Sir Stafford Northcote, in his reply, acknOwledged, as we have
shown elsewhere, that the Government have as yet no policy for Afghanistan, but stated that as regarded Greece, the British and French Governments hoped to proceed by Inter- national Commission, that Sir H. Layard was "instant in season and out of season in pressing remedial measures on Turkey," and that the idea of Austrian interference in the Balkan States was "a Liberal mare's-nest." He appealed to the House to wait before judging Sir F. Roberts, and after a brief remark about South Africa, passed on to Ireland, where, he maintained, the Ministry had, first of all, ordered the total prevention of starvation, and where they had "shown not hard-heartedness, but hard-headedness." The Government denied that its sympathies with the Irish were less than those of the Opposition, but felt that its responsibilities were greater. After a merited compliment to the Duchess of Marlborough, he called on all Irish Members to wait for papers before they denounced the conduct of the Government in Ireland.
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