Sir Stafford Northcote and Mr. Gibson both spoke at Exeter
on Wednesday, on the occasion of the founding of a new Con- stitutional Club. Sir Stafford Northcote did little more than congratulate himself on the real existence of the Conservative working-man, and rally the Government on the uncertainty of their Egyptian policy. Mr. Gibson spoke of Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Harlington as "doves with contradictory voices," whom the political Noah had let out of the Ark of the Cabinet, neither of whom had as yet found his long-sou,ght-for Ararat. Mr. Chamberlain, he said, was like Sheridan, who had declared himself for "universal suffrage, annual Parliaments, and oftener if needs be,"—and who had boasted that no one had ever promised more than to be "an oftener if needs be" man. This is very fair chaff, but beyond very fair chaff, Mr. Gibson had nothing to say. He reiterated, of course, the old arguments against letting Ireland declare her true political opinions, when those political opinions may turn out to be inconvenient to us.
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