HEREDITARY POLITICS

Colonist, Issue 24, 12 January 1858, Page 4

HEREDITARY POLITICS

Among the phenomena of English public life must be reckoned hereditary politics. Particular families choose their political' watchword and keep to it, one generation hands it on to another, and the son succeeds to the father's politics as he does to his mansion and park, keeps up the,old connections and associations, and transmits the heirloom as. he received it. The fidelity with which this succession is maintained] has almost a religious savour about it, and, I if we had not as a nation a puritanical dislike of forms, it would afford a good subject for an imposing rite or ceremonial, in which the family chaplain might be introduced with effect, read the service which consecrated the young heir to the ancestral creed and line of action; and dictate the oath of family allegiance,—the sort of office which the mitred. Chaplain and Chancellor of the Order of the Garter do to the Knights upon their institution. This transmission of opinions is, however, a very impersonal affair,, and carried on with rip paths, forms, or pledges whatever.. -Perhaps it is as well for its stability that it is.. -Were any formal promises; made, and did. the young heir swear by all his lares arid -penates. that he; .would ..'.riever'-foTsafev the .politics of his fathers; the great-probability is -that the oath-would hang* like a burden upon him, and would, like other burdens, be in,due time !shakeri.\ off. As , it. is, not.1 a word; probably passes \ between grandfather, father, or son;: on the subject:; there is a tacitunderstaiidirig,/the; allegiance, is taken for granted, it' is perfectly free; it may be thrown off at .any moment, and therefore it is maintained 'inviolate. Some of our cdurity hustings are jthus impressed; with almbst a nioriuinental; character; they are sc.en.es of family tradition and name, as well as of popular 'force and' demonstration. If the yOurig^h^ walk^pn the; occasion as! the; Roman patri T ciari" did on, state days, with the images of his- ancestors borne .before him, the wholeground is • full ' of' ihvisible iriemprials, and the'riibulderirig. flags, of former generations, to"say iipthing;of unmouldef ing mortgages; hang in imagination before the eye. The parish church,; with its tablets,, escpcheons, and marble honours, • its pious pomposities and its stereotyped: eulogiums, comes .into curious mixture with the crowd; the noise, the strife arid squeese, and other accompaniments;,of a popular; election. We should expect, however, beforehand, that this principle of hereditary transmission and; family politics would flourish chiefly among the. Tory portion of our aristocracy. It appears iri itself to be much more allied to a Tory than a Whig creed. As a matter of fact we find it flourishing principally among the Whigs. The Cavendishes, the Howards, the Argylls, the Russells, the Greys, the Hollands, are faithful and constant in their family traditions, and stick fast to the ancestral creed. On the other hand, the Tory families suffer great derelictions, and have' to lament the lapses of heirs. The family of Clinton is greatly modified in the person of its, present representative; the family politics of the Churchills are understood to have undergone a change in the new generation; Lord Wodehouse has exchanged the traditions of the old country family which carried on so many struggles with the great Whig name of Coke of Norfolk for a more modern creed. So, then, in point of fact, the Whigs stick to their family politics a great deal more closely than, .the, Tories., .They appear, at> first sight.to be more of Tories in principle than; the Tories 'themselves; and to allow less private judgment to their' sons and heirs. But when we/,exariiine the cause of this contrast, we find that it is not really any inconsistency of this; kind. The family creed of the Whigs-was triore in.cohsonance and; harrhoriy, to begjn withi with .the rising creed pfhthe .nation,and thegrowtliof public opinion ithanlthat of the; Tories- was. It had riot, consequently,1 any change to' make in Order ,to preserve'popularity,,orkeep pace with ? mpdern ideas, or,maintain : fitness: for .public office.; The Tories have been obliged to change theii* watchword arid give up \ their," .fa^nily traditions, if it ; Was pnly from r the absolute necessity there :was •of accommodating themselvesan some way to the growth of public opinion in this country. They else hkye beensimply;;allow*-, ing themselves .to.