A deputation from South-East Lancashire waited on Lord Salisbury on
Thursday, to congratulate him on the result of his labours at Berlin, and Lord Salisbury seized the opportunity to de- fend himself from Mr. Gladstone's criticisms. He excused the line Great Britain had taken in advocating capitalised payments to the Porte in place of the old tributes from the newly emancipated States on the very unworthy ground that it was done to diminish the British creditors' loss on the Turkish debts: declared that all the country wrested from Bulgaria was wrenched from Russia, —which was the thing to be proved, our own contention being that the great Bulgaria would have been far more independent of Russia than the smaller,— and complained bitterly of the tendency of Mr. Gladstone's speech to create between England and France. But his chief point was that the Liberals are jealous of all extension of the power of England, and that a Power which once becomes stationary must soon begin to decay. But are the Liberals jealous of any extension of the power of England ? We, at least, can disclaim it, from our hearts. But we must disclaim also such pretended extension of nominal power as leaves all real power far behind.
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