Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-03-20

Her ~ e. telihnN ]
keno Leave me-
Lover But come, thou saucy, PEI roAaneer,
.a WHO Is fair as Phoebe !-answer.
. Euho Ian, SRI |
me cnreIessDes. Of the Author OF the
tssehooI for scnndar'-HisF Famous Greek
u ~ Shrrjdan's carelessness numerous in
stances are on record. He was careless not
only in. money matters butin the transaction
of public business. WINE delIVeIlhg MS
four days brilliant speech In tne Hastings
case, he was assisted by. one oil his brother
managers of the impeachment as was usual,
who relieved him Of some fatigue, by read
ing aloud whatever papers were necessary.
One of the most popular Members OF Parlia-
ment. then. and down even into the reign of
Z George " was Michael Angelo Taylor,
who died in 1884, and was in Parliament
MT. Tsylor, who possessed great wealth,
had a snlendid house near the House Of Com
mons, and, during the session OF Parliament,
kept a liberal table for such OF his political
friends as preferred a good dinner or aluxu-
riouu supper, at his cost, to D steak or chop at
Bellamy S, in 'the House. MI. Taylor,
upop whom deyolved the duty of reading
for Sheridan, asked him on one of the four
DAYS of the speech for the bag containing
the documents. Sheridan, who had mislaid
or lost the bag, replied that be had neither
the papers nor their receptacle, and that, by
putting a bold face upon the matter, they
must pull through without them.
1 Procte ding with his speech, he mentioned
something as given in evidence, and the
Lord.C Chancellor desired that the minutes Of
evidence, TO which Sheridan had just re.
terred. should be read. On this, Taylor pre-
tended 10 send for the bag, and Sheridan, in
- l.. ---.1l --.- A.
address their LoTdships, TO save time. Pres
emily. the papers were called for again, and
afufther show was made Of sending for the
bag, which Sheridan carelessly said he had
forgotten. He proceeded again, and the
Chancellor called for the papers a third time,
commentiu Q severely upon S%heridan's mat
tention and irIegularity.
On Il is, Sheridan, affecting great indigna-
ton, replied, Gas manager of the impeach-
.ment, or behalf of the House of Commons,
/ shall conduct my case as think fit. 1t is
my desire to be correct in what state. If /
fail into error, your Lordships may correct
me, not by my WI written notes, which
may be challenged, but the printed minutes
Of evidence, which are official records of the
testimony
When the day proceedinghad terminated,
the Chancellor sent for Sheridan into his
private loom, and expressed his regret at the
misunderstanding. He was assured, by
Sheridan that the apology was not required
for, he added, 'the fact was | mislaid or
lost the notes of evidence, and had to man.
euVer TO get through without them, as well
as | could"
Sheridan occasionally took great liberties
with the House OF Commons. On one occa.
sion, Lord Belgrave had made q very telling
speech which he wound up with a Greek
quotation, loudly applauded. Sheridan had
40 arguments 10 meet him with; so rising
lie admitted the force of his Lordship's quo
taIion (of which he probably did not under
standa word) but added that had he gone ALT
lie farther, and completed the passage, h.
would have seen that the context completely
a tered the sense. He would prove it to tn
House, he said, and forthwith rolled forth
g'and string Of majestic gibberish 80 wei
initiated that the whole assembly cried
Hear, heart"
Lord Belgrsve rose again, and frankly ad
mitted that the passage had the meaning
sscribed TO it by the honorable gentleman
and thai he had overlooked it at the moment
At the end Of the evening, Fox, who prideC
himself on his classical lore, came up to AM
said 10 him, SHERIDAN, how came you to b.
50 read with that passage? 1t is certainly
es you soy, but / was not aware of it befort
you quoted it, How Sheridan must havl
laughed in his sleeve at the shallow acquire
ments Of ''the collective wisdom of thu
ration as Parliament has often been called
But bis own readiness in perpetrating tn
hoax appears wonderful indeed.