-.remam share in the government of the: nation; andbeen; gratuitously excluding themselves 1 froiri office. - Hence, then, j the" political piety and family constancy of the Whigs, as contrasted -with: the lapses of the Tories. The^ Whig: is to; his traditions/^ caused he is lucky^m into: which heihas:fallen; the Tory is most unlucky in his traditions, and therefore he has nothing else to dp but ;tp' get ridof theni as easily aridgiently.as he can. '.'.;'. i But, if we are surprised at the: principle of 'family tradition; flourishing principally among the Whigsi it is1 still more surprising,; to find that this..principle has selected out of all the hustings.in the country., the. .hust-^s tings of Middlesex as pne -of ; its most favourite places of exhibitipih: There are mariy -faithful .counties that support particu-** lar families.; from generationto -generation, but Leicestershire'jfias not been mOre :fai_h*fiil to the Maririerses, Derbyshire tp the Cavaridises, 'Susse*. to,, the. Lennoxes, than the county of has. .been .tor the. pyngs. The very county which contains the ; metropolis of the country, the great centreiOfcomriierce .and -business,,\yhere all is bustle, enterprise; i change, and progress, has been represented for, a century byi the Bynjrs of ,Wi.ptl^ expect;rather ; p£ some, remote county, ; soirie. rough=and uncultivated district,..,which;stillretains large vestiges of the ;past;~ andclings

with devotion to the simplicity of former times, than the metropolitan county of England. But any one who reads Mr. Byng's speech on this occasion will see this mystery very satisfactorily cleared up. The political traditions of Mr. Byng's family are the traditions of the nation. The Byngs were liberal, in fact, before the nation was, and no county, however overflowing with trade and impatient for progress, could desire anything more than this — i.e., being represented by politicians of a creed in advance of the country at large, And, this being the case, the English public is very glad to be represented by an old established family. Everybody knows how much of this feeling there is at the bottom in English minds, and how they are affected by family prestige. To have a representative who agrees with them is of course the first thing, but, this gained, the greater aristocrat he is the better., An old "Whig family is thus just .the family to represent the county of Middlesex- . This is the mixture in .us which puzzles foreigners; they cannot understand so much progress joined to so much tradition, respect for rank, respect for pedigree. The Englishman is the most obstinate democrat in their eyes, at the same time that he appears to be ridden over by an aristocracy. But it is, perhaps, this mixture which as much as anything else protects our progress,-'pre-vents it from running to stalk, rioting in theory, and aiming at an Utopian equality, instead of a practical and useful liberty.— Times, September 17-.

Postal " Irregularities."—We (Sydney Herald) have been made acquainted' with the particulars of a recently advertised case of "postal irregularity," which we publish in the confident belief it is but the type of many others in which the post-office authbri ties have been unrighteously Warned. A Mr. Edward Davis, of Pyrmont, a short time, since reported to the PostmasterGeneral that he had duly posted at the sub;office of this district, a letter,, addressed " Mr. Fraser, Newcastle," containing a £10 note of. the Commercial Bank, a iBl note, and a half-sOvereign, which letter had never reached its address. Major Christie instil tuted the necessary enquiries, but without ■success. Mr. Davis then inserted in this paper an advertisement, of which the following is a copy: " Caution.—Lost, in its. , transhiission through the post from Pyrriiont to Newcastle, a letter containing two bank notes, one £10, No. 16,364—the other a £1 note, No. 155,839, both of the Commercial Bank. Payment is stopped. Any one returning them to E. Davis, Pyrmpnt, will be rewarded." Thus the matter rested for some time, the post-office department the while lying under no little odium. A few days since, however, Mr. Davis again addressed the Postmaster-General, stating that he had received a communication from Mr. Fraser that in the Newcastle post-^ office there was a letter answering the description of that which he believad would have been addressed to him, except that it bore the superscription, " Mr. Moses, Newcastle," of