In the House of Commons discussion upon the course of
business on Monday, Lord Hartington fell foul of Sir Robert Peel, whom he described as "the most irregular Member in the House," an expression which he qualified, when Sir Robert Peel com- plained of it, into "extremely irregular." But this expression he did not make any milder by his explanatory comment,— " My right honourable friend seems to think we are here, not for the purpose of doing any business, nor even for the purpose of formally discussing the motion on the paper, but simply for the purpose of hearing eloquent speeches from him, at the time and season he considers it most convenient to deliver them." That is a very accurate description, though Sir Robert Peel has often this Session said very true, very acute, and very pertinent things, at inappropriate moments. But with this testimony from Lord Hartington before us, the Obstructionist difficulty becomes greater than ever. The Conservatives, in their holy zeal against obstruction, will hardly begin by making an ex- ample of Sir Robert Peel, who has so often, though not lately, played into their hands. And surely poor Mr. Biggar can find quite sufficient shelter behind the ample form of the right honourable "Irregular."
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