ti "A Conservative M.P.," who attained the honours of large
type in the Times of Wednesday and Friday, attempted to prove that Mr. Gladstone was entirely wrong in the statement he made as to the necessity of reporting the Votes for the Army and Navy on Monday next, in order to keep within the require- ments of the law as to the Appropriation Act ; and for this purpose, he appended a memorandum to his first angry letter, in which he professed to show how the Votes themselves might have been delayed till next Monday, while the law might still have been adequately adhered to. Unfortunately for " A Con- servative LP." and his pretentious letters, this memorandum in- volved the sacrifice to the Government of every day belonging to private Members, besides making no allowance at all for obstruction or lengthened debates. Further, it assumed that the messenger could leave Mentone with the Queen's assent to the Appropriation Bill late on the Monday night, though there is no fast train at that time, and could arrive in London on Wednesday. Mr. Gladstone showed sufficiently, on Thursday night, how little knowledge of technical details "A Conserva- tive M.P." possessed. What lengths will not party spirit go to, to prove Mr. Gladstone wilful and imperious, when his censors are persons who know hardly anything about the technical matters of which Mr. Gladstone is the greatest master ? And to what lengths will not the Times go to con- firm the impression that its own timid and vacillating distrust of Mr. Gladstone is shared by persons of authority ?
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