1827.] Notes for the Month. 6 1 



came forward. " Ladies and Gentkmen ! I am serious." (This was 

 thought a better joke than the other, and there were shouts from all sides 

 of " Bravo !" with increased laughter). " Ladies and Gentlemen ! I beg 

 to say this is a mistake." (Peals of incessant laughter). Once again, 

 with his indescribable face, the actor tried-" Ladies and Gentlemen, 

 I beg to assure you, that this is meant to be a serious performance]" But 

 the house could not fancy it serious. The more solemn and impassioned 

 the performer became, the more inextinguishably they laughed ; and he 

 wsa eventually compelled to give the effort up. Mr. Brougham's case was 

 not quite so bad as this. In the end, he did, we believe, persuade his 

 audience that he was Lord Eldon's " friend," although they did not 

 perceive altogether how he could be so. But the conviction was not uni- 

 versal. Several of the good people of Liverpool came away from the 

 dinner, muttering as they made their way homewards " Friend ! 

 Friend !" And rather inclined to exclaim with Falstaff, when they recol- 

 lected, the speeches of the honourable and learned gentleman in every 

 Chancery question for the preceding five years " Call you this backing of 

 your friends ? A plague of such backing," &e. &c. 



Mr. Hume, however, who sticks fast to his seat on the opposition bench, 

 reserving to himself the power of canvassing the measures of the new ministry, 

 while their general principles of policy have his support, brought forward a 

 motion, a few nights before the close of the session, on the subject of the 

 promotions in the navy. And on that occasion something like notice of an 

 intention to attempt instituting the practice of selling commissions in tho 

 naval service or at least of trying the chance of some measure to that effect 

 was given by Sir George Cockburn. Without taking the trouble to argue 

 the question, how far the practice of selling promotions, may have been advan- 

 tageous or hurtful in the British army, the whole of the circumstances con- 

 nected with the two services are so essentially different, that we should he 

 extremely loth to see it attempted in the navy. In the first place, wholly 

 apart and distinct from his trade if a trade it maybe called olfighting) the 

 naval officer has the trade of a seaman to learn, which is one of infinite nicety 

 and difficulty, and one, the importance of which ought to form one of the 

 first circumstances for consideration, when we speak of allowing men, by any 

 other course than that of actual service, to qualify themselves for command. 

 Every naval officer must be a sailor : it is not absolutely necessary that every 

 officer of the army should be a soldier. Five years of service in barracks, 

 or at Brighton, may qualify an officer of the array to go into the field as 

 a captain of a company ; and it is not impossible even that with that very 

 limited experience, he might get very well through all the duty that would 

 be required of him; but in what a condition would any man find himself, 

 who, after twenty years spent at Gravesend or Woolwich, were suddenly 

 called on to fill the place of lieutenant on board a man-of-war ! A 

 gentlemen fresh from Bond-street, may charge, with abundant courage, at 

 the head of a hundred bayonets, and, therefore, there may be no great 

 mischief in allowing him to buy the right of occupying such a place ; but 

 it is utterly impossible that all the gold which ever was expected to come 

 from South America, should qualify,; a gentleman fresh from Bond-street, 

 either to fight or manoeuvre a ship. 



There is an objection, however, to allowing meH to purchase rank 

 in the navy, beyond this an objection which arises out of the entire 

 and absolute trust and power, which are necessarily confided to almost 



