Parliamentary Sketches By OUR Wellington Watchman.

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 84, 3 January 1888, Page 2

Parliamentary Sketches By OUR Wellington Watchman.

«. (Continued.) At the last sitting I noticed in the strangers' gallery a gentleman of color — by tar the blackest gentleman I ever saw, eren in Ethiopia. He glanced down at the "young barbarians at play" with a most contemptuous expression on his ebon features. I. should not have particularly noticed this gentleman's presence had it not been the last night. Remembering" that, and noting his complexion^ I* remembered also that the Enemy of I Mankind is popularly supposed to possess a rather charred cuticle, and I may be pardoned for wondering whether the charcoal gentleman was not our old friend who crawled around ' in Eden, and whether he had come to fetch any of the hon. gentlemen below, and, if so, which of them. i * * # ♦ j On the division on the Naval Dei fences Bill Mr Hutchison took, in my • humble opinion, the correct view. : He was not disposed to act loblollyboy to England, and relieve the .Imperial Naval Estimates of the cost and keep of a number of imperial officers more or less useful or ornamental. Mr Hutchison pointed out that the proposed measure was one of vast importance, and should not therefore be discussed when half the members had gone to their homes, and the remainder were worn out. He complained that there was not even a quorum then in the House, and surely it was a poor compliment "to lay at the foot of the throne" (Hutchison is nothing if not ornate) "a consent wrung from an exhausted assembly." Members, he said, " members were even now trying to snatch sleep in the House/ This reminded the historical Hutchison of 1854, when the Duke of Newcastle went down to luchmond, where his worn-out colleagues were at dinner, and committed England to the Russian war by reading his despatch to the nodding heads of his colleagues. "Members even now slept." Here McGregor— who was snoring with the matchless precision of a Hielander fatigued by a cattle foray — woke up with a mighty snort and repudiated with scorn the soft impeachment of slumber. Ido not propose to follow Mr Hutchison through the sinuosities of his arguments, but this I will say, he made a really great speech, taking lofty ground and speaking as the senator of a free people and a growing nation should speak. It was said that Mr Hutchison was speaking to Hansard, and that his speech was prompted by lawyer- like smartness. I care not a brass button what his motives may have been, his effort, judged per se % was a most creditable one, and will stand him in good stead in a few years time when. New Zealanders are heartily tired of maintaining a lot of English naval officers in idleness in order that the female guests of our little gubernatorial court may have dance partners. ' * * * .*■ Towards Mr Hutchison's peroration (Atkinson having left the House when he found that his continual interruptions had no effect on the speaker) Mr H. declared that " no member of the Ministry considers the subject of sufficient importance to remain in the House. Pardon ! there is one (Eiohardson), but he sleepeth. (Here Eichardson, rather blowsy of aspect* started up and rubbed his eyes). " That gentleman," continued Hutchison, *' has now the right to get up and deny everything X have said — for he has not heard a word of it." * * * * In the evening a little gentleman* supposed to be J. 0. (anglice J. (X Brown) aired a grievance relative to some pairing business, and another little gentleman, supposed to answer to the name of Pearson and to hail from the sunny south, denied the statements of J. 0. and said, with the air of a young rooster that has just discovered things growing out of it* heels : "If it becomes a matter of personal honnawh between myself and the hon. membawh for Twopecker, X think there will be no doubt on which side the verdict of the House will be haw ! " He then sat down with a cackle and a twist of his incipient tail* ***■ # ~ ■ Sir George Grey was aotually and delightfully funny. He burst into smiles, arose, and chaffed Macarthur in the gentlest, most benignant manner. Macarthur, in his turn, chaffed Yogel, and Yogel, as usual, got mad. Then the Chairman of Committees* Hamlin, sat on Sir Julius and talked some pompous "rot" about meting* out even justice, and Mr Eraser, in a' white waistcoat, laughed hysterically, and ejaculated loudly heah! heah!! All this time Sir George brimmed over with chuokles, which communicated their Bubtle influence to Mr Graham's somewhat morose features, and so the night went on, varied by debate, recrimmination, sleep, and overlooked by the sable physiognomy of the Prince of Darkness in the gallery. *#» " # First we passed the Loan Bill, then the General Post Office vote, then, with Ax&endations, the Supplementary Estimates. The San .Francisco Mail Service was to be continued for twelve months, and we agreed to the Legislative Council Amendments, to the Midland Bail way Confcraot Bill, and, after passing various Appropriation Bills, we despatched the Speaker to hunt up the Governor and get his signature to the Bills passed. * * * ' • In the interim members varied the monotony by playing the fool. * * ♦ * Thi* does not oali for any ■pedal comment. * * ■ • .■-«■■- At 4.50 s-m. the. session ol 18£ f virtually euded.Here endeth these P&rHainentary 'Sketohe* of 1887;