The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-09-21

glsms may entangle his feet; O'Connell's cleo
| trio sarcasm may seattle him Sir Robert Peel's
polished shafts may whiz around his ears culver
In his fiesh-but there he stands, honest and unaw-
ed Joseph, gathering up the fragments OF his last
nights speech, and displaying fresh columns oil
hgures for renewed attack on some civil or
ecclesiastical abuse, which has been buried out
of every body'a sight but his by the accumulat-
ed dust OF centuries. And he qciH be heard
II the Commons cough and scrape him down,
he VIII tell his story TO the People, and prove it,
too, by the nine dgits-and the People will be-
lieye II. No man in the Kingdom has done so
much TO expose and reduce useless expenditures
as Mr.. Hume. Many political leech has been
scraPed from the Treasury and turned out TO
get his bread by the sweat of his brow, by his
coarse hand. His untiring patience in chasing
falsehood, or false estimate, through wide
waste OF parliamentary papers, till he drives II
out INTO the sunlight of open exposure, has
gwen bluff, dull-looking Joseph Hume strong
hold upon the affections and confidence of large
masses OF the taxpayers Of Great Britain. But,
his star is dimmed. He once fourished as the
| representative Of Middlesex, the metropolitan
county. AT the first election under her Males
ty, he was driven out Of Middlesex. after des-
perate struggle, and sought refuge in Kilkenny,
Ireland, for which he now sts*
Mr. Hume fairly in his seat up stood little
man, dressed in little frock-coat, and taking of
his hat very deliberately, commenced putting to-
gether some " shocking bad" rhetoric, with a
weak, fiat voice. "Who is that" said /, in
rather an impatient tone, to stout John Bull at
my elbow. "Who is that Lord John Rus
sell2" replied he, with frown which seemed TO
say, "Who are you, that don't know Lord John
Russelw was all attention in an instant--the
man and the subject The leader of the House
of Commons was defending his administration
against the assaults of the Opposition. He
spake as one having authority: but was sadly
1 disappointed in his appearance and Manner
Long ago had / sketched his portrait with my
minds eye as the Collingwood of the Reform
battle of 1890, and the ilustrious descendant OF
the patriot and martyr Russell of 1850. True,
l had been told he 'was small in person-but so
were Hamilton and Napoleon, thought l. | was
chagrned that had brought so large standard
across the Atlantic with which TO measure him
His speech was dry skeleton Of what might
have been in eloquent hands splendid argu-
ment. His lordship is as much indebted TO the
reporters for his oratorical reputation, as was
Beau Brummel to the tailors for the beautiful
symmetry of his person. His speech which,
within the walls of ST. Stephens Chapel, roted
an hour on slaughtered rhetoric, appeared in the
columns of the Chronicle the next morning,
decked in all the Establishments of Blair.
Lord John Russell is one Of those fortunate
/
station by extrinsic and accidental circumstan-
ces. Early enrolled among the Liberals, he
brought to the aid of that party in trying cri-
sis the powerful support OF great family inhu-
| ence. The favorite son OF the Duke Of Bedford
with the blood of freedoms notable martyr run
ming in his veins, was sure 10 command the
respect of his political associates. Combining
large share OF tact with tireless industry, Lord
| John secured to himself a conspicuous post in
l fha loft Pitl ctr nd N tho n
conflict, when victory crowned the assault on
the proud citadel of aristocracy, he was found
| at the head Of the advanced column. Since
| then, he has been the accredited leader of the
| Wings in the House of Commons. Well, the
Secretary for the Colonies is good minister
shrewd, cautious, laborious. If he has his SINH
ltude among our public men, it will be found in
our late President. Certainly his appearance
reminded me of Mr. Van Buren,. The contour
of his face, and especially that expressive fea-
ture, the mouth, are very like those Of my dis
| tinguished countryman. Nor does the resem-
blance stop with the external-it enters the mind
and peryades the heart. The cool tactcian
who leads the popular branch of her Majesty s
| Parliament has crowd of active followers, but
not one enthusiastic friend in all her domin-
| ions.
One who had been taught to regard the Bri-
| fish Parliament as the home of all that is pro-
| found in craftsmanship and lofty in eloquence,
feels an aching void when running his eye over
| the catalogue Of its prominent names. The
| fine, portly figure, and the gentlemanly, digni-
fed mein of Sir Robert Peel are the very pros
opopeiG of Conservatism. He possesses rare
skin at keeping things as they are. But should
| the helm of power be again placed in his hands,
| he must make large concessions TO the ruling
| spirit which rides in the storm--REroRM-or re-
linquish his post, or dismast the ship Of State.
The far-seeing Baronet will adopt the first alter
native, and his Toryism will be more ultra Lib
| eral than the Whigism of Charles James Fox.
OF O'Connell, the lion of the House, may pos
sbly speak in another place. His figure cannot
be drawn at single stroke of the crayon.
What | have said Of the dearth of great
statesmen in the Commons, is equally true of the
Lords. Earl Grey, the last OF the old school, is
politically dead Brougham is bad leader
too combative and dogmatcal to be loved and
obeyed BY his equals Tin rank, he has no others)
and too incautious and original to receive the
entire confidence, though he will the alteration,
of his interiors. An cratic comet, made to re
yolye in no orbit but its own, beautiful in the
distance, but grand and terrible in its proximity.
Lyndhurst is great lawyer, and great bgot
Wellington is long headed manager, and har-
dened soldier He would control statesmen at
Whitehall, as he did soldiers at Waterloo. Mel
bourne-pshaw! -
Yours, &c,
MANHATTAN.
~