which name.there was no resident in that district. Mr. Davis consulted his daughter, by whom his letter had been addressed and posted, and she informed him that she took Fraser1 s signature to be Moses, and so addressed the letter containing the money. The postmaster at Newcastle was thereupon directed by Major Christie to open the letter in question, and if it answered the description given by Mr. Davis of his letter, at once to hand it over to Mr. Fraser. The letter was accordingly opened in Mr. Eraser's presence: the result proved that he is the person for whorii it was intended, and it was handed over to him. Wliat does Mr. Davis now say to the serious charges so publicly made by him against a department Of public service .the proper administration.of which is very properly looked upon, by even the poorest, as ,of the highest importance. This explanation of the apparent mystery in which Mr. Davis's letter was involved, will be received' with very great satisfaction; while we have no doubt that the endeavour of the department generally, from its chief to the humblest subordinate, is steadily directed to the improvement of their branch of the public service. The Great Shrewsbury Case.— Another important paper has just been laid upon the table, of the House of Peers. It consists of 60 pages folio, and is entitled "The Case of Lord Edmund Bernard Howard, an infant, by his father, the Duke of Norfolk, petitioning to be heard : against , the claim of Earl Talbot to the Earldom' of , Shrewsbury." It follows up ;seriatim the ; various genealogical points brought forward by Lord Talbot in his. " case," and more especially adverts to the face that the 'identity is far from being satisfactbrily 'established between Willian Talbot the father pf the Bishop pf Durham of that names and the Wifliam Talbot froiri. whom the noble claimant asserts his direct: descent. The question has now begun to assume a very intricate appearance, and there is little doubt that no decision on the matter will be given by the Committee of the House of Lords during the continuance of the present session. At the last session of the New York State : Legislature, an appropriation of 1000 dols. was made for a gold medal in honour of jthe Arctic Navigator Dr. Kane, which was presented to the family. mounted two Russian guns on [Brandon hill lately. When the peices were near the top of the hill the horses were ungeared,i and a number of long ropes attached to the guns; each rope was manned by 300 or 400 volunteers, who,at a given signal, commenced the "pull," and successfully hauled each gun to the summit, amidst the tremendous cheerino- of the surrouuded multitude, the band playing " Rule Britannia," : Fire, Proof Man.—" Sally," said a ypung irian to a damsel who had red hair, ■ "keep away from, me, or you will set me- : a-fire.''—^No .danger of,that," was the , answer; "you are too green.to burn."

The Late Mr. Douglas, Jerrold.—The following explanation of the late Mr. Jerrold's circumstances appears in Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper of September 13th:— ■'" I feel it due to the memory of my father, that the readers of this journal, at any rate, should not misunderstand the position in which he left his family. Fifty rumours, one and all erroneous, have been circulated on this private subject-—become a public one, by the false light such rumours have cast upon my father's character. My father left property sworn at Doctors' Commons at £1500. In addition to this sum, my mother held a policy in her own right, on my father's life, value £1000; other items raise the total sum tp £3000. The copyrights of my father's plays realise an average income of £100. More the position of the members of my father's family would have enabled them, had there been need for there exertions, to supply any deficiency the above property could riot cover. It is due to the memory of my father that the public hsould know that he left a suffi-. ciencyfor my mother and sister; and that the love of his own kindred, in any case would have ensured this sufficiency. In explanation of the 'Remembrance' perforriiances, I, as a representative, of my* father's family, should state.that I declined emphatically.to receive anything that should wear the appearance of a charity- -such charity being needless. The ' Remembrance' performances, I was distinctly assured, would be in honour of my father's memory, and be offered as an addition to his estate. If