The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-09-02

above, and which once would have
been, as precious rs now they were
unxegarded. Here was a bridge from
side to side; and, little way above,
staod- part of the walls of noble
building, partly black with smoke,
partly white with the polish and
beauty of stones newly-buiit toge-
ther.
-vThese are the Houses of Par1ia-
ment," said Paulett, "the work of
many years, which were to replace
those burned in 1884 See how beau
tiful they were; what excellent de-
sign, what exquisite finish; how
strong and stable, to last for a thou
sand ages. and to crown the river
which then flowed in this dusty chan
mel. When matters were come al
most to the worst, and there were
commissions all over the country, in
consequence Of the famine, the queen,
for the first time, came to these
houses to open the last Parliament
that ever assembled. There were NO
beasts of burthen then left alive in
the country. il had been fou. d i'm
possible to appropriate water enough
to those which had been reserved in
the royal stables; and the queen,
surrounded by certain number of
the court, walked along yonder street
to the House. The sight Of SO young
q woman, and so great sovereign,
thus leveled by physical necessity
with the meanest, excited some of the
old enthusiasm with which she used
to be greeted; the populace them
| selves, with their squalid faces, and
in their extreme misery, greeted her;
but the greatest feeling was aroused
among the mobiles and gentry, who
surrounded her, and who seemed to
make point of Offering more ho-
| mage the less outer circumstances de-
manded it. There was assembled in
the House all that remained alive of
the mobiles Of England and the sove-
! reign; and they proposed to delibc-
rate upon the possibility of any means
remaining to provide water. But a
demagogue of the people, Mathison
by name, reused their fury and their
madness, and they burst in, accusing
their superiors of their calamities.
The queens life was in danger; and
then occurred gallant action, which
is worthy to live if man lives. A
Churchill, descendant of that Marl-
borough who fought Blenheim, came
to the hall whittier they had broken
in, and required, in the queen name,
to know what they wanted. He
meant to gain time, for other mobiles
had effected an exit at private door
for her, and were hurrying her away
to place of security till she could
escape from England. They an
swered Churchill that water was mo-
nopolized: that Mathison must be
minister; that they must speak to the
queen face to face, and have her hos
tage for the accomplishment of what
they wished. Churchill pretended to
deliberate for an instant with some
one in the adjoining chamber, and
then returning. said: If the queen
do not speak with you in ten minutes,
you may tear mein pieces Some of
the mob cried that he was saying this
to give her time to escape; others
said if it were so, he should assuredly
suffer the penalty. Churchill an
swered nothing, only smiled; and
then the majority said he could not
he SO foolhardy. and they would
grant him the ten minutes.
'The time passed, and Mathison
eagerly cred, The time is gone, vet
we don't see the queen
Then tear me in pieces, said
Churchill; and the mob, finding their
prey had escaped, did so, indeed; the
gallant man falling where he stood.
and not another word coming from
his lips"
"'The brave man," cried Charles;
''the good man! We're there many
such brave, good men in the old
world, father?''
"Aye, that they were," said Pau
lett, "many glorious one; some
known and some unknown, who did
things which made one know ones
self-a glorious and immortal crea-
ture. See, there, that ruined Abbey
there lay the ashes of brave and
good; these are their crumbling mo-
numents- that fame where fame is
spectral resident Alas, there is no
fame, no name left"
Paulett and Charles went down
among the ruins of the Abbey, and
there, amidst the fallen stones and
broken aisles, saw monumental mar
bles, old known names and funeral
inscriptions, contrasting strongly, by