Lord Beaconsfield has been bolder than we anticipated, and not
only has the vacant seat in the Cabinet been given to Mr. W. H. Smith, the Secretary to the Treasury, but he has been made First Lord of the Admiralty: The appointment is a popular one, and will strengthen the Ministry, for reasons we give else- where, but it is nevertheless in some respects a bold experiment. Mr. Smith's faculty of controlling men, though it may be known to Lord Beaconsfield, has not yet been displayed before the country,—and this, and not "business capacity," is the
Wet of a First Lord. The experiment, however, may succeed ; and if it does, Lord Beaconsfield will have greatly strengthened his party, which needs a leading " citizen " in its front ranks, without doing any injury to the State. The selection found decided favour with the Commons, when announced in the form of an application for a new writ, and Mr. Smith will be unopposed at Westminster. It is believed, probably with justice, that Sir Massey Lopes—now Civil Lord of the Admiralty—will be the new Secretary to the Treesu■ry, but Lord Beaconsfield may again play his favourite part of Ilaroun, and stoop down among his people for a new man.
