28 NOVEMBER 1868, Page 2

The new Parliament is, for the most part, without bores

and jesters. Mr. Darby Griffith, as every one has noted with a certain pathetic feeling, is, in a Parliamentary sense, no more. Sir George Bowyer, in the same sense, is no more. Sir J. M'Kenna is no more. Even Mr. Bernal Osborne, the brilliant and the gay, is shut out from the scene of his triumphant personalities. But it is impossible to root out the race of political bores, and perhaps undesirable to root out that of political jesters. Mr. John Hardy, who was a bad type of the latter order, and promises to become a bad type of the former, has been returned for South Warwick- shire (distinguishing himself ou his return by the astonishing fib that the Tories have a positive majority in England, and that it will become a question whether Great Britain should be governed virtually by Scotland and Ireland ; surely Mr. John Hardy should remember that fibs, merely as such, are not amusing) ; Mr. Whalley is still Member for Peterborough, but whether in the capacity of bore or butt is not apparent ; and Lord Elcho (alas !) will still smile elaborately upon the House as Member for Had- diugtonshire. He made a long speech to his constituents on his nomination, on his hereditary right to enter caves, as the son of the Earl of Wemyss, which means, he says, Earl of Caves. Surely he has the right. And now that he is going to sit, in his own place, on the Tory side of the House, the sooner he asserts his great here- ditary privilege the better.