the mass of electors. The qualities which deficient in the power of addressing a critical are popular on the hustings are by no means audience or of making out a good case for always the qualities which are suited to his measures. Or like a recent appointserve the country in a public capacity, and ment, he may be a brilliant rhetorician, yet large constituencies have rarely the judg- an absolute ignoramus in matters of comment to discern what these qualities are, or merce or taxation. He may delight the the patriotism to choose them, when accom- House of Commons, but terrify Lombard panied by cold manners, offensive candour, Street. The Members of Parliament may independent feelings, or unbending tenacity flock down from Bellamy's as soon as they of opinion. Every general election affords know that he is on his legs; while the meminstances enough to corroborate our state bers of the Stock Exchange grow pale when ment. Mr. S. J. Loyd, now Lord Over- they read of his appointment. The Colostone, a man of singular soundness and nial Secretary, too, may rule distant depenclearness of view, better acquainted with dencies with the genius of Wellington or commercial and financial matters than pro- Richelieu, yet be unable to speak two conbably any man living, but too indolent and secutive sentences in the House, without a refining to be easily persuadable to enter on solecism or a blunder. Yet our system the public arena, was rejected by Manches- passes by the solid governor, and selects the ter. Mr. Macaulay, notwithstanding his brilliant haranguer. unquestioned ability and eloquence, was rejected by Edinburgh; and being unable to find another borough, resigned his seat in the Cabinet, and retired to the fame and comfort of a literary life. Lord Morpeth,

the most estimable and the most beloved of

public men, was defeated in Yorkshire, and was out of Parliament for several Sessions; and Sir James Graham, whom all allow to be the ablest administrator now living, has never sat twice in succession for the same borough, and it is believed was recently prevented from taking office because he dared not risk the chances of a new election.

"Under the Tudors and the early Stuarts, (writes Mr. Macaulay in his review of Sir W. Temple), it was generally by courtly arts, or by himself to power. From the time of Charles II., official skill or knowledge, that a politician raised down to our own days, a different species of talent, parliamentary talent, has been the most valuable of all the qualifications of an English statesmen. It has stood in the place of all other acquirements. It has covered ignorance, weakness, rashness, the most fatal mal-administration. A great negotiator is nothing compared with a great debater; and a minister who can make a successful speech need trouble himself little about an unsuccessful expedition. This is the But the principal cause of the evil we are talent which has made judges without law, and considering the adequate supply of public diplomatists without French; which has sent to servants of commanding talent-lies deeper the Admiralty men who did not know the stern still, and is inherent in the very constitution of a ship from the bowsprit, and to the India of a Parliamentary government such as ours. Board men who did not know the difference The more the country needs capable admi- between a rupee and a pagoda; which made a nistrators, and the less it needs orators and foreign secretary of Mr. Pitt, who, as George II. said, had never opened Vattel, and which was legislators, the more the evil will become very near making a Chancellor of the Exchequer apparent, and the more defective will our of Mr. Sheridan, who could not work a sum in system be found. By an ancient and nearly long division."

invariable custom our ministers are selected

exclusively out of our Parliamentary nota Now, this is a prolific source of mischief, bilities. Yet it is undeniable that the quali-which, as long as Parliament confined itself ties which make men formidable leaders, to its original functions, was comparatively which render them eminent and powerful in little felt, but which now, in the course of Parliament, are very different from those time and through the operation of certain which are required for the efficient and judi- gradual and insensible changes, has become cious management of government depart- increasingly serious and manifest. While ments. The talking and the acting faculties; Parliament was a body of notables assemthe power of doing things well, and the bled for purposes of deliberation and discuspower of defending them skilfully; the sion, for voting or refusing taxes, for répretalent for "dressing up a statement for the senting national feelings and proclaiming House," and the talent for finding the policy national grievances, the talent of ready fitted for an Empire; administrative genius speech, clear statement, skilful dialectic, and, and dialectic skill, seldom meet in one mind, vehement denunciation, found their proper and, indeed, belong to wholly distinct classes vocation, and did good service. But when, of intellectual superiority. A Chancellor of in process of time, Parliament took upon the Exchequer may be noted for his thorough itself the task of close supervision and conmastery of financial science, yet be wholly trol, and of direct and often minute interfer

