NEWS OF THE WEEK.
MR. GLADSTONE has been confined to his room all the week by a troublesome cold, which does not, however, inspire any serious anxiety. His absence from the House of Commons has, perhaps, rather multiplied than diminished the number of rumours as to ,his Irish policy,—rumours which may all be carefully disregarded as utterly devoid of authority. We may be quite sure of this, that Mr. Gladstone will keep his secret well, and that nothing will be known con- cerning his policy before "the Ides of March" at earliest, and probably not so soon. In the meantime, the public are very eager for some plan which will rid them of the haunting pro- blem what to do with Ireland, and how to get rid of Irish obstruction. They eagerly desire a simple solution, and they are quite right But they will not get one. There are only two simple solutions,—to hold on as we are with a little healthy tenacity of purpose, or to sever the bond between Ireland and Great Britain altogether. Neither solution is even under con- sideration, and no other can be in any sense simple. Whatever may be proposed will be full of prospective difficulties and complications of every shade and degree of intensity.
