MY MAIDEN SPEECH.

I HAD always been considered a youth of some promise, for having got a Latin prize at Oxford, and taken a high degree, though a fever at the time of going up prevented my being in the first class-at least, so my friends were persuaded, from the tameness of my construing, which could not possibly be want of spirit, as my Latin composition shewed so much. The fact was, my prize poem was written for me by a poor servitor, who was educating for the church, in which I had considerable patronage. However, sufficient promise had been evinced to make my friends anxious to procure a seat in the House of Commons for me, and accordingly, through the intervention of Rutter, the attorney, I was returned M. P. for, with the only condition that I should oppose "The Bill," in every stage. The first object I had, after taking the oaths, was to make a speech, which I thought, for my Aunt told me so, would be amazingly talked of in the upper circles. Should it be a set speech, or an impromptu, or a set impromptu? I inclined to the first, as the easiest, and had no doubt the house would listen to it from me, though I saw them refuse attention to I accormany a pompous rogue who had preceded me. dingly made several splendid sentences about revolution and anarchy, and annihilation of the beautiful fabric; and what pleased me most, I found an appropriate passage in a speech of Dantin's, which my father had heard and

taken down himself, as he told me. I dined early and went down to the house, where I found all the best places taken, and I was obliged to get under the members' gallery, behind Joseph Hume, who was making a thundering speech against close boroughs, and most particularly denouncing the one which I represented. One or two gentlemen whispered that I ought to say something, but I could not, for the life of me, alter or abjure my first sentence, which began, "When the destinies of Europe stood trembling in the balance," &c. &c., and I thought I could never bring in the borough after that; so, while I was trying to turn the destinies of Europe into the fate of Little Aurelin, down plumped Joseph and up jumped a gentleman below him, who began, “Sir, I can assure you I had no intention of addressing the House when I entered it, but the extraordinary speech we have just heard, &c. I immediately thought how much better it would have been for me to try an impromptu, and determined to wait till another night; but after the Hon. Member had spoken about a quarter of an hour, I looked down to see what he was about, and casting my eye into his hat, which he kept waving to and fro, I saw not only the principal heads, but many of the actual sentences written at length in it. I was at first tempted to call him to order, but as I was too young a member, I thought I had better first mention it to some older M.P., and though I hated Hume, I knew he was an active enemy of all abuses, and as such I directed his attention to the hat; but he took no notice of it, except saying, that the gentleman was a late lord of the Treasury, and he believed he had stolen all the gilt-edge paper in his hat from the public. I determined to listen a little, and what was my horror when my ears were arrested by

"When the destinies of Europe stood tottering in the balance." I looked for my own notes and found them safe. Now could he have hit off the very same description of the French Revolution as I? Could he have seen the pamphlet from which I copied it? Perhaps he had got my father's manuscript of Dantin's speech as well. My nerves were by this time so unsettled, and my mouth so dry, that I had given up all intention of speaking for that night; when an attack upon my patron turned all eyes in the House upon me. It was broadly asserted that he had sold his seat for money, and had pledged his candidate to vote through thick and thin against the Bill. The House all laughed and looked at me. "I could not laugh," though I might have said Amen, so be it, for it was; and though, when the infernal Radical sat down, there was a sort of call for me, some drunken dandies at the Bar cried, Question! question! and so did I ; at which, all the opposite side roared with laughter and so ended my first night of intentions; and though I had not made myself celebrated, I had made myself conspicuous enough, God knows.

THE noble house of PAGET, of which her Grace the Duchess of Richmond is a scion, is of Staffordshire origin. WILLIAM PAGET, born at Wednesbury, in that county, settled in London in the reign of Henry VIII., and served the office of serjeant-at-mace, in those days a function of high respectability. His son,

WILLIAM PAGET, born in London, received his education under Lilly, at St. Paul's school, afterwards at the University of Cambridge, and finally at Paris. This gentleman's first public service of importance was a mission to France, to consult the learned relative to the divorce of Henry VIII. and his Queen, Catherine of Arragon. In this affair he gave great satisfaction, as is

evident not only from the favours he received, but from the offices of trust and difficulty afterwards confided to his care. In 1543, he received the honour of knighthood, and went as ambassador to France. He attended King Henry to Bulloigne, and that monarch, on his death-bed, bequeathed him a legacy of 300l., and appointed him one of his executors, and of the council to to his successor, the youthful Edward. With the Duke of Somerset, Sir William Paget contracted an intimate friendship. In 1546, he was elected a Knight of the Garter, and the following year was summoned to Parliament as Baron Paget of Beaudesert, in the county of Stafford. He was, however, a person of too high importance to escape the ambition of the Protector's enemy, the Duke of Northumberland, and he participated in the downfal of his patron. On the commital of Somerset, the duke also sent Paget to the Tower; but the persecution so fatal to the former, was dropped soon after with regard to the latter. On King Edward's death, Lord Paget joined with the Earl of Arundel, the boldest champion of Queen Mary. These noblemen forthwith caused the Princess to be proclaimed in the city of London, and accompanied with twenty horse, rode post the same evening to inform her Majesty of the loyal intentions of her subjects. After the marriage of the Queen with Philip of Spain, for the arrangement of which he had been one of the commission, Lord Paget went ambassador to the Emperor, then at Brussels. At the accession of Elizabeth, his lordship, at his own request, quitted the public service, as he was a strict Catholic, though still enjoying the royal favour. Lord Paget espoused Anne, daughter and heir of Henry Peston, Esq., and dying in 1563, was succeeded by his eldest

son,