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connexion-runes:

To the Editor of the British American.

" Can such things be

And overcome us like a summer cloud.

Without our special wonder." SHAKSPEARE.

Sim—Did you ever see a little urchin or an idiot with a loaded pistol in his hand? lf you have, you might remark that no person wish- es to meddle with him: fearful ofan injury from the wilfulness or ignorance of the other- wise insignificant beings. Just so is it with the House of Assembly, armed with the Speak. er’s writ, and the sergeant at arms to execute it ; no one dares to say boh to a single g—se of the whole flock. Now, however, they are deprived of the/power they seem inclined to yield so frequently, and to such ridiculous pur. poses, we may say what we think of—them without being dragged before a tribunal which should be the most august in the land; but in the hands of the present house Is truly farci- cal. Not Sir, that lam averse to their having this power, if they would but use it discreetly; but it is too much ofa good thing, when a man is brought to the bar for saying as a certain law oflicer did, famous for the purity and deli~ cacy ofhis invective, that Jack Rat’s patriot- ism and disinterestedness were all it! Having no professional bronze and some little regard for decency, l forbear to (ill up the blank, leaving your readers to do so as they

lease. We will, Mr. Editor, have in a future

ettcr. some discussion on the extent of the privileges of Colonial Parliaments. In the meantime I wish some information respectin the story in circulation, of the Civil List BiF being altered after passing the Lower House, and after having been read in Council.

It is said that the Council seeing that it Was so framed, that they could not in its (then) present state, pass it-— informed the Speaker of the circumstance, who took the bill away and returned it altered as suggested .' the whole transaction having been so quietly performed, that the oppoSers of the bill In the lower house knew nothing of the matter until they were informed ofit by a member of the council !—- Can this be true? and yet there must be some- thing in it, for Iheard alegal gent. say, and that in no very mild language, “That ifit were true, that the Speaker ofthe house had know- ingly suffered an engrossed bill to be altered, (without’ theconsent of the house,) after ithad passed the house. He deserves to be degra- ded, and to losehis seat, and that he would have immediately moved for his expulsion. Now an expression of this kind coming from such a quarter, and being publicly made, re. quires some investigation. I should hope for

’the Speaker’s sake that we are misinformed for I cannot think that the head ofa Legisla-~ tive body would be guilty of an act bordering so nearly on the Crime of forgery, and involv- ing in its consequences, moral if not perhaps, legal perjury.

It is impossible that the Speaker ofthe Com- mons house of Parliament, [as he styled himself on Saturday .] could so far forget his dignity as to condescend to receive that Clandestinely. which if offered openly, would be his duty to reject. I make for the present no comments on this strange tale, trusting that some of your numerous readers will give the public an un- varnished edition of this story in a future num-

‘ber. lam, Yours, &0. &c.

CRITO.

April 8.

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BRITISH'AMERICAN .’ CLUB ROOM, flpril s. This morning the Club met,—the President was received with every demonstration of

joy by the Members, whom he addressed previous to taking the chair, as follows:—

GENTLEMEn,——-Flattered as I am by the enthusiastic mannerin which my return to you has been received, I cannot but regret the untoward events that have prevented our earlier meeting,—and I am sure there is not a member of this august body who would not blush to own, that his sense of duty was so blunted as not to feel equal disappointment. (Hear, hear!) Gentle- men, at a period when business of vital im- portance to this body and the public, is neglected, and the time frittered away by those we pay so well, in idle discussions 0n privileges that concern them not : and in seeking little posts that disgrace them: when instead of redeeming their pledges and lightening the burdens on their employ- ers, they spend their time in any thing but their duty,—ofteu in reading, [not their bibles. as a worthy author recommends,] but such works as Shakespeare, Lord Chesterfield. 8L0, Ste, from which some ofthem quote largely : I say it must, and I hope is, a matter of regret to all of you, that the late storms prevented my re- turn to town, to the discharge of the high trust you have reposed in me ; and that the neglect of "I‘ommy Tinker’ in not re- pairing the stovepipe as ordered, should have caused us so much inconvenience..— [Cries of discharge him.] Gentlemen, I should feel happy to attend to your sug- gestions, but like the major’s lunatics, he is tinker ‘ for the present year,’ and claims to be an officer,as well as our royal printer. Gentlemen, I would recommend you to ap- point a reporter, as some of our proceed- ings have got into the public papers, in their true shape, and though this \is very unpleasant, and is also a breach of privi- lege, (in proof of which various prece- dents can be found;) and though we are an Inquisitorial, body, and keep closed doors, yet I would recommend that no no- tice be publicly taken of such ‘ scandalous blackguard productions.’ .

Plutus and the Captain both rose toge- ther. The latter gave way when the for-

mer said,—.that as to the appointment of '1 Mr. Ap Shenkin said, that ast

an officer who could report speeches for them, it might be very proper'r‘ for aught he knew,’ and though it would make ‘ lit- tle odds to him,’ as he expected soon to be raised to the other house ; yet for his part he thought that an additional 51. each should first be given to members who lived at a distance, and had to break the roads; as he and his gallant colleague the Major often had, and then he feared there would not be sufficient funds to pay such an oth- cer.

The Major said, that he fully agreed

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fix! hoped, as anxious a wish for the benefit of the country as any one ; and though‘ithad been said that he could not take pay any more than his friend Plutus, as both had V pledged themselves not to do so ; and his friend had gone so far as to say he wolljd. apply his share to erect a building for the use of the club; yet, he hoped they would always consult their dignity, and not be bound by such old-fashioned doctrines a, consistency and independence. He there. fore thought that country members should have this additional 51. each, for his part his constant attendance had so injured hf, wardrobe, that he had to appear there in a cloak, and a borrowed pair of snow-boots ‘. at which some members had sneered.’ ’ r Mr. Bumble Be’e cleared his thorax with a sonorous a-hem ! and said that be pre. sumed the gallant Major referred to him in speaking of consistency and independence, True it was, he had said he would not take pay, but it should be recollected that he was then a candidate ; and Mr. President, ‘ Ida not think [hat it is a mortal sin to break election pramiscs.’ He would ask his col- league, would he take pay P To this his colleague replied, I will tell the learned gentleman I will vote against it, as [am an ‘idler when the ciub is not sitting,’ but voted, ‘ I will put it in my pocket Sir.’ This last expression was accompanied with an emphatic and graceful slap on the poc- ket of his nether garment, which returned a sound that to our unpractised ears, was such as might have been expected, had they been made'on Mr. Pepper’s plan. The Captain said that the club were well aware that he could not express his opini- ons as he wished, without memorandums ; and unfortunately he had lost his speech on this subject with various other documents, amongst which was a plan of emigration to Van Diemens Land, 3 plan to render the bodies of proprietors available when we have appropriated their lands by a con- tract with surgeons’ hall, and a calculation of expenees in town, by which he could prove that a member might ‘ take his case at his inn and live clear, and like a gentle— man,’ for the sum‘ 10! 153 1d ; but as he had not the document he would not take up their time any longer. ,1‘ ' ‘ ' he Cap- tain looked hard at him, he suppOsed it meant that he should also get notes: but he could tell that gent. that though he of- ten paused and spluttered a little, itorigl- nated from two causes, the latter was na- tional and the. former arose from endea- voring to recollect the text from Shakes- peare, and longlegged words of I’hiloso- phy, with which the Doctor so often en- lightened them. He could tell them that he always wished to support the dignity and consistency of this club, that he al- ways endeavored to lead other members of

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with his hon. colleague, that he had, be

this body into the measures that helilrcd;