"Oh, I've seen her." "Well-eh? If you were laid"Oh, certainly-"

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"She's ten more guns, you know." “Oh, I know. Good morning, gentlemen! good morning! The Fairy's' moving up to the 'Victoria and Albert,' and the Queen will embark directly. Good morning, gentlemen!" When we were about half-way between the "Royal Albert" and the "Pera," a rather louder voice than the Lieutenant's told us of the Queen's movements: for such a sudden and fearful uproar of rival gunnery burst forth as nearly stunned my ears, and seemed as if it would blow our little boat, with its inconceivably precious little freight of legislative wisdom not to forget those who had the honour of rowing it-out of the water. To a landsman, with a spark of imagination, nothing can suggest more appalling thoughts, than to be within fifty or a hundred yards of a line-of-battle ship with her guns pointed towards him; his tiny oars bearing him but too slowly out of reach-blazing awaya lurid flash followed by a furious outburst of white smoke-flash after flash-smoke after smoke, thunder after thunder; then a moment's pause, and a blasting outburst simultaneously of flame and smoke, with ear-splitting uproar; not from one ship only, but fifteen or twenty, succeeded by battery after battery from shore. Thank heaven! we escaped scot-free, and got on board the "Pera" as the "Fairy" glided past us, in time to shout "God save the Queen!" while our brave band gave vehement utterance to the somewhat familiar, but ever-dear air, set to those heart-stirring words. As we watched the progress of the "Fairy" towards shore, the uproar grew fiercer and fiercer, till some timorous inexperienced fair one on board her husband's or brother's yacht, might have imagined that the Frenchmen were bent on blowing England's queenly Majesty into an inconceivable number of millions of majestic atoms, to be

take its place in the firmament as a star of the first magnitude, and blaze amidst awful space in eternal memory of royal English trust, and imperial French perfidy! instead of a joyous thundering welcome to our Royal Lady, with a million Frenchmen in arms, whose swords would flash like lightning in defence of the Sacred Person of their trusting visitor.

"I see her-there she is," quoth one of our generals, who swore by his glass as the best on board. "She's just alighted on the stairs

and the Empress and she have thrown back their veils- they are kissing each other

It might be so: 'twas confirmed by a right honourable friend, in simple vindication of his Dollond: and it needed no glass-even such a thing as mine, which had never done duty for its kind lender, but in the operahouse-to see the little white puffs followed by immense reports, bursting forth from forts and batteries far back on shore, not spitting out venom or fury, but in their own way giving fiercely jubilant welcome to Queen Victoria, setting foot upon the soil of La Belle France!

"Luncheon is ready, sir, and the steamer goes on shore in ten minutes," whispered a most courteous steward, recalling one of the Faithful Commons of Her Majesty from the seventh heaven of imagination to which he was ascending.

"Well, admiral, what of the 'Bretagne'?"

"Faith, my friend, she's not to be despised, I can tell you!" said he, cutting a goodly hunch of bread. Steward, get me a glass of Bass's ale; I don't care for this Bordeaux till after dinner."

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to a point of apparent frenzy as he saw the dingy little craft holding on her way, with sullen sputtering, into the span-new harbour. But we had put ourselves under the command of a right honourable gentleman who spoke French like a Frenchman, and mounted the paddlebox, and stood there with a noble calmness and determination! as we approached nearer and nearer to the steps still covered by the crimson cloth so recently ascended by the royal party-nearer also and nearer to the suddenly stirring, threatening accumulation of soldiery. Down those steps came forthwith a superior officer, with grave and peremptory tone and air, repelling from further approach the Commons of England, and their aforesaid tub! At that awful moment stood on the paddle box the right honourable member for the borough of Hertford, whose other honourable member was also on board, resolute as the rest of us: a word or two interchanged between our right honourable, fluent, and persuasive spokesman, and the frowning Militaire, appeared to establish between them an eternal friendship. Off went the two hats, civil and military. Our illustrious chief took out a paper and presented it to the other, who, after a glance at it, poured forth a torrent of "Oui! oui oui!" and invitations to alight. The thing was over the Commons of England, in the name of perfide Albion, landed and took possession of the stupendous arsenal of Cherbourg, not only being never stopped by anybody whomsoever, whithersoever any of us chose to go, but meeting with the readiest-ay, and eagerest-courtesy imaginable or desirable!

