[Illustration:  “The Colossus of Words,” 1879.]

Of all who filled the House on that night, only two have seats in the present Parliament—­Mr. G., and the humble person who, by favour of the Electors of Barkshire, is permitted to pen these lines.  (CHRISTOPHER TALBOT, then represented Glamorganshire, but he just failed to live into this Jubilee time.) Yet, when I look round on the Benches now, I see a score of men who bear the names, and are, in many cases, descendants, of Members who sat in the Parliament that will ever have a place in history, if only because it was born in the same year, almost in the same month, as Mr. Punch.  There was a THOMAS DYKE ACLAND, representing Devonshire; there were two HENEAGES, one representing Devizes, and the other, EDWARD, sitting for Grimsby, as EDWARD HENEAGE sits to-day for the same borough.  There was a BORTHWICK, Member for Evesham.  There was a PHILIP STANHOPE, Member for Hertford.  STANSFELD sat for Huddersfield, and MARJORIBANKS for Hythe, a LAWSON for Knaresborough, a BECKETT for Leeds, a CHILDERS for Malton, a MANNERS for Newark-upon-Trent, having a certain WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE for colleague.  He was the Lord JOHN, well known to students of poetry, who now wears a Ducal coronet.

Of course there was a SMITH, VERNON by Christian name, Member for Northampton; a HOULDSWOTH representing Nottinghamshire, a MACLEAN for Oxford, a HARCOURT for Oxfordshire—­nay, in this happy Parliament there were two HARCOURTS, GRANVILLE HARCOURT VERNON sitting for East Retford.  A VIVIAN sat for Penrhyn—­HUSSEY VIVIAN’s father, JOHN HENEY, sat in the same Parliament for Swansea.  Lord EBRINGTON sat for Plymouth, and CHARLES RUSSELL for Reading.  ORMSBY GORE represented North Shropshire, long a possession of his family.  The Markiss o’ GRANBY sat for Stamford, with a CLARK for colleague.  FREDERICK VILLIERS (not our present Father) kept the name green at Sudbury, and there was a WYNDHAM for Sussex.  The HENRY LABOUCHERE of those less lively days sat for Taunton, and Sir ROBERT PEEL, our SPEAKER’s father, for Tamworth.  There was a HAYTER, GOOD-ENOUGH:  for Wells, one LOWTHER represented Westmoreland, and another York.  A WALTER LONG sat for North Wilts, STUART WORTLEY sat for the West Riding, and JAMES DUFF for Banffshire.  We had a BALFOUR for Haddington, and Lord DALMENY of that day, happier than the present head of the family, sat in the Commons for Inverkeithing, a place long since swept off the electoral board.  These surnames, with one or two others I can’t recall—­yes, there was a DALRYMPLE for Wigtonshire—­are familiar on the Roll of Parliament to-day.

Amongst the prominent Members of this Parliament I remember ROEBUCK sitting; for Bath; and PAKINGTON—­then plain JOHN all unconscious of the coming marvel of a Ten Minutes’ Reform Bill—­for Droitwich.  STRATFORD CANNING had a seat for King’s Lynn, and MONCKTON’ MILNES was Member for Pomfret.  JOHN BRIGHT was not in the House, but RICHARD COBDEN sat for Stockport, and there was an acidulous person, then known as RALPH BERNAL, who sat for Wycombe.  We knew BERNAL OSBORNE in many later Parliaments.