Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-06-19
From the Boston Commercial Bulletin ]


the House of Commons on Thursday evening.
81. BRIGHT"
With this was a short note, which added
:" If You will come 10 the door of the House be-
tween three and four and call for me, I will try
and procure You better seat than the inclosed
would give you. j. B."
Armed with this credential, | strolled leisurely
MP the Strand IN. b., always walk in London,
you will see ten times as much), and turning
from Charng Cross albeit, there is no cross,
but a very ludicrous equestrian statue Of Charles
|. there), entered that long street Of Government
offices called Whitehall. Hardly any part of
London affords as good view Of the various ell
ements of metropolitan humanity as does this
thorOughfare. You may go into the "city," $50
the commercial quarter Is called, and there en-
JOY one phase. the hustle aud thrift of commerce
and merchandise; or the Belgrave Square and
Hyde Park, and get glimpse of the aristocracy;
or through the squalid lanes and byways of Co
vent Garden aud Smithteld, and witness the
eXtremities of London poverty; or through Ok
ford street and Piccadiy, and see that minor
brilliant trade world, the retail shops, and
yeteAch time have only looked upon one class
Of LOndorers. Charing Cross seems TO be the
centre OF all, into which all pour, and whence
all divGrge There one sees riding along in
gilded coaches, with hcraldic symbols on the
panels, and wigged and laced coachmen on the
box, the nObleman on his way to his hereditary
place in the House of Lords, the anxious and
busy merchant, hurrying TO his musty counting
room in the city pallId want lecring from the
eyes of miserable iGendicants, lawyers in wig
and gown, with bag Of inevitable green, hasten.
ing tO the courts at the lower end of the street /;
the fair women OF England dsshing by on their
way TO the parks or 10 Parliament; in fact all
classes, each on his own errand, proceeding
across this central oint TO their widely diverging
destinations After taking u hurried lunch of
roast beef and greens (the usual British lunch,
for which paid n shilling ut n neighboring res
taurant) ] entered the huge square in front of
the Parliament House. and went with the stream
into the great entrance OF old Westminster Hall.
This is on the west side Of the square, and the
new Parliament House is so built that the an.
cent building serves as an entrance hall.
IL was about the time OF the assembling of
Parliament and there was n consequent hustle
about the doors. Heavy carriages came clatter-
ing over the paved court; members and clerks
were fastening in at the private entrance, and J.,
with the rest Of the strangers, was constrained to
push up the stairs at the end of the hall leading
TO the House OF Commons. Passing through a
vestibule adorned by full length statues of Eng
lish celebrities, ! came to n small octagOnal cor
rid0r finely frescoed. burly, red-faced, exceed
ing John Bullish usher informed me that would
reach the Commons by turning to the left, while
the Lords were at my right. ! could not but Oh.
serve the contrast between the members of the
one House and the other, as they separated each
to their own hall. The nobemen were quiet easy,
slow, and digniiied in their motions; cOmmOners
were bustling, busy, hurrying to and fro, and
full of their duties. long passage brought me
to the door Of the House of Commons, and
through it hadmy first glance Of that renowned
body supposed 70 be so potent among the powers
OF the earth. In the distance the speaker, with
long horse-hair wig over his shoulers, and
mounted in 4 narrow box overhung by canopy,
appeared, listening lazily TO some desultory mo.
tion. There was q confused mass of members
walking about or seated, and clerks at long
desk below the speaker. Having sent in my card
TO Mr.. Bright, that gentleman soon appeared, and
after short conversation in which he said many
kind things about America, he conducted ME TO
what is called the speakers gallery"
There are three CALLER es, placed one above the
other. Those extending opposite the speaker,
are fret, the ambassadors gallery; second, the
speakers's, and third, the strangers. Those run.
ming to the right of the speaker are the peers
galleries, for nOblemen. That which Is at the
back of the speaker is the ladies gallery, and is
fr0nted by window, so that the fair faces behind
are scarcely visible. From the second or speak.
er's gallery, where Mr. Bright slowed me- an
excellent view of the House was afforded. The
first idea that struck NE was that the room was
too small and cTamped. IL was ia uniavorable
contrast with cur own spacious House OF Repre-
sentatvcs. Below the speakers box, q long table
of green baiZe ran across at one end of which were
the clerks On either side of this like theatre
were rows OF benches rising one above the other,
and at the foot, cross benches facing the speaker.
There was an elegant but plain oaken panel on
the high wall. There was q general air of ele-
gance and sombTeness aboui the room; but by
no means was the scene below so. My attention
was called TO the fact that nearly all the mem.
bers kept their hats (Which were generally bea-
yers) on, and that there was little order or deco
rum preserved. When a member rose to speak,
he took his hat of, only TO jam it the more reso.
luteiy over his forehead when he resumed his
scat.
A few of the more prominent, however, as Lord
Palmerston, Gladstone, Disraeh were decorous
enough to sit uncovered. Marks OF appreciation
and disapprobation were much more frequent and
noisy than in our Congress. If q member said
something striking, mingled "Hear, hears" and
ooh ohs,h greeted him; the one from friends, the
other from opponents, and between them most
discordant medley was produced. One poor man
essayed to make a speech, (perhaps his maiden
effort, but every utterance was drowned in q
most provoking scTaping OF feet. Another equal
" unfortunate was forced to suspend amid the
noisy departure of member out of the House
when he rose TO speak. The front bench, on the
Speakers right, is occupied by the leading mem.
bers of the Ministry in power. The correspond.
ing bench on the other side OF the table TO the
lett of the Speaker, is occupied by the chiefs OF
the party in opposition.
Ii is not difficult for reader OF Punch (whiCh
| have long BEEN to pick out the prominent ac-
tors on the forensic scene; for Punch gives so
many vivid caricatures of leading British states
men, (which are really likenesses) that the pencil
of its carcaturists is only appreciated when the
originals have been seen. There were indeed,
the rough, jaunty, expressive features OF Palmer
SION, which we 50 long have seen in Punch; the
earnest eye, firm set mouth, and not gracelui
limbs of Gladstone; the large bushy beard ana
long flowing gray hair OF Layard, the traveller
and the dip!omatist the entirely jewish phiZ'
with black, curly hair, protruding nose, and yel-
low eomplexion of the irrepressbe Dsraeli the
Roman nose and peculiarly aristocratc carriage
of Sir John Pakington; the honest, open face Of
the lamented Golden, and by his side the round
head. upright hair, and impatient manner of
John Bright-these two always together IN body
ma in snirIt Near me in the ambassadors gal
Iery sat the Prince of Wales, accompanied by
General Papet. and chatting familiarly with q
vonng dandy nobleman, the Duke of st. Albans.
iCbe Prince looked older, and stouter than when
in tbis country and wore light moustache and
side wbiskers. In the ladies' gallery opposite,
was his Young wife, the Princess Alexandra, q
vivacious and spirited little beauty, not yet ar.
rived at womanhood in age or manner.
The occasionswas debate on taxing the in
stitutions Of charity, which Mr.. Gladstone, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, was expected to
advocate. After q short debate on minor mat
ters, the Chancellor proceeded to address the
House, and he kept on his feet for three hours.
must say that / have never heard 80 pleasing an
orator in Congress- And his audience seemed to
appreciate his power. His manner was graceful,
easy and collciliatory His voice was what is
called 10 an orator silYery it was most melo'