XXVI POLITICAL REMINISCENCES 9 



" Two of the best specimens of Irish drollery I 

 ever heard in the House were said by a Mr. 

 O'SuUivan, who is not now in Parliament. He 

 objected strongly to the imposition of the gun- 

 tax, on the ground that ' Every man has a divine 

 right to carry a gun.' The other was in a speech 

 on the relative merits of Scotch and Irish whisky. 

 I need not say that he preferred Irish, for Scotch 

 whisky was, he told us, ' so hot that it goes down 

 the throat like a torch-light procession.' I may 

 also refer to Major Sanderson's wise and witty 

 remark that we might think we were giving a 

 subordinate Parliament to Ireland, but it would 

 certainly prove itself insubordinate. 



" Occasionally, also, there are amusing scenes 

 in the House. Late one night Major Beresford, 

 then member for Southwark, was attacking some 

 proposal, when he said, ' I cannot find a word,' 

 and I presume he would have added ' strong 

 enough to condemn,' but at that unlucky moment 

 he dropped his notes, they got out of order, and 

 after standing for some moments looking for his 

 place and repeating, ' I cannot find a word,' he 

 gave it up in despair. 



" On another occasion a member was making a 

 speech on Foreign Pohcy late at night, and, to 

 judge from the pile of blue-books he had collected, 

 had a great deal to say. I was thinking whether 

 I might not go home, when I observed a member 

 looking intently at the ceiling. I glanced up and 

 saw that one of the pendants which happened to 

 be just over his head was vibrating backwards 

 and forwards. I pointed it out to my neighbours, 

 and by degrees every one was looking up, and 



