Year: 1859

men opposite, and shows by his manner of stand
ing and speaking that he intends to sit down.
But when he rises for Grafton he starts bolt up
right at once, lays his notes on the official box be
lore him, steps pace backward, pulls down his
walstcOat, brings his arms into his position, and
waits until due silence is secured Mr.. D'Israeli's
once on this occasion was to defend his financial
operation, and in degree the foreign policy of
Tue tate Government. When the right honorable
gentleman delivered his financial statement in 1883
ne MADE all things fair and square upon paper He
estimated the revenue in round numbers at f64-
VUO,UOo, the actual receipts were f65 500 OOO and
yet, when he left office there was 4 defciencv of
about f5, 100000, and he naturally anonrb ,yiobod
to show to the country how this occurred, and we
venture to say that he did this with compete suc-
cess. The estimate of the revenue, so far from be-
ing too sanguine, had been exceeded and his esti-
mate of the expenditure would have been correct
but for the disturbing influence of the war; and the
consequent necessity for a large increase in the
army and navy expenditure. This first part of Mr.
D,lsraeli's speech, though able and successful was
OF course somewhat dull, for who can be eloquent
IN dealing with fgures2 The House, however, lis
tened with due gravity, and on the whole was sat
lsfed, though it was not excited to cheers. but
when he came to the latter part of his speecb. in
which he touched upon foreign policy he was all
himself again, brought down loud cheers from his
party, and applause from many of his opponents,
and managed to touch chord when he advised
closer amity with France that we NAV reduce our
armaments, and thus terminate this disastrous and
wild expenditure" that did not cease to vibrate
during the whole of the debate.


HIS SARCASM.


But the most noticeable feature in Mr. D'IsraeIi's
speech was the fine vein of ironic sarcasm which
ran through the latter part Mr.. DIsraeli is no
thing unless he be sarcastic. Sometimes his sar-
casm is blunt and somewhat coarse, but here it was
as fine and delicate a razor's edge The late
Government bad been taunted with BEING tbe
friends OF Austria, and with having no sympathy
ortrlendship with France. ''We have been told. -
said he, "that it entirely from the absence of
some of those distinguished statesmen from the
bench opposite which they now so pre-eminentIy
adorn (?) that the war broke out at ALL Had they
been there it is well known that the Emperor of the
French would never have taken single step with
out consulting them," &c, &C. And then he went
on to intimate that now they were in power they
mad line opportunity to exercise their influence
and ne exhorted them earnestly to exert it to induce
the Emperor to reduce his ornaments that we
may reduce ours. The opposition saw, appreciat-
ed, and cheered Justify this irony, ard it seemed
also to take the fancy of the gentlemen below the
gangway on the other side, for they also Joined in
the cheers.


HIS COUNTENANCE


We were curious to observe closely Mr.. DIS
raeTs countenance when he was thus SPEAKING to
see If there were any signs Of feeling; but we saw
as usual none. Mr.. D'Israeli's face to those who
are at some distance, and in most cases even TO
those who are near him. is simply the most unim-
passloned cOuntenanCe that ever stood upon the
shoulders of man. At distance YOU can see no
more expression than you would upon the face of
al IL Is so utterly elnOtlOneSS and
pressive. In his deep-set ewes not a twinkle is dis
cernible, is there the slightest movement about
the lips, excepting that which is necessary to expel
the words. When you are close to him you may
occasionally fancy that you discern faint radiance
in his eyes; and when his sarcasm is more than un-
commonly biting, there is 4 slight sardonic move
ment in the upper lip; but these signs are at no
time more than family dscernble. 1t is not nice
countenance to contemplate. 1t is not Enplish
open, attractive. We could never fancy children
being attracted by it. The face of man OUGHT TO
be-and would always be if he would let 1.-THE
index OF the nature within. 1t should light up
when he is joyful flash when he is anUry nIainIv
speak of sorrow when he is in distress, and writhe
when he is pain. Nature intended it to do all this:
but it may be said that nature has probably denied
to MIR. D'Israeli this power. We don't believe it,
Thirty years ago, when Mr.. D'Israeli stood upon
the hustlngs at Wycombe, a ''young and curly"
aspirant to Parliamentary honors, we may rely
upon it his face was not the dull and passiopless
surface that it is now Young, ardent, passionate.
and hopeful, he let it show what it felt and per-
mtted it by its varied expression to rive force to
his fervid words. But long course of official
caution and reserve has hardened his features and
destroyed their natural fexbitv. To keep the
muscles of our body flexible we must use them; by
dlscontnulng to use them we lose their power.


MR.. GLADSTONE.


