NEWS OF THE WEEK.
MR. FORSTER'S Coercion Bill has not yet gone beyond its first reading, and only reached that on Wednesday by a revolutionary procedure of the Speaker's. On Friday week, the debate dragged on without much life,—the Solicitor-General for Ireland showing, however, how real and how dreadful are many of the outrages which the Government ask power to sup- press ; and Mr. Gladstone, in a very powerful speech, proving that this Bill is not aimed at popular agitation, cannot touch even the Land League, or those who, by mere persuasion, attempt to induce others to break contracts, but solely affects those under direct suspicion of being personally concerned in -outrage. He attacked Mr. Parnell with great force for the -very different tenor of the language used in Ireland and at home,—only, unfortunately, Mr. Fonder put into Mr. Gladstone's hands, as he was speaking, a passage never spoken by Mr. Parnell, but by another Land-leaguer, who had used less carefully-worded formulas ; and this blunder had to be avowed next day.
