Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London LifeKirwan, Daniel Joseph
History
Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London Life
Kirwan, Daniel Joseph
London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- Social life and customs
That young gentleman with the slight, downy moustache and gloriously
handsome face, leaning over the side of the Peers' Gallery, is the
Marquis of Huntley, a member of the House of Lords, and is the first
Marquis in rank of the Scottish peerage. He is only twenty-three years
of age, and was married a short time since in Westminster Abbey, the
Prince of Wales acting as his best man, and all the notabilities of the
court attending. The old, soldierly-looking man who is conversing with
him and having a white rose in his button-hole, whose hair is cropped
quite close, is the Earl of Fingall, who was formerly an officer in the
8th Hussars, and a hero of the Crimean war.
[Sidenote: LORD STANLEY AND THE O'DONOGHUE.]
The medium sized gentleman with the thoroughly English face, wavy hair,
and plain and unostentatious attire, who passes behind the Speaker's
Chair for a moment, and then whispers to that awful dignitary, is the
Duke of Richmond, the leader of the Conservative party in the House
of Lords. The Duke is quite popular in England, and has a magnificent
park and castle at Goodwood, where a race takes place every year, for
a prize called the "Goodwood Cup." Under the administration of Mr.
Disraeli the Duke held the position now occupied by John Bright, who is
President of the Board of Trade.
There was for some time a warm rivalry between the Duke of Richmond,
Lord Cairns, and the Marquis of Salisbury, as to which of the three
should lead in the House of Lords, and at one time, I believe after the
death of the lion-like Earl of Derby, Lord Cairns, who used to be an
Irish lawyer before he was ennobled, had the best chance from his great
ability, but the high position and family of the Duke carried the day.
That plain looking man who with a slight inclination to the Speaker
and doffing his hat, passes out to the Division Lobby, is Lord
Stanley--now Earl Derby, since the death of his father. Lord Stanley,
who is now in the House of Lords, was one of the ablest members of
the House of Commons, a forcible debater, a logical reasoner, and a
thorough gentleman in all respects. Lord Stanley entered political
life very early, and has filled various offices of trust, being
successively--Under Secretary of Foreign affairs in 1852; Secretary
for the Colonies in 1858; Secretary of State for India in 1858-9, and
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1866-8.
The tall, dark-haired and handsome looking member who has followed
Viscount Bury in debate, and who speaks so fluently without notes,
and whose language and gestures are not without a certain grace and
elegance, is The O'Donoghue member from Tralee, who was going to
marry an Earl's daughter in order to pay his debts--but didn't. The
O'Donoghue challenged Sir Robert Peel to fight a duel a few years ago,
having been offended by some unparliamentary language of Peel's in
the House, but the latter backed out of the row in a very undignified
manner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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