The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-05-12 00:00:00

SCENE IN THE IRISH HOUSE OF COMMONS
DURING THE DEBATE ON THE ACT OF
UNION. .
(Prom the Knight of Gwiinne.)
The individual whose address this long scene of inCrult
had interrupted, was now suffered to proceed ; he was a
law-sergeant, a man of inferior capacity and small profes-,
sional repute, whose advocacy of the government plan had
raised him to an unbecoming and dangerous eminence at
the bar. Without the slightest pretensions as a speaker,
or one quality that should adorn a statesman, he possessed
other gifts scarcely less valuable at that day ; he was a
ready pistol, he came of a fighting family, not one of whom
did not owe some advancement in life to a cool hand and
a steady eye, and he occupied his place in the ministerial
van by virtue of this signal accomplishment. As incapa-
ble of feeling the keen sarcasm of his opponents as he
was of using a similar weapon, he was yet irascible from
temperament and overbearing in manner; and was used
by his party as men employ a tire-ship, with a strong con-
viction that it may damage more than the enemy.
To cover the deficiencies of his oratory as well as to add
Poignancy to his personalities, it was the invariable cus-
tom of his friends to cheer him vociferously at the end of
every sentence which contained anything like attack on
the opposition, and to this species of backing he was in-
debted for the courage tbat made him assail_men incom-
parably above him in every quality of intellect.
Mr. Plunkett was now the object of his invective, nor
was the holdness of such a daring its least recommenda-
tion. Few of the government side of the.house would
have adventured to cross weapons with this master of sar-
casm and irony, none but the Serjeant Nickolls could have
done so without a strong fear of the consequences. He,
however, was unconcerned for the result as it affected
himself personally, and as for the withering storm that
awaited him, the triple hide of his native dul,,ess was an
armour of proof that nothing could penetrate. From
Plunkett he. passed on to Bushe. from Bushe to Grattan ;
no game flew too high for his shafts, nor was any invective
coarse enough to level at the great leaders of the opposi-
tion. If the overbearing insolence of his harangue de-
lighted his own party, it called down peals of laughter
from his opponents, who cheered every figurative absur-
dity and every illogical cmclusion with shouts of ironical
admiration.
Lord Castlereagh saw the mischief, and would gladly
have cut short the oration, but the speaker was revelling
in an imaginary victory, and would listen to no sugges-
tions whatever. Passing from the great names of the
Irish party, he, launched forth in terms of insult towards
the county members, whom he openly accused of holding
their opinions under a mistaken hope that they were a
marketable commodity ; and that as some staunch adhe-
rents of the crown had reaped the honours due to " their
loyalty," these quasi patriots were only waiting for their
price. The allusion was so palpable, that every eve was
turned to where Hickman O'Reilly sat, and whose con-
fusion was now overwhelming.
" Ay," continued the speaker, now carried beyond all
self-restraint by the evident sensation he had cans, d,
" there are gentlemen opposite whose confessions would
reveal much of tnis kind of independence. I have my eye
on some of them, men who will be patriots if they cannot
be peers, ready to put on the cal) of liberty for the Mob,
if they cannot get the coronet from the Cr wn. Many,
too, are absent from this debate; they stand out, peraaps,
for high terms; they have got peerages for their wives,
arid now, like a hackney coachman. not content with their
fare, they want something for themselves.' I heard of
two such a while ago, they even came as far as the lobby
of this house, there they halted and hesitated, a m:tre, or
a regiment, a blue ribbon, or a red one, would have turned
the scale. perhaps. Why are they not here now, I ask,
what has become of them ?"
" Name ! nam,!" screamed the apposition, in a tor-
rent of mad excitement, while the government party, out-
rageous at the blundering folly of the whole hqrangne, en-
deavoured to Mill the speaker back into his seat. Never
was such a scene, one party lashed to madness by sus-
pected treachery and open insult, the other indignant at
the stupidity of a man who, in his attempts at attack, had
raked up every calumny against his own friends. Already
mole than one hand was laid on his arms to press hint
down into his seat, when he, with the obstinacy of tho-
rough dulness, sho himself free, and called out, " I'm
ready to name." _ . • -

Again the cries of " Name !" were shouted, mingled
with no less vociferous cries of 6' No, no!" and the strug-
gle nu.. had ev.-ry ri.ppe.r.ncr-ve-lx=-pers,rnnt--oner, when
the speaker, militia to order, asked if it was the sense of
the house that the sergeant should give the names he al-
luded to.
" I'll soon cut the matter short," called out the ser-
rant, in a voice that resounded through every corridor of
the house : " I mean the Knight of Gwyune and Bagenal
Daly."