Very different was the appearance of the Chance-
lor of the Exchequer, when he leaped from his
seat to reply to his predecessor. He was evidently
excited; and in countenance, manner and bearinG
he showed his excitement Mr.. Bright, by watch
ing his opportunity, succeeded in getting first upon
his legs and must 'have caught tie eve of the
Speaker first. But this phrase has technical
meaning when 1t IS said that "Mr. So and-So first
caught the Speaker" 1t is not understood that il
was literally, but rather that Mr.. So-and-So was
the man whom the Speaker wished to address the
House. Generally, the first that rises gets prece-
dence; but when Cabinet Minister rises, Mr.
Speaker calls upon him in preference to anv other
There were loud cries, and long continued for Mr.
Bright, and for time Mr. Bright stooa his ground
But Mr.. Gladstone, in somewhat defiant manner,
kept his position. He had been called upon by the
Speaker, and he maintained his right against ali
claimants, and soon the clamor weakened and at
length died away. 1t has been noticeable that MIR
Gladstone has spoken with more energy and excite
ment since he has been in office; and being more
excited, he has been more concise and less diiusive
On the subject of Roman Catholic claims he brok
forth, IN answer to speech from Mr.. Waiteside
like a tornado; and though he spoke for not more
than twenty minutes he compressed into his speech
such formidable arguments, such pregnant facts and
such withering sarcasm, that he made the Attorney
General for Ireland writhe in his seat And on
opening his budget it a subject of general re-
mark how closely the Chancellor stuck to his sub
lect and how plain. and lucid, and concise he was
in his statements. We know not thatwe ever listen
ed to more mastery statement. On former SINH
lar occasions Mr.. Gladstone has spoken for four
hours and more, but on this he only occupied two
torcible and concise Some of his sentences were
epigrammatic in their terseness. But the speech
of the evening was that delivered by


Mr.. BRIGHT


1t was known to Mr. Bright's friends that he had
speech on the anvil, and it was expected that it
would be great one, though we know not whether
it understood that he would launch it that
night We have read the speech in the morning
papers. The Times reports it best, but only faint
idea can be formed from reading of the force and
power with which it was delivered nor of its effect
| upon the House. But, nevertheless, We who have
often heard Mr.. Bright, and have reflected careful
| lJr how 70 +Ip
! that Mr. Bright more of his power in the
! House to his matter than to his manner. He is a
| capital speaker, no doubt. His action is simple
and unaffected; his voice is good his language is
| pure and forcible but his greatest power in the
| House lies not there. In The House of Common
there is conventional mode of treating all subjects
which come before it. Very few speakers seem to
us to speak er amino. Few of them seem to tread
firmly, as if they felt the solid earth under them.
! but deicatey timidly, and apologetically, as il
they were afraid of offending against some estab-
a 'ished conventionasm shocking some prejudice
! But when Mr.. Bright arises, and after you have
listened to few sentences you feel that YOU have
| a manly Englishman before you, one who believes
| earnestly that he has got something to say and
is determined to say it, let who will be offended
or who will be pleased A Martin Luther-like
man, who would 90 to Worms ''were all the tiles
on the houses devils" He never goes about a sub


ect, and about it, but sheers through every inter
vening obstacle of prejudice, and conventionaisn,
and etiquette right to the heart of the matter at
once. Take his speech the occasion in question:
read it carefully, and you will at see what he
means. "Oh, yes, you must have the income tax,
| know; you cannot do without it; but it is an
| odious tax. And why is it odious? Because it is a
tax upon property? No; but because it is uniustlv
levied. You farmers for instance why should yOu
pay much on your incomes Others do on theirs?
And then there is the succession duty, anything
! be more unjust than that? There was gentleman
lately who had a landed estate, worth f32 600 left
! him by person who no relative. Now, if this
! had been left in money the duty would have been
| G3 200 but being landed estate the duty was only
fT00. Is that Just? Is it consistent with fairness?
| is it consistent with our personal honor ?-ior,
after all, that into the queSton-is it consist
! ent with our duty to society that we should take
the class ofpropery the most select attracting to-
wards it many social and practical advantages
having in it the most certain of accumulation
and improvement 2-is it fair, say, that we should
take this property and charge it only 200: whilst
on another description of property, that is not
worth bit more in the market, we should charge
| f3,2OOf" Now, this is going to the heart of the
mat er; and this is a fair specimen of the manner
in which Mr.. Bright treats all subjects which come
| before him in the House. As he and Mr.. Golden
did in the Corn-law war, so he does now-dashng
| through all the outworks right up to the citadel
and demanding its surrender. Our space is run
ming short, but must just notice the peroration
of this remarkable speech, and We are more anx.
ious to do because in several papers it is wrongly
given: 81 pray (said the honorable gentleman
that there may soon come time when the Govern
ment of this country may take such steps as have
indicated for the bringing about a state Of thing:
between France and England which shall unite
these two great nations in a bond ofperfect amitv
and show that eighteen hundred years of the Dro
fesson of Christian doctrine is at length conipen
stated by something like Christian practice" In 8
report which lies before me, the word ''profes
IS left to1'1 Aho