But oh, how hot it was! How blinding the light of the sun's eye, glaring down upon us through the bright blue above us, without a single intervening fleece of cloud! Yet the soldiery seemed to enjoy the baking process that was going on! They could indeed be "done" no "browner," and seemed to move about with a brisk alacrity that told of a March or October day's duty, instead of that tremendous, sweltering Thursday afternoon of the 5th August, A.D. 1858, henceforth to

be marked in my calendar with a red-hot letter C!

"Prenez garde, messieurs!" sharply whispered a soldier, interposing his arm between me and a corpulent friend with whom I was heartily condoling, for I saw his sufferingsbetween us two and the edge of the stupendous empty Bassin, we at scarce a yard's distance from its unprotected declivity of, apparently, some sixty feet. We fell back, almost appalled at our unsuspected proximity. We then stood and gazed around us, with the greatest of living engineers to point out all that was striking and important-the honourable Member for Whitby,-not to mention, also, an honourable and gallant military Member, whose opinion on such matters all the military world would respect, but who was too much occupied with his own thoughts, and too busily using his fieldglass, to utter a single word to us. On the other side of the vast chasm, hollowed out of the solid rock with an inconceivable amount of labour, perseverance, and science, were four or five slips, one of them occupied by a newly-completed and beautiful man-of-war, the "Ville de Nantes" ready to be launched on Saturday, as soon as the vast space before her should have been prepared for her reception-by being filled with the requisite depth of water-the work which was to be, we were told, of an hour! Here and there, at a little distance, at the bottom of the basin, were a few workmen, who looked like Lilliputians to the Gulliver surveying them with such grave curiosity from the edge of the declivity. They were preparing the site on which the Emperor was to perform his share of the inauguration; and a long flight of steps covered with crimson cloth led down to the spot from the further extremity, where were three temporary structures being prepared for the occasion by numbers of men, and also some dozen laughing and chatting lively-eyed sempstresses, busily engaged under an awning, stitching gilded bees on drapery. All these localities, which may hereafter acquire an interest and importance in the eyes of Englishmen, not at pre

sent generally or properly appreciable, I pass over undescribed, because a fair notion of them has been already communicated to the public by the graphic pens of the inquisitive and ubiquitous "Own Correspondents" of the public press; and also because the military and naval readers of Blackwood's Magazine will, I am told, have an opportunity of profiting by the observations of a military contributor. If, however, for these reasons I say little now, be assured that I am very far from being the only member of the legislature on whom, without regard to party political considerations, what we witnessed that day made an indelible and very deep impression. The results of a century's untiring labour, engineering skill, and enormous expenditure are now visible, as on the eve of completion; and must force grave consideration on every English observer, with reference to our ambitious, warlike, and fickle neighbours' means, intentions, and opportunities for the future. I can tell you that not one of our party quitted the shore, at the close of that memorable afternoon's reconnoitring of the Cherbourg arsenal, disposed to undervalue the tremendous capabilities at length acquired by France, or underrate the commensurate responsibility cast upon those charged with maintaining the safety and honour of Old England. My own individual conclusions collected themselves into a single brief sentence-To be Forewarned is to be Forearmed.

Passing along an extended line of huge anchors, we came upon a picturesque object-a cone of large cannon-balls, with brass field-pieces supporting them, and surmounted with other smaller military weapons and flags arranged most tastefully the whole combined with what seemed to me a sort of deadly gracefulness; for I can find no other words with which to express the effect produced on my mind by the style of grouping before me-the elegant arrangement of these weapons of destruction. As the Majesty, with whom all around us were so closely concerned, had delayed her arrival at the arse

