HOME TALK.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 94, 19 October 1868, Page 254

HOME TALK.

JTrom the Home News, 14th Augnst.q Parliament is up, the season is over, the Queen is in-Switzerland, the Heir Apparent, and his princess are in Scotland* society has -left London, and the drought continues, to the distress ol nil, high and low* —-but there are signs of change. -

There was nothing of importance in the concluding debates in either House, and the great object of everybody, except/perhaps, the Premier, was to end r.he session as possible. It may be that Mr Disraeli was less anxious than others to do, 'anything tending .to facilitate a;meeting-of the new House this'year, but lie kept his own-counsel. He was -very determined about the Bribery Bill, against which several members of note,- chiefly liberals, were recalcitrant, and be said that be would not advise her Majesty to prorogue until after that bill should have become law. He was supported in this, matter by the feeling of the country. The measure, passed, and henceforth a court of law* instead of a committee-room, will be the tribunal in which the.briber will have to taka' his chance. The judges at .first protested ugainst having the hew work thrown upon them* but they afterwards, signified, through Lord Rdmilly, that they would do their best; and that they will show small mercy to the, iuiquitous is probable, if the heavy sentences that: have been pronounced on some, persons who personated voters at the last Bristol elec tion may be taken as symptomatic. This most important law will be the principal event by which. tbis last session will be : remembered. But not uritil some entirely respectable anil very rich, gentleman shall have been convicted . and , sentenced, will the lower orders cease to believe that they Itave* a;, right, to sell votes, or the higher; orders that it is possible to buy them .safely.,

• Boyal .speeches are. compositions of a-special sort, an«l not to be judged by ordinary rule. . They are also super grammaticam, , as±a.u inaccurate, monarch said. The speech which -Lord Cairns* has delivered; atv the bidding of Mr .Disraeli is not; open to the* latter remark*, and is irideetLas- neat be desired.. It, contains tiotliing that needs reference here*: exceptii LS;concl ud ing paragraph. ,‘This-ia thiifc it isimpceibletQsaythatitjmeans to;convey. the Queen’s jhope < that* thb Irisli Bhurch will be. maiutainedy and yet it’ seems ttoi ithply. this; aud Las therefore beeaflercelyt;. fa'stqhedfCupon by some. of- *. organs: / The phrases were so/jivell; that £he jQhrriahsupp.osed^tpbe-underMariches^ and speecli cdmpiimmitedith'eßremier,/doubtless pndriri h

abuse;;^ - ownV«t r tlire l 5 *=the ? f f a»Sd took; rPredit tb/l&s- Government had been granted, /b.uf tliat’there was peace in : EuroPe/and' thetb h'acl Teen victory 'in A bySsfnia, L^ndbri^laiijfhed, l but su6h election? addresses, aud i t is to :electioneering/bjusiness; alone that ..poUticiaas are-now.looking. y \ve may . dismiss -briefly, because no one is in a position to giyi auy definite view of it. AlLwe/knovr is addition ifas beeninade t(j the nuaiher bf'Pur elS’etPis*:’in v some places the - number ha's been 'doubled] and;iu so me the increase, is still greater. But, on the other hand, -the revision will cut down tlie amount cohsiderabiy,'^h'ci J siQ jiopr locaiitie’s will reduce’ it -very largely indeed. J But -how the vbtes will fgo* it is nearly impossible jto say, except where certain popular fa vprites stand. At present the work ing niaii’s candidates do not appear, with a few exceptions, bat they may come forward later. The general 'no-

tion is that the new Parliament will be mainly composed of the same class of men as the old one, and will proba bly go to Work much in the same way. But until the' lists are fairly 'made up, and the strength of the constifuencies is known, all speculation is comparatively worthless. . We. need hardly say thinking men are in no sort of’panic, and that those "Who affect'one for elec-

tion purposes ate perfectly insincere. Property, and the altar are quite safe, for the present. The new Parliamem will no doubt give the Liberals a large preponderance, , and we.cannot suppose that they will long endure a Goveirii ment of a minority, but no [Government. with Mr Gladstone in.it will deal out injustice. Mr. Disraeli-was not ashamed to say that[ the popular ver diet, that is about to be taken will, be ;v fairer one than could be bbtri'med fro'm a more refined class, as over-edii-CiHion was apt to make nteU' fastidious and philosophical, aud lie deserves mucli praise for facial, command—a less .practised actor \vo'uld have burst out laughing as he talked such non seuse. Mr. Gladstone’s election' haf rapgue, which has opened the campaign, rests his caseupon the lavishness of Conservative expenditure,. and on justice to Ireland, by which he means, of .course, the destruction of the 'lrish' Church. . So stand, or rather so more, parties, for the: grand struggle, which will be fought with more ardour than we have seea tbito'vvh i'htq'a contest for years.