In the Lords several Bills were passed through their last
stages. the Agricultural Holdings Bill leading to some sharp animadversion on the omission of amendments which bad been accepted by Lord Carrington. Lord Crewe demurred to the charge that pledges had been broken, and Lord Lans- downe, while complaining of the way in which their amend. ments had been treated, admitted that the Bill had been considerably improved. He held, therefore, that they should content themselves by entering a strong protest against any interference which tended to promote the creation of dual ownership. At three o'clock, in the presence of about a hundred Members of the Commons, the Lord Chancellor read the King's Speech, which calls for no special comment. The portions dealing with foreign affairs, after touching on the marriage of the King of Spain and the visit of the King of Norway, allude to the continuance of friendly relations with foreign Powers, and to the various Conventions and Agreements held and concluded during the year. In regard to home politics, satisfaction is expressed at the continuance of tranquillity in Ireland and the improvement of the con- dition of the peasantry. The Speech concludes by regretting that, in spite of prolonged considerations, no settlement of the educational difficulty has been arrived at. Parliament was then prorogued till Tuesday, February 12th.
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