efforts should be aided. We must. consult Lord SnArrEssuav ; meanwhile, let us want our younger friends, new members, as yet immaculate, how they permit '• Hansard" to open his ponderous jaws upon them ; they know not when once they enter into what depths they may descend. Let them look at Lord Minix SW ART. Oh ! let them look athim, and tremble ! That miserable man was once as they are, spotless, because speechless, while now! let them, then. the better to mortify their hot desires, try to listen to him for nine stiecessivo minutes. Better, far better, even a penance like this than the risk of sharing his dreadful doom. And this appeal which we make to all young mem bers especially applies to the one Irish member who has not yet spoken, for we affirm deliberately that them is one. He did not descend from his lofty pedestal even to resist the extension of the income tax to his country—we ourselves believe that he will actually pay it in silence ; we breathe not his name, we allude not to his party, but we affirm his existence, and we say there is yet hope for Ireland. In order, however, that the public may not, by any means, con found sloth with silence, I propose giving you such continents on our proceedings as may be deemed convenient. As I cannot describe the indescribable, I shall not give any account of the expression of face with which Sir JAMES GRAHAM listens to the debates, or the attitudes in which the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster slumbers on the Ministerial bench ; neither shall I mention any member in order to show how entirely I pass him by, because I cannot do it, though Mr. KEMAL says he can; and we are all bound to believe Mr. KROGH now an implicitly as the boys at Moats did. But one word inure. Any silent member may move that the House be counted. I have done it myself, and I exult to say successfully ; but it must be done with no rhetorical flourish ; the member should approach as near the chair as possible, and state his wish simply and without noise ; the Speaker, God bless him ! knows his duty ; and the reporters, pa triots all, name no one on these great occasions. I know not a prouder moment for a public man than when he feels that he has saved thii i empire from six or seven hours of successive speechifying, given our inestimable Speaker an evening to himself, postponed or possibly averted two or three maiden efforts, and, having done all this, yet can sign himself A SILENT MEMBER. ABSTRACT OF THE "KEOGH" DEBATE-AN IRISH DEFENCE. (Front our becoud Edition of Saturday kat.) Says my Lord in the House, " 'Twits a terrible flaw To appoint Mr. KEOGH as guardian of law ; The tone of his speeches last year we remember, And that very broad hint about nights in November." " Faix, my Lord," replies PADDY, " you'd best hould your tongue ; Yourself and your party are quite in the wrong ; "ris yourselves wore half ready to hid for my aid, Before ever the *packer ye spoke of were made." WHO'S AFRAID? Who's afraid? said Lord ABERDEEN, when he first knocked at die dour in Carlton-gardens. Who's afraid ? said the Duke of NEwrAKTI.E, when he made Mr. Moon Who's afntid? said Lord CLARENDON, when he ordered the fleet not to leave Malta. Who's afraid ? said Lord JOHN BURRELL, when he made an apology to Mr. MONSEI.L. Who's afraid? said Sir CHARLES WOOD, when he laid his India Bill on the table. Who's afraid? said Sir Wiwi MOLISWORTU, when he asked the Bishop of OXFORD to dinner. LETTERS FROM A SILENT MEMBER. LETTER T. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." HOUSE OF COMMONS. Sire—l am an article becoming scarcer and scarcer every day, soon probably to disappear altogether; so let me write while I can, and if, after three or four letters, I should cease writing, you will know that it is because I, too, have been afflicted with the prevailing epidemic — have spoken, and am no more. Not that I must absolutely hold my tongue, for in the House of Commons talking is entirely distinct from speaking, and is perhaps practised most by silent members like myself, who need not watch for weak points from opponents, or fear anticipations of our best hits from friends. The world can never know even what is spoken in the House. No human being has ever read a speech of Mr. Humes, so much of its spirit escapes in the reporter's translation. Still less has the world any idea of what is talked here— "Where more than echoes talk along the walls." How often have I heard the antecedents,—family, fortune, age, dress, manners, physiognomy, and prospects.—of an honourable member, dis cussed as a running commentary on his speech concerning either Indies ! and how often has the commentary been better than the text, howbeit all unknown to fame! We silent members feel a rankling sense of injustice, we arc valued only as a class, we are not appreciated individually ; we know our inestimable importance ; yet who feasts us with public dinners ? who ca►icatures us ? who vituperates us, or gives us any other encouragement while living? who will tell of us when we are gone? What a stimulus to silence it would be if the nation were to vote a public monument in the Abbey to some member who had represented, say Dumborough, for fifty years, and had never once uttered speech in the House ! What a fine subject for a sculptor ! No inscription should be allowed, no date, no name; but the verger should be permitted (if possible, without a fee) to whisper the sacred word to all young M.P.'s, and even to Sir JOHN SHELLEY, who tries to seem one. We silent members deeply meditate the state of things at present existing, where and when is all the speaking to end. There are said to be one hundred and seventy living lawyers in the House, while ad vices from the highlands state that all the young grouse are destroyed by last month's snow-storm, and that it is proposed this season to ab stain from shooting their bereaved parents. A hundred and seventy lawyers alive in the House and all the little grouslings dead upon the heather! How often has this blessed bird saved the State by stopping the speaking! Talk of eight cream-coloured horses! Nonsense! her MAJESTY'S proroguing-car is drawn by grouse as surely as was ever Juno by her peacocks or Venus by her doves. These same snow struck fledglings would have died for their country's good next August, but who shall save us now they have prematurely perished ? When will this session end? can nothing be done to stop this "much speaking " ? Could we all have a tent at Chobham, and fight it out there ? Would Mr. Speaker take the field at a quarter before four o'clock, order the Ayes into Wokingham, the Noes into Staines, or announce that the House would on Monday next resolve itself into Virginia Water? Sir ROBERT INGLIS and the Library Committee might occupy Reading, while a detachment under the command of Mr. HENRY BARING attacked Maidenhead. The Irish Brigade is now so admirably disciplined that it would take anything ; and the Ministerial divisions have already marched (or been dragged) through dirt at all events as nasty as that which the Fusiliers avoided. On the other hand, there would be great difficulties. The lawyers voices would drown the noise of the drums. Mr. BRIGHT would strike out right and left with his olive branch, and Mr. BROTHERTON might feel the night air more than ever. No; the remedy is in our own hands. Let us be silent. It is in vain to cry " Order, order ! " while we aro still loquacious the only real order for us is the order of La Trappe. But some say, who is a silent member, or rather, as all evil is but a departure from good, when does a silent member decline into a spokes man? It is distasteful to begin casuistry—least said soonest mended ; therefore, when there is nothing said nothing requires mending. One of our most respected elders, having a petition from his constituents, re quested another member to present it rather than be led into danger—he feared that he might be tempted to read its prayer ! When we hear of statesmanship like this we may exclaim with HENRY TAYLOR, " The world knows nothing of its greatest men !" and yet a gentleman may unquestionably rise in his place, present a petition, and afterwards resume his seat as a member of unsullied silence. Mr. PAYEE LONIEDEN came down to the House late one evening, and, in one loud sentence, demanded that Wales fihould be included in the Irish Poor Law. It was St. David's-day, the hour