Those political debaters who met together weekly at the "Goose and Gridiron" were certainly open to the insinuation that they copied the practices of another debating society, which held its sittings farther west. In some respects they did so, and were perhaps even servile in their imitation. They divided themselves into parties, of which each had an ostensible¹ leader. But then there was always some ambitious but hardly trustworthy member who endeavoured to gather round him a third party which might become dominant³ by trimming between the other two; and he again would find the ground cut from beneath his feet by new aspirants⁴. The members never called each other by their own names, but addressed each always as "The worthy² Goose," speaking at such moments with the utmost courtesy. This would still be done, though the speaker were using all his energy to show that that other Goose was in every sense unworthy. They had a perpetual chairman, for whom they affected⁵ the most unbounded respect. He was generally called "The Grand," his full title being "The Most Worthy Grand Goose;" and members on their legs, when they wished to address the meeting with special eloquence⁶, and were about to speak words which they thought peculiarly fit for public attention, would generally begin by thus invoking⁷ him. "Most Worthy Grand," they would say. But this when done by others than well accustomed speakers, was considered as a work either of arrogance⁸ or of ignorance. This great officer was much loved among them, and familiarly he was called "My Grand." Though there was an immensity of talk at these meetings, men speaking sometimes by the half hour whose silence the club would have been willing to purchase almost at any price, there were not above four established

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