Lord Dufferin made an amusing little speech on Monday. Sir
IL Peel recently attacked the Duchy of Lancaster, so the Chan- cellor defended its management, which he says is very good, though he only proved his case by showing that it was economical. 'The Duchy does not waste, but then does it collect like an -ordinary landlord? We are under a vague impression that it is as lenient as the Ecclesiastical Commission, the best landlord in England. Lord Dufferin further explained that the Chancellor 'was not the Lotus-eater of the Cabinet, but rather the Cabinet's maid-of-all-work, set to do anything for which anybody else was too busy. He himself had had to reorganize military education, to look after Chelsea Hospital, to examine into the construction of war-ships, and had only just escaped having to preside over the -Contagious Diseases' Commission. That is the kind of way we manage matters in England. Lord Dufferin, who does know Ireland, is put to do odd jobs, and has not even a consultative voice ; while Lord Hartington, who knows two or three British depart- ments, is set to govern Ireland, with a Committee to help him.
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