PEEL AMONG THE TAILORS.
SIR ROBERT PEEL was invited to the Merchant Tailors' dinner, held on Saturday last, in the expectation that " there," as the
John Bull of Sunday emphatically predicted after the event, he would " SPEAK OUT." OR the Irish Church question, PEEL cautiously abstained from pledging himself to the " principle "of
his party ; nay, he intimated his readiness to abandon it, if a ma- jority in the next Parliament should coincide with the majority of the present on that subject. his performance on the LYNDHURST Bill was also short of the mark : it was the speech of one who, reversing ROCFIEFOUC AULT'S maxim, wished to live with his foes as if they might one day be his friends. But though tame in the Commons, PEEL was expected to be valiant among the tailors. In Parliament he has to keep up the character of being a safe man; but among the rampant City Tories, it was hoped that he would indulge a little in " Cambyses' vein." The party needed a restorative. Eloquence and champaigne would have obliterated for a time the memory of the previous night's defeat, and made even the "fractions of humanity " heroic in behalf of Church and King. But what a disappointment! PEEL, who was to have thundered defiance to his victorious adversaries, and roused the sleeping energies of Toryism by pot-valiant declamation, "roared you as %were any sucking dove." The Master Tailor, a Mr. Buorrors, talked of "wild devastation and irretrievable ruin— everlasting gratitude—immense distance—good he contemplated —labours of the watchman—machinations of a faction ;" and then he proposed the health of Sir ROBERT PEEL. But PEEL'S pluck was several pegs below that of the tailor. He prosed about the merits of the young men educated at Merchant Tailors' School ; gratitude for the Ike of lust year; the unsuccessful result of his political labours ; and the " penalty 2" of hearing his own voice. In short, PEEL was sulky, and would not show off for the gratifi- cation of the party. Like MATHEWS in the dumps, he did not " please to be funny." But if PEEL was sulky, he was prudent also. It is not his cue to commit himself irretrievably on party questions. The more sagacious of the Tories look upon him as the rallying-point of the timid and the wealthy. The management of a coup ciao: is not to be committed to him. His province is to step in with spe- cious professions and conciliatory demeanour after the blow has been struck, to calm apprehensions, and wheedle simpletons into the belief that Toryism has cast off its old skin. The knowing and trusted members of the Tory party, therefore, never abuse PEEL for not" speaking out." He would be of no use were he to become honest and cease to be plausible. There are many Tories, besides Lord STANLEY, who could broadly and firmly lay down Tory principles of government; but where is there PEEL'S match for slipping over principles of all sorts with an appearance of candour, which deceives those who have not fathomed the man and closely watched his political course?
PEEL had been defeated on Saturday morning, by a majority of 86, in the House of Commons, to whose decisions he always affects to bow with submission and respect ; and yet the block- heads actually expected hiru in the evening of the same day to fly in the teeth of that decision, and rail against the Representatives of the People ! Sir ROBERT knew better: be is not anxious to blazon his defeats in the House of Commons. Should any acci- dent restore him to the Premiership, he will dwell upon the nu- merous points on which he coincided with the Liberals. He is too cunning to irritate the majority wantonly. So he left the va- pouring to be dune by Lord SALISBURY, the Bishop of WIN- CHESTER, and Mr. BUCKTON, the Master Tailor.
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