17Jun1869, Irish Church Bill Second Reading

LONDON, June 17th, 1869.
—Oh dear, dear ! political life has quite dropt out amid this excitement [FN: I.e. of her sister Lavinia's engagement to Edward Talbot : and her younger sister May's very brief engagement to Edward Denison. The latter had to be broken off, as his uncle, Speaker Denison, would not consent.] ! On Tuesday afternoon I had what was a huge treat in spite of other thoughts : a place with Mrs. Byng at the H. of Lords. They are debating upon the second reading of the Irish Church Bill, and we heard the Bp. of Peterborough (Magee) speak splendidly : wonderfully eloquent, brilliant and witty, and almost persuasive in spite of the badness of his case, for he is dead against the 2nd reading, and ended his speech with a fiery appeal to the Lords to run their heads against the wall by turning out the Bill. We also heard Ld. Grey ; it was good but difficult to hear ; he is a "leveller-up." Archbishop Trench was so fearfully grubous and grim, it was like nothing so much as a passing bell, and he is said to have called the House "my brethren" more than once !