The extract is taken from that widely circulating journal, “the Illustrated London News:—­

“In the House of Representatives at Washington, on the 11th ult., the following amusing but disgraceful scene occurred between two of the members—­Messrs. Stanly and Giddings.  The former having charged the latter with uttering a falsehood, the following conversation ensued:—­

“Mr. Stanly:  ’It is usual for one who has no regard for the decencies of life to relieve himself from responsibility by pronouncing statements false, and it is characteristic of the man who sneaked away from this House, and took his pay for work which he did not do.

“Mr. Giddings:  ’When the gentleman descends to low vulgarity, I cannot follow him, I protest against Dough-faces prompting the gentleman from South Carolina.

“Mr. Stanly:  ’It is the business of a scavenger to have anything to do with him, and I will have to wash my hands after handling him; but the thing has to be done, as he has thrust himself on us as a kind of censor.  It is a small business for me, and I don’t know how I can descend any lower than to take hold of the hon. member for Ohio. (Cry of ‘Good.’)

“Mr. Giddings:  ’Will you hear me?

“Mr. Stanly:  ’Nobody wants to hear you, but I will indulge you.

“Mr. Giddings:  ’The gentleman is barking up the wrong tree.

“Mr. Stanly:  ’The galled jade winces again.

“Mr. Giddings:  ’The gentleman sha’n’t crack the overseer’s lash to put me down.

“Mr. Stanly:  ’I hope that the gentleman will not gnash his teeth so hard; he might hurt himself.  Who is here playing the overseer over white men—­who but he, who is throwing his filthy gall and assailing everybody as Northern Whig Dough-faces, and what he calls the vile slave-holders?  He is the only man who acts in that way.  We don’t raise the overseer’s lash over our slaves in North Carolina.  If that member was in the southern country, nobody would own him as a black man with a white skin—­(laughter)—­but he would be suffered to run wild as a free negro, and in the course of three weeks he would be brought up to the whipping-post and lashed, for stealing or slandering his neighbours.  (Laughter.) If I say that he is a gentleman, I tell a falsehood.

“The Speaker (to Mr. Stanly)—­’Will the gentleman suspend for a moment?

“Mr. Stanly:  ’We ought to suspend that fellow (pointing to Mr. Giddings) by the neck. (Laughter.)

“Mr. Giddings:  ’The gentleman from North Carolina reminds me of the boy who turned round so fast that the hind part of his breeches was on both sides. (Laughter.) The gentleman says that I was at Norristown, too; but where was he and the members of the House?  Why, drinking their grog.  (Laughter.)