60 UAN80M RECOLLECTIONS OV THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, 



and confusion. Such a variety of sounds, and eo discordant, hrtrdly 

 ever before greeted mortal ear. Mr. Hughes's voice was at once 

 drowned amidst the bahel of sounds. Lord Brougham (then 

 Mr. Brougham) once compared the House to a menagerie ; the apphca- 

 tion of the term would certainly have been most appropriate in this case. 

 Had a blind person been that night conducted into the House, and not 

 told what the place was, he would assuredly have supposed that he was 

 in some zoological establishment. The Morning Post of the following 

 day thus described the scene : — " The most confused sounds, myste- 

 riously blended, issued from all corners of the house. One honourable 

 member near the bar repeatedly called out " Read" (to the member en- 

 deavouring to address the House) in an exceedingly bass and hoarse 

 sound of voice. At repeated intervals a sort of drone-like humming, 

 having almost the sound of a distant hand-organ or bagpipes, issued 

 from the back benches ; — coughing, sneezing, and ingeniously extended 

 yawning, blended with the other sounds, and produced a tout-ensemble 

 which we have never heard excelled in the house. A single voice from 

 the ministerial benches imitated very accurately the yelp of a kenneled 

 hound." The most graphic description would fall short of the scene 

 itself. At the farthest corner of the house, on the ministerial side, 

 there was a constant movement of the persons as well as the tongues of 

 honourable members. At one time you would have thought, from the 

 rapidity with which they rose up and sat down again in their seats, that 

 they had been trying some gymnastic experiments. The best performers 

 in another sense, were also chiefly in that part of the house. One 

 honourable member imitated the crowing of a cock so admirably, that 

 you could not have distinguished it from the performance of a real chan- 

 ticleer. Not far from the same spot issued sounds marvellously resem- 

 bling the bleating of a sheep, — blended occasionally with an admirable 

 imitation of the braying of an ass by an honourable member a few yards 

 distant. Then there were coughing, yawning, and other vocal perform- 

 ances, in infinite variety, and in most discordant chorus. There were 

 yelpings worthy of any canine animal, and excellent imitations of the 

 sounds of sundry instruments not mentioned by the Morning Post. 

 The deafening uproar was completed by the cries of " Chair, chair !" 

 " Order, order !" groans, laughter, &c. which proceeded from all parts 

 of the house. A more undeliberative assembly was never seen, than 

 that which constituted the House of Commons at this moment. One 

 fact will give as good an idea of the scene as the most lengthened des- 

 cription. Mr.Poulter, the member for Shaftesbury, succeeded Mr. Hughes, 

 who had been obliged to sit down ; and though the former, whose voice 

 is one of the best in the house, exerted himself for at least ten minutes 

 to make himself audible, there was not, as far as I was able to ascertain, 

 one member who could make out a complete sentence of what he said. 

 Very few heard even a single word. Mr. Hardy made the attempt 

 after Mr. Poulter, but with no better success. He at once saw it would 

 be hopeless ; and accordingly sat down. Other members who wished 

 to deliver their sentiments, shrunk from even an effort to procure a 

 hearing. The House had determined on a division ; and a division on 

 the question before it accordingly took place immediately, which had the 

 effect of restoring order." 



