The Nonconformist Unionists, under the presidency of' Sir H. Havelock-Allan,
gave Mr. Balfour a great reception at Willis's Rooms on Wednesday, the chairman expressing the belief that the Nonconformist Unionists were not the minority even of English Nonconformists, while they constitute the total of the Nonconformists of Ireland. That view is pro- bably too favourable to the Unionist cause, for no doubt there is among the English Nonconformists a very general feeling of absolute fascination for Mr. Gladstone ; but none the less there is a very much larger number of English Noncon- formists who have resisted that fascination in relation to Mr. Gladstone's Irish policy, than the wyrld in general recognises. The great Nonconformist speech was made by the Rev. A. Mnrsell, who treated the movement for Home-rule as disguised rebellion, and assured the meeting of the very great number and weight of the Nonconformist Unionists who declined to stand "with plotters" against the Empire and the Queen.
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