the public have gathered any idea from the Gonduct of these performances, that they were efforts of charity, I have only to assure them, on the part of Mr. Douglas Jerrold's family, that the illustrious dead had husbanded enough against the need thereof-— even after the loss of thousands, for ..which,, in the chivalry of friendship, he -became security. I thank the earnest; friends who have conducted these performances, for there zeal and kind intentions; but I decline to permit the English public to remain impressed with the idea that there was need to pass the hat round—however gracefully— the name of Douglas Jerrold; anaine that' shall not want my exertion,at least, to' preserve its independence.-—B. Jerrold." • Was the Moon ever a Comet?—-Accord-ing, to M. Arago, (says the Alia California,}) the Arcadians thought themselves of older date than the moon. They, maintained that there ancestors had inhabited i this planet before it had any .satellite. Struck with this singular opinion, some philosophers have imagined that the mppri %as formerly a comet, which, in performing its elliptical course round the sun, cariie into the neighbourhood of the earth, and was drawn in to revolve around it. Such a change of orbit impossible; but evidently it could not have taken place if the corners perihelion distance had been great. The comet must, therefore, have, passed very near the sun, and have experienced an intense heat, capable of dissipating every trace of humidity. The almost entire absence of an atmosphere rourid the moon, the scorched appearance of its vast mountains and deep valleys, and the few plains that are seen, have been cited as proofs that this luminary was once a, comet. This reasoning is pronpunced by M. Arago as founded upon,, the strangest confusion of language. The moon has indeed a scorched appearance, if by that is meant that all parts of its surface show traces of former yolcanic eruptions; but nothing in its aspect indicates, or can indicate, at i the present day, what temperature the moOn has heretofore been subjected to by the action of the solar rays. These two phenomena have no connection with each other. The volcanoes of Iceland, of Mayen's Island, and of Kamsckatka, show every year that the frosts at the surface of the Polar regions have no effect upon subterraneous matter, the chemical action of which produce eruption. In aH the multitude of bodies, of various forms arid degrees of brightness, which, the- spacious firmament displays, comete are the only ones, which areevidently, and : sensibly surrounded with a gaseous envelope of a real atmosphere. : This atmos-, phere may have been formed by the evapoation of matter which originally existed in the nucleus, but it is always found to accompany a comet; and there would be no reason for- its being separated from it, whatever derangement the comet might experience in the form and original position Of itf* orbit,. from an acciderital attraction. Thus, the almost eritire absence of all atmosphere around the moon is rather against than for the opinion that it was once a comet. ; Death from Amylkne.-—There has been another death from the new anaesthetic amylene. Dr. Sripw administered the agent. The patient was aman whohad a fatty or some other benign tumour on the back, and it was in consequence of the operation about to be undertaken for its removal that the anaesthetic was administered. We are not yet informed what condition of the orjgans of circulation and respiration was disr covered at: the autopsy. This is now the second death from amylene. It is incumbent upon Dr. Snow to show that the proportion of deaths from amylene has not exceeded those from chloroform. The statistics are certainly narrow as yet, but we are very doubtful whether chlorofonh had two victims hi so short a time arid after so few experiments. We trust that a full report upon the subject will appear without delay, for some people are halting between two opinions, and the profession has an immediate interest in being able to judge of the comparative value of the rival anaesthetics. — Lancet. The dead body of a man was found floating in the Humber; near Hull, lately, on examining it £528 in American money was found in a belt concealed under his .shirt. He had- been staying some time at. the Golden Cup, Hull,, the^ landlord of rwhich stated that the, deceased gave his name as Thomas Ross, and said he, was an American. A nugget of gold was found on hurt nearly as large as an egg., ;.

