A POLITICIAN’S JOKE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5575, 4 January 1879, Page 5

A POLITICIAN’S JOKE.

Our telegrams hare already contained mention ofan amusing parody on the Victorian embassy to England, which seems to have been carried rather far, with the result that the perpetrators of the joke wot» quietly sat upon by the Government. From the Argus we take particulars of the farce, winch has been amusing the jpptmenta of Mr Berry, and helping to oov*‘ Victorian politics with a little more ridicvle Oh Deo. 19 a raeotiig was held at the Reform Club Hotel; Mizabeth street, attended by about 100 per*n»i by whom evidently the projected England was rcgarded os a huge i«l». |This meeting selected Mr Daniel l&dcdarson, better known as a liberal agitate* under the title' of'Henderacn Afnomui, as a fitting ohjteih® of ¥««» Berry 4udfd&non on to tho Sfiowtuy of State for tto&foniw. Resolutions were passed declaring that it was desirable that a third "ambassador" should be accredited, and in recognition of the zealous, able, and oonsisteSr services rendered by Mr Henderson to the liberal cause, he was requested to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of' Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, A proposal was also made that a deputation should wait on the Chief Secretary, requesting himto appropriate a third Of tha £6OOO vote to defray the expenses of Mr Henderson, and in the event o! his nonoomdiahoe it was determined that the cost of Mr Henderson’s musion should be defrayed by public subscription. Allusion was made by several of the speakers to the fear that some might be inclined to sneer at the hue of the third “ ambassador,” but at the came , lime a strong _ conviction was expressed that as a liberal and consistent politician, and one who had not been compensated at the expense of the country for the " sacrifices he bad made. Mr Henderson would compare favourably with his ooadj iitors. Mr Henderson, with a portentous seriousness, indicated bis gratification at the compliment conferred upon him. He stated thatho would be proud to go tea delegate to England to represent the true voice of the people, and to convince the Secretary of Stato of the real position of the constitutional difficulty. Mr Hoijderson declared also that, holcUnc as ho did that tho £6OOO vote for tho embassy was unconstitutional, he must conscientiously decline to touch owe penny of tlxat money. While the Ministerial embassy and its pupSorters were revelling in the loan Hall on io evening of Dee. 20, a small party were

entertaining Mr Daniel Henderson (Africanui), at “a oompEmentavy banquet” at Hockm’a Hotel. At thi* latter feast about 200 person* were present. A merry evening yra* pawed, the company enjoying the joke immensely. The chairman read and signed a commission prepored on parchment, authorising, on behalf of the meeting, Mr Henderson “ to go to Europe with hie two colleagues to give expression to 6h«i» views.” The vicechairman, in proposing the toast of the evening, namely, the “ Health of Mr Henderson, and a Brilliant Success to his great Mission,” observed thot Mr Henderson was rather highly coloured, but that the hae of his skin had been burnt in by solar Surra, and had not been applied with a tar-brush. The toast was enthusiastically drunk, and. Mr Henderson, in replying, stated that the miserable embassy business of the Government had been concocted in secret conclave, with assistance of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, who was to have been one of the ambassadors, and whose place he (Mr Henderson) , was to take. He denounced Chief Secretary in bitter terms for having chosen as hi* fellow - ambas»ador Professor Pearson who, he mid was a mere apprentice in politics. Some persons thought be would not be able to obtain an interview with the Secretary of State for the Colonies. They made a great mistake. He would have more than one way of obtaining an interview. When he got to England be would have no difficulty in showing that the other two ambassadors were frauds, and that the money for their expenses had been improperly filched from the State exchequer. He would draw up a memorandum for the perusal of tho Lord High Chancellor and other dignitaries (that would put Messrs Berry and Pearson completely out of court. It wae a great mistake to suppose his opinions were worth nothing. He hoped young men would follow lii» good example, resist city blandishments,, ana spend more time at the Public Library. They would And therein his book upon constitutional history with his photograph in it. That booh would do them good. He trusted this would not be a mere joke. While delivering his speech, which we have considerably curtailed, Mr Henderson seemed to have not quite made up his mind as to whether ho ought to treat the matter seriously or not. Sometimes he evidently looked at it from a jocular point of view, and at others he seemed to he in earnest.