When the announcement of these appointments was made on Monday evening its interest was in a large measure discounted by the announcement of the resignation of the Duke of Devonshire and by the publieation of the somewhat petulant letter in which Mr. Belfour acknowledged the receipt of this resignation. The Prime Minister was evidently bitterly disappointed; but even his fervent admirers are disposed to confess that the publication of his letter was a tre tical blunder. Evidently he bad moved and earth to keep the Duke in the and it was hard lines that just he was elated with his success the hould reconsider and reverse his decision to remain, revels the fact that Mr. letter of resignation was withheld from Mr. Ritchie and Lord George Hamilton until they haa resigned, and was shown to the Duke to induce him to remain.
It is clear, too, that it was with great reluctance that the Duke consented to remain. On the one hand he was influenced by his earnest desire nut to slesert the Unionist Government, and fon the other by his Free Trade convictions. Mr. Bolfcur contends that there was nothing in his speed at Sheffield which could not have been found in his pamphlet on '*Insalar Free Trade; " but it certainly Gisclosed a more intimate connection be: tween what Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman has rather happily fermed the intro-mural and extrasmural sections of the Government, pud a stronger leaning to Protection. It nay therefore well have turned the scale in the Duke's somewhat slow-acting mind, even though there were not other considerations which his Grace did not choose to mention in his letter. The Duke of Devonshire is still regarded with the utmost confidence by the Liberal Unionists. and his resignation will have on enormous effect on their attitude.
Mr. Chamberlain's Camp: and followed it with another on Walnesda anit, Chaimersin opened his campaign lass on Tuesday with a rousing speech, With the main planks in his platform there'laid down, your readers have no doubt been made acquainted. Some account has doubt reached you also of the transcendent enthusiasm with which the ex-Colonial Secretary was received. It could hardly be exaggerated. But though it would' be dangerous to prophesy, and though there is no one among his opponents fit to hold a candle to Mr. Chamberlain in regard to his power of swaying audiences, I think it will be found that the effect he has produced is not as deep as might be supposed. England loves a good fighter, a strong man, a' man who knows his own mind. Fifty thousand people wanted to get into the Glasgow meeting, where there was only room for six thousand and so it will be in every town in which he speaks, But I doubt if'all the mea who flock to hear him and cheer Sim to the echo will afterwards in coin blood when his scheme has been subjected to a searching examination vote for tuxes on food for the benefit of the colonies.
The Counter Campaign.
_On the Free Trade side the campaign was ford, Mr. Asquith is regarded rather as pened last night by Mr. Asquith at Cinder-a cold-blooded lawyer; but there was of fire in his speech. He recognises that it is no use relying on the scientific arguments in favour of Free Trade. When Mr. Chamberlain inspires enthusiasm by dilating on the strength, power, and glory of the British Empire it is no' use confining oneself to reminding the constituencies that exports are paid for by imports, and that if we check imports our exports' must suffer too. And he succeeded in no small measure in. putting his arguments in a form which will appeal to the masses. Tu an ideal world bot' in theory and practice, for after all our fiscal system would be settled by experts this is a matter of business rather than of sentiment. But the campaign is certainly far more interesting in that it is not ce fined to any statistics and facts. Ver effective, evan from a tactical point of view, was the compliment which Mr. Asquith pai quite to Mr. Chamberlain—of course at the ex-ense ut Mr. Balfour. "Let us," he said, s from Sheffield to Glasgow. I must say that from one point of view it is rather a relief todo so. It is something like passing from the atmosphere of the footlights after the curtain has been rung down on a rather sorry force to the bustle and animation and reality of life in the open air. Mr. Chamber: ain may_be wrong or he may be right—for my part I think he is profoundly wrong; but any late he knows what he thinks, he says what he means, and he does not Tet dare not wait upon I would.'"
eral Hunter and Admiral Lambton, Doubtless we shall soon get a little tired of this fiscal campaign: but at present, while the Cabinet crisis is still acute, while we ne day on the authority of the snather Cabinet Minister—jard Londcnderry—is contemplating resignation, and learn from another quarter that the Attorney-General is to join the seceders. nothing dse is talked about. Ju military and naval circles, however, there has been keen interest in the heated controversy he-tween Sir Archibald Hunter and Admiral Heeworth Lambton. There is general satisfaction that the incident has been settled by an apology on one side and a withdrawal en the other. Bringing influence to bear on the General through the War Office, the 'Admiralty has induced Sir Archibald to apologise for his insulting suggestion, that the schoolgirls of Ladysmith could' have served the naval guns there better than the gunners, though at the same time he intimates that he has not changed his opinion ws to the inefficiency of the naval gunnery; and Admiral Lambton on his part has responded by withdrawing the charge of stupidity with which he retorted upon the General. On the whole the honours of the settlement certainly lie with Admiral Lambton.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.