Mr. W. H. Smith has been selected as the Chief
Secretary for Ireland, and as he retains his scat in the Cabinet, and the Viceroyalty is to be put in commission, he will be virtually Minister for Ireland. The selection is a curious one. Mr. Smith has business ability, is not too frigid, and is understood to have made a special study of the Irish agrarian question, while he is pretty sure to be firm, and in accepting the office shows that he is public-spirited. We should doubt, however, whether he had quite the imagination requisite for the post, at a moment when the agrarian question is almost swallowed up in that of Union. He is probably, however, as competent as anybody on his side, and discussion seems useless until we know how the first testing vote will go. There may be a new Ministry a fortnight hence.
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