Parliament reopened on Tuesiay after the Easter recess. The first business should have been the Licensing Bill, which is to prevent publicans from having the renewal of their licenses refused without compensation by magistrates who desire to reduce the number of public-houses in their district; but on the opening day Mr. Balfour amounted that this measure would be postponed for a week or so in order to obtain Parliamentary sanction for the employment of troops in Tibet. The two battles in which some hundreds of Tibetans have been killed have rendered it impossible to regard the troops sent with Colonel Younghusband as being any longer a mere military escort accompanying a peaceful mission, and the sanction of Parliament to their employment beyond the Indian frontier had become necessary. The motion gave rise to a livd debate in the Commons-on Wednesday but although Sir Henry Campbs Bannerman and other Liberals spoke in more or less strong deprecation of the expedition, they did not go the length of voting against the resolution, contenting themselves with walking out of the House. The Government therefore had a majority of 270 to 61, the minority being composed of Irish Nationalists and 'a sprinkling of "Little Englanders."
Mr. Chamberlain's Return.
Mr. Chamberlain arrives in London from his holiday tour to-day. It is not expected for a moment that he will at once renew his raging tearing propa: ganda indeed it has been understood all along that his next campaign in the constituencies will not begin until the autumn—unless of course a General Election should occur in the meantime. On the other hand we may be perfectly certain that there is not a shadow of truth in the rumour circulated a few days ago that in view of the hostility of the -country to his proposals exhibited at recent bye-elections he had resolved drop his campaign, Mr. Chamberlain is not so easily benton as this. Probably Mr. Balfour and his colleagues would be very glad if they could induce the ex-Colonial Secretary to drop it; Dut it would of course moan the rain of his political career. Moreover, while it is trae that the recent contests seem to show that the majority of the electors of the country are still Free Traders, the groat bulk of the Conservatives are as Certainly Protectionist, and the sudden Groping of Tariff Reform would break up the party perhaps even more hope-Jeusly than did its adoption. Everybody will hope that Mr. Chamberlain has returned thoroughly restored to health, for his condition at the time of his departure gave rise to grave uneasiness. His campaign had taxed his physical powers far Deyond his strength; and it is understood that in his next campaign he will not attempt nearly as much.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.