The debate of the week in the Commons, lasting three
nights, was, on the whole, and with few exceptions, very tame and tire- some. Lord Derby, however, having recovered his usual rashness of nature with his health, breathed some vigour into the closing hours of Thursday night, by the brilliant but (to his own party) mischievous demonstration against the Liberals of Tuesday night in the Lords. Lord Derby professed not to discuss the policy of Mr. Gladstone's Resolutions, but only to ask Lord Russell whether the resolutions would be moved in the Lords before a Bill was introduced. However, Lord Derby at once rushed into the thick of the conflict, accused Mr. Gladstone's third resolution of asking the Queen to do what was unconstitutional, asserted that the resolutions " if passed would involve the introduction of a measure upon which the two Houses of Parliament would be irreconcilably at variance,"—aud expressed his opinion that the Ministry ought not " to think of resigning their offices under any amount of pressure and opposition, however factious, if any such should be offered," until they had had an opportunity of appealing to the new constituencies. Lord Russell's reply was full of his old fire. He expressed the opinion that to set the Throne at variance with the Commons by advising the Queen to refuse an address carried by a large majority of the Commons would be a great folly, and his conviction that the Lords would accede to any Bill on the subject passed by large majorities in the Commons, and not verify Lord Derby's imprudent and mischievous prophecy.
