Lord Salisbury's prognostics were entirely pacific, " at all events,
for the period of your Lordship's administration ;" but the world, though at peace, had agreed " to quarrel very much," especially about tariffs. The pig, the lobster, and the seal bad been formidable causes of dissension, the United States holding that American bacon is not as much esteemed in Europe as it ought to be, the people of the Balkan Peninsula being also much exercised by the wish to utilise their abundance of pork ; and France having a chronic dispute with England concerning the lobster-fisheries of Newfoundland, and the -United States with England concerning the seal-fisheries of the Behring Sea. Lord Salisbury was evidently not sanguine that the collapse of the protective policy in the United States would terminate the era of high and retaliatory Customs- duties ; and on the subject of the new industrial agitation for the strict limitation of the hours of labour, he was still less sanguine. He thought it would be extremely mis- chievous to the interests of the working classes, but their pre- possession in favour of legislative interference would make itself felt, and draw away a good deal of capital to the industrial enterprises of the Continent. Lord Salisbury declared, however, that any interference of the Government in the discussion would stimulate instead of soothing the angry feeling between Capital and Labour. He held also that our commerce depends very largely on the extension of our large Colonial Empire ; in other words, that trade cer- tainly follows the flag. The coming Session of Parliament, and the Government programme for it, were not even distantly alluded to.
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