very

ence with the executive, when it became tablished in it, is an entity which by its v virtually a governing as well as a legislating nature cannot do work, but can do talk only which at times may be needed, and at other and representing body, very different en- times be very dowments were needed in its members; needless. Consider, in fact, may and a body of six hundred and fifty-eight miscella its fitness for its new and self-imposed duties neous persons set to consult about 'business,' became yearly more questionable. Its con- with twenty-seven millions, mostly fools, assistitution is much what it used to be, but its duously listening to them;-was there ever since functions are materially altered. As the the world began-will there ever be till the world House of Commons has become more po-end, any business' accomplished in these circumpular and more of a debating club, it has stances? We may take it as a fact, and should also assumed more and more of the labours lay it to heart everywhere, that no Sovereign ruler with six hundred and fifty-eight heads, set which popular debating clubs are singularly to rule twenty-seven millions, by continually unsuited to perform. It was admirably talking in the hearing of them all, can for the adapted for its ancient and original purpose life of it make a good figure in that vocation." -not at all so for its modern and superin- Every page of our recent history abounds duced one. It was originally a checking, with proofs and examples of the mischiefs not an acting body an assembly for secur- and abuses which arise from our inveterate ing the subject against the oppression and and probably now inevitable habit of arencroachment of the Crown. In this, its ranging all measures and making all apnative and intentional function, it is inimit-pointments with a view to parliamentary able and unrivalled; for its subsequent and considerations. Measures are concocted, not adopted one, it is at best but a clumsy con- because they are the best adapted to the trivance. It is excellent as a defender of wants of the country, but because they are our liberties and an exponent of our wishes the most likely to be easily passed by the and our wants; but for governing, or for Commons, and growlingly sanctioned by the preventing misgovernment, it is tedious, Lords. Men are selected for this or that ponderous, and inefficient.

influential and responsible office, not on account of any remarkable fitness for the "What I had to remark," observes Mr. discharge of its functions, which has been Carlyle, "of this long Parliament, and of its English predecessors generally, from the times exhibited by them, or is supposed to lie of Rufus downwards, is this perfect veracity of hidden within them, but because parlia purpose, this exact adaptation to getting the mentary support may be conciliated, or business done that was in hand. Supplies did in parliamentary hostility disarmed, by their some way use to be granted; grievances, such as appointment. The interests of the country never fail, did in some way use to be stated and are sacrificed, that the government of the redressed. The silent peoples had their Parlia country may be carried on. A commercial mentum, and spake by it to their kings who minister may be a mere tyro in finance; governed them. In all human government, wherever a man will attempt to govern men, this bnt the trade of the country must be fettered is a function as necessary as the breath of life; and endangered by giving him power to and it must be said the old European popula- carry out his unwise conceptions, that the tions, and the fortunate English best of all, did votes of himself and his supporters may this function well. The old Parliaments were secured. An incapable nobleman is made authentic entities; came upon indispensable Secretary-at-War, and allowed by his mismawork, and ends about were in earnest to their very fingernagement to sacrifice regiment after regigetting it done. now, if we examine well, has irrevocably lost ment, and hazard campaign after campaign, certain of its old functions, which it still pretends as in the late war, because the Cabinet canto do; and has got certain new functions, which not dispense with his brilliant debating it never can do, and yet pretends to be doing, a powers in the House of Commons. Thoudoubly fatal predicament. Its functions growing sands of valuable lives and millions of ever more confused in this twofold way, the posi-valuable treasure are wasted-as at Waltion of Parliament has become a false, and is cheren-in a fruitless and wretchedly ma gradually becoming an impossible one, in modern

Parliament

be

affairs. It has had to prevent and distort its naged expedition, because the Premier poor activity in all manner of ways, and at length chooses to place his own brother at its head, has diffused itself in oceans of windy talk, re- and the Premier is omnipotent in Parlia ported in Hansard; has grown, in short, a na- ment. An indolent, obscure, or superantional palaver, and is, as I said lately, one of nuated admiral is placed in command of an the strangest entities this sun ever looked down important squadron, and golden opportuniupon. For, I think, a national palaver, recog- ties are lost in senseless evolutions, because nised as Sovereign, a solemn convocation of all the stump-orators in the nation to come and the admiral has a host of parliamentary govern us, was not seen on the earth till re- friends, whom it would be dangerous for the cently. A Parliament, especially a Ministry to offend. Similar solecisms are Parliament with newspaper reporters firmly es- committed daily, but it is only in the criti

