A soiree was -given in Colston Hall, Bristol, on Tuesday,
to -the Members for -Bristol (Mr. Morley and Mr. Kirkman Hodg- son), and to Mr. Winterbotham, M.P. for Stroud, and Under- Secretary for the Home Department. We have said enough of the latter's speech in another column, but the wag of the evening was Mr. Kirkman Hodgson, who narrated a remarkable dream which he appears to have had after reflecting on Mr. Disraeli's reasons for not taking office in March, and Sir Stafford Northcote's subsequent explanation that if the Conservatives had done so, they -would have had to form a new alliance with the Irish Members, which would have offended the Tory Orangemen. His dream is
thus reported :--" He thought he was in a hall nearly as large as • Colston Hall, where there -was a dinner-table spread in the midst
of it. At; the dinner-table were seated a number of anxious guests, brandishing their knives and forks, unfolding their nap- lins, and looking out most anxiously for the meats to come in. (Laughter.) When lo ! suddenly at the top of the table there appeared the head cook, clothed in his cookly costume, and with the strange air of a foreigner. (Laughter.) He said, 'My dears '—(Great laughter.) No, no ; it was afterwards he said -that. (Roars of laughter.) He said to them, 'My dear hungry and unhappy friends, it is my duty to say to you that you will have to get out from the table—(laughter)—and go away dinnerless. (Renewed laughter.) The fact is, there is no dinner in the house. (Laughter.) Indeed we have not yet had time to write out the bill of fare ; and the only thing that there is, is one large dish of Irish stew--(laughter) —which Jam perfectly certain would disagree with you if you ate it. (Roars of laughter.) There- fore, gentlemen, it is with verygreat sorrow that I tell you you will have to get out, and give place to those who were here before." Then he awoke, and behold it was a dream, but a dream which seems to have made Mr. Kirkman Hodgson very comfortable and very popular with his constituents, who would probably choose him as their representative, if only because he is jolly and can joke,—not such a bad reason either, and not the only one for returning Mr. Kirkman Hodgson, who, though he declared he would wave his "red flag" in the face of the Tory foe, is as little of a Red as he is of a Tory.
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