24 FEBRUARY 1866, Page 2

fully avoiding any allusion to party services. Mr. Disraeli, who,

posing to confer the franchise on any man Who could pass a brief seems scarcely yet to have recovered from his annoyance at not 'tend simple examination in writing, yelling, ;and the first four being asked—contrary to the usual precedent—to second the pro- rules of arithmetic. The objection fis twofold. First, if the posal of the Speaker,—sat still when Mr. Gladstone sat down, and at nation does its duty, in thirty years' this ought to mean some- last rose only reluctantly and spoke very little and rather grudgingly thing like universal'suffrage,—that is representation of one class in support of the vote. Did he bear a grudge to Lord Palmer- only ; though we admit that long division is hard, and if that be ston for being a national Minister, for having practically led required, there might even in the year 1900 be a good many the Conservative party as much as the Liberal,•during -the later plucked. Secondly, .it would be in the last degree difficult to

years of his life ? prevent false perste:lath= NelLeuev el. -wry large class began to

having some pass the examination under other men's amines, and presenting them with the certificate for a trifling fee. Mr. Gregory took Mr. Clay and his Bill under his protection. Lord Eleho patronized him hypo-ralty is only 4,0001., the cessation of building operations being thetically, and Mr. Horaman chaffed the Government for not

being ready with its own plan. Mr. HOP8M4 s dered necessary by the conversion of the fleet. It is satisfactory a speaker. He used a session ago to 11 represent the dignified is degenerating as under these circumstances to hear from Colonel Sykes, who is a good Liberalism of the House, and explode in great orations. Now he is beginning to splutter, rather than to detonate, in little acrid statist, that Great Britain has 445 steamships afloat, besides 26

speeches, with a touch of Mr. Roebuck and a flavour of Mr.