The Portland daily press., 1877-04-19

what shall We say of them when sitting in
their judicial capacity to hear appeals from the
inferior courts of the kingdom? Theoretically
every member of the Upper House is born
Judge as well as born legislator, and my Lord
Mutanned and my Lord Verisopht are author
lzea 10 take part in the revision of the opinions
OF the trained lawyers who preside in the Court
OF common Pleas and the Queens Bench
Out practically only what are called the claw
LORDS presume to attend the sittings of this
court of last appeal, and the day that your cor
respondent crowded his way into the little box
on the floor of the chamber where the public"
lstolerated on such occasions, only four aged
peers were in attendance and constituted
very unimpressive assembly, though the Chan
cellor Lord Cairns, who presided, is man of
decidedly strong and intelligent physiognomy
and dignified bearing. As the case under con-
sderation had reference to Scotch lease with
certain reconcile and involved prescriptiye
rights to salmon fishery, all depending on
presidents of immemorial antiquity cited from
reports on which the dust of ages had accumu-
lated, it is unnecessary to say that nothing of
tragic or thrilling nature occurred. Ard &C.
cordingly the spectators who came tip-toeing in
one after the other, breathess with excitement
and expectation, gaped for moment at the
dread tribunal, gave glance at the splendid
chamber and its sumptuous adornments, looked
at the "woolsack" which seems to be cum
ningly contrived mattress spread over a dry
goods box upholstered in red, and quickly find
ing the interest not sustained tip-toed out
again with an air olextreme detection and dis
nd oil fba
recurring to your correspondents upapprecia-
tive mind that famous couplet of Lord John
Manners, the present Postmaster-G General
"Let arts and laws and science de-
But save, o save our old nobity''
WIDOWS.
One day when the cloud of smoke and foo
which rests upon London had lifted sufficiently
to allow few sun-beams to diffuse a faint
crepuscular light over the town, making what
the loyal people call Queens weather." as if
the good God himself were British subject
and could work so great miracle as fine
weather in London only in behalf of the reign.
ing monarch-it was my good fortune in COM
mon with some hundreds of thousands Of other
people to see certain widow of this realm,
riding in state from Buckin CHAM palace to
The widows coach was drawn by eight horses,
and horses, coach, coachman, foetmen, grooms
and outriders were all ablaze with gorgeous
trappings and gold lace. There was the sound
OF music. There were trusty guardians of the
widows person on all sides. There were the
Horse Guards and the Beefeaters and the
Grenadiers, all richly bedight and all looking
valiant and soldierly There was a procession
of state carriages with armorial bearings which
would have glittered if there had been New
England sun to shine upon them. The peo-
pie shouted and hurrabed, and hustled each
other in their eagerness to see the widows face
which after ALL aside from its acce ssores, was
no great sight to see. For the widow was al,
too stout-her face was heavy and dull, light.
ened neither by intelligence, nor amabilty-a
sad, wan, expressionless face, with flabby
cheeks and lack-lustre eyes, But she was clad
in ermine and and wore the priceless Xohinoor
as brooch, which made large amends
for any lack of personal advantages.
When she reached the Parliament
House, the boom of guns was heard, and
the bells rang as if in exultation
at some great boon which kind heaven
had newly sent to suffering man. To this
land pay thousands and hundreds of thous-
ands OF pounds year-to her numerous chill
dren, thousands more-to,her swarming grand
children other thousands, and to her more dis
tant relations other thousands still. S he in
habits in succession, half dozen palaces, main
tanned by her poor countrymen and country
women. Her private fortune is immense and
is by no means impaired by reckless generosity.
10 deserving people she sometimes presents
her photograph. If bad colliery accident
happens causing wide spread distress, she
sometimes generously gives a few pounds to
the sufferers, and all England shouts "Lonp
live the QueenP'
Yesterday, her Majesty being at Wind
sor or Osborne, it was not Queens wealth.
Or. Whoseever weather it was could not
have felt it to be a personal compl-
ment. There had been pea-soup fog of
rich, yellowish green, a fog almost appre-
ciable by the sense of touch. AT ten in the
forenoon the gas was lighted in houses and
shops Such cloud of smoke laden moisture
deposits new stratum of SCOT over the CITY.
The pavements and walks are sticky with mud.
Under such circumstances one comes to under
stand why the unsavory word "nasty'' is ever
on the Englishman's lips. Darkness and gloom
make even aristocratic Belgravia and MAYFAIR
repulsive. On such day, wandering gloomily
in the East and North of the metropolis, in
Bishops gate, Moorfelds, Shoreditch aud along
Old Street, saw other British widows, wives
and maids who left on my mind an impress
sion not less deep and hardly more sad than
she who wore ermine and the Kohinoor-thous-
ands of them-creatures the sight of whom, if
they are seen must disturb the rest of the very
saints in heaven. They too, were all too stout;
they too, were wan and bloated, with express
sionless faces and lack-lustre eyes. They
swarmed in gin shops, or were sitting by their
carts and stands selling fish, water-cresses or
vegetables. They were clad in rags; they were
foul in person and in speech. With them there
was neither decency nor shame. Age was
without honor or dignity, youth was without
modesty or hope. To endure the burden of
life, to scrape together q few pence as
an escape from starvation or to drown
wretchedness in drink, these were the
sole objects in life. At night some of
them burrow in wretched novels, some walk
the streets, some sleep under any shelter they
can find in the open air. They are the most
pitiful, most hopeless and most outraged Of all
the beings l have seen in my small journeying.
Whlle an existence such as theirs is possible
the world claim to civilization is Jest so broad
that no one ought to regard it as anything but
a piece of grim humor.
But what have these bags of Shoredtch and
the Seven Dials to do with the Queen at Buck
ingham palace? To me the conclusion seems
irresistible that the widow who has, and self
ishly keeps SO much more than enough to sat-
isfy any reasonable human wants, is the snoil-