The Express.
London, England, 1860-08-21 00:00:00

THE PERFORMING HIPPOPOTAMUS.

A wonder tells better now than it did in former
days, and has much greater success. We ore essentially
matter-of-feet and prosaic. The chemist's shop, with hie
red and blue lights, his plaster-of-Paris horse, and him an.
nounc.ement of patent medicines, looks meanly when con.
treated with his Hudibrastic prototype, with the stuffed
and pendant crocodile, the crucibles and retorts, the blow.
pipes and the brazier; and the conical-capped broad.
philacteried owner looms large in contrast to the smog
even-hued Galen, with his framed credentials from the
Hall es his grand recommendation to public patronage.
Our wonders are of the smallest and coarsest. Matthew
Hopkins has given war to his namesake Polly, and kettles
are now " put on" the fire instead of witches ; while three.
legged pigs, children with "Napoleon" plainly written in
the whites of their eyes, and bell-ringing dwarfs in imposai.
ble miniature houses of intense redness of brick and green.
ness of street-door, constitute all we know of the marvel.
lons and sublime. Still anything out of the ordinary run
must be found attractive, else the proprietor of the Alham•
bra, energetic though he be, would scarcely have expended
the sum of three thousand pounds in the purchase of a per.
forming hippopotamus, even though the vendor were so great
a magnate as John Petherick, Esq., her Majesty's consul for
the Soudan. Perhaps he thought the attraction lay in its being
" the only specimen of the pachydermatous tribe that has
been thoroughly domesticated;" perhaps he thought no one
could resist the fact that "at the command of its Arab
keeper, who accompanied it to this country, it goes through
an interesting performance, exhibiting great docility."
To which statements we humbly cry " Question?" Per.
haps allowing a very seedy and dirty Egyptian fellah to put
his unpleasantdooking head in your mouth, is to be
"thoroughly domesticated ;" perhaps to walk very slowly
and surprisedly round a circle is an "interesting perform.
nice,' and not to revenge yourself on the keeper who
bestrides your back mid whips you heartily is to " exhibit
great docility." Certainly this is all that is done by the
new-comer, a young and diminutive specimen of the hippo.
potamus, who has much promised for him, but who does
not perform at all. Those wishing to see a fine hippopo.
tamus will see two at the Zoological Gardens ; those wish.
tog to see a performing hippopotamus will not see one at the
Alhambra. The circle is excellent, the performance of the
Brothers Berri wonderful and dangerous to the highest
degree, but the hippopotamus is a humbug, and should be
stigmatised as such.

IMPERIAL P.

(T.

HOUSE OP COMMONS.—guts DAY.)
The Mecums look the chair at hall Test 12 o'clock.
NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
Mr. Mt/NULL pee Retire that he would, no Thuraday
vat, ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland to give the rases
of those roserviimeasers of national edscatioa who directed
the euppoosios of that pratioa of Kioahan's
who It referred to the atteadeare of Roman catholic ch=
dunes proteeteat religious teachief, ad which the chid
cumninviosers wrote should he pshhohsd.
TRAM SAVINGS BANIC.
Is reply to l'aptue Peracarete,
The CHANCRLLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that •
Wass ofpassy which visa the property of the delimiters
wee in lb tossia of the tkosisiononers of the Naimoli]
LS4O, bat they had so authority to regulate it. distribution.
It wo
ke the
be proper that some essoure should he
k the weber of poems coddled to it, and he did
Oh& It a proper subject of consideratios whether a bill f
that purpose shook' art he introduced at the cohost opor-
portunity Neat sessice.
(X)NWILIDATED FUND (APPROPRIATION) BILL
This bill was read a second time.
EXCH Ettr P.lt BON DO, 2,000,0001., BILL.
Thie Lill woe reed a second tune.
DoWF.D CHARITIES BILL.
The house thee went into comaittes CO thin
Several clauses were pared With peoschnents, the 114th
Leiog omitted.
clauses 19 and :Elwyn, agreed to
ha clause 21,
The CILANt'ELLOR of the =CHEQUER opposed the
giving soy Memos of saiery to the impeellere out of the
Consolidated Fwd. Re <Ad not thlsk the public parse ought to he hunleeed for mph a peupose.
'nu ATTORNEY.GILNERAL thought there should be a
Hauer giving compensative to the inspectors to a
limited amount denved from the trust funds committed
them great and onerous duty which wee sot contemplated
when they accepted their offices. A clause should in his
ropint.qi I.e lorought up VII the report, adding 2001. a year to
their ineorner.
:After one's ilieruuion the clause as intended was agreed
to, on the utiderstamling that such • clause as the Atturibey-
lienenel sinaporial iwtrnrinewi
Mr. HADY I ELL new claim gii nig the coiniuni-
....tien power to appoint an inspectorsuditor in certain
more.
The ATTORNEY•GENERAL oppoved the motion.
The house divided :

