The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-05-23 00:00:00

AN OLD SCENE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

There are two kinds of scenes which occasionally take
place in the house. The one chiefly consists in the personal
altercations and mutual criminations which now and then
occur between two particular members, who are almost in-
variably of opposite politics. The other description of
scenes is of a more general nature, the performers being
a large proportion of the member] present. These latter
scenes generally have their origin in the indisposition
of the house to hear any further speeches on a particular
question, except from some of the leading members.
As a fair specimen of the first kind of scenes I give
the following, because it is short. It took place in
July last, when the house was in a committee of Ways
and Means. The immediate circumstance which gave
rise to it, if I remember rightly, was a proposed grant of a
certain sum to assist in defraying the expenses of the edu-
cation of the Roman Catholics in Maynooth College. Mr.
Shaw, the member for the University of Dublin, contended,
in opposing the grant, that the Established Church, and it
alone, ought to be supported by the State. When he had
concluded his speech,
Mr. O'Connell rose and said: "The honourable member
(Mr. Shaw) has expressed his opinions in a manner which
can do no good service to his cause. There is a determina-
tion about him amounting almost to a spiritual ferocity.
Ile seems to think that the Protestant religion consists of
pounds, shillings, and pence."
:dr. Shaw (with great vehemence): "I deny that I said
that the protestant religion consists of pounds, shillings,
and pence. But the Church establishment of any country
must be supported by money, and that Church which the
State endowed with money became the Established Church
In such a situation stands the Church which the hon. and
learned member for Dublin has sworn not to subvert, and
which he now attempts to subvert."

Loud cries of " Order_! order !" now proceeded from the
Ministerial side of the house. The Irish members shouted
the words with one voice.

Mr. O'Conne!l (with the greatest warmth and violence of
gesture): "I call the hon. Recorder to order. He has
made use of a false assertion."
Here Mr. O'Connell's voice was drowned amidst the
deafening cries of " Order !" which proceeded from all
parts of the Opposition side of the house. A number of
honourable members rose at once, and accompanied the
words with a corresponding violence of gesture. It is im-
possible to describe the confusion of the scene.

- Mr. O'Connell resumed : " The honourable member has
accused me of having sworn one thing and done another.
It is quite out of order for a member to utter falsehoods."

Here the Opposition, almost in a body, shouted, drder
order!" at the fall stretch of their voices, mingled with
cries of " Chair, chair !" It was sometime before any
measure of order was restored.

Mr. Finn said : " I pronounce the expression which has
been uttered by the learned member for the Dublin Uni-
versity to be an atrocious calumny." The latter terms
were pronounced with an emphasis, and were accompanied
with a vehemence of gesture that defy description.
The confusion and uproar which no** ensued, owing to
the cries of " Chair, chair ! ' and " Order, order !" which
burst from the opposition side of the house, with the
rising of many of the members from their seats, exceeded
anything that can be imagined. In vain did Mr. Bernal
endeavour, as etlarman of the committee. to restore order.
His vcice was lost amidst the deafening noise which pre-
vailed. Some degree of quiet being at length restored,
Mr. Shaw rose, and with great warmth, said : " The
hon. member for Dublin knows that when he used the
word falsehood-"

Here Mr. Shaw's voice was again drowned amidst re-
newed uproar and confusion, caused by the rising of seven
or eight of the Irish members at once, each of them at the
same time speaking in the loudest and most indignant
tones. It would have been impossible to hear a single
word either of them said, owing to so many persons speak-
ing and shoufing at the same instant : but that difficulty
was greatly increased by the shouts of " Chair, chair
which burst from the Opposition side of the house.
When the uproar had again partially subsided, Mr.
Bernal said, in a most vehement and impassioned manner :
"If I cannot restore and preserve order, I must dissolve
the committee at ones,. It is impossible for me to main-
tain order when seven or eight hon. numbers all get up
and speak at once.
The determined manner and sharp rebuke of Mr. Bernal
had, to a very great extent, the desired effect, when
Mr. Shaw, still labouring under great excitement, and
speaking with much warmth of manner, said —" The hon.
member (Mr. O'Connell) has charged me with being
ac uated by a spiritual ferocity ; but my ferocity is not of
that description which takes for its symbol a death's head
and cross bones." (Tremendous cheers from the Opposi-
tion, with uproar from the Irish members on the ministerial
side of the house )

Mr. O'Connell'(addressing himself to Mr. Shaw per-
sonally, and not to the Chairman) : " Your's is a calf's-
head and jaw-bones." (Deafening cheers from the
Ministerial side of the house, mingled with cries of
" Order, order !" " Chair, chair !'' from the Opposition.)
Mr Bernal again interposed his authority as Chairman,
when having once more restored order, the business of
the committee proceeded without any further material
interruption.

TIIE Ftstimittits or IREL,LND.—A. meeting of the gentle-
men of the west of our country, says the Cork Reporter was
held upon Saturday, to take measures for the establishment
of a company to open the fishing of our south-western
coast. Captain Barry proposed to commenee operations
with the very modest capital of £1,000; and we are con-
vinced that, even with so small an investmentt, a good
return would be obtained,

SOUO-STREET Cnapee.—Notwithstamling the several
changes that have taken place in the above place of worship
within the last two or three years, there seems at last t)
be the 44 right man in the right place." There is no
doubt but many of the Baptist denomination will rejoice
to hear that the Rev. Mr. Stokes, of Manchester, Secretary
to the Peace Society, has accepted the pastoral charge,
and, judging from the increase of attendance 'luring the
last few Sabbaths, he has given universal satisfaction while
on probation.
HOGAN'S STATUE OF O'CONNEL. —Hogan's colessel
bronze statue of O'Connell is at present to be seen in the
Court-yard of the Dublin Society House, where it wi'l
remain about ten days for public inspection, previous to
its removal to Limerick, fir whose citizens it has been
executed. The statue bears a general resemblance to the
work in marble by Hogan, which is now in the Dublin
Royal Exchange, but there is a considerable difference in
the details, and the likeness is more sulking. O'Connell
is represented in the act of addressing an assembly of his
countrymen. He holds In his left hand a roll, and the
right is outstretched with the action peculiar to O'Connell
when wishing to enforce some fact or argument on the
attention of his hearers. Tho object of the eculptor seems
to have been to represent O'Connell as speaking in tha
calm and argumentative manner, more especially charac-
teristic of his latter years. O'Connell is represented in
in his ordinary dress, a hankerchief loosely tied round his
neck, and his coat closely buttoned over the chest. His
cloak has partly fallen from his shoulders—a portion of it
is wound round his right arm, and the rest falling in folds
across the lower part of the body, without concealing the
general contour of the figure.—Freeeitan's jounwi.