The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-12 00:00:00

PAhLIAMENTA Y SKETCHES.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
The proceedings this afternoon in both Houses of Par-
liament presented a remarkable contrast to that witnessed
at the opening of the session. Whilst in February all was
excitement as to th - probable fate of the greatest
measure introduced in modern times, to-day
everybody seemed to be troubled with a spirit of ennui,
and it was almost impossible to screw up anything like
interest in the speech of her Majesty. The Lower House
had intended to meet at half-past one, and exactly
at the minute Earl Granville, the Home Secretary.
and Mr. Glyn could be seen leading together
through New Palace Yard. The House of Commons
was almost deserted, not more than about half a dozen
members being present at the time appointed for the com-
mencement of business. The front Ministerial bench was
tenanted by Mr. Bruce, 1M r. Monsell, Mr. Ayrton, and
Mr. Glyn, who were shortly afterwards joined by Mr.
Otway. For some minutes it appeared as if the Oppo-
sition side of the House was to be wholly deserted, but
just before the Speaker entered, Mr. Fowler, one of the
representatives for the Cornish twin boroughs, came in,
and occupied his usual seat behind the front bench.
The hon. gentleman, for a wonder, apparently felt ill at
ease in his isolated position, and speedily made
his exit, not returning until the Speaker had
taken his place in order that prayers might be read.
One or two other members afterwards kept company with
Mr. Fowler, but none of the chiefs of the Opposition
put in an appearance. With the exception of three
questions, and a notice of motion by Mr. Vernon
Harcourt—who threatens next session to endeavour to
repeal Mr. Disraeli's only principle left in the Reform
Bill—the personal payment of rates— there was nothing to
occupy the time. The twenty or this ty Liberals who
were present sat listlessly on the green benches, congratu-
lating each ether on the close of the most momentous
session in recent history, and Mr. Glyn had nothing else
to do but to chat merrily with the Home Secretary.
At two o'clock precisely the doors of the House were
closed against the entry of Black Rod, who was per-
ceived advancing from the Upper Chamber. However,
by knocking three times, this exalted functionary
was allowed admittance to the People's House,
and after gracefully bowing three times, commanded the
attendance of " this honourable House to the House of
Peers," for the purpose of hearing the royal assent given
to various bills, and also to hear the speech for prorogation
read. The Speaker, immediately followed by the Govern-
ment officials and all the rank and file present, obeyed the '
edict, the procession for once being a most creditable one as
far as the observance of order was concerned. The
1 roceedings in the Lords occupied nearly half-an-hour,
and on the return of the members of the House of Com-
mons to their own Chanter, the Speaker read time Speech
in his usual hesitating style. Nothing more had to be
done than to shake hands all round, this formula being
commenced by Mr. Bruce and Mr. Denison, and continued
by every gentleman present. By a quarter to three the
House was empty, the cry, "Who goes home?" resounded
for the last time through the lobbies, and the first
session of the Reformed Parliament became a matter of
history.

TILE COMIC PAPERS,

(From Punch.)

NATURE'S LOGIC.—Papa: "How is it, Alice, that you
never get a prize at school?" Mamma: "And that your
friend, Louisa Sharp, gets so many?" Alice (innocently):
"Ah! Louisa Sharp has got such clever parents l"
AN EXCELLENT RESOLUTION.-" Two thousand five
hundred ladies have taken the pledge, i. e., resolved not
to shop after two o'clock on Saturdays." 211 r. Punch is
delighted to hear it, and cordially hopes that many more
thousands of ladies will follow this good example,
and become Total Abstainers from Saturday afternoon
shopping.

" PUNCH'S" ADVICE TO THE DEFENDANT IN THE
JEWISH ABDUCTION CASE.—Thomas, it is to be hoped,
look you, that, in compassing sea and land to make a pro-
selyte, you will henceforth conduct yourself with a degree
of scrupulousness which will prevent any repetition of the
general remark that you don't seem to be a very Particular
Baptist.

CHARITY AND CRITICISM. - Brown (reads) : "On
Monday last the Princess Teck opened a new drinking
fountain in the Regent's Park, erected at the cost of
Cowasjee Jejangheer Readymoney, Esq., a distinguished
Parsee gentleman, who has lately given more than
£lOO,OOO to benevolent institutions in India."—Jones :
" Ready money, eh ? And spent it wisely, eh, Brown r
Brown : "Parsee money, too. Better far than parsi•monp."
(Poke each other in the ribs, and pass to the next para-
graph).

"DISHED IN THE SHELL."—Sir William Armstrong,
in his Newcastle address, tells us, in plain terms,
that the Attack has very decidedly beaten the
Defence. In other words, guns have got the
better of armour. Plate we never so thickly, shots will
find out the way into ships. As we can't keep the shots
out, the next best thing, Sir William suggests, is to let
the shots out when they have got in, and to build our
vessels of iron so thin that the bolt or shell which makes
its entrance at one side will make its exit at the other,
without leaving a between-decks full of death-dealing
splinters behind it, as would certainly be the case with the
five-foot thick hulls of the present fashion. It is the old
story over again—the reductio ad absurdum of defensive
armour on ships at sea, which we arrived at generations
ago in the case of soldiers ashore. We have gone on
adding plate to plate, till our ships can neither sail nor
manoeuvre, just as our ancestors went on loading the man-
at-arms with steel casing after casing, till lie could neither
stand nor go; till, if he was once knocked over, it was as
impossible for him to get up again as it would be for a
modern ironclad of the last thickness to keep afloat when
once a shot or a ram had knocked a hole in her between
wind and water. " Down among the dead men" would
be the song fur ship so struck now, as it was once for
knight so bowled off his legs. We are glad Sir William
has come to this common-sense conclusion at last. Punch
came to it long ago. The Admiralty, let us hope, will
follow, as it usually follows a good lead, Longo intervallo.

(From Fun.)
THE MOST EFFICIENT G OVERNMENT-INSPECTOR. —The
Public.

MUSICAL AfE3f.—A good many of our modern "songs"
thoroughly deserve to be called " strains," they put one
out so terribly.
DIPLOMATIC.—it is rumoured that one of the conditions
on which Mr. Motley is instructed to insist with regard
to the settlement of the Alabama claims is that we shall
receive George Frar cis Train in England—and keep him
here. The condition is a hard one, but then the Great
Vance is going to America, so that may be accounted to
strike the balance.

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