In the House of Lords, on Thursday, two reconnaissances were
made by Lord Granville and Lord Oranmore and Browne, to discover whether the Government intended this abortive Bill only as a beginning of legislation, or as payment in full of the Irish Catholics' demands ; but the result of these reconnais- sances,—as of reconnaissances in general,—was indecisive. In answer to Lord Granville, Lord Cairns said that the Government were "not disposed to make any proposals dealing with University Education in Ireland at present, other than those contained in that Bill ;" and when cross-examined as to the meaