A ROW IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS—1843.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 740, 15 March 1877, Page 3

A ROW IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS—IB 43.

I was witness to a curious scene in J .

the House of Lords on the 25th April of this year, and as a very imperfect account is given in ' Hansard/ I offer my version. The debate was on the clergy reserves in the Canada Bill. The Bishop of Oxford, Dr Wilberforce, in making some quotation, smiled. This gave offence to Lord Derby. The Bishop admitted the smile, but denied any intention thereby of imputing anything offensive. Lord Derby—-I accept at once the explanation that has been offered by the Right Reverend Prelate, but when he tells me that it is impossible for him to say anything offensive, because he has got a smiling face, he will forgive me if I quote in his presence, from a wellknown writer, without in the least to apply the words to him : A man may smile and Smile and be a villain. Lord Clarendon (in a voice of thnnder)—Oh I Oh I Oh 1 Lord Derby—What noble peer is it whose nerves are so delicate as to be wounded by a hackneyed quo. tation I Lord Clarendon —I am that peer, and protest against any noble lord applying, even in the language of poetry, the epithet of villain to any member of the house, most of all the use of such an expression by a, lay peer toward a right reverend preI late. Peacemakers arose on both sides of the house, The reporters had left the gallary, the House was proceeding to a division. Lord Clarendon poured out a glass of water and drank it off. Lord Derby at the same time filled another bumper of water and called out across the table, " Your good health Clarendon/' and so the affair ended. Lord Derby was probably not aware that the same qnotation from Hamlet had more than fifty years before produced a somewhat similar scene in the House of Commons. My authority was the late Sir Robert Adair, who was present.

The contending parties were i Tierney and Pitt, who had fought a duel a short time before. Tierney was addressing the House. Pitt smiled contemptuously, upon which Tierney said : " The right honorable I gentleman smiles, but need I remind him that ' a man may smile and smile——' *' here he paused. " Take the fellow a message from ' me," cried Pitt to one of his followers. Bat before the bearer of the hos» tile mission could reach the Opposition benches, Tierney added—" and yet be a Minister." e So the affair ended in a laugh inL . stead of a duel.—Lord Albemarle's v Recollections*