pit. It is just as like the River Thames or Finsbury
Park; but that's where the fun lies. Incongruity is the soul of wit.
Everybody laughed last Session when TONY, with much gurgling, produced
this bantling; brings it out again to-night.

"Can't have too much of a good thing, TOBY," he says, wrestling with his
exuberant shirt-front, and rubbing his hair the wrong way. "Always had
my joke, you know, down in the country. Remember the little affair of
the circuitous drive? This is what you may call my urban class of
humour. SPURGEON'S Pulpit, Ha, ha!"--and TONY walked off delighted with
himself.

_Business done._--Supplementary Estimates.

[Illustration: "Spurgeon's Pulpit, Ha, ha!"]

_Thursday._--Pity that prejudice should be allowed to stand in way of
doing the best thing. Talk just now of pending vacancies on the Bench;
such talk recurrent; sometimes more talk than vacancy. "But I pass from
that," as ARTHUR BALFOUR says, when gliding over knotty points of
question put from Irish Benches. If not vacancy to-morrow, sure to be
within week, or month, or year. Why not make JEMMY LOWTHER a Judge? It
is true he has no practice at the Bar; but he was "called," and, I
believe, went. That is a detail; what we desire in our Judges are, a
certain impressive air, a striking presence, and an art of rotund
speech. JAMES has played many parts in his time--Parliamentary Secretary
to the Poor-Law Board, Under-Secretary for the Colonies, Chief Secretary
for Ireland, and Steward of the Jockey Club. In this last capacity he, a
year ago, temporarily assumed judicial functions. How well he bore
himself! with what dignity! with what awful suavity! with what
irreproachable integrity!

That this manner is ingrained, is testified to on the occasions, too
infrequent, when JEMMY rises in House. To-night BUCHANAN asked HOME
SECRETARY a question, involving disrespect of rabbit-coursing. JAMES,
the great patron of British sport in all developments, slowly rose, and
impressively interposed. Was his Right Hon. friend, the HOME SECRETARY,
aware that rabbit-coursing, conducted under recognised and established
regulations, affords pastime to large masses of the industrious
population who are unable, from their pecuniary circumstances, to
indulge in the more expensive forms of sport? Those were JEMMY'S words,
each syllable deliberately enunciated. What a study for the aspirant to
Parliamentary style!

Kindly Earl of RAVENSWORTH, who still haunts the