Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-06-29
lcoRRgsPoSDEsCI OF THE FREE PRESS.
Letters from England,
NO. XXXlV.
u N4NNTs
LONDON, Nj

ANO' -h-N-Ni''
LONDON, May 80, 1855.
In continuing my description of the British
House of Commons, think cannot do better
than string comments upon an account of the
recent exciting debate respecting the Vienna
conference.-the debate which drew out very
large share of the talent in the House, and
embodied many illustrations of Parliamen-
tary practice.
Before proceeding to the " orders of the
day" we will notice one or two matters
which came up in the course Of preliminary
business. You often hear of Mr.. so and so
" accepting the Chltern Hundreds; you
must know that member Of Parliament
cannot, unless in some way disqualified,
vacate his seat, and you must also remember
that before mentioned, that by accepting
office of trust and omolument under the
crown, a member vacates his seat Of necessity
Now the stewardship of the Chiltern Hun
dreds Glands in Buckinghamshire formerly
belonging to the crown) though entirely an
obolate Office and without any emolument, is
supposed still to be an Office of trust and
emolument, and as such to require the mem
Der accepting it to vacate his seat. Accord
ingly any one wishing to resign his place in
Parliament applies to the chancellor of the
exchequer for the stewardship ofthe Chiltern
| Hundreds, which he no sooner gets than he
resigns, that it may serve similar purpose
for future applicants. In such cases, notice
| is Immediately given in Parliament that the
bae baap tod nd ie orderaA
for n new election.
Among the questions put to the Govern
ment was one by Mr.. Bright, our plain spoken
friend from Manchester, respecting the recall
Of the Governor of Gibraltar, who, he insin-
| uated, was not a rational man" The
House laughed, as the House always does, at
Mr.. Bright's good natured, but random
hits. Lord Palmerston, however, " thought
| that such was not quite the language TO be
applied to an old and deserving public ser
want" The House acquiesced in the rebuke,
and Mr.. Bright was put into an uncomfort-
able position. In subsequent discussion,
Mr.. Dsraeli who, as you know, has in him
self audacity and impudence enough to say
anything, confessed to the courtesy which
prevails in the house, and took advantage of
it to conciiate favor, by saying 81 would
much sooner crticise the conduct Of the
noble lord q. Russel) than that of Lord
Westmoreland who is not in his place" No
one could sit through an exciting debate in
the House of Commons without acknowledge
Ing that the courteous and dignifed Ian
guage in which even personalities are clothed
by the most open antagonists, bespeaks IN
assembly of gentlemen. know that unless
certain Iiibernian Honorable Gentlemen are
sadly hslied, they sometimes black guard each
other on the floor of the House in no very
elegant Z" tsrrums," but believe it is allow
ed that the Irish Brigade are coming under
the milder etiquette of their English breth-
| fun at those long drawn diplomatic cir
cumlocutions in which adroit Parliamenta-
rians Just hint fault or hesitate dislike,
when the thoughts Of their hearts would
naturally dictate an honest Johnsonian,
You lie, Sir" or " Sir, | perceive that
you are a vile whig." you prefer this
style you have enough of it at Washington,
but must say, that as an American. should
come off better in certain fre-side disputes,
it there were less,
But the galleries are full the members,
benches are crowded not only because the
country is deeply interested in the subject of
debate, but because it is plain that a great
intellectual contest is coming off A resolu-
ton is to be proposed by the leader of the
opposition with manifest design of over
throwing the minority, and the opposition
will not make such bid nor will the minis
try yield without desperate struggle. Ii
is understood also that n deep intermediate
game is to be played by the peace party
lately strengthened--or rather complicated,
by the accesions of three prominent men
under whose auspices the war was inaugu-
rated Dsraeli rises to his feet. Whether
he l,n.~ most conceited, or defiant, or mpu-
deaf, it is impossible to say lie moves II
resolution condcmning " the ambiguous lan-
guage and uncertain conduct of Her Maj
esty's Ministers" Disraei is always spoken
of as one of the foremost men in the
House of Commons he is the acknowledged
leader of the Tory party in that house he
has earncda brilliant reputation as nov
elist, aud one still more brilliant as a debater,