3 OCTOBER 1868, Page 2

Sir George Bowyer answers for Sister Patrocinio and Father Claret,

the ex-Queen of Spain's religious confidants, that they have never advised her politically because they were entirely inno- cent of political knowledge of any kind. He might as well say that a child is too ignorant of arithmetic to do its sums wrong. Mr. R. Arthur Arnold makes the very obvious reply that it was be- cause they knew no politics that their advice was so bad, and he might, with considerable safety, have added that it was in all pro- bability because they were so ignorant of politics, not only that they advised Isabella wrong, but that they advised her at all. They did not even know that it takes knowledge to decide a political question. They probably thought ignorance the better qualifica- tion.