PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY.
On the 10th of February parliament assembled. The usual fencing occurred between the leaders of parties. Lord Derby was fiery and impetuous, Lord Aberdeen reserved and pragmatical. Law reform first engaged the attention of the peers. The lord chancellor did not possess the confidence of the house, either as to his capacity or zeal in that direction, and, at the hands of Lord St. Leonards, his proposals received severe and able animadversion.
The topics in both houses were interesting during the first few weeks of the session, but only as connected with passing events. There was nothing done worthy of extended record, nor of particular notice within the space allotted to these volumes. The question of Jewish disabilities occupied the attention of members, under the auspices of Lord John Russell; but a bigoted hostility to the measure pervaded a large minority in the commons and a large majority of the lords. The leader of the party opposed to any concession to the Jews was the Earl of Shaftesbury, who, in a speech mild and impressive in manner, but bigoted and illogical in matter, succeeded in persuading the lords to throw out the bill.
The financial plans of the government met with the support of the commons. Mr. Gladstone introduced the budget in a speech of extraordinary eloquence, which lasted five hours, and was applauded throughout by a great majority of the house. There were no original propositions, no very ingenious contrivances; but the right hon. gentleman threw around his statements an attraction by his eloquence which won his audience: like his preceptor, Sir Robert Peel, he proved himself to be, in the language of Disraeli, “a very great member of parliament.” In the debates which followed, Mr. Gladstone received several severe defeats from the more advanced liberals on his own side of the house; but all efforts on the part of the tory and protectionist section to defeat his proposals, upon their own principles, were abortive.