nal beyond the appointed timedoubtless enjoying the ovation prepared for her and the Emperor in the town-many of us, I among the number, returned to the " Pera," all of whose boats were allowed free entrance and exit into the strictlyguarded basin which we had traversed in our tub. It had gone with another party of honourable Members on an expedition to the breakwater; and when we reached our ship, we were not reluctant to descend to lunch, and then repose in the shady places in the comparatively deserted deck. The quietude and freshness were charming. The breeze swept gently, and the sun shone brightly but not oppressively, on those chatting together under the awninga quiet party of six or eight, who were somewhat tired of sight-seeing on shore and afloat. There was our Deputy-Serjeant, in cheerful humour, finding all things going on so pleasantly everywhere; there was our learned and agreeable Chaplain ;* there were several elderly and junior Members; and no cigar contaminated the delightful air. After we had compared notes of what each of us had seen, and regarded as most worthy of observation and recollection, the conversation turned on House of Commons reminiscences, many of them illustrating what we may call the by-play and behind-the-scenes-the inner life-of the House, and very entertaining they were. At length the youngest of our number-a very promising County Member- being warmly congratulated by another as having distinguished himself during the last session by a maiden speech,

"I was present, too, when you made your debût," said one, turning to another, who good-naturedly gave the following account of his passage through that terrible ordeal. "I had resolved not to open my lips during my first session," said he, "and kept my resolution firmly dur ing three months, except that I had once to present a Petition; and when the Speaker suddenly called out my name, for which, at the moment, I was not prepared, a mist came over my eyes, and the paper trembled in

my hands, during the few inarticulate words in which I endeavoured to indicate its object. Bring it up,' quoth the late Speaker, in that melodious voice of his, which will never be forgotten by those who heard it; and having handed in my petition to the clerk, he crammed it, with a matter-of-fact air, into a bag, and so ended my first experiment on the indulgence of the House. At length, however, I was urged by one whose position entitled him to be heard with respect, to endeavour to address the House, for several reasons; which he urged so forcibly, that I reluctantly assented, and promised, but with an inward spasm, to speak on a particular question, when it next came before the House. It was one of great public interest and importance, but not within the category of party questions. Shortly afterwards I left town, and took an early opportunity of shaping my thoughts into a short address. The subject was one with which I was familiar, and yet I was so nervously apprehensive and fastidious, that I wrote out my speech eight times before I could please myself! I should have gone on writing it, up to the present moment, if I had not reflected that I had just three weeks' time left to commit it to memory-"

one

"Commit it to memory?" inquired or two, surprisedly-"why, surely, you were no novice in pub-' "Yes I committed it to memory, verbatim et literatim, for breaking the ice of the House of Commons is a very fearful business to any one. If I repeated it once, I repeated it at least a hundred times-whenever I had the opportunity of being alone! I tried, moreover, to prepare myself for the awful moment at which, on my rising, the cry of New Member!" would cause every other who had risen, not so entitled, to resume his seat, leaving me standing in solitary 'possession of that fearful House! I kept my own counsel, and as the appointed day drew near, and I thought of the 'break-down' which would be ruthlessly recorded by the truthful reporters, and amuse so many good-natured pitying friends round breakfast-tables, and at the clubs, t morning-felt myself more and

more disposed to give the thing up in despair. At length arrived the day, big with my little fate. I repeated the speech in my dressing-room that morning, as usual, but, alas ! more inaccurately than ever, and felt sick at heart. I dined, very slightly, at three o'clock, and shortly afterwards took a glass of port-wine, with an egg beaten up in it, to clear my voice. Then down to the House I went, sighing at every step with anxiety and apprehension, afraid to look anybody in the face, and lapsed into a sudden taciturnity, and took my seat on one of the back-benches, cold as death. Presently entered the noble lord who was to open the discussion, and my heart beat. He was one of only two who knew that I should attempt to speak. Oh, how I envied his perfect self-possession! his practical knowledge of the House, and of his own weight and position in it! Then another, and another, and another rose; I getting less and less self-possessed, as time wore on. I had resolved to wait till the House had, so to speak, ebbed down to dead low dinner point, viz., eight o'clock. 'You're going to speak-it's written all over your face," said Sir sitting next to me, good-humouredly. I whispered in the affirmative; for at that particular moment I dared not tell a fib. 'Well-you won't rise before nine, of course-and I'll un and get dinner! That will do, won't it?' 'Yes;' I faltered, inwardly adding 'By that time it will do, or I shall have been done for!' Away he went; and resolving to follow the speaker who next rose, I slipped out to the refreshmentstand, and took a glass of Seltzerwater, with a small dash of cogniac in it, and returned to my seat. There were then about thirty Members in the House, but among them, most of the leading men, on whose absence I had anxiously calculated. I glanced at the reporters' gallery, and down again, in trepidation; the strangers' gallery was crowded the one might have to chronicle what the other would witness-a Break-Down! For these reasons, Sir,'-quoth the speaker then on his legs, looking round for his hat, I shall unhesitatinglyI heard no more; down he sat; my

