On the whole the "Opposition have accepted the position much more quietly than was expected. There has not boon half the turmoil over the incident that there would have boon, say, fifty years ago. People realise nowadays that the doings of Parliament have but a small practical effect on our daily lives. The Irish are very active, it is trae. Mr. Redmond announced the intention of his party to strain every nerve to make things as difficult as possible for the Government which would not resign, and they ae carrying out their threat. In one respect they overstepped the mark, and Me. Redmond had to draw them back. They blocked all the private bills. Many, in fact most, of these ure quite uncontroversial. They have cost in the aggregate many thousands of pounds to promote, and their postponement to another Session would involve a tremendous loss. Many of them are for local onterprises that will give employment to hundreds it not thousands of people. Even if Mr. Balfour had consented to postpone the prorogation he could hardly have forced more than a fow of them through against the Irish opposition. Fortunately, however, Mr. Rod-mond has been induced to seo that the action of his party was aiding rather than injuring the Unionist Party by arousing intense indignation not only against the Nationalists but against their Liberal allies. Ho has therefore announced that hie lias no quarrel with the English domocracy and has instructed his followers to allow the private bills to pass.
The Lords and the Fiscel Question.
Last night the Duke off Devonshire acted perhaps the most valuable debate on the fiscal question that has yet taken place in either House. It was originally fixed for Monday last, but was postponed on account of the political ecisis. The Dake's resolution declared disapproval both of the establishment of a general or penal tariff, and of Colonial preferences based on the taxation of food. The Government once more avoided a direct vote on these issues by moving the "previous question," but the Freotradors had the satisfaction of mustering 57 supportors—the largest vote that has been recorded against a Unionist Government since the Home Rule split, with the knowledge that on a clear their minority vote would have boon even larger. As it was, the Government had a majority of two to one. The value of the debate was, however, that it has made it decidedly more clear than it ever was before that Mr. talfour's fiscal policy is not the same as Mr. Chamberlain's, and that if he makes the same he will lose many of his pre-porters. Even the "Times" a mits this morning that Mr. Chamberlin "wants a grea deal more than Mr. Balfour," and has been perhaps rather too much disposed to claim that Mr, Balfour agrees with him.'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.