A few nights before Major Seely, the Unionist Freefooder who sits for the Isle of Wight, and who has also strongly opposed the Government on the Chinese Ordinance, was almost howled down when be rose 16 spak. Ho was taunted with not having resigned his seat since he could no longer vote with the Government which he was returned to support. He accepted the challenge, and sent in his resignation, and now the Conservative organisation of the Isle of Wight has allowed him to be returned unopposed as an opponent of the Government. It is perhaps the heaviest blow that the Government and Mr. Chamberlain have yet received. "It is thought best," the president of the Isle of Wight Conservative Association writes, "'in the interests of the expenditure of the year. Moreover the revenue for the coming year on the sam? basis of taxation would, other things being equal, naturally show a further reduction of income, since the full effects of Mr. Ritchie's remissions of taxation would not be felt till the second year. On the other hand the estimates of expenditure in the coming year are somewhat lower than last year, when the final war charges were paid. The net result is, however, that Mr. "aus. ten Chamberlain will have' to devise some means of raising" another three and a-half millions. The Government is pledged not to make any departure from our Free Trade system until at least one General Election has taken place and' the general expectation is that the Income Tax will be increased by one penny, which will produce about 24 millions, and that tobacco will probably be made to bear the other million. The new Chancellor of the Exchequer may make an effort to prove that he possesses some originality of mind; but in any case, it will be a work of superhuman difficulty under the circumstances to produce a popular Budget, The Boatrace.
It is said that the Oxford and Cambridge boat rue produced this year the smallest attendance within living memory; and possibly the statement is accurate, for the Race was rowed at a quarter to eight on a chilly morning. There were nevertheless a good many thousands along the course, and if the day has become of late years less of a general holiday, the interest' in the event among those who delight in genuine sport without any taint of professionalism or of pot-hunting, has not in the least. declined. Nor is the enthusiasm of the Universities themselves abated, There was this year only one Old Blue in each hoyt; but the pra is of course so open thit there was no difficulty in gauging the abilities of the rival crews, and Cambridge's victory is another confirmation of the theory that in these races the favourite almost invariably By some it was regarded 28 a good race because Oxford was lending for a considerable time; but Cambridge appears to have been holding in reserve and to the ex-witness the issue of the race was never in doubt.
The Lord of Nuncham Courtney.
By th death of Mr. Aubrey Harcourt, the estates of Nuneham Courtney and Stanton Harcourt, in Oxfordshire, have just come into the possession of his uncle Sir William Harcourt, whom Toby, M.P., will therefore hardly be able to go' on dubbing the " Squire of Malwood." Stanton Harcourt. has been in possession of the Harcourts and of their descendants in the female line, the Vernon-Harcourts, for seven hundred years. Sir William is often chaffed even now he-cause in a public speech made many ago he boasted of his Plantagenet blood but no one denies, of course, that both the Vernons and the Harcourts are among the oldest of our-noble families, Tne Vernons, I believe, can really substantiate their elaine to have "come over with the Conqueror and the Harcourts can trace their pedigree to a period more than a hundred yours Conservative party not to be forced into a trial of strength at such an inopportune moment ""—a frank confession that no tariff reform or retaliation candidate that they could get would have stood a ghost of a chance against Major Seely. Mr. Churchill, it should be noted, has offered to resign his seat for Oldham. but the Oldham Conservatives have declined the offer.
The Year's Revenue.
Yesterday was the last day of the financial fear, and the customary abstract of the Jear's accounts was issued from the Trea sury. It shows that the year's receipts into the Exchequer amounted to £141,506.0°9 which is nearly two and three-quarier iuiljealier, the elder branch still holding the Dukedom of Harcourt in France." Sir William's great-grandfather, the first Lord Vernon, married the niece and heiress of Earl Harcourt, and so the Harcourt estates came into the family.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.