:

heart knocked against my ribs almost audibly; I trembled from head to foot: I took off my hat-up rose seven or eight Members-" Shall I rise?" I gasped to myself:-I did rise, very slowly then the cry 'new member!' appalled my ear; every one of the disappointed Members looked sternly or at least with pique-at me, for whom they were forced to suppress their statistics and eloquence a little-it might be, a very little longer!-and left me standing alone. At that moment the lively image rose before my mind's eye, of a solitary culprit arrived at his last moment on the scaffold. I had my written speech in my pocket: what would I not have given for leave to read the well-worn familiar little document, bodily, to the complaisant House? However, I began, huskily, trembling like an aspen leaf, and got through my first two sentences-oh! the dismal horrid silence there was.

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Ay-I was there-I perfectly recollect; it was intense, and I felt for you, interrupted the DeputySerjeant-at-Arms."

"At the end of the second or third sentence my memory failed me, -I slipped, so to speak, off the rail' and thought 'here I go!' I managed, however, to throw in an allusion to the noble Lord who had opened the debate, that enabled me to recollect myself-and I happily got on the line again: But cette affreuse silence continued. Not one solitary hear from any part of the House-nor any whispering, or conversation, which I should have hailed as an inexpressible relief!-Scribble, scribble, scribble went the pens of the ruthless recording angels in the gallery to my right. I thought of them for an instant with terror. After I had been speaking about five minutes, thank Heaven! a kindly and decided 'hear!' issued from the opposite side, followed by one or two on my own side; the effect was truly inspiriting on me; the House had seen the agitation with which I was speaking, and generously encouraged me, till at length I was enabled to get through a speech of twenty-five minutes' time, without having missed more than a word or two of what I had

prepared: having had presence of mind, moreover, to throw in one or two allusions to what had fallen from preceding speakers and resumed my seat; having delivered my MAIDEN SPEECH-which I would not have to do again for a thousand pounds!"

"How were you received when you sate down?"

"Ah, that does not signify!" "Well-how did you figure in the papers next morning?" asked one.

"At much greater length than I had the least right to expect, and in two of the chief ones, almost word for word."

"Whew!" exclaimed a young Member, who had listened very anxiously-"I'm disposed, after this, to put off my little business till the Greek Calends-"

"Pho, pho!" said several kindly; but suddenly our conversation was interrupted by a prodigious uproar from the direction of the shore, indicating the return of Her Majesty, accompanied by the same thundering welcome which had attended her approach to the French shore. The "Fairy" glided past us at too great a distance for us to see the figure of our Royal Mistress, glad, doubtless, to repose a little after her fatigues on shore. During the intervening hour or two we passed the time pleasantly enough in receiving visits from friends who had come in their yachts, and assured us, one and all, how greatly the "Pera" was admired. About six o'clock we were pretty audibly informed that the Emperor and Empress had commenced their brief but splendid triumphal progress from the shore to the banquet, in company with the Queen,on board the "Bretagne." This was the grand event of the day. Magnificent was the welcome thundered forth by our own men-of-war, worthily supported by those of France. All the yards were manned; and on ours, there was Jack as usual, standing on, and supported by, nothing that was visible to us!-at the top of each mast-a sight positively painful to a landsman to behold, for fear of however, there is jolly reckless Jack! waving at once his cap and his flag, and doubtless cheering at the top of his