, 1877-05-13
EUROPEAN GOSSIP.
A Night in the British House OF
Commons.
How a Couple Of Famous Brigands
Were Captured in Sicily.
Mourning Garments in France...The
School-Girl and the Wears
Wife.

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Acor1repoudentt thus describes night In the En-
glish House OF Commons: ''Cnti about there is
axolerable attendance; when members begin to
drop OF gradually one by one For tho dinner
hour is approaching, and honorable members are
feeling the sacred rage Of hunger II the ques-
ton in debate is not likely to last through the
evening, there will often be desperate effort made
to force 4 division At once. To this end crowd
will gather below the bar-that is just inside the
door. and, when new speaker gets up TO continue
the discussion, will try drown his voice by cries
OF Divide o., as the word sounds in the sapidity
Of nlterance uaua such occasions, wide vide
ut last it rises into roa. II the orator il peril
nacious and determined to proceed, or il con-
sicerabe party In the House shows disposition to
uphold him, which fa done By roaring counter
cry Of Order order the conflict sometimes
grows fast and furious, until the interrupters,
SEEING it i Of no = assi are fain to de:ist and
rious ceremony going on OF which outsiders know
little desk Is placed on the right hand Of the
passage inside the outer entrance into the House.
on which there are pens, ink and paper. Around
this desk members from both sides Of the uousc
conEreTatc, and the question rises. Who wants
om iSe and o from e
Opposition ranks-aeree that they will be absent
from the House certain time. 80 that, IN case Of
trallze each other. Al the top Of the sheets of
paper lying on the desk arc written the words
stor' and Against, meaning for and against the |
Government. The two who are about to play |
temporary trnants write their names Under |
for and the other under against, while down ]
In the centre Of the sheet there column for |
time. One asks the other How long.' The |
answer may be until 10, or 10::iu, or IL, |
Or for the night and that Is marked accord !
1ngly in the central culumn. So they are |
paired for the period agreed upon, and /
MAY depart without running the risk Of in
ficting an injury upon their party should
d,yision arise during their absence. Thus there
will be often forty City pairs in the course OF
evening. Those who have in this manner quoted
their conscicnces then start of dine 1t their
houses or at their clubs feeling themselves safe |
while the compact laste But thnsc who from |
Ercatcr zeal in the discharge OF their duty, from
special interests in the question IN debate decline
to avail themselves OF the pairing douge- 1nue dine
In the house. Sometimes tht. division bell sounds
Just at The time when forty OF fifty Of them in
the act Of dining, and then there is rush and !
scramble. rome walking of with their mouths half
full. and others w1ping their lips after draught,
and as division takes twenty minutes or half an |
hour The interruption IL not pleasant one to the
hungry legislators During the dinner hour the !
House only presents bcggarly account OF empty !
iaaent some members peeping in through the |
loor saw the curious spectacle OF an honorable |
Gentleman standing up, absolutely alone, and au-
'rea*lns the Speaker when there were none but |
hey two IN the House. About the aoscntces be- |
in to lounge III one by one, and ut 10 OF 1850 the
cats are agnin well occupied.