' Mr. Charles Mathews. —Presyipusly to his departure for America, - Mr. Charier Mathews made a final a^ppedranceuat the. Liverpool Royal Amphitheatre,; wheh he delivered a farewell address, in the corirsfc of which he rsaid:—" I made myfirst _ippearance in Liverpool more than''so ,ye£rt' ago. (Oh, oh!) Pardon1 me;i'dbtL*t}M&s& to say a public appearand ihoitehdout/t-,. less I made, myself heard., (laughter.) ' I happened to be born in., BMriej;t-.sjtf6ejt« within a few .doors of this /theattersp"lih^t. iri pride of birth, arid in the feelings,-&it,. still link me to you, lam actually.a, Dickey Sam. (Cheering.) Ladies,:and gentle*I men—really I have nothing to - say. (Laughter.) I think that^as we have over • and over again laughed together for so , many years, it wOuld not'be right to tiy/to make you cry at parting. I yethdpe'tp hihake you laugh once more pri my'return. 1 In all my troubles, and they have not lofysk few, I have been .accustomed to" come -Tor , hope and sympathy to the 'puVJlic. Abpjri . 20 years ago I made my'first fals£.step.in ' life. I took Co vent' Garden, Theatre, apd the consequences have hung, a, rniTUtojiie round my neck, which I never could> get , rid of since. ■ My fair fame has been.perhaps somewhat tarnished. (No, no !) Oh, - yes; I know the existing opinion' ir that I am a thoughtless fellow, who. is eternally getting into difficulties^theji getting put of them, arid then creating new 6n<es.%,T assure you that this is an errpr. (Chfeert,) *' It reminds me of the story of tbe - who, when his master said to Imp,. • What! drunk again you rascal ?' replied".^To,*,hoi massa, not drunk again-—same.^dr^njc—• same drunk.'. (Cheers ancl laughter1.) Well, so it is with me." ~. ; Horrible Murder in Tipperart.—.One of those foul and atrocious murders, .Which ■ in former years. used. to -be of frequent occurrence in the county Tipperary/ was lately committed at a place called hoe, about eight miles' from TharieS; :and close to the Longford Pass. It" appears that two families ofthe name of *Staplej&4 (cousins) lived adjacent' tp each; other, but,' some dispute having arisen, between therein reference to land, they were.riot on good , terms. Richard Stapletpn, on the iiiquesjtjp., question, went with a cart and ajscythe-tq cut ; some coarse grass at a place which adjoined., the farm of Michael John Satpleton*-and > while thus engaged the other two Wete seen moving towards the place with pitchforks in their hands. The father of thed&ea&d met • them, and being alarmed1 at some''indidst^' ' tion, begged of therii riot to thihk of ddirig any harm. The reply to this Was Beveral stabs made there uncle in the face,,' arid1 the' 1 men pursued Richard Stapletbn, jvho ma<|e . for a fort at some distance, but he was overtaken, stabbed in the back, and > fell. •jWhile . trying to gain his footing one of his cousins raised the scythe which had dropped on the . ground and made a desperate blow, .which cut off the arm with which the wretched victim sought to advert the cut designed * for his head. Not satisfied with inflecting other serious and'deadty wounds on Bicbard Stapleton, the assailants then turned on^ his sister, and with the scythe cut the flesh off her arm from the shoulder to below thfe wrist., The most singular matter connected'witli1 the whole proceedings is, that .one of the two men engaged in this awful .transaction* proceeded to a neighbouring magistrate, to lodge an information that he anq his^ror ther were the parties attacked,;one .brother . lying in bed as if unable to stir from the injuries he received. The deceased* lived" long enough to explain what were- the' facts,, but in the interval Michael and John Staple*- ■ ton had effected their escape, i How Brijjham Young Passes a Day.— , Brigham has many small ichildren living, land one of his wives is _Hjhoolmistre_s* to , the whole. His two large houses, are well furnished and his, daughters play .on piano and melodeon. ; He is a great, lover of fruit, and a warm patron, of the Jhojrjtfcultural societies of Utah. Brigham's. time", is, completely occupied. He rises early,, and calls the whole of his family .together. They sing a hymn, and he prays fervently, and they then separate* for the-duties of the day. He takes his ' meals.at the long ' table, and as he has no taste for gastronomic refinements, his fare is' siiripTe. A bowl of bread and milk often comprises his breakfast. His next duty is'to make the rounds, "to see the women fdlksJ" To these he is cordial and kind, but no more. He is not Brigham,. the lover or husband, but Brigham the Prophet and, President. They feel for him more reverence than love t watch his* face and treasure his .words* • torturing each of them into the keyof some great mystery. He then goes to his- office _- which is already besieged by visitors who have pome to take his advice.:Bri^hani is by no-means a paragon, of tenlper&nce. rHe., .. likes a cup of good liquor' now arid' then tis' another man, and is sometimes seen after having taken a drop too much.**—Mormonism: Its Leaders and Designs. By John Hyde. " . . An «occasional correspondent* • in. the. Dumfries Courier says—-' Sir E. B..L|ytton v draws a hundred per month for his story in Blachoood's Magazine.