cal exigencies of war, or when in peace some forcements both of men and money, which unforeseen emergency occurs, calling for were lavished on the incapable Lord Chatqualities in appointed servants which they ham, were denied to the energetic and sucdo not possess, that their full consequences cessful Sir Arthur Wellesley. Officers of come to light. We need go no farther back high rank neglected or disobeyed his orders, than the Peninsular campaigns for abundant and thus sacrificed his soldiers, endangered examples. Mr. Canning was, at that his victories, or made them fruitless; yet he time, Foreign Minister, and Mr. Perceval, dared not punish or cashier them, because Premier. The latter was a man of the the parliamentary influence of their families scantiest ability, but had the confidence of forbade. Throughout the whole campaign the Crown, and possessed enormous weight the genius of the Duke had to remedy, and in the House of Commons. The former the blood of the soldiers to atone for, the was a statesman of most brilliant genius, blunders and culpable negligence of Mr. and a skilful and vigorous diplomatist, but Perceval, Mr. Canning, and Lord Castlewholly destitute of the administrative capa- reagh. The fate of thousands of brave and city and diligence to conduct the compli- valuable men lies at the door of those three cated arrangements of a continental war. ministers, and of the system which made He was, however, the great stay of the such men so powerful as they were. Ministry in debate, and could not be spared. To the same system-the system which Lord Castlereagh, a nobleman of high ho- places at the head of affairs men of parnour, and of great parliamentary experience liamentary influence and parliamentary taland skill, but of very small natural capacity, ent, but of no other qualifications for adminwas Secretary-at-War. Accordingly, never istration or command-may be traced, more was the blood and treasure of a country so or less directly, most of our recent disasters: vexatiously and lamentably wasted as those the Affghanistan war, with its train of disof England were by these three incapables. comfiture and disgrace; the escapades of Lord Their blunders were scarcely credible, and Ellenborough, whom happily even parlia can only be fairly understood after careful mentary influence could not save from being study of Colonel Napier's History. Mr. recalled; the unhappy mess which Governor Canning scattered his agents over Spain, Fitzroy brought about in New Zealand; the chose them ill, made them independent of Canadian rebellion; and the Caffre wars. each other, allowed and encouraged them to Everywhere the same story. In war, in lavish money, arms, and stores, on the commerce, in administration, the governed wretched and ungrateful Spanish generals, have had to supplement the deficiencies, corhampered his own noble and consummate rect the faults, support the weight, and pay commander, Sir John Moore, with senseless for the blunders of the governors. Everyinstructions, turned a deaf ear to his remon- where the sense and bottom of the English strances and demands, and, when he failed people and the English soldiers have been and fell, threw upon him the whole blame called upon to counteract the incapacity or of the discomfiture which he himself had folly of English rulers. In this lies the exprepared. During the long and arduous planation of what otherwise might well peryears in which the Duke of Wellington, plex us, how is it, namely, that such a syswith unrivalled and profound strategy, and tem has endured so long, and produced so even statesmanship, fought his way from much less mischief than it seemed calculated Lisbon to Bayonne, his own government to engender. The people, as a whole, are was his worst enemy, his most formidable supplying a constant and often unconscious and hopeless antagonist. In spite of re- corrective. peated representations, his troops were left without stores, without shoes, without "An English seventy-four," (says Mr. Carlyle,) clothes, without ammunition. The engineer-"if you look merely at the articulate law and ing tools sent out were so bad that our en- The captain is appointed not by pre-eminent merit methods of it, is one of the impossiblest entities. gineers were dependent on those captured in sailorship, but by parliamentary connexion; from the French. Besieging batteries, con- the men are got by impressment; a press-gang stantly demanded, were either refused or goes out, knocks men down in the streets of seadelayed, till the Duke was repeatedly com- towns, and drags them on board, if the ship pelled to carry fortresses by assault, which were to be stranded, I have heard that they would were only half breached, against all the rules nearly all run ashore and desert. Can anything of military science, and at a cost of life be more unreasonable than a seventy-four? Arwhich was absolutely appalling. The mili- ticulately, almost nothing. But it has inarticulate traditions, ancient methods, and habitudes in tary chest was constantly empty, and the it, stoicisms, nobleness, true rules both of sailing most important enterprises were in conse- and of conduct; enough to keep it afloat on Naquence obliged to be abandoned. Re-in-ture's veridical bosom after all. See; if you bid

it sail to the end of the world, it will lift anchor, for years, in the interior of the community, go, and arrive. The raging oceans do not beat till they have modified the whole bent and it back; it, too, as well as the raging oceans, has character of the nation, and yet these men a relation to Nature, and it does not sink, but

four."

