which we have spoken have imperilled the passing of some of the measures which constituted their political programme at the commencement of the session, there is yet time sufficient to ensure the passage of their most important bills, and to redeem our legislators from the charge of incapacity to legislate.
It would, of course, be folly to ignore the fact that the hopes of the Gladstonian faction and the spirits of the Separatist party generally were enormously raised by the issue of two bye-elections which occurred during the months of May and June. It is notorious that the contest at Southampton was fought upon issues entirely apart from those of Home Rule, and that the Ayr burghs (whose late Conservative member was to a large extent returned on account of his local position and great personal popularity) were unlikely to return another Unionist unconnected with the locality and hailing from the far south. But whatever the explanations to be made, and however valid the excuses put forward, it would be uncandid to deny the importance of the two Gladstonian-Parnellite victories, or to refuse to admit the severity of the blow inflicted upon the Government. This severity, however, has fortunately been mitigated and its effects entirely neutralised by subsequent events.
In the Isle of Thanet a desperate effort was made by the Gladstonians to break the solid phalanx of Kent Unionists. Their candidate was selected with their usual dexterity, and his opponent was handicapped by former Protectionist opinions, which were urged against him with assiduous zeal, whilst his supposed ultra-Toryism was said to be unpalatable to the "moderate" section of Unionists. Yet the "local" Liberal candidate, with a united party behind him, was beaten by upwards of 650 votes in a contest fought expressly and avowedly upon the question of Home Rule for Ireland, in which the issues were placed before the electors by innumerable Irish orators who invaded the constituency. Here, then, was some solace for the Government defeats at Southampton and Ayr; and during the very progress of this election, a further consolation was afforded them by the extraordinary course adopted by the Opposition in the House of Commons. Without any apparent occasion for such action at the moment, the Gladstonian section of the Opposition determined to challenge the Irish policy of the Government and their administration of the criminal law in that country. Upon the shoulders of Mr J. Morley was laid the burden of bringing the indictment before the House of Commons, which he did with a power and eloquence worthy of a better cause than that of which he appeared as the champion and defender. Mr Gladstone was, of course, ready to support his lieutenant, and to denounce the "coercion" which, in an aggravated form, he had sanctioned, upheld, and defended, when responsible for the maintenance of law and order in Ireland, 1882-85. But the only result of this ill-advised and unworthy attack, which occupied two days of the busiest part of the session, was to knit more closely together the Unionist majority (which had recently been apparently diminished in divisions upon side issues in connection with other questions in no way affecting the main principles of the party), and to afford to Mr Balfour and the Chancellor of the Ex-
