The Press.
London, England, 1858-05-29 00:00:00

THE PRESS, MAY 29, 1858.

DIARY OF A WEEK.
(A SCRAP PICKED UP JN THE REFORM CLUB.)

FRIDAY, May 14.—Hurrah ! We are going to do it now, and no
mistake ! The fight comes off in both Houses to-night. In the Lords we
calculated on a majority of from 20 to 30,—in the Commons, one of nearly
150. But ELLENBOROUGH'S resignation has changed some votes. Still, we
must win. Hav—lt has been very civil. Twice he has hinted to me that
there will unquestionably be openings ; that there must be some new
blood introduced; that it will not do to go on with the CLAN—DES,
BAINESES, V— S-s. He has pressed me to let him know soon
what sort of a post I should think suited to my tastes and habits. If we
win the game in the Lords, I will see him in the morning.
(5 o'clock).—The fray is just beginning. ABERDEEN deserts us
in the Lords. Still, we have got a round dozen of bishops, and every
Roman Catholic peer in the House. It is feared, however, that we shall
not win by more than five or six votes. This is too close.

SAnjuDAv.—The Lords disappointed us, and DERRY pulled through,
though only by a neck ! Never mind, the Commons cannot fail us; and I
don't see how Government is to get on, and with what face they can
dissolve, if the majority against them be close upon 100, as they say it
will be.

(11 o'clock p.m.)—CARDWELL made a wretched affair of his
opening, and CAIRNS cut him into mincemeat. The prospect does not
improve, but still HAY—R says that he is sure to win by 70 or 80.
MONDAY (17th.)—" The Thanes fly from us." Men are getting fidgetty.
This word "confiscation" is an ugly one ; and the people out of doors
show signs of not liking it. Letters from B— to-day, warning me to be
careful, for the people there are getting doubtful whether CANNING or
.ELLENBOROUGH is in the right!
(11 o'clock p.m.)—That fellow ROEBCCK, confound him, has
walked into us awfully! and I am afraid halfof the "Independent Liberals"
will go with him. And what possesses our people to put up such sticks as
Woon, and ATHFarros, and DUNKELLIN ? WHITESIDE is now blazing away
at us; and every one is remarking how terribly we are getting licked in the
debate. (I won't say anything to HAY--R yet, about the berth I should
like best, till we get a little nearer the end. We are losing ground, but
there is this comfort, that the more one is wanted, the more one will be
worth.)
TUESDAY.—The Indian debate goes off to-day, till Thursday, as
CHARLEY NAPIER won't give way. This delay does us no good. The
more the Proclamation is talked about out of doors, the more the people
dislike the "confiscation" clause. T— has got a note from his father
to-day, enjoining him, whatever happens, to stand by his party. This is
all very well; but then he gets, by the same post, a letter from his agent
at B—, warning him that, if he votes against the Government, he had
better look out for another borough ! So, between the two, the poor fellow
is in a horrid stew. It's most likely he'll bolt !
WEDNESDAY.—The Derby. Lord DERBY lost the race—that's all
right ! But I hear that, before he went to Epsom, Colonel T— was
with him, and professed to be pretty easy about the division. They must
have pulled up amazingly if they have really got near us, in point of
numbers. It is true 1 do see more anxiety about HAY—R'S eyes and
mouth the last day or two than has been visible for a week past.
THURSDAY.-4 was told, by a man who had been at the Carlton, that
they have the impudence to talk of a majority of ten ! I told HAY—R so,
and he laughed, and said it was all stuff! But his laugh was not a very
hearty one. He is evidently not comfortable about things.
-- (8 o'clock p.m.) BRIGHT has had his innings, and done
his worst. It's well that 'a over. But here are our people playing the fool
again ! Putting up COLLIER and LABOUCHERE after BRIGHT ! How
absurd ! GRAHAM is coming next, and how are we ever to deal with
them on such terms ? I protest I begin to doubt the result.
FRIDAY.—I asked HAY—R just now to tell me how matters really
stood. He did not attempt to conceal the fact that we had been losing
ground all this week. But he said that, on the closest calculation he could
make, he thought we must win by from three to seven votes ! This is
dreadful—for we should have a dissolution in ten days, and then where
should we be?
(1 o'clock).—The men are asking one another about the new
Indian letters (Outram, &c.), just delivered. They say that these letters
quite alter the case. It is clear that many of them want to back out. I
hear that five petitions have come up this morning, all against Lord
CANNING'S Proclamation.
—(5 o'clock).—A regular mutiny ! Men are flying by scores !
A pretty figure we shall cut, if we get into a division ! Several whom I
have just seen, will jump out of window rather than vote! I never saw
men in such a fright before.
—(7 o'clock).—lt's all up! Twenty men (all on our side)
jumped up at once to call for the withdrawal of CARDWELL's resolution.
CLAY, BOWYER, DUNOOMBE, I4OCKE, WYLD, BONHAM CARTER, LOCKE
KING, H. VANE, WiirrE, and a dozen others, all urged it. The Ministe-
rialists were in a broad grin, but sat in silence to see what would come of
it. CARDWELL affected to be firm, waiting till PALMERSTON gave him the
word. The "downy old bird," as Punch calls him, held back as long
as he could ; but, at last, there was nothing else left to do but to surrender
at discretion. If he had held out ten minutes longer, half of his followers
would have deserted in a body, and then the Tories would have walked
over those that were left! So the motion was withdrawn, amidst some
hearty cheering ;—in fact, there were two hundred men there who felt
themselves reprieved from a sentence of extinction. And so end our
hopes. The Palmerston newspapers will have a nice job to explain away
all they have been asserting, and promising, for ten days past.

Loot" his Treasurie. It is difficult to emjecture to
which a the great Indo•Gerinnnie flintily of laiNuaues this word
I*,,onts. Possibly it ma, be scanditiavian. derived from the
Northineo. Professor connects it with the
sot l lot:' suggesting as a parallel to tho V scount's pioposal
the Lehi. " Ronan provincian."

+ Here the metre seems at fault, but the case is past es-

t 'We at first read this word," imams "—id. quod " ugly"—
but (be root, " Whigis"e,' subsequently occurs in the ballad,
/11ttitb Ire are utterly unable to assign ita distinctive value.

• Sic in orig. l'robably a slip of the pen fnr " blazno'd."

+ His dninty tsyle. The italics her« are inserted oonjectu•
rally. to till up a lacuna of some letters. Perhaps • curve•
apondeot can inform us whether the word " tail" was used in
early Englieb in its Scotch sense of " followers."