The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1880-09-11 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

BROMLEY-DAVENPORT, M.P , also acknowledged the toast. He first congratulated the assembly and I his colleague,Mr. Newdegate upon his entire restoration to health, the cheery existence he was leading being evinced by the humorous speech he had made. (Hear, hear). Continuing, he remarked that upon the occasion of the last meeting of the society he was a little taken to task for having alluded to himself as having had fifteen years of the penal servitude of Parliament—(laughter)--but he thought that he was now perfectly justified by the frequent references made about a "convict establishment." (Hear, hear, and laughter). The past session represented to his mind—he did not know what I unless it were the enabling of the mind to grasp the idea of a wearisome and unprofitable I 11 eternity. (Renewed laughter). The session began in January, and had lasted till the present time, but it had reversed the usual order of progress. They were accustomed to hear of the progress from the sublime to the ridiculous, but the House of Commons went from the ridiculous to the sublime —(laughter)—for it started with a discuesion about hats, and it ended in the proposal for the abolition of the House of Lords. (Laughter and applause, with cries of "No politics " and "Go on.") Then he hoped they wkald not consider it politics if he alluded to the queition of the hats in the House of Commons. They might not be all aware that when they returned a member to the House of Commons they had not given him a seat. There were not enough seats for the members, and an hon. member this year proposed that the privilege of securing a seat by placing a hat upon it early in the 'Scorning should be allowed until 3 o'clock. His (the speaker'i) opinion was that if the hats had been allowed to remain all night upon the seats and the heads had never gone Nick to them, the House and the country generally would have been very much the gainers. (Laughter). Of course he was not able from the feeling of the meeting to do what he should like to do so much—to praise some of the measures of the Government. (Laughter, and hear, hear). That would be considered political, and Of course he dropped it ; but he would congratulate all upon the news which had arrived from the East of General Roberts's victory. (Applause). He could not refrain from touching upon one point in connection with that victory. Many of them knew the poor young officer (Lieutenant McLean), who was brutally murdered by the Afghans, the account of which was one of the most distressing he had ever experienced. Many had been acquainted with him in the hunting-field, and felt towards him like a comrade, and when they heard that he had been murdered in cold blood it must make their blood boil, and make them wish for one short half hoar with General Roberts's cavalry, riding after the assassins. (Hear, hear). Mr. Bromley-Davenport expressed his sympathy with the tenant farmers, who, he trusted, were recovering hope. He hoped the turning point had been reached when they would, after a succession of adverse seasons, once more have a prosperous agricultural time. (Applause).  Sir J.