The interest in Mr, Balfour's defence of the Goverament has since been eclipsed by that of Lord Salisbury, who has returned from the Rivierafally restored to health, and and has addressed a great Primrose League gathering at the Albert Hall on the hole ohoy of the Government. When at last he came to tha Chinese question he began by somewhat flippantly referring to it as a "diplomatic cracker," which had produced a great many detonations and the smoke of which was now floating into the distance but he claimed that in the result the whole advantage had been with Great Britain. Ho declared that Russia had made grave mistake in taking Port Arthur, which would be of no use to her whatever, and that we had obtained a most valu: able acquisition in Weihaiwei. We had asked that Talienwan should be a Treaty Port, and it was to be a Treaty Port. We had gained results from China that had longed for for years. We had induced her to open several more ports, to promise to us permanently an Englishman at the head of the Maritime Customs, and to open all the waterways of the Empire to British boats and British trade, And one effect of this magnificent boast upon his Party. may be seen in the first leader of the Times next morning, which reiterates its demand that the Marquis of Salisbury shall resign the For- very -ancient and distinguished Spanish olga Office into younger and more vigorous family, he was by residenosand adoption an hands. The Thunderer considers Russia a Englishman. He. had all the proverbial better judge than Lord Salisbury.of the courtliness of the noble Spaniard,. and -he value of Port Arthur, describes the statement about Talienwan as disingenuous, and attaches little value to the Chinese promises of which the Prime Minister makes so much.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.