The saddest part of the exhibition, however, was Mr. Parnell's
speech. After Mr. Trevelyan had pointed out in a very able speech that what incensed the Irish party was the successful detection of crime at all, and that in the first ten cases of that detection, capital punishment had been inflicted not for offences against the rich, but for the most horrible outrages on the poor, Mr. Parnell accused Mr. Trevelyan of being almost as bad as Mr. Forster,—a recognised Irish formula for exciting odium against any statesman,—and went on to assert that the Crimes Act, so far from being used to protect the poor, had been used for " the unexampled oppression of the humble people of the • country." And, unfortunately, Mr. Parnell's words are taken seriously as gospel truth in Ireland,—one of the most melan- choly instances of the strong delusion under which whole peoples labour, which modern history can produce.
Mr. Childers's National Debt Bill passed through Committee on Monday, the Irish party showing a certain unexpected favour towards it, on the very same night on which they had made so grave an attack on the Irish Government. Sir J. McKenna, who evidently wished to defeat the Bill, was ostentatiously deserted by the Irish party. This Bill is a real legislative gain of the first class, and renders the discharge of one of the nation's first duties pretty safe. We owe the Government hearty thanks for it.
