Nothing became Parliament, this week, like its departure from its
own Palace to carry the address upon the war to the Queen ; both Houses going up in a body. Not, indeed, that all the Mem- bers took the trouble to attend, or that there was any procession presenting the two Chambers of the Legislature corporeally before the public ; but there was a very fair attendance, especially of the Commons. If Members staid away, they considered that they were " virtually " there ; and in sum, England was represented— even the Opposition taking care to be present in costume. Unlike the countries opposed to us, England has a constitution which en- ables her people to declare themselves freely, and to manifest their own share in great national actions ; and England, wealthy and powerful as she is, has here shown that the same sentiment ani- mates Court, Legislature, and Country. One of Lord John Russell's bundle of Reform measures has had to encounter a shock from an unexpected quarter. When it was proposed to proceed in Committee with the bill for the prevention of bribery, Mr. Vernon Smith proposed to refer it to a Select Com- mittee—to hide it beneath a squabble between opposing Members through the prime of the summer, in order that it might come back into the Commons, and be sent up to the Lords, for the par- pose of being massacred among other innocents "at this late period of the session." Mr. Smith was defeated, and the clauses struggled
onward ; but the incident shows the spirit which animates an op- position lurking in more parts of the House than that over against Ministers.
Another subject, among the many that have been making pro- gress in Parliament this week, is tha case of Mr. Stonor, brought forward again by Mr. Moore, with a motion for a Select Committee to inquire into the appointment and removal of the gentleman in question. The manner of making the motion was characteristic : Mr. Moore asked for inquiry on charges of corruption, which he prejudged ; and avowed sympathy with his friend Stonor, whom he reviled as "steeped to the lips" in corruption. Government disarmed the attack, by claiming the inquiry threatened ; only de- manding that it should be specific, and that the Committee, to be impartial, should be chosen by the General Committee of Selection. A. mistake was made in the Colonial Office, by acme one who ne- glected to open Mr. Stonor's packet of testimonials, which enclosed his explanation of the charge against him. Who made the mistake is not explained : but somehow, "the Statesman" who resides at the bottom of Downing Street forgot to open a letter ; hence the necessity for ruining Mr. Stonor by revoking an appointment which it would have been no injury to refuse at first ; hence the necessity for submitting to an inquiry at the dictate of a reviler- general, and adding one more to the Irish nuisances of the session. But the best course nolo is to mitigate the evil by getting at the truth—if that were possible in an Irish question.