Ayes 6
Noes 43-37
The bill was thou reported. sad the hutue resumed.[Lett eittlieg.]

- - -
BRAWICI-UPONYWRED ELECTION INQUIRY.

THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ME. DISRAELI.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18. —At to-day'A r sagait4itp,
Robert Douglas, solicitor, was re•examined at peat I ,
mod made some explanatory statements with to
Matthew If Hidlemur, and um payment of witnesses in
Lowden.

Mr. Ralph Anstrother Etrle, &candidate for the borough
in April, entered into detail. explaining his TOMOS.
for beeoming A candidate, and the prospects he had of
.I.ICOMPO. He continued - I know a person named Brdie.
Shortly before the change of government in ItCsi 'even!
member... 4 parliament Liked Mr. Disraeli to see Sergeant
kirdie. Mr. Disraeli promised to make an appointment,
but was unable to do so. But one day, as
hr was walking to Westminster, Brodie accosted
him, and walked with him to the house. Mr.
Disraeli, thinking he had been badly tined, encouraged him;
the otiuw.mence wag that Brodie uaal to he in wait for him
and talk to him. One of the first letter. I received, as
asentary to Mr. Disraeli, was from Bnnlie, slaking for an
interview. Mr. Disraeli docketted the letter to the effect
that he knew the man and desired MP to see him. Brodie
came and related the circumstances under which he had
been deprived of Ma appointment. Mr. Disraeli spoke to
General Peel, sod General Peel promised to inquire and
ascertain whether anything could he done for him. The
rets.rt receives! by General Peel was unfavourable, and one
of the reasons against lila being employ st.l was that Brodie wan
mad. Mr. Disraeli did not concur in this opinion. In
April, 1.t59. Broths *meted Mr. Iniraeli in the lobby, and
raked to speak to him in a priest* place. Mr. Disraeli
acceded, atal Brodie said he had lad Ma employment, and
that be was in want. Mr. Disraeli said he could not hold
out any hope of his being minstalled in the public mentor.
bit thought he might get something todo in connexion with
the election - •meanihg as a messenger or paid cam
trawler. He also told Brodie that he might g. to
Mr Roe and mention his name. Reich' said, "Oh!
th.t won't do- can't you give me something written:"
WI, rem. Mr. Disraeli took up an envelope,and wrote what,
to use Mr. Inarselt's own espremion, might be read at
thariag.ernai. That is Mr. I st.raeles handwriting (memo-
raadum produced). A statement such as Mr. Ntool made
here was very current inparliamesitary circles at the time
of the Entine election. With to the statement that
Itrolie had introduced me to &hiding clubs, he met me
in Leicener.square, and told me there wag an exciting a
tieal debate going on, end asked me if I would go and
it. He took nie to a place where I found several
iitting at a table drinking beer. He then " people
have come to the wrong pima.," and I was never with him
14118.
Adjourned until Monday morning.