Sir Stafford Northcote spoke at Stroud on Thursday, and Mr.
Smith, the First Lord of the Admiralty, at Sutton, in Mid-Surrey,—both speakers taking a rather aggrieved and complaining tone, as of men sadly misunderstood, who had suffered much for their country, and were bearing a martyrdom from an ungrateful and stiffnecked generation, in return for their services. Both alike answered for it that Lord Beaconsfield's policy was " the consolidation of the Empire, and the maintenance of the proper position of England in the counsels of the world ;" but then we know that Lord Beaconsfield considers that he has " consolidated " Ttrkey, and obtained for Turkey her proper position in the counsels of the world. And knowing what that means in the case of Turkey, how is it surprising that we should shrink from it for England ? Mr. Smith, who was very angry with the " scandalous " unfairness, as he thought it, with which the Government were treated, proceeded, we suppose, to retaliate that unfairness on his opponents, when he implied that the Opposition statesmen were making improper concessions to gain the votes of the Home-rulers. We should like to know to whom he refers. Not, certainly, to Mr. Gladstone ; not, certainly, to Mr. Forster ; not, certainly, to Sir William Harcourt,—who have all, in the most explicit manner, declared that they would never consider conceding anything beyond the reference of local- government questions to local boards. Can it be that Mr. Smith himself is betrayed into unfairness,—we will not say " scandalous " unfairness,—by the spirit of party retaliation ?
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