PARLIAMENT SKETCHED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 179, 9 June 1864, Page 4

PARLIAMENT SKETCHED.

Yor bring with yon fulo the Commons from thn . IVor's Chamb.'Y a" nation of dignity mid of repose which yoii soon find rudely dispelled. Here nobody , cares about .seeming dignified, iind no one studies repose. ICven Speaker, with lull boltonu(1 wig, ! black silk stockings, .mil silver shoe-buckles, appears -, restless and exciteable, in comparison with tin: pave , Lord Chancellor, sitting innnovial'lc and passive, r never venturing to call " order," and, indeed, never ', reiiuired to cull it. The Lord Chancellor, as all our , renders may not know. .Wives no authority fi-oiu his position oii'thc woolsack. He is the Spanker, but the Peers do not address Uicmselves to hit! , ., iind as a vulr, take not the smallest notice of him.. In Hie Lower House, on the contrary, every member on rising,'addresses hiiiisc-11' to the Speaker, for whose exclude benefit, in til. ..ry, orations arc made. Til erf ' " Hit.' first Coinmoiier" is annul with great irilhoiily. 1 He is responsible for th- orderly co'rlwet of the dl'- '' bates ; it is he who detorrm'r.cs points of practice and ' of order; on his so!:; authority the S.orgeant-at-Arms 1 would :i.-f. a;,,'., wo presume, woulil brain any oflend- - ijur r.u-nilier with tin: mace, r.r would run any intrnr de'r through with that .sword which, in its bright steel i scabbard,' J, ovd Charles Ji.isi.ell and Captain ' Uossett > always wear, and which is always getting between i their legs. Then there is the awiul power of " nam- • in«" members who persist in disobeying the orders of 1 the right honourable gentleman. "What would liuji- ■ pen if you did name a member:" was once m-.fci-d of ■ a celehiatcd Speaker, whose reply was. " ! lea\en only , knows I" The power i, ceil.-.ir\iy seldom called into ,- rcqmsilu.ll ; but thuv.-i-y Cut that it !ii.>b..-:-j, • 1 necessary to loduv su.h powers v:ii]i <!„• urea! . functionary on whom we jrc-noV looking <l<.\\n lesti- . lies to the romjKirutiV'. confusion and disorder nist now snokev, r,f P.- kin-l cuouuh to fio with us imo \h- on . Tuesday. There is to l>e a Japanese .lek.le," and -ome id' our great Knglish JJaimios are c?.pecld to deliver themselves, not exactly in the ,|.niaiic.-e I fashion. Wo must »ii early to {;e* '.."rid places, or , imlecd to <>ot any place.- -it' "ill. ii.r iho CimiUiniif' . Hou.-c, to MnniL'crs .e- '•..■II as to those who are tier, of right, is e;,'ic-':>f access than the Lords. We i at 111- b. •',!;,■ of the LVyt.l Household in uniform. , «!i-> brings up Her .Ma j< ■.-( v's reply to the address, all . the meu.hevs iincov.ru,- while it is read. The im- , necu.-tomed visitor is .-tniek by Ihe pra.-tire wliieh prewiils, her.- and in the other ('haml.er. Co,- i,,,-.,,'n--rs . to keep Iheir hats on if it so j,l, uses I Iron TVyhaps, ill the innocence of his hetiri. he T'iiu!;> no hiin'n can , be done liy hi* doi-ii; -r. ;,,... [~ th;,t ~;,„,._ Wot . , belide hiiri' Two or three of those brilliant u'.-nilc- . men in .!■-.*« coats imd white neckerchiefs, -.vho "ear . »iH badges, and who-e lynx cms search -yc.-v nook , ami corner lor lnviielir-s of ciiqn. ->:,-, are iii.»ii upon . him immc-linlely. 'I he str.,ii".,r in all - probability bus \ e,,ns. ience void of olleii.ei do.-.-n't i Know «I;iii all the pointing, and heckouing, and loud i w uispcriii", in his direeiiou mean, and thinks the , ushers are talking to sonic one lieliin.l him. So lie wears his hat diligently, and ihe ushers b.