On Tuesday there was a mighty gathering in the Albert
Hall, to protest against the Welsh Suspensory Bill. The two Archbishops and almost all the diocesan and suffragan Bishops were present, and a great crowd of the most distinguished laymen of the Church, and the great ball was full to the roof. The Archbishop of Canterbury's opening speech was singularly stirring and eloquent, and rather astonished his audience, perhaps, by the saying that he would rather live as non- conforming to a Nonconformist Establishment than live under no Establishment at all. He assured Wales of the absolute unanimity of the Church in defence of the Church of Wales, and ended his remarkable address with a prophecy of victory :— " God's benison be with you, and with those That would make good of bad, and friends of foes."
Lord Selborne made a vigorous speech, in which he pressed, perhaps, the legal side of the argument a little too far. The Archbishop of York was more statesmanlike and moderate in speech than he had been in his address to his clergy,—saying nothing of sacrilege,—while the Bishop of Durham was, as he always is, personally most impressive, though pushing the doctrine of corporate national personality, in our opinion, too far. Nothing could be truer or more eloquent than the Bishop of London's presentation of the ease that the robbery of the Church means chiefly the robbery of the poor ; while Pro- fessor Jebb insisted powerfully on the fact that the National Church has shown itself to be tractable, and has adapted itself more and more with every generation to the needs and wants of the people. It was a magnificent demonstration; and we cannot but think that Mr. Gladstone himself must have yearned to take part in it, and to turn his back on his own unfortunate and thoroughly un-Gladstonian measure.