under due conditions is borne along. If it meet may have heard nothing of them, till some with hurricanes, it rides them out; if it meet an such startling facts as the Birmingham Poenemy's ship, it shivers it to powder; and in short litical Union, the Anti-Corn-Law League, or it holds on its 8 way, and to a wonderful extent the Secession of the Free Church, break in does what it means and pretends to do. Assure upon their apathetic slumbers, and enlarge yourself, my friend, there is an immense fund of the narrow and artificial boundaries of their truth somewhere or other stowed in that seventy- knowledge. In spite of warning voices occasionally raised within their hearing, these All who have had much to do with Min denizens of the conventional political world isters, and Members of Parliament, and of London and St. Stephens remain wholly those who come into constant social or offi- ignorant alike of the power, the feelings, and cial contact with them, seldom fail to be the intellect of the silent middle ranks; and come conscious of a certain marked and spe- would be amazed and somewhat alarmed if cific character which pervades the whole they could know the contempt and disgust genus. Originally, they may be cast in Na- which these often feel for the party manœeuture's most discrepant moulds. They may vres which occupy them, the trifles which be conservative and antique by temper and absorb them, the blunders which disgrace tradition. They may be liberal and profu- them, and the infatuation which blinds them. sive in their sentiments. They may be ag- The Parliament, reformed as it is-further gressively benevolent, or carelessly epicu- reformed as it may be must enlarge its rean. They may be fond of labour, or they channels of information; the officials-immay be fond of ease. They may call them- proved in this respect though they are-must selves aristocratic, or may flatter themselves widen their basis, and open their sympathies that they are popular. But the same easily far more than they have yet done, before recognisable stamp of family likeness is upon they can know what the country expects them all. They are all parliament men- from them, and can furnish them with the and no mistake. They have all been means of effecting.

stretched on the same Procrustean bed, fused There are sundry little customs which in the same crucible, subjected to the same have, by the lapse of time, attained almost annealing process. Their native dissimilari- the rigidity of law, by which we contrive still ties are not, indeed, crushed out of them, but further to aggravate the difficulty of finding are all harmonized and overpowered by the and securing the ablest and fittest men for pressure of one pervading and controlling the public service. Some of these have element. They take different sides of a grown up gradually and insensibly, and have question, but they think in the same con- descended to us from remote times; others ventional style. They draw their informa- have been adopted to guard against dangers tion from the same set of organs, and look which were real and imminent once, but which at the world through spectacles, different, in- have long since passed away. Two, espedeed, in power and colour, but all proceed- cially, require a passing notice, as they are ing from the same workshop. They are all almost yearly operating to our disadvantage, conversant with, and insensibly moulded by and not seldom to our actual suffering and the gossip of the clubs; they all think much danger. The first of these is the union in of the Edinburgh and Quarterly Reviews; the person of the Lord Chancellor of the two they all listen anxiously to the language of functions of Keeper of the Great Seal, and The Times, and are not wholly without con- Chief Judge in Equity. In the first quality, cern about the articles in the Morning Chro- he is the principal adviser of the Sovereign, nicle, the Morning Post, and the Daily keeper of the royal conscience, patron of the News. But beyond these they seldom go. church livings of the Crown, appointer of Opinions which find expression in none of justices of the peace, &c., superintendentthese party and London organs they despise general of charities, guardian, in the king's or ignore. De non apparentibus et non ex- name, of infants, idiots, and lunatics. In istentibus eadem est ratio. The North British, virtue of these functions, he is essentially a the British Quarterly, the Westminster Re- political officer, and as such, forms a part of view, the Leeds Mercury, the Manchester the cabinet, and, rightly and necessarily, Guardian, wide as their circulation, and stands or falls with his ministerial colleagues. great as their influence is among the miscel- But, in his second capacity, he is the supreme laneous and the middle classes, they seldom judge in the most difficult, complicated, and read, and regard little. Sentiments may be laborious court of justice in the kingdom, fermenting, and doctrines may be spreading exercising the most awfully arbitrary and

