30 JANUARY 1886, Page 2

The Government entrusted its defence to Mr. Chaplin, who was

aggravating and injudicious. He sneered at his opponents as aldermen, grew tedious in denouncing small oulture—which had little to do with the matter in hand—and then declared that the Government were anxious to promote allotments. He was assisted by Mr. A. Balfour, who, however, was so disturbed by the obvious majority against him, that he offered to include the purchase of small holdings among the powers to be delegated to local authorities ; by Mr. Finch-Hatton, who only wanted delay till the Government could explain their plan ; and by Sir M. Hicks-Beach, who accepted the 'notion as one intended to turn out the Government, and professed their readiness to depart. The argumentative speech on this side was, however, that of Mr. Gosahen, who made mince- meat of the motion on political and social grounds. He declared that it was not coat mined in the "authorised programme;" showed that it weuld involve unendurable expense; pointed out that, in presence of State action, voluntary action must be suspended; and finally ref uaed to be "converted," like some of those around Wm, in three days. The main ob.;ect of his speech, which made a deep impression, ws.1 to show that the central idea of Mr. Collings and his friends was to supersede individual action by the eorepening rewer Of thi3 state.