Lord Salisbury had to reply on Wednesday to a deputation
from East Essex, expressing the utmost confidence in him as Tory Leader. His tone was quite changed, all the sarcasm and passion gone. He bad never, be said, claimed for the House of Lords the right of forcing an appeal to the people. It should refuse its assent to any measure it disapproves ; but it should not refuse its assent to a measure it considers judicious merely for the purpose of bringing about a Dissolution. "The arrange- ment which has been made depends, no doubt, for its execution, in some of its most important particulars, on the pledged word of our opponents. I have heard that fact quoted as a ground for dissatisfaction with what has been done. To my mind, it is no ground for such dissatisfaction. Though we are dealing with our opponents, we are dealing with English gentlemen ; and I am quite sure that any paltering with the pledged word which they have passed, would be as repugnant to their natural instincts, as it would be fatal to the position of any political leaders who could bring themselves so low. I do not think there is the slightest ground for uneasiness or disturbance on that head." No doubt the greatest danger of disagreement will arise on the question of weeding the counties of urban elements; but as we have elsewhere said, we believe that any very thorough- going process of that kind would alarm moderate Conservatives as much as it would disgust moderate Liberals.
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