orter) attacked Pease, asked for explanations, his card and
address. Pease, who is a Quaker, said 'he gave no explanations
but on his legs in the House of Commons, had no card and no
address.'

[Page Head: O'CONNELL'S ATTACK ON BARON SMITH.]

But there was a more serious matter than Sheil and Hill's
trash--O'Connell's attack upon Baron Smith, the circumstances of
which exemplify the way the House of Commons is managed under
Althorp's auspices, and the general mode of proceeding of the
Government there. O'Connell gave notice of a motion for an address
to the Crown to remove the Baron. Government resolved to oppose it.
Littleton authorised Shaw to write to him and say so, and that he
would say nothing in the debate offensive to him, though he could
not but disapprove of his charge. Nobody thought of any support the
motion would receive beyond that of the tail. The Ministers came
down to the House in this mind. Stanley and Graham went away for
some purpose or other, and when they came back they found that
O'Connell had altered the terms of his motion, and that Althorp,
Littleton, and the Solicitor-General had agreed to support it; in
short, that O'Connell had laid a trap for them, and they had gone
ding-dong into it. Stanley was very angry and much annoyed, but the
thing being done he knocked under, and tried to bolster up the
business. Graham would not, and in a maudlin, stupid sort of speech
declared his opposition, which was honest enough. All this annoyed
the Government very much, and now O'Connell is said to be quite
satisfied with what he has done, and does not want to have a
committee, but (having thrown a slur on the Judge by the vote of
Parliament) to let the matter drop. Spring Rice also voted against
the Government, and said that he had never known a worse case since
he sat in Parliament, and that nothing could be more mischievous
than the effect such a vote would produce in Ireland. Scarlett,
Peel, and Spankie made very good speeches; Stanley, John Russell,
and Campbell as bad.

[Page Head: STATE OF THE TORY PARTY.]

The same night Althorp made his financial statement, exhibiting a
surplus revenue and reduction of taxation, all very flourishing
and promising; but in announcing his intended reduction of the
House Tax, he said without any disguise that he did not think it
an objectionable tax, but that he took it off on account of the
clamour against it. Here are three exhibitions in one week, and
this is