31 JULY 1920, Page 14

DISRARLI AND GLADSTONE.

1To THE EDITOR OF THE-" SPECTATOR"]

Sza,—In confirmation of what Mr. Bassett so forcibly demon- strates, perhaps you will allow me to give a personaLrecollec- tion. I happened to be nearly alone in the Ladies' Gallery during an energetic speech of Mr. Gladetone's in which he ,was indignantly attacking some phase- of Mr. Disraeli's policy, when, to my great. surprise, having ended a sentence with the words—" The Rt. Hon. Gentleman• and his. satellites "—Mr. Gladstone, I do believe, for the one and only time in his life, lost his thread and came to a- dead, stop for a minute or two. Disraeli, who had been listening, in his usual impassive style with his head bent and his-arms folded, sat up, leant forward, and repeated the word "satellites" as if giving:Mr. Gladstone his cue. The House roared -with laughter, in which Mr. Glad- stone joined; and he then paid a warm tribute to Mr. Disraeli for hie good humour, taking occasion to say that there had never been personal ill-will between them. He then took up his attack afresh. I much regret that I cannot recall the date of the incident, but I think the subject in hand was the Eastern question, and the date some time in the 'seventies.—I am, -Sir,