20th May. Tae death of William Ewart Gladstone, though daily, we might almost say momentarily expected for months past, will inevitably come as a shock, not only to Englishmen throughout the expanse of the British Empire but to the whole civilised world, This is neither the place nor the time to pass a. true and just judgment on the deceased statesman's life and achievements, It has been not inaptly remarked of Mr, Gladstone by one of his old colleagues that just as you cannot judge of the real size of " mountain till you view it from a distance, so one could not estimate the late Liberal ex-Premier at his tre value till one regarded him from a standpoint removed from the disturbing local influences of close inspection. In the same way we doubt if a really fair opinion can be formed. of Mr. Gladstone's influence and share in the making of English history till time shall have mellowed the acerbities of contemporary criticism, But this we will say—and we feel sure that the proverbial fairness of Englishmen, whether lories, Radicals, or Nationalists, will agree therein—that most of his questionable political acts have been the work of lieutenants in whom he uecessarily placed the highest measure of confidence. Wheuever the late statesman devoted his own unbiassed judgment to the settlement of public questions, he evolved a policy that if not absolutely secure from critical challenge, was at all events couched on practical lines, Probably his most conspicuous and popular achievement, in the eyes of the present generation, will be the share that he took in promoting the unity of Italy. In this Englishmen will be readier to do him justice, in that the action that he took in denouncing the atrocities of King Bombs's rule and urging the paramount necessity of unifying Italy was wholly unconnected with the petty distractions of English partisan controversy. We can readily imagine that the recent disturbances and riots in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.