_Friday._--Coercion Bill through at last! Final bout of talking dull till towards end, when DILLON made one of his impassioned speeches (wonderfully improved has JOHN since he first entered House). HARCOURT stroked Ministerialist back wrong way; and GOSCHEN replied in animated speech. One little flash disturbed monotony of earlier part of sitting. Elderly young man, name of COLERIDGE, trotted out again the mean and spiteful reference to Old Morality's Book-stall connection. O. M., for once moved to anger, hotly resented impertinence. Haven't we had enough of this now? It was TIM HEALY began it. Not desirable that men without a tithe of TIM'S talent should imitate his ingrained ill-manners. _Business done._--Coercion Bill passed by Majority of 87. * * * * * SONG BY SIR ABEL HANDY. 'TWAS on a summer morning in this tropical July, A happy thought impelled me an experiment to try. Hot early, weather promised to be more hot later on: What were the highest grade the glass would register anon? A delicate thermometer, the Fahrenheit, was mine; I placed it in the solar-beams direct, A.M., at nine. It shortly rose to ninety; and by ten reached twenty more; Eftsoon degrees one-hundred-nine-and-twenty was the score; Glass went on rising near as high as it was marked to go. A hundred, three times ten, and six the highest it could show. _Excelsior!_ as LONGFELLOW'S ascending Pilgrim cried; So I began to marvel what was going to betide, Expanding still the spirit rose within, ere noon had past, Till bang went my thermometer, the brittle tube had brast! My old and well-tried servant through ten years in hot or cold, At last it suddenly went smash, a pity to behold, I sat me down and sent the _Post_ the story of its loss, Take warning all Philosophers my tale who come across! Experimental Science--mind the moral that I sing-- Is with a little knowledge in pursuit a parlous thing. * * * * * IN CONVOCATION. [Illustration: Head of a Chapter.] THE Bishops are considering the "Amen-Corner" Amen-ments to the Catechism. _Dr. Punch_ happening to drop into the Upper House as a cool retreat on a July day, reminded their Lordships of the touching appeal of _Little Billee_ when he went "down upon his bended knees" to the inhuman _Gorging Jack_ and _Guzzling Jimmy_, imploring a short respite in these words:-- "O let me say my Catechism As my poor mother taught to me."