The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-08 00:00:00

Scene in the House of Commons last Night

There were fewer cards left by members with the
chaplain at a quarter to four last afternoon than on
he previous evenings of the debate; but, there was
no lack of those distinguishing marks of a full at
tendance. When Mr. Layard rose the house was
almost thin, the Opposition being in the majority ;
but by half-rest five the house had resumed the
appearance which has become normal in the. pre-
sent Parliamentary conjuncture. The reason for this
was obvious, for it was soon discovered that Mr.
Layard was making a capital speech. His prepa-
rations showed very formidably. There was a de-
-patch box, full of neatly-arranged papers; on one
side of his chosen position at the table there was
another packet of tethered documents conspicuously
el,ced before him on the box, which is so usetul in
giving effect to emphatic periods by the hollow
sound which it returns to the energetic slaps that
ire bestowed upon it; while a jot.= of water for
purposes of deglutition was exhibited with ominous
ostentation, and flasked a pile of volumes of what
were blue-books before they were endued with the
uniform binding of the library of the house. At
once Mr. Leyard gave notice that he was going to
make a long speech, and immediately he went in for
uttermost and loyal defence of Lerd Russell, by be-
c ming intensely aggressive in a series of paren-
theses, interspersed between statements of facts, col-
lation of documents, and explaining away of the
well-culled quotations which had been used by
gentlemen opposed. Notably, he dissipated what
was supposed to be a great point made by some-
body—Mr. Horeman, we believe—on the date and
the locality of what is called the " Gotha de-
epetch," which he showed was not written in
a Cabinet in Germany under the supervision of
the King of Prussia, but in Downing-street,
before Lord Russell went on his continental
tour in attendance on the Queen. This speech
was the more welcome even to the opponents
of the Government, because it was the first formal
defence of their policy which had been attempted
since Mr. Gladstone had spoken. Speaking directly
from the Foreign Office, Mr. Layard may have been
expected to be earnest, even energetic ; but he un.
questionably outdid all expectations. He stirred
and excited the House; the cheers broke out at
almost every other sentence; every point was taken
up warmly by the members behind him; while the
pleasant bitter of ironical cheers was administered
to him with a palpable tonic effect. The least tacti-
cal part of his speech, its condemnation, distributing
defiance and retort with a slight indiscretion, had
the effect of putting the House into a turmoil and
a state of antagonism which tended to give a pro
mineney to Mr. Gathorne Hardy, who followed,
which that gentleman would hardly have achieved
for himself, however well he had got up his lesson.
Curiously enough, Lord John Manners rose at the
same time with Mr. Hardy, indicating an absence
of arrangement in the debate; for, both being oc-
cupants of the front Opposition bench, they might
be supposed to have been in communication on the
matter of man asavring. Mr. Hardy is what may be
called a tempestuous speaker. and seems to be in a
state of chronic excitement, end, flushed beyond
himself by the spirit of the scene, he used words
towards Mr. Layard which caused that gentleman
to jump up and demand that they should "be taken
down." The Speaker, actuated by the reluctance
to put in force the penal rules of the House, owing
to an ignorance he shares with all his predecessors
as to what is to be done in order to carry them out
in action, intimated that, looking to the habits of
the preeent Parliament, he saw nothinwgpoairmtipceualcahr
impeached
the language in question. This brought up Lord
Palmerston in a well-assumed rage, h
the decision of the chair; to whom came, in a still
better feigned passion, Mr. Disraeli, who brought
up Mr. Gladstone in a real one; and in ;he
melee, which grew hot and furious, Mr. Osborne
intervened in the new character of thß "vie pietate
gravis," whose calm and reverend presence has been
described as effectual in temieg down the passionate
impulses of a crowd, and demanded deference to the
decision of the chair. On this the Speaker, who
had been rather snubbed, insinuated Chet both pare
ties were in the wrong, and that the best thing
they could do was to let the matter drop, with a
promise not to "do so any more," which half-sar-
castic advice was duly followed. Soon after the
House was left in the hands of Sir Francis GJlcle
amid,- until Mr. G. Bentinck rose to gratify a natural
curiosity as to how he would vote, and who, while
stating that he should go against iNtniwers, de-
clared that he could not go into the same lobby
certain Irish Roman Catholic members, if he

Was assured that they had agreed to withdraw
their ordinary support from the Government, under
what he insinuated was a questionable compact.
This wa,; reasonably expected immediately to pro-
&tee a row; latt; although Mr. Cogan, evidently in
the character of a represet,:ative man amongst Irish
Liberal members, declared that he was about to
desert Ministers, the discussion lapsed quietly down
to Mr. Peacocke, who, as usual, tried to be very
particular, but was not. It seemed somewhat of a
wasting of the first-class material of the Government
debating power to put up the Attorney-General at;
a point of the discussion when nothing had occurred
to stir the hon. anti learned gentleman up to con-
cort•pitch ; and thougn he delivered a most masterly
speech, the circumstances of the hour were unfavour-
able to hid developing all his qualities, and pouritik.
out that eloquence which he is well known to pos-
' sees. His argumentation was nearly faultless, and
his interjectional observations were pointed an&
spirited ; but those wno expected a burst of decla-
mation at the close of his address must have
b• en a little disappointed. Lord John Manners
had the dissatisfaction of shouting his carefully-
balanced sentences, in his most strident tones, to the
vet y smallest audience which had listened to any
~peaker who claims pretensions to at least a second
rank. 'At last Mr. Osborne obtained the privilege
which belongs to the gentleman who moves the
adjournment of the debate ; and of course this pos-
session will act as an invitation of the most general
character to the House. Toe discussion was not
allowed to close without a characie:istic attempt on
the part of Mr. Hennessy to get up a scene with
Lord Palmerston, which, however, the noble lord
literally dashed aside. It is to be noted that it is
arranged that the debate is to close this n;:ght.