NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE week has been .politically one of rather anxious com- plaisance on the part of the Government,—not the sort of complaisance which is due to conciliation and deprecation, but rather that kind which proceeds from the discomfort of a man's embarrassed desire to show that he can take punishment with- out bearing a grudge. Yesterday week Mr. Forster and Mr. 'Gladstone complimented Mr. Gathorne Hardy with almost needless emphasis for the moderation of his speech deal- ing with the Three Rules of the Washington Treaty. On Tuesday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer was all compli- ment in relation to the currency debate of that night. On Wednesday, Mr. Bruce was much impressed by the modera- tion of Mr. Disraeli's speech against Mr. Osborne Morgan's Burials' Bill, and at the Mansion-House dinner in the evening, the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer expressed the most favourable opinion imaginable of the existing House of Commons. In fact, the suavity of the Ministry is almost ostentatious, and is hardly easy enough in manner to be of really good omen. We have given elsewhere our reasons for doubting the stability of the existing condition of equilibrium, but may add here that a great deal is likely to depend on the Budget which Mr. Lowe is to explain on Monday week, immediately before the adjournment for the Easter holidays. If that should prove to be of a nature to conciliate popular support, the embarrassment of the Government may possibly give place again to the old air of easy confidence. If not—and rumour is not as yet promising in relation to the Budget—we may expect gloom to deepen, and new discomfitures to follow. At pre- sent the good temper of the Government is just a little sheepish, like that of a man who is putting a good face upon his refusal,—a good face, but rather an artificial one, in which the facial adjustments are too careful and conscious for anything like the cheerfulness of social life.
