New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-06
SOME LONDON PEOPLE.
OvrrCHEs AND STORIES OF PUBLIC MEN
ICoogrtqhL 1881

NIL obhv of the House of Commons is square,
.,orble- payed hail. opening into the House on one
- aud into long corridors on tue other three.
- ia over the door, in one corner Is a Small
sofresbment stall; four policemen are on ouVy :
.oombers stand conversiOg in little groups just
,afore the House opens, the procession oil the mace
20. onraarsa solemn and grOtesque spectacle
A bent old man, with a very large mace Oh MS
fnIdors coos first. followed by another dignitary
81 wig and black small-clothes, his tram carrier
-, an attendant Presently the donrkeepers
1nonnce that the Speaker has taken the char
III vi.tor EARNED with card of admission signed
-, anna member) is then admitted 30 the Strangers
en- rv-aa overhanging balcony occupying one
I'D of the House. Opposite is the Ladies gallery
,vhicb uest the spectacle of female loveilhesS
ossombled there should distract the attention Oh 'no
nations law-makersl is furnished with gnu open
work screen like cage, easily looked ouV OIL '"'
v. ;nto The Honse itself is finished IN brown
wood: the benches, running leDgthwlSo' ",o
cushioned with dark green leather; whte cdiuS
~ ,,irr.a on the backs of the seats, Indicating
tLa;r rssnective occupants. The " Floor Is n
norrow strip traversing the length of the ilonse
about twelve feet wide; massive oolohg taoio
covered with books, papers and writng mlte'iaiS
and with two boxes upon 1t, covered WIN iou
r,orocco il placed between the front Ministerial
md
Inv the leaders of debate to thump or grasp whiie
.naoLipg At the head of the table is the Speaker
chair.-a roomy affair with very tai Dach III
+hase DAYS of obstruction it might we'll be maze
convertible into a sort of camp bedstead. Inc
Ministerialists sit on the Speakers right OF the
table; the Opposition on the left.
This is the place whore English History is made ;
and round this table assemble night after night the
most eminent men In England. They must hnd
inexhaustible fascination in their employment; the
table of the House of Commons is an even stronger
1oadstone than that at Monte Carlo; and greater
fortunes have been made at it. And the visitor is
ticled by the reflection that what he is hearing to-
night will form the substance of the newspapers To-
morrow morning; he is ten or twelve hours ahead
of the rest of tue world But. unlike the spectators
at Monte Carlo. he can never hazard stake oil his
own in the game.
| lunched with Trevelyan nephew and biog-
rapher of Macaulay and later Secretary for Ireland
and thence accompanied him on my first visit TO the
House He was clever, concentrated, clean-cut
man. with short dark beard streaked prematurely
with gray; eyes near together and nose which
began as an aquiline, with character, but ended
jrregularly.
The Liberals we're at that time $3.50 in Onposi-
tjon and Disrae had lately been translated to the
Upper House rs Lord Beaconsheld. l saw the
latter only once,-on the occasion OF his tr!umpha
return from the Berlin Conference. tilIsh, thin
man. wearing light-cOlored overcoat and SILK
hat which he removed the carriage i'll when he
sat moved westward from Charng Cross amid the
thousands of shouting people who packed the
Strand. His thin hair struggling down on his ca
pacions forehead was still more black than
gray his face like creased yellow parchment
and kind of jeer was stamped upon it; his black
ewes were glittering and impenetrable lie was the
most picturesque figure in English politics.
Probably he was more hkeable in private than IN
public life There are many honorable stories about
him in this regard. Once he aud his wife were
at a dinner where Bernal Osborne sat beside Mrs.
Disraeli After the aides had withdrawn. Osborne,
who had the manners of Ourang -outang, called
out Good God. DSraeli, what possessed you to
marry that 7" At this speech dead silence
of suspense and dsmay fell upon all the table.
D;srael looked up and SAID quietly Partly,
Osborne for a reason which you are incapable Oi
nderstanding-gratltude" No one ever conquere1
this saturnine Hebrew. He dominated the Anglo
Saxon nature. In the carriage. on that day, on the
front seat. sat the Earl of Salisbury, like a tame
bear; one of the prOudest mobiles of England
dancing attendance on a Jew adyenturer.
To return to the House 1t was not full session ;
Int Gladstone was in his place and the Irish MEM
bers were on hand as usual The main business OF
the moment was the question of saddling India
with the cost of the afghan war. Charles Duke
rose to ask some question lie was already
favorlte in the House, and man OF recognized
bower His tone was quiet and conversational IN
the extreme; he is man IN whom the masculine
element is predominant; and he has man-oi-thc-
world manner, which makes men much older than
he seem juvenile ana shrill in comparison. He
was rowing man at the University, and his mus
off ,fr mt in lie
build of his figure and the clearness OF his com
pexion. He is partly bald. wears a. full brown
beard, and habtually keeps his chin drawn IN
toward his throat,-as if he were bridled In
personal conversation he exercises "A singular
charm: his social position was .envlable; and lie
was thought certain Of the Premiership in due time
And for my part, haze never ceasel to believe
that he will attain that position, and fill it with
credit TO himself and England.
Fawcett then member for Hackney, and after
ward PostmasterGeneral, made a speech against
burdening India with the debt He was the only
speaker on either side who seemed to be really In
earnest In this debate, in fact the moral argu-
ments were all on the side of the Liberals but both
parties were well aware that practical considera-
tons would prevail when the vote was taken, and
what they said was for the OBLIGATION of the con
sttuencies But Fawcett took lofty ground, and
expressed himself with great vigor. His voice was
loud unmuslcal and monotonous; he appeared to
have got his speech by heart, and no ono seemed to
nav much attention to hun except Gladstone. who
listened closely his elbow supported on his crossed
knee and his hand covering his mouth. At length
he took papers, pen and blottingpaper from tho
table and made notes Fawcett. a tall large man.
with straight hair and somewhat Indian type of
countenance was blind and wore dark spectaoes
There were some empty benches in front Of him,
and to these he delivered most of his remarks.
under the IMPRESSION evidently, that lie was facing
the Ministerial benches. His manner was ungracc-
fu,-striking his right palm with his left fist, ever
and anon turning his body sharply, and mounting
and decaming his periods. He was very much
liked in England, partly on account of the pluck he
had shown in reaching so high public position
L., o,os +he lnss of his some