NEWS OF THE WEEK.
MR. GLADSTONE has received an enthusiastic reception at Nottingham, where the National Liberal Federation is sitting this year, and on Tuesday and Wednesday delivered -speeches marked by all his old fire and much of his old eloquence, though the latter, we note, tends more to rhetoric than formerly. 'Of the first speech we have said enough, perhaps, elsewhere. It was an extension of his order, "Remember Mitehelstown !" being from first to last an indictment of the Irish police, whom he -accused of illegality, of employing agents provocateurs, and of -slaughtering innocent old men without excuse. He asked for judgment on them, not trial; and in one passage, given textually elsewhere, went near to suggesting that they deserved Lynch-law. The speech will inflame all hearts in Ireland, and impair security throughout Britain, and grievously hurt all those -who, with ourselves, believed that in Mr. Gladstone's mind the good of the whole commonwealth outweighed all party considera- tions. The second speech was, in the main, on Home-rale, and con- tained some splendid passages, the drift of the whole being that Ireland must have a Parliament ; that this Parliament ought not to be interfered with; and that, for the rest, Mr. Gladstone must consult his colleagues, Ireland, Ulster, the majority, Mr. Parnell, anybody, except the people of England. We hold him right in refusing pledges, bat it must be clearly noted that they are refused.
