Mr. Gladstone arrived in London on his way to Cannes
on Monday, and was at once waited upon by Mr. T. P. O'Connor, M.P., who brought him an address, engrossed in a green morocco album, from certain Irish-Americans who belong to the "Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick," founded as long ago as 1784,—a Society which was thanked in a special letter by George Washington for the part which it took in aiding the movement for American Independence. The "Friendly Sons of St. Patrick "had nothing better to say than that they had always sympathised with the effort to grant such independence to Ireland as had already been secured for "Great Britain and her Colonies," forgetting that Mr. Glad- stone had demanded for Ireland privileges which he proposed to deny to Great Britain, and which, if he had asked them for Great Britain, would have been vetoed by Ireland with shrieks of resentment. They forget, too, that Mr. Gladstone had never yet asked for any independently governed Colony, anything like the share in governing Great Britain which he had asked for Ireland. Mr. Gladstone, in his reply, of course expressed great interest in the "Friendly Sons of St. Patrick," and then went on to urge on the Irish party the absolute necessity for putting down division both in their counsels and in their action, if they really desired to carry his Irish policy to a successful issue. That is very sound advice, though it is against the very grain of the Irish political nature to follow it. But even if it could be followed, it would not convert the "predominant partner" to a policy almost as injurious to Great Britain as it would be ruinous to Ireland.
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