On the same day, Lord Carlingford made a speech at
'Coventry in singular contrast to Lord Randolph Churchill's. It was, if anything, over-moderate. The Lord Privy Seal declared on his honour that there was nothing to reveal about the release of Mr. Parnell, for that the public already knew all, but admitted fully that as to the expediency of that release there was room for difference of opinion. He showed with- out the slightest heat that so far from the murder of Lord Frederick Cavendish having produced the Crimes Bill, -the Bill was being drawn up by a Committee of the Cabinet 'before Lord Spencer left England, and Lord F. Cavendish was himself present at its consultations. Finally, while deprecating -any idea of living in a fool's paradise of optimism, he declared his full belief that the Land Act had given to large numbers of Irish tenants "encouragement in their industry, and increased -contentment with the laws under which they live ;" and that, although there is still in Ireland "great traditionary dissatis- faction and suspicion of this country," we are on the way to the -cure of the disease. Lord Carlingford speaks too seldom. Few men understand Ireland as he does, and fewer still are able to keep themselves free from the rancour which Irish subjects, more than any other, provoke. His is pre-eminently a sane judgment.
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