The debate on the London Bill in the House of
Commons was concluded at an early hour last Saturday morning. Mr. Burns, though be declared that the Bill was, on the face of it, not so bad a Bill as some people might think, contrived to express a good deal of general hostility, and asked why the Bill did not deal with the Asylums Board and the Thames Conservancy. As to the City, he would save it from being the " mere rendezvous of the snob and the bogus company promoter." This must have pleased those who, in the words of Shakespeare came-
" To hear the City
Abused extremely, and to cry, That's witty '; " but as a rule such persons must have been somewhat die. appointed by the debate. Not only was the City not " abused extremely " by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, but it was actually treated by him to many pleasant words. The leader of the Opposition made some good sport in regard to Mr. Courtney, who, he declared, was always anxious to find an impartial person, but in practice that impartial person was always interpreted by himself to be some one be himself agreed with. But the agreement must not be too noisy, " because that usually provokes in him a tendency to go in the opposite direction." The best part of Sir Henry Campbell. Bannerman's speech was, however, that in favour of equalisa- tion of rates, and against letting the poor parts of London stew in their own sauce maigre. As, however, no one for a moment proposes to do away with the equalisation of rates, the interest of his remarks was of a somewhat academia kind.
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