extensive jurisdiction, discharging functions against his own will, it is said, although, of which only the most exclusive attention, while respectable as a common lawyer, he the most unremitting assiduity, the most was utterly inexperienced in equity. Lord continuous watchfulness, can approximate to Cottenham, who made an excellent Chanan adequate performance. To enable him cery judge, was quite valueless as a political to do anything like justice to the hard duties functionary; while his successor, again, a thrust upon him, and to the numberless competent chief justice, but an inexperienced suitors, whose property, happiness, liberty, and incompetent chancellor, owed his ap and sometimes life, are at his disposal, it pointment entirely to political considerawould be necessary, not only that he should tions. An anomaly productive of so much have nothing else to do, but that he should oppression and misery, and admitting of no be permanent and irremovable, and that he defence, will surely not be endured much should be appointed with a sole regard to his longer.

judicial capacity and his experience in equity The custom of requiring every Member practice. Yet, in contempt and seeming de- of Parliament, who accepts Ministerial offiance of these obvious and universally ad- fice, to vacate his seat and submit himself to mitted considerations, the two offices con- his constituents for re-election or rejection, tinue to be united in one person, to the un- is a fertile source of embarrassment and misspeakable injury of both departments, one chief. At one time, undoubtedly, it was a of which is continually sacrificed to the other. wise and salutary precaution against the seThe consequences of this utterly indefensible lection and retention by the Crown of minarrangement are, first, That the ablest law-isters who did not possess the confidence of yers are at times unwilling to accept an the nation. It served, or might serve, to office which, while it removes them from prevent the monarch from employing a comtheir former sphere of usefulness and emolu- moner, at least, who was supposed to enterments, they may, perhaps, hold only for a tain designs against the liberties of the peofew months, and then be subjected to eter-ple. Now this danger no longer exists, and nal idleness and obscurity; secondly, That the precaution against it should cease likecauses in equity are often heard and re-wise. No statesman condemned by or unheard before four or five different chancellors, popular with the House of Commons can each of which comes new and unprepared to now retain office a single day. The custom, the hearing; that as soon as a judge becomes moreover, is we think indefensible on the experienced and competent, the chances are, broad constitutional grounds of justice. It that he is removed to make way for a suc- enables not the nation, but any one constitu cessor, who has his business to learn at the ency, to put a negative upon the indubitable expense of the unhappy litigants who come right of the sovereign to choose his own serbefore him; and that the work, being more vants. It enables any one constituencythan any one man can possibly get through, and that perhaps the smallest, most ignorant, accumulates and complicates, till the Court and most corrupt in the community-to dis of Chancery has become an instrument of in- miss or forbid the choice of a minister who justice, cruelty, and oppression, such as the may possess the confidence and admiration Inquisition can only faintly imitate, and such both of the monarch and the parliament. as no European country, except England, Before the Reform Bill, this evil and inconcan produce or could tolerate; and, thirdly, gruity was not felt, because the nomination That lord chancellors are constantly appoint- boroughs offered an easy mode of nullifying ed, who either are of no value to their col- it. If a new minister was rejected by his leagues or their country, as political advisers, former constituents, he was immediately or who, being chosen for their oratorical elected for some Government seat, which a powers, or their parliamentary influence, are subordinate vacated to make room for him, wholly unfit to preside over a court, requir- or a place was purchased for him by the ing for its due conduct the rarest and loftiest outlay of £3000 or £4000 of his own or golegal qualifications. Cabinets generally vernment money. Now, however, these archoose the latter alternative, as the least ragements are not so easy, and are not alevil to themselves, though immeasurably the ways practicable, and great inconvenience greatest to the nation. Instances are not frequently arises in consequence. On one wanting. In the early part of the century, occasion Lord John Russell was out of parLord Erskine was made chancellor, because liament for some weeks during the middle of he was a popular pleader, an eloquent speak- session, to the great detriment of the public er, and an ardent Whig, though he knew business, till the member for Stroud vacated little of law, and was wholly ignorant of on his behalf. Sir James Graham is the equity. In 1830, the same motives promo- ablest administrator among our living statested Mr. Brougham to the Woolsack, much men, and is the man of all others, whom a