- - -
A cry of " Prier, order," now arose from all parts of
the house, the direct mention of any member by name be-
ing a liberty unprecedented.
" I beg to c orrect myself." said the serjaant ; " I should
have said the honourable members for Mayo and Old Cas-
tle—l ask again why are they not here?"
" Better you had never put the question !" said a deep
low voice from beneath the gallery, and at the same in-
stant Bagenal Daly advanced along one of the passages,
and took his place, directly in front of the Sarjeant. A
tremendous cheer now broke from the Opposition benches,
which the Ministerial party in vain essayed to return.
" i perceive, sir," sa d the Serjeant, with an effort to
resume his former ease, " I perceive I have succeeded in
conjuring up one at least of those truant spirits, and I
cannot do better than leave him to make his explanations
to the House."
With this lump, disjointed conclusion, the learned Ser-
jeant sat down. and alit-lough the greatest exertions were
made by hi- friends to cover this palpable failure, the
cries of derision drowned all other sounds, and before they
were silenced, a shout tl •• Daly, Daly, Bagenal Daly,"
resounded through the building. •
Daly arose slowly, acrd saluted the Speaker with a most
deferential courtesy. It was several minutes before the
tumult had sufficiently subsided to make his words aud-
ible. hut when silence ptevailed, he was heard to regret.
in terms of unaffected ease, that any circumstance night
occur which should occupy the time of the House by on-
servatiens from one so rude and unlettered as himself,
nor would he now ve,dure on the trespass were the occa-
sion merely a personal or,e. From this he proceeded to
sate that great. emergencies were always occurring. in
which even the humblest opinions should be made known
as evid- Tieing the probable impressions upon others, as
lowly eitcuestenced as he will now addressed them.
•• Such is the present one." said he, raising hi• voice,
and lookinz around him with an air of bold defiance.
" You are about to take away the right of self-government
from a nation,.and evety roan in the land, not only such
as sit here. sir, out every ma., to whose Noire ambition a
seat in this House may form a goal, every man, has a de-ip
interest. in your proceedings. It is a grave and weighty
quest on, whose conditions impose the conviction that we
are 'IA' to legislate for ourselves, th A we are too weak,
or too venal, or too ignoraut, or toe dishonest. To that
conclusion you must come. or no other. Absence from
Ireland must strzgest enlightenment on her interests ; dis-
tance must lend knowledge as well as enchantment, or a'a
English patliainent cannot he better than our own. I
have listened attentively but unconvinced, to a I argu-
ments ou this head ; I have heard over and over again,
the long ca alogue of benefits to accrue to this country.
when the rower of realizing th-m h-rself has been arrested
from her, anti I have thouAt of Lear and his daughters!
It would seem to me, however, that the social welfare and
the commercial prosprrity of a people, are themes too
vulgar Cir the high consid rats; nof our times. The real
q restion at issue is, riot whether a Parliament should or
should not continue to sit here, but what shall I and
other- like me hem-fit by. voting it away fir ever—"
" Ord- r —order," called out several voices.
But Daly resnared, " I ask pardon, it is more parlia-
mentary to put the case tllff rent ly, at,:l I shall under cor-
rection do so. Well, sir, we may benefit largely. I trust
I am not disorderly io saying that peerages, bishoprics,
regiments, frigates. conimissi utershins, and I I enven knows
what more, will reward us. when our utility to the State
has met the approv. I of an Imperial Parliament. I can
well credit every promise of such gratitude, and have only
to ask in turn, are thes- the arguments that should sway
us now? Is it because we are bungling legislators,, that
they wish for us in London ? is it because we are venal,
they seek our company, ? because we are inefficien', they
ask for our co-operation? Are they so supremely right-
minded, hottivrahle, and far-seeing, that they need the
el my of our dullness to make them mortal ? And suopose
such the case, will it be gratiling to us to become the
Helots to ti,is people ? Will our national pride be flat-
tered, because our eloquet.ce is sneered at, our law de-
tided, our political knowledge a scoff, and our very accent
a joke. Du not tell the such things are unlikely ,• we are
far weaker ou the print than we I.ke to contiss. For my-
self, I can imagine the sense of shame, of deep, heartfelt,,
abusing shame I shratld feel at seeing some of those I see
here, rise in the &Pah House of Commons to address
that bode, while the rumour should run, he is the mem-
ber for Metall or for Wit klow. I can picture to myself.
such a m-n ; a Quail of low erigin and mean capacity—a
men w, o carves his lath in life, less from his own keen
abilities. than that others shirk from his contract, and
leave him unopposed in every struggle, a pettyfogger at
'he bar, a place-hunter at the parliament, half beggar,
halt bravo, with a petition fot the minister, and a pistol
for the oapositi• n. I nagine a man like this, and reflect
upon the feeling of every gentleman, at hearing the ru-
mour amit.unce, • Av, that's a learued Serjeant, a leader
at the bar of In land.' "
Th.. last words were delivered in a t me of direct per-
s utility, as turning towards where Nickolls sat, Daly
threw at bin, a look of defiance. The whole House
arose as if one man, with cheers and counter-cheers, and
loud yells of insult, mingled with cries of " Order ;" nor
was it till after a long and desperate wordy altercation,
the clamour was subdued, and decorum at length re-
stored. 'Then it was remarked that Nickolls had left the
Hens.;

Ihe Speaker immediately ordered the Serjeant of the