280 The Petticoat Parliament. [MARCH, 



After calm was restored, a member whose cheeks resembled those of 

 a bust in a perfumer's shop, rose, and observing the president of the 

 board of trade in her place, wished to be informed whether it was the 

 intention of government to persist in the proposed duties upon rouge ; 

 if such was their intention, she had come to the determination of with- 

 drawing her support from ministers ; and many other hon. friends of 

 her's were ready to pursue the same course. The president of the 

 Board of Trade tauntingly replied, " that the hon. member and her 

 friends who were ranged under the same colours, would of course act 

 as their discretion directed ; it would be for the house and the country 

 to judge whether they were disinterested or not ; she would say no- 

 thing of primd Jade evidence of political tergiversation, but she could 

 not help lamenting, that the blushes of certain hon. ladies should have 

 survived their sense of shame." This speech exasperated the artificial 

 beauties beyond measure ; there were several angry rejoinders ; and it 

 was curious to observe that the acrimony with which the several 

 speakers repelled the charge of self-interest, was in direct proportion to 

 the thickness of the varnish upon their cheeks. 



The secretary for Ireland then rose, and said, that the clock had 

 struck three, and it" was therefore time for the house to go into 

 Irish affairs ; she had a bazaar bill to propose, which she hoped and 

 trusted would prove a panacea for all the ills of that unhappy country. 

 She was of opinon, that bazaars should be held monthly at Exeter Hall, 

 and the proceeds dedicated to the relief of the starving people of Mun- 

 ster and Connaught ; this was the only radical remedy she knew of; 

 every other measure had been tried, emancipation and education, sub- 

 letting acts, and insurrection acts, Catholic associations, and Protestant 

 associations ; but all to no purpose ; it was time therefore to try a new 

 policy ; she had given the subject her most anxious attention ; she was 

 intimately acquainted with the wants and feelings of the country, for 

 she had passed nearly three days in Dublin ; and as to the state of par- 

 ties, she had had peculiar facilities for forming an impartial opinion 

 npon that subject, having dined with the celebrated Sir Harcourt Lees, 

 the very day before she sailed for England. She anticipated no oppo- 

 sition to the bill she proposed j no English member, she was sure, 

 would resist a measure which was so truly benevolent and lady-like ; the 

 Irish ladies might resist it if they liked ; their conduct in that house 

 was always factious ; but her majesty's ministers were prepared for 

 their hostility ; they took their stand upon the bazaar bill, and defied 

 the world. (Immense cheeriiig.} 



The moment the hon. secretary sat down, at least twenty Irish ladies 

 were upon their legs. The point of precedency was difficult of adjust- 

 ment ; at length, however, the speaker decided, that the hon. member 

 for Kerry should have the first fling at the government. I asked my 

 fair acquaintance, the reporter, who the member for Kerry was, and 

 she told me that her name was the Hon. Miss O'Connell, a daughter or 

 niece (she was uncertain which) of the liberator. This excited my cu- 

 riosity to hear her speech ; but she had scarcely got to 



" Great, glorious, and free/' 



when a lady on the ministerial bench (whether it was the first lady of 

 the treasury, or one of the mistresses in chancery, I could not learn) 

 coughed so loud that I awoke ; and found, that revolutionary as the 

 times were, no change had yet taken place in the balance of power, 

 between the masculine and feminine genders. 



