On St. Patrick's Day the Irish Members of Parliament very
naturally made a night of it ; but the peculiar 'feature of the debate was that Mr. Parnell discussed the Army Estimates, with an ability and knowledge which commanded the hearty respect not only of the House, but of Colonel Stanley, the Secretary for War ; and that Sir Stafford Northcote made a gross blunder, in attempting to treat Mr. Parnell's criticisms as if they were of an empty and obstructionist character. So great
was this blunder, that Colonel Stanley eventually almost took the lead of the House out of Sir S. Northcote's hands, when he agreed to reporting progress on grounds almost avowedly inconsistent with the Chancellor of the Exchequer's just-uttered reproaches. The Secretary for War understood the situation, which his leader had wholly mistaken. He saw that on this occasion, at least, Mr. Parnell had been discharging, with signal ability, a duty which it is greatly for the dignity and influence of the House of Commons that some one at least should be competent to discharge.
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