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Nevertheless, after a wrangle which took all the enthusiasm out

of the House, and something like half-an-hour's explanations out of Mr. Gladstone,—which exhausted the attention of Members, and protracted the preliminaries up to the usual dinner-hour,—while many were streaming out to dine, and those who remained looked de- jectedly at their watches, Mr. Gladstone—who is sixty-eight years of age—sprang again to his feet, and without any sign of diminished spirit, delivered a noble speech, lasting two hours and a half, fall

of argumentative point, of bitter irony, of historical detail, of keen invective, and of grand declamation. It was the greatest triumph of irrepressible moral and physical vitality over depress- ing conditions which was, perhaps, ever won in the House of Commons.

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