It is believed that Lord Carnarvon has resigned, or is
imme- diately about to resign, the Viceroyalty of Ireland, and that he will be followed by the Chief Secretary, Sir W. Hart Dyke. The policy of fighting agrarian revolt through the ordinary law has, in fact, failed ; and as Lord Carnarvon believed in that policy, and carried it out consistently, it is necessary to find some other instrument. No official announcement has yet been made; but it is reported, on the one hand, that the Viceroyalty is to be put in commission—that is, we suppose, prac- tically entrusted to Lord Ashbonrne—and on the other, that it is to be abolished by statute. The latter might be an advisable course, as it would make the Cabinet more directly responsible for the government of Ireland ; but, in truth, all projects are premature. Every change in Ireland is and must be dependent on the great question of the relation of Ireland to Britain, which for the present dominates politics, and which, in spite of the hesitations of all parties, including the Parnellites, will soon be forced to the front. With the timbers cracking, even the officers cannot pre- vent the sailors from asking questions and suggesting measures for the safety of the ship ; and if there is too much reticence in the cabin, there may be mutiny in the forecastle.
