1828.] Notes for the Montli. 281 



having received an understanding, in respect to those measures and those 

 principles, which appeared to him satisfactory, he did consider, that the 

 best guarantee which could be offered to him of the furtherance of those 

 principles and measures, was the continuance in office of his friends, by 

 some of whom those measures had been proposed." Now, here is a 

 sentence horribly stuffed with epithet: and so balanced one part by 

 another, that to extract any direct meaning from it is pretty nearly 

 impossible. However, it appears as far as comprehension can go > 

 that, where the reports made Mr. Huskisson speak of having received 

 f ' guarantee," he said " explanation and understanding" words so very 

 undefined, if we are entirely to distinguish their meaning from the 

 word " guarantee," as (reasonably and practically taken under such cir- 

 cumstances), not to be worth one farthing. And the " guarantee" of 

 which the right honourable gentleman does afterwards speak, is abso- 

 lutely of so pleasant a character, that nothing but the divinity which 

 hedges in political discussion could work upon any assembly of men to 

 receive it with gravity ! The right honourable gentleman says, that ' c the 

 best guarantee which could be offered to him, was, that his friends would 

 continue in office." Why, his " friends," no doubt, said the same thing 

 about him ! their sufficient " guarantee" probably was, that he con- 

 tinued in office. This is a profession of faith which beats the Irish case 

 of mutual benefit hollow. In the Hibernian " reciprocity" one party was 

 the gainer ; and the foundation for the transaction, lay on one side : but 

 here by a strange contra distinction both parties are gainers, and there 

 is no foundation for the supposed attainment at all. 



Mr. Shepherd's letter comes in oddly enough, after this explanation of 

 the real difference, with the reverend gentleman > s surprise, on " reading his 

 Morning Chronicle" (ten days after it was published) how f( strangely" the 

 reporters must have misunderstood Mr. Huskisson ! If they were 

 mistaken, all that we can say is, we fear they must have become infected 

 with that exceeding spirit of misunderstanding, which seems to have 

 involved the right honourable gentleman, and all his friends, for the last 

 two months ; and of which all the world professes itself unable to make 

 anything. Mr. Shepherd, unfortunately, is not a clergyman of the 

 established church ; but, nevertheless, we trust that his opportune as- 

 tonishment at the iniquities of the press, will not pass wholly unacknow- 

 ledged. Because it is well said, as the wise man observes, that - 

 " Virtue is its own reward :" but it is not well that it should be so. 



The " business" in Parliament, thus far, has been chiefly important, as 

 laying the groundwork for advantage to be gained hereafter, rather than for 

 any benefit realized to the country in the present. Mr. Brougham opened 

 the session with a motion for " a Commission to inquire into the state 

 and administration of the law :" on which the honourable and learned 

 gentleman spoke for five hours, and filled fifteen columns of the Times 

 newspaper. All the world admires the speech : but we have not found 

 a great many people that have read it. As an oration, it was not so good 

 as Mr. Brougham's speeches are generally. There were flashes of wit 

 and brilliancy in it as there are in the very driest things that the 

 honourable and learned gentleman does : but they were few in number ; 

 the speaker was encumbered with an enormous and rather shapeless 

 mass of matter ; and of the practical value display apart of any pro- 

 position that goes to the extent of fifteen columns, we have considerable 

 doubts. 



M.M. New Series. VOL. V. No. 27- 2 O 



