The speeches at the various stations in the Park were
of various orders of merit, the best, perhaps, being Sir Wilfrid Lawson's. He spoke in a slight shower of rain, remarking in reply to the good-natured cry, "Put on your hat," that he did not need it, as he was in his element. He remarked on the unanimity of the approbation given to the extension of house- hold franchise to the counties. Even the Tories, he said, felt such a burning anxiety for that result that they could get no sleep at night for thinking of it. The Bishops were with us, the Times was with us, and the Government were with us ; the only difficulty was to know who were against no, and the only answer is "that great trades-union of landowners, the House of Lords." If there were to be trades-unions in politics, Sir Wilfred thought they should have it turn and turn about,—the trades-union of landowners coming first, of shoemakers next, bricklayers next, and tailors next. That would be fair-play all round. Or the Queen might perhaps be asked to raise three hundred shoe- makers to the Peerage to pass the Bill, which would, however, be very bad for the shoemakers ; for there was a great tendency in men who became Peers to cease to be men. That, perhaps, is a
little hard on the Peers. So far as we can see, Lord Sherbrooke is very like Mr. Lowe ; and if Lord Brabourne is decidedly better understood than he was as Mr. Knatchbull-Hugessen, that is only because it is so hard to judge from the chrysalis what the moth will be like.
