Year: 1859


the House of Commons under the above
heading We give below extracts from the
description of the speakers in the celebra.
Ve1 debate upon the Reform Bill:


= SlN EpwERD buLwER LYTToN-When the
Ooiohlal secretary rose to deliver his views
on the subject Of reform we knew we might
anticipate one of his great Orationsp We
all know here when Sir Edward IA oosrc, -.
speak as well as we know that the snn a.
about to rise when a streak Of light annears
over the eastern hills, or that it is going 10,
rain when thick and heavy clouds slowly roll
up from the southwest When Sir Edward
has made up his mind to speak he is restless.
uneasy and wanders about the House and
the lobby, with his hands in his pockets and
his eyes upon the ground The Right Hon
orable Baronet has lately made some changes
in the appearance Of his outward man.


BYNG.-When Sir Edward sat down. and
whilst the storm was raging and members
were everywhere on the wing, Bvng arose.
and was fortunate enough to catch the Spea.-
ker's eye; but for several minutes it was inn
possible for him TO attempt to speak, for mo-
voiee-not that of Stentor himself-could
have lifted itself above the roar of the hurri-
cane; and Byng's small voice would have
! been no more than the piping of a wren in a
West India tornado And so Byng quietly
waited until the applause subsidized, and the
hungry crowd was gone, and then began
And what contrast was the whole scene to
that which had Just passed awayl Just now
the House was crammed; and there stood ct
the table a fierce looking man, vociferating
and gestieuating as if he were mad, and the
house every now and then broke into a roar
as if the speaker had infected his hearers
with his madness. Now the house is nearly
Itv-- still all =
and instead of the wild gestieulator, who had
so lately lashed his audience to fury, there
stands pale, thin, diminutive youth, deliver
ing neat and polished, and evidently we'll
studied address, in soft and musical tones,
but with no more energy or action than
young lady displays when she says her "poe-
try to her governess.


SIDNEY HERBrRr.-Sidney Herbert is what
is called "Peelite;" but the term is fast 90
ing out of use. When parties changed sides
in 1851, this gentleman for a time fitted
the House and had no settled seat Some
times he would drop into his old place, near
Sir James Graham and Gladstone, on the
Ministerial side, below the gangway then
you might see him lower down, on the ex.
treme right; but at length he quietly dropped
down on the opposite side of the house, near
Lord John Russell and Roebuck. Herbert is
a tall, handsome, aristocratic looking gentle
man. with fine face, and remarkably large.
penetrating eyes. When he began to speak,
the House filed rapidly, for two reasons.-
| First he is an attractive speaker, delivers
what he has to say in flowing, forcible han
guage, accompanied 10y graceful action and
bearing; and secondly, as he occupies n
somewhat singular position, not being pledged
to either party, everybody was anxious TO
know how he would pronounce on this great
occasion. Herbert did not long leave the
House in doubt; for, amidst the cheers of
the Opposition, he at once opened fire against
the bill and its promoters and in strong, racy
English, analyzed the measure and turned
the position of the Government inside out
Some of his taunts were very effective, and
were received with great glee by the Oppo-
siton.


BERNAL OsBoRNE-On Thursday the prin-
cipal performers We're Bernal Osborne and
Bright. The former arose about 10 o'clock
IL was suspected that Osborne meant to
speak, and members were on the watch for
his rising and when it was reported in the
lobbies and smokery that Osborne was up"
the knot of gossipers and loungers were
broken up, cigars were dropped, and every
man rushed into the House to see and hear,
and enjoy the expected fun. And at the
club, too, all was hurry scurry. For when
Osborne arose, the telegraph flashed the news
to Pall MALL dlUner parties were broken up
and in minute every available cab was on
the move. Osborne's speech was pronounced
to be great success" 1t did not probably
change an opinion, and certainly did not
gain vote but it kept the house in n roar
of laughter and cheers for an hour and there
fore was n success.


BRIGnT.-lt is really a fine sight in the
House when Bright is speaking Every seat
is occupied; crowds of men are standing at
the bar and behind the chair and in the side
galleries, which, on ordinary OCCASIONS, are
vacant, the benches are all full. The repor--
ters a-e all assiduously employed; and,
through the brass screen behind the ladies
can be observed, eagerly listening to catch
every word, those in the front rank flattening
their faces against the network and those
behind stretching forward their heads over
the shoulders of those in the front. This is
the attitude in which we like best to see the
House-an attitude of eager. rapt attention.
And this is the attitude which we deem to be
most fiattering to the speaker. Not laugh
ter but attention, would please us best if We
had to address the House; for we rather sym
pathize with that old orator who exclaimed,
when the mrth of his audience was excited;
what foolish thing have | said that these
people laughw We have seid that it is not
the characteristic of Bright's speeches that
they call forth cheers; but it must not be
thought that they are not eheered, for they
are, and heartily, too Indeed We fancy
that no mans speeches are so heartily cheered
if the word heartily means from the
heart" as the dictionaries tell us it does. OF
Brights speech can say nothing here, for
our space fails, nor is there much occasion.
as we have often spoken of the elOquence of
this remarkable man.