New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-12-26
Harry Broughama In his old Age.

George Augustus sala draws the following queer
sketch of Lord Brougham, as he appears in the
British House Of Lords: NJ
Standing in the narrow Gothic railed-off space re-
served for the pubhc-the throne at the opposite
extremity of the House-you may see on one Of the
benches to the right, almost every afternoon, Satur
day and Sunday excepted, during the session,
very old man with white head, and attired in .
is leonine head, and the white locks are bushy
and profnse. So, too, the eyebrows, lighthouses
to eyes somewhat weak now, but that can fash fire
yet upon occasions The face is plowed with
wrinkles, well it may be, for the old man will
never fourscore years again, and of these three
scores at the very least have been spent in study
and the hardest labor, mental and physical The
nose is marvel protuberant, rugose, aggres-
sive, inquiring and defiant unIovely, intellec-
tual. There is a trumpet mouth, belligerent
mouth projecting and self-asserting; his ears are
large, and on chin or cheeks no vestige Of hair.
Not beautiful man this, on any theory of
beauty, Hogarthesque, Russinesque, wineleman-
esque or otherwise. Rather shaggy, gnarled, bat
tered, weather-beaten, ugly, faithful, Scotch-coly
type. Not soft, imploring, yielding countenance.
Tie mouth is fashioned to the saying Of harsh,
hard, impertinent things; not cruel, but down
| right; but never to whisper compliments, or SIM
per out platitudes. nose, too, that can snuff the
battle afar of, and with 9ilated nostrils breathe
forth glory that is sometimes terrible; but not
nose for pouncetbox or Covent Garden bou-
| quet, or fiacon Of Frangipani. Would not care
| much for trutles either, think, or the delicate
or strongly infused malt and hops something
honest and unsophisticated. Watch this old man
narrowly, young visitor to the Lords. Scan his
| furrowed vsage. Mark his odd angular ways and
| gestures passing uncouth. Now he crouches, very
| doglike, on his crimson bench; clasps one shep-
herds plaid in both his hands. Botherem, &c,
| is talking nonsense, think. Now the legs are
crossed, and the hand thrown behind his head;
now he digs his elbows into the gothic writing
| table before him. and burries the hands into that
puissant white hair of his. The quiddities Of
Floarem, O. G., are beyond human patience.
Then with wrench, wrigge, shake, half II
turn and half start up-still very doglike, but OF
| the Newfoundland rather, now, he asks lawyer
or witness a question. Question very sharp
and to the point, not often complimentary by
times, and couched in that which is neither broad
Scotch nor Northumbrian burr, but rehellious
closely; we have not Euch time to lose. Alas
the giant is now old; though with frame yet unen-
feebed, with intellect yet gloriously unclouded-
But the sands are running, ever running. Watch
him, mark him, eye him, score him on your mind
tablets then home; and in after years it may be
you have seen with your own eyes the famous Lord
of Vaux-once listened to the voice that has
shaken thrones and made tyrants tremble; that
has been herald of deliverance to millions pinng
in slavery and captivity; voice that has given ut
terance, in mans most eloquent words, to heaven;
years past in defence of Truth, and Right and JUS
tice-in advocacy of the claims of learning and in
dustry, and of the liberties Of the great English
people, from whose rank he rose !; q voice that
should be entitled to hearing in Walhala of
wise heroes after Francis of Verulam and Isaac of
but who will be yet better remembered, and to all
time-remembered enthusiastically and Affection
ately as the champion of oil good, and wise, and
beautiful human things. 81