When the two reserved Lords' amendments came on for dis-
cussion on Thursday, Mr. Balfour moved in both cases to agree with them, and carried both,—the one as to town parks by 206 to 164 (majority, 42), Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Jesse Collings voting against the Government ; and the one as to the rule for the temporary reduction of judicial rents fixed before 1886 in proportion to the fall of prices, by 215 against 161 (majority, 54), Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Jesse Collings again voting against the Government. The debate was a very hot one, Mr. Parnell openly threatening the Government that the tenants would look for their redress to "methods outside the Constitution," and Mr. Balfour answering with great spirit. Indeed, his speech proved to demonstration that in the case of the smaller tenants, the re- duction of judicial rent in proportion to the reduction in the price of produce would mean a very great boon indeed, since all the produce which they use for their own support,—a very con-
siderable proportion of the whole,—would be as effectual, of course, as ever for their own purposes, though not as valuable for sale, so that the redaction of rent in proportion to the fall in the price of produce would reduce it in a much greater proportion than that of their own loss.