-r.,., : ... almost I'ninli.-. anil :it 1:: M ill,- ]«.•.!■ lmili s. •- :.;., ~in,e, , anil rccciiis .-oleniii «arnii!i;, ->":1 red in tin: face, hears nothing ilpi Ni.--.es for the next (|iiarlerol r an hour, and •[■■>•■■■ "iiuek to lijanksliifc coii-niliilaliny i ' hiiiisi-U'ihiil, owing to some mereilul iulerjiosilioii, ■ the Speaker ili.ln'i clap ,-\ ,■> on him, ami order him - iiistuntly to the Tower or" the " cellar" wherein coni minacious persons are iinmuml until pnyiiieiit id'no i end of i'c^. i I , or twenty minutes or so u very simjnh- mil (to , t)ie uniiiitiat'ed) a very 7111 iiit.-11 1"^ji t>in .run v is - bei..- gone ihroi.Mli. M,-.nb,r.; rise, one after' the ■ oilier, and •Hμ'!.-,. .-,,.,,...|hi,,-, « hieh ihevnad fioin ■ si roM i'i !'ieir huiuls, with .-omuls like these, uu.-'-cd ill every variety ol' key, some slow, some voluble, : some whispered", some foml. hut all much on a pa,- as ■ to uninielli-iljilitv—•• Tition, sir!" sa\s the .\l t , ., ■ ..fruH,-—" (name not heard), "pnnin K • 1...1 " (pra\eriost 111 the di-taucej. 'I lie hoii. Mcldlcman movci towards the tall,- lvk.lv he has well done 1 {jiviii"; the pi.rpo.-t of tI K . petition, av.:\ the ■ Speaker crie- ■• Jlrhiir 'I- up.' . Without wait in- ; for il.i* permission, iln; M.P hriu»s up'the roil Hirordiii K ly. ,\ot. „ •i.-ujili' have heard where it's from or "vhat ii\ aboit'l ; .-1 ill lewer care, 'i ile clerk at tl.<- i-i!)ie thrusts llu: roll into a hit; carpeta'ml this is the Cite of country'petition-., pven-.m-d so elaborately, signed so eMcu-iv-ly, ,u\d .-ii sure us sijuire iiuil clergymen w\\-n\, to excite attention and to exer.-i-e Whal heeoines u( ihe sheets of r,;. .].,,.„[, it j s ,„.,, lo j,, l|U i,-e. llu-v are so-;ip\.,-ed to come under the notice of the i'onimittee on I'uhlie J'etitioiis, who, when numerous petitions are presented on ingestion ol' interest, sum up the total numbers, and even print at. the public expense any one out of the common. All. v t In- > h<. l.iiiterniiin and the Irunli-'nuk.-v l.ivbablv ki.ow som.-iliM.Koftl.em. 'Ihe Speaker, _ % .„, y/ill perceive, must ha\e his wits about l u -,i, f,,r al any moment he mav be calli.-rl ■•inon to pronniui.e "ihat a certain motion , ca.iuol be made, ora certain amendment is not in the j proper form, or that a member has made use of j unparliamentary c\pivssions, or ilial some hn-neli ol' order and of privilege has taken jilaee which he must set riKlil. So he ilare not ilo/.c or he very inattentive; hut his fricu.ls come and , hat, 10 hiin, with one foot on Ihe dais upon which his chair slum Is and one baud reslin- on ihe oaken dhow of the chair. If is tedious business lor bun. Oilier members mav come and go, but he must listen to the How of talk for ever—that is to say, until .somebody "counts out," or until the iid'joiirin.ieut is formerly moved mid »«reed to, or unless the House is in Committee, when lie moves jo\ i'lilly auay, ami is smeceded by t'no Chairimui of Commiltee's, -Mr. Uassey. At nine o'clock puncUudly the Speaker irlinsl.i get .1 ehoj) and a cup of Tea, and this is his oniv j respite often and often between a i|imrliv to iour j o'clock in the aflernoon and two or three, or ,-u-n later in the morning. Immediately below the Speaker is the (able, at urn: end of which is placed •• I hat bauble," the nilicc. -three clerks, in forensic »arb, sit. here ami enter the minutes, and cull over "orders of the day," and othel-.viee perform apparently .not very irk.