The significance of this remark of Mr. Gladstone's was seen
at the dinner given to Mr. Parnell on Wednesday by certain Liberal Members of Parliament, Mr. Dillwyn in the chair. Not a single official or semi-official Liberal was present. Even Mr. Whitbread was conspicuous by his absence. Mr. Sydney Buxton was perhaps the least extreme man present, unless we except Mr. Dillwyn himself, who, honourable as his career has been, has of late years become almost as Parnellite in his sympathies, though not as ostentatious in parading them, as Mr. Conybeare or even Mr. Labouchere himself. Mr. Dillwyn, in proposing Mr. Parnell's health, declared that it was a mistake to suppose that the muses of our people are indifferent to the welfare of Ireland, in which we quite agree with him. It is because they are so earnest to promote that welfare that they have no inten- tion of handing over Ireland to Mr. ParnelL Mr. Dillwyn was apologetic for the absence of all the official and semi-official Liberals. " He had heard on good authority that their great leader and the other leaders of the Liberal Party cordially con- curred in what they were doing." Then why were they not pre- sent to show how cordial that concurrence was P
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