Sir Stafford Northcote is developing his political humour late in
life. At a dinner at Willis's Rooms this day week, given by the Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works, Sir James Hogg, •M.P., the Chancellor of the Exchequer had to respond to the toast of "Her Majesty's Ministers," and complained that whereas hitherto all the songs sung by the choir had been exceedingly well adapted to the toasts with which they were connected,. the song sung in connec- tion with the toast to her Majesty's Ministers was on the subject of "going down hill." Considering that he had just taken part in a division in which the Government scored 433 votes against 1, he did not think the Government was "going down hill," and he was afraid the reference was to himself, and his greatly diminished, indeed vanished, surplus. But even so, he did not admit that the change was for the worse. He felt, with more justification, like the German apprentice in the story, who beginning his wanderings with a great lump of silver, at last reduced his belongings to a grindstone, which fell into a river and was lost, after which the man was much jollier than before. A Chancellor of the Exchequer with no opportunity for remitting taxes was in a much happier position than one badgered to give away money in all directions, and on the whole, he looked forward with relief to a short period of rest and thankfulness without going down hill. The mot d'ordre of this Government is, however, evidently not "Rest and be thankful," but "Joke and be thank- ful." They all do it, but few of them, except the chief himself, so well as Sir Stafford Northcote.
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