188 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL [1879
it. Nevertheless the battle of the < cat' was not yet over. Mr. Hopwood immediately moved that the punishment should be inflicted by a ' cat' with one tail, instead of a ' cat' with nine tails. Lord Harting-ton opposed this amendment, which was defeated by 110 votes. An Irish member, Mr. Callan, next proposed that a specimen of the * cat' should be exhibited in the Library. 'Yes/ said Parnell, fastening upon this suggestion, ' I should like to see what sort of an instrument is to be used, for I understand there are several kinds.' The Government would not, however, gratify the curiosity either of Mr. Callan or Parnell. Other amendments were now proposed, and on June 19 Parnell once more appealed to the Government to abolish the cat. ' Let us,' he said, £ as this day's work abolish flogging. If you do that I will wash my hands of the, Bill and give you no further trouble.'
1 No,' said Sir William Harcourt, supported by Ministers; ' as the Bill now stands (with Bright's amendment) it is satisfactory, and when the schedule asked for by the hon. member for Birmingham (Chamberlain) is put in we may feel content.'
' I will not accept the advice of the hon. member for Oxford,' said Mr. Chamberlain with much warmth; 'he is far too favourable to this Bill. Nothing can be done without obstruction,' he added, and then wound up with this compliment to Parnell: ' I will only add before I sit down that the friends of humanity and the friends of the British army owe a debt of gratitude to my hon. friend the member for Meath for standing up alone against this system of flogging when I myself, and other members, had not the courage of our convictions. The hon. member had opposed