n moderation."

[Illustration: THE LORDS IN THE COMMONS.]

_Business done_,--Morning Sittings arranged for rest of Session.

_Tuesday_.--"Lords" and Commons came in conflict to-day under novel
circumstances. Lord TANNEL-CHUNNEL, pending settlement of question
about making his Channel Tunnel, is promoting new trunk line of
railway. Means to bring the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincoln line
straight into London; terminus comes in by Lord's Cricket Ground;
invades the sweet simplicity of St. John's Wood; artistic population
of that quarter up in arms; shriek protest in Lord CHUNNEL-TANNEL's
ear, and shake at him the angry fist. But TANNEL-CHUNNEL not a Baron
easily turned aside from accomplishment of his projects. Squares
Committee of "Lords"; impresses into support of his scheme
representatives of all the big towns on the route; Manchester,
Nottingham, Leicester, all cheer him on; Liberals, Conservatives,
Dissentient Liberals, swell his majority. Second Reading of Bill
carried by more than two to one.

"How's that, Umpire?" CHUNNEL-TANNEL asked, carrying out his bat.
"Well played, indeed!" said the SPEAKER.

Seemed at one time as if blood would flow, and gore would stain the
floor of House. BARNES and WIGGINS were in it, but what it was all
about not quite clear. Something to do with a coal-truck. As far as
could be made out from choked utterances of BARNES, there had at some
remote period been a coal-truck despatched to London by the Midland
route. Something happened to it; either it was delayed, or it arrived
empty, or it didn't arrive at all. However, it was quite clear to
BARNES that the time had come when a new line of railway giving direct
access to London from the Midlands was an urgent necessity. WIGGINS
observed to be wriggling in his seat during the BARNES oration. Made
several attempts to catch SPEAKER's eye; at length succeeded; his
suppressed fury was terrible to behold: his rage Titanic. He at least
knew all about that coal-truck; though, as far as House was concerned,
he did not succeed in lifting the mystery in which BARNES had
enveloped it. Whether it was WIGGINS's coal, or merely WIGGINS's
truck; whether WIGGINS happened to be in the truck when it went
astray; or whether it was BARNES that was in it; or whether nothing
was in it but the coal; or whether, coming back to an earlier point,
there was no coal in the truck when it did (or did not) arrive at St.
Pancras: these were questions the House vain