Mr. Labouchere's speech was what is called a smashing one.
and was directed to prove that the object of the Chartered Company in the Matabele war and the Jameson Raid was solely to acquire a gold-bearing country, and thus to increase the immense profits which the great original shareholders, by the manipulation of the shares and their great rise in value, had already made. He demanded the dismissal of Mr. Rhodes and the dissolution of the Chartered Company, which he hoped would have " more than £1,000,000" to pay as indemnity to the Transvaal. Mr. Courtney was more moderate, and only demanded the resignation of Mr. Rhodes, whose previous services to the country he acknowledged, and the restoration of the control of the Company to honest men, under which circumstances be thought it might still do service to South Africa. The debate was adjourned, but its interest, of course, ended with Mr. Chamberlain's speech announcing the decision of the Government, which the Opposition will not uselessly challenge by a vote. That decision meets, we should say, with fairly general approval, not because it is the best possible, but because in circumstances of exceeding difficulty it secure& time for the recovery of men's tempers, and for the discussion with Sir Hercules Robinson—who is to return to the Cape after his visit—of a permanent policy for the future.
