THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 48, 16 June 1880, Page 4

THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

In the Lower Chamber, to which hon . gentlemen of the House of Representatives, adjourned after; His .. Excellency ■ had retired; -the scene was scarcely less ; inspiriting, members being as sparsely scattered amongst the benches as plums m a charity school pudding. From the reporters' gallery one cannot without ■ exercising a kind of dangerous acrobatism, to see Ministers taking their seats, but I know that the Hona. John Hall, Major Atkinson, Bryce, Jftollestdn, Oliver ' and Dick- were there. One of the fir at to catch the eye, entering from the main- door below the gangway,- was Mr. Speight, looking as dapper and self-sufficient as ever, who coolly took the -seat usually occupied by the' leader] of 'the; Opposition, and calmly surveyed the soene from that vantage point. Mr. Seymour Thome George, good-natured affdfeasy-going, lounged m immediately behind Mr. Speight, throwing himself at full length on. ttxe same -seat, ; I seldom see him m the House without recalling a remark he made to me when his candidature for Hokitika was about a week old, and he had addressed several meetings oE the free and independent.; Atthe first.meeting he was rather fuuky, but when the week had elapsed, quoth he, "Do you know, I'm beginning to like this sort of thing." ] Mr. George's: beai'ing m the House is always that of a man who rather ..likes the fun — and yet he works .hard for his constituents. The Knight of Rangitikei is the next to take his seat, 1 which he -chooses m a position whence he will have- a good view of Sir George Grey, Sip William casts a vulpine glance towards the : Liberal chief's, bench,, but not finding him there, lapses.into taciturnity. Dr. WaUre makes -his presence known by rising, with the air of a Scotch minister about to " fence " a communion-table, and, m Boleruu ; tones, giving notice of motion respecting the Hinemoa. There is no mistaking Hamlin's honest, jolly face. He is the Mark Tapley of the House, and, after a day's horrible worry as Chairman of the Native Affairs Committee,, invariably, comes up smiling to put ma, night of wearisome debate. I do not" think' J^Ei*. H'amliu has an enemy m •the i 'House. The Liberal member for Wellington; Mr. Hutchison -.■*-" the People's- William "-r-is sitting away m. the background ; but earnest arid'watclj- ' ful, and quite' ready to come to the fronfc the,.n}onieut he thinks he is required. There is an extraordinary resemblance between Mr. Hutchison and the Hon. Mr, Dick, although' the former has a " lurking devil " m the eye which the latter yholly wants. Indeed; the Hon.' Dick is the opposite pole of my friend, Mr. Seymour Thorne ' George. Miv Dijck is .teen bly m earnest even when . his mind is exercised about such a comparatively trivial matter as the legs of the Victoria-Loftus girls. Mr. Master* is here too. Those who know him best like him best,, and have strong hopes that when he shall have become .a little) more used to Parliamentary life he will bej a useful politician, as he assuredly will always be a conscientious one. But why, o^l why, my much respected member for Grey V alley, do you m6ve about from bench to bench as though you were •' taking orders," or canvassing for an insurance, company, and your existence depended on it ? And why do you bow to the Spoakeras though that excellent gentleman had just ordered " a good line " a'Vd you were grateful. You are m,. all respects a.* better man than many m the House who carry their heads high', enough. Stand on your dig a little more, caro mio. From the papers I see that Mr. Swanson was present, but 1 did net observe him. Sotoehow, since " honest Billy Swanjpn.;/' allied himself^ with those other three* he has become, m one sense a more marked, and, m another, a less m'arkejd;inan; thauhe wa,s: ; W i5 y> does not ho boldly say m public what he has in-;priyate, ..viz.,; that on that oocasion ; W made a grievous mistake P; I know no. man m the House who. would more readily 'be forgiven ; an. honestly-acknowledged error ,, of judgment than. t&s Eieniber for Newtou. •There ; are. other -, honorable '- members p'* conspicuous,—l must again vie the pl\rase!-T- " by • their . absence " — Sir Geprge,jwho, Jam; told, ; is younger than, ever ; the. Falstaffian Macan.drew ; Gis|borne;j whom £ always; feel inclined to address injEuss ; Ballance, biding hi* time — riding a waiting. race;; aSh.Gehan-j--un pardonably/ f orgp.t \ him i when, enu-t : the good-natured, membersof fche House; the* scholastic De Lautour; bluff ' John Lundon ; Shrimski, the irritator-in-Ohief ; • the stalwai^ Reeves ; Jsiek Seddon, who takes very good ,qare the shall. know .that r he is there or thereabouts ; and a host' of • others. But what are all these compared with the perennial Pyke. To see Y.P., with every- appearance of having just robbed a cpnserva.tory, walk 'thVp.ugh the Legisla(tiv§' portals, patron-' isihgly^nod to Mr. O'Eorkei' and com-placently--assume his. : seat, is, as the show bills :"* have it, "worth all the money."- 'The' House without V. P. 5 would be Hamlefc 5 without the. chief character. The sooner, thenV oh worthy member for ! Duns.tan^you^' come upqii the r stage, " the sooner? will the gods' be app'eased;— Correspotfdefc'of 4hs" M/tSlltoprTimfSy ..i'.'-i*. ; ''l" • j