-,.me or I laborious duties. They uie .-s'ir'j tenuis - Le Men lent ! Mr. Thos. Krskitie May, C.li. (the well-known ai.t'nor of the '-Law and Usa-'es of Parliament," ;:i,., a iat!. f work of valuable eonsliliiiional history, in a ,011linuiition ol'iJulli.ni), and .Mr. Ley View volumes J/tirtxanfimd of the statutes at lai- K e oceui.x i>. • mMe along with, on either side, baif-a-dozen mii'slai.,..-ai:.i ! a lew despatch-boxes. L),on the Sp.cakcrs 1-1,1 and left are the benches, urn! up,,., these Alinisleimlisis and Opposition are ran-ed in. pretty close order when the Hou.e is lull, 1,,,- .Sir (.harl'es Harry has le.ll httle room to spare. 'J he l,e,,ehes rise one above ■another, live or six rows ol them, and overhead are galleries into which .Mcnh, rs are lorced when any exeitni!,' debute has emplied the clubs On the lioo'r upon the b, ; nehes-ri;;ht .iml left-which front the laole Musters and ex-.M misters „„. Jh.lf way down the Moor the benches divide, to ,it of e-ress and m t res S , and the division is known as "lln. /„„». way, which below the independent .Members clustc", and in which you now see Al r. Bright, Jlr. C'obdeii, Sir

• : Tvfr. "Wliite, and others among the _ J 'bcrals. and on the enrrosponintr side, in opposition, -"r. Roebuck. Lord Kobert f'ecil. Lord Tt. Mnntn»u, ;»'r. Peacock. Mr. Macirc Mr. Pope Honnessv. and JW Trisl, Members better known , ns "the Pn, w 'ihra«s Opposite the Speaker, and, though invisible to strangers, full in the eves of Members, h the clock, and under the clock, three or Tour paces in front of the suvini-il.mrs Mlii.h open into tli? House, is " ibe bar." 'lhcif is no supposititious cxisk-iK-e, lake tho woolsack. This is an actual rod, which pulls out in te'eseopir form from one bench to another on Ihe opposite side of the Moor, and when so pulled out incloses what is alone, strictlv and feclniictillv. " the House." ThePerseant-at Arms. wliom- s-mi" box or chair fsnn,eihin« bi-tv.-.-n br.ihi !=-. y.-M outride the bar. is supposed by >, I'arliameni.-irv lii-li.m d> be oulsidr the House, and it is only when Members HIV Within (lie all but imairinarv bouiidrv (but I hoy are allowed to address M,r. Speaker. The bar is rarely opeucil oui, its !a-r public appearance bcinc when MV. nV-d: now Chief f 'onstrucior of Ihe Jfavy. was brouL'ht there to a]iol(i<ri."e for a bn-acli of privilege i-i writing an impiililf letter to Sir Frederick Smilli. M. P. for Chatham. Still, there it is; and if anv impulsive or uli«ht'.v inehriated stranger, tired of listeni-r ta others so !oiik, were to throw his hr.i iiown at Lord Chnrles Pitissell, or call U|ion the Speaker for a iig, or offer to jironiote (be harmony nf ihe evening'by n comic son;; fi-nu, the gallerv.'to the bar he would (Hiiokly be brought, and made lo atone lor his irreverence. But this Japanese debate, what has become of it ? j AVe have (he place ; the poons remain, and we shall have « d;i..i with them hereafter. Only'we hear 1 in; voice of our veteran Premier, rinn-msi all throii!;h the House like a full-toned mellow bell, and we can't help noting with pride and pleasure that the glorious old man seems not a day older or a bit more worn than last session, when we listened lo him from the same post of 'vantage. "Older," , did we say? He seems as fresh and as vigorous, his manner is as effective and his matter as logical, as when we first heard him under this roof twelve years svne. Mav be live for ever and a day !— Court jvi'i-mit.