Portraits of public characters Author:James Grant Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. COLONEL CONNOLLY—MR. GEORGE BYNG THE LORD ADvOCATE OF SCOTLAND—MR. EAST- HOPE MR. MUNTZ. Colonel Connol... more »ly, the member for Donegal, though not much known to the English public, is a gentleman of considerable importance in Ireland. In the " public eye" of the county with which he is immediately connected, he occupies a very large and conspicuous place; nor is he unimportant among the Conservative members of the House of Commons. They do not, it is true, expect on any occasion an eloquent or masterly speech from him in support of the views and interests of their party : but they can rely, and do rely, with as much certainty as they do on day following night, onhis being present during the whole of any debate affecting Conservative prospects, and on his giving a cordial vote " on the right side of the question." If the matter under consideration have an immediate bearing on Ireland, then a speech from the gallant colonel, occupying from ten to fifteen minutes in the delivery, is calculated on with as much certainty as is the adjournment of the House, and " Mr. Speaker's leaving the chair " when the business of the day is finished. Perhaps there is not a member in the House— no matter what his politics—who is more honest in his convictions, or more attached to his principles, than the gallant officer. Hence the surpassing zeal which he evinces as often as opportunity offers, for the ascendency of his political principles. He was the happiest man alive when the country was under Conservative sway; on the other hand it may be safely said, that he has had not an hour's tranquillity of mind during the last five years, except during the day or two in April, 1839, when Sir Robert Peel was understood to be in a fair way of constructing...« less