The Government has broken silence at last. On Saturday, Lord
Lawrence addressed to the Prime Minister a request that he would receive, on or before Wednesday last, a deputation, consist- ing of men of both parties in the State, who would endeavour to induce the Government to send out instructions to India by telegraph forbidding the commencement of war with Afghanistan for the present, until specific instructions had been received from England ; would press for papers throwing light on the quarrel, between April 1st, 1876, and the latest date ; and would ask for the early assembling of Parliament. On Tues- day, Lord Beaconsfield sent his very characteristic reply. —consisting of three separate sneers. The opinions indicated in Lord Lawrence's letter would, he said, receive the attention of the Cabinet ; but he was at a loss to perceive " what useful purpose could be served by a more extended expression of those opinions by a deputation, more especially as the Government and the country had already so frequently and so recently had the advantage of copious explanations of them, both from your lord- ship, and others who act with you." With regard to the assembling of Parliament, Lord Beaconsfield was evasive. Communications would, of course, be made to Parliament, such as "the letter and the spirit of the Act of 1838 would seem to require ;" (but how soon Parliament would be consulted, in case of war, the Prime Minister gave no hint at all.) To make the proper communications to Parliament would, says Lord Beaconsfield. "appear to be a not less satisfactory and scarcely less constitutional mode of meeting the occasion, than a process of memorials and deputations." The papers to be so communicated would com- mence, "not with the date of 1st April, 1876, mentioned by your lordship, but at a much earlier period," and had been for some time in preparation. They had been delayed only by their voluminous- ness,—by the way, it is more than three months since they were formally promised,—and would be out by the end of the month. Thus the deputation was refused, with a sneer at Lord Lawrence and his friends for their past protests ; with another sneer at them for their present proposal ; and with a third sneer at Lord Lawrence and Lord Northbrook for their suggested reluctance to go back to their own share in the present complications.
