NEWS OF THE WEEK.
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On Monday, Lord KING returned to his favourite topic, Church property. The Bishops did not reply to his Lordship. Are they afraid to trust themselves? The subject is an irritating one, and Lord KING'S perpetual rubbing does not tend to soothe it. The Anatomy Bill had nearly been lost, on Tuesday, from the
opposition of that notable specimen of nobility, Lord WYNPORD. His arguments were exceedingly profound, as usual. Colonel DESPARD—a poor insane man—was, it seems, afraid of being quartered, although he did not fear hanging; ergo, his Lordship inferred, dissection was a very terrible afihir. Lord WYNFoan would add the bodies of suicides to those of murderers; by which, he thinks, an ample supply would be secured for the medical pro- fession. The suicides—those whom the Law, speaking through its organ, a Coroner's Jury, pronounce guilty of arelo de se--would furnish about one tenth of • a. body per annum : at least we re- member only two eases during the last twenty years,,--SELLis, and WILLIAMS the murderer.
On Monday, O'CONNELL made another unsuccessful effort to amend the Irish Reform Bill ; for which he was subjected to .a severe attack from Mr. STANLEY. That gentleman is famous for his activity in battling with the supporters of the Ministry ; perhaps he thinks he can take liberties with them which the enemies of the Ministry would not submit to. We would advise him not to push such freedoms too far. The People may take it into their heads, from his constant flouting of Reformers and flattering of Anti-Reformers, that he is but an Anti-Re- former in disguise. On Tuesday, Mr. SADLER proposed a resolution on Lish Poor- laws; and Mr. HUNT a resolution on flogging. Mr. SADLER wrote a fifteen 'shilling book about Ireland, some half a dozen years ago, and as yet he has no settled and arranged plan for the relief of Ireland. When will it be forthcoming ? Was his motion of Tuesday a claptrap for his Radical friends at Leeds ? The motion of Mr. HUNT was ushered in by a petition which con- tained a serious imputation on the character of an officer of the Scotch Greys, whom it accused of flogging a young man for corresponding with the newspapers, and being a Reformer. We have not heard what is to be done with the case. Sir JOHN Hon- HOUSE must be ready with an answer by the 27th.
On Wednesday, the routine of Parliamentary business was
broken in upon in consequence of a most shameful assault upon the King, the previous day, at Ascot race-course ;* where a ruffian, in a fit of phrensy, hurled a stone at the Royal Stand, which struck the Kim on the forehead. An address from both Houses was the nitraral result of so atrocious an outrage. The address passed the Lords in peace and quietness and unanimity. With all their faults, the Peers have some notion of dignity. In the Commons, there are not a few men who have very little dignity, and Very little of any quality. that is worthy of regard or respect; and they are in one perpetual fever to make that little look as big as possible. The motion for an address to the King was employed by the . chiefs - of these infinimins petits of the Lower House, not with a view to decent and becoming congratulation on his Ma- jesty's escape, but as an occasion. of puffing the little party of whose liftla virtues- the two ex-Secre'arieS are the conservators. Sir FRANCIS BuiaDErr, with an astonishing want of tact and of taste, lent these-gentlemen a helping-hand, by hauling the Queen into the conversation; and Mr.. HENRY HUNT, that pink of courtesy, completed the small farce by a tedious complaint of the vulgarities and personality of the Times newspaper. The labours of the quartett over, the Coroner's Court Bill was . discussed; when Mr. Huatz offered a .very :silly amendment—to require an - • The particulars of this assault are folly .detaBed it p. 580. attendance on medical lectures a requisite in coroners—which was deservedly lost; and Mr. WARBURTON offered a very judicious one —to make all Coroner's Courts open courts—which was most de- servedly carried. The everlasting Constitution- has been so often knocked down and killed, that we were not at all astonished to find Mr. FRANKLAND LEWIS'S feelings exclaiming against Mr. WARBURTON'S amendment, as tending to knock it down and kill it once more.
The House of Commons merely met to part on Thursday; and the House of Lords met only long enough to enable Lord RonEar to show how utterly impossible it was for an Orange Tory to do any thing great or little in the spirit or with the semblance of cour- tesy or kindness. The Boundaries Bill passed the Commons last night, and the Scotch Bill was reported. Sir THOMAS DENMAN has at. length introduced his Forgery Bill we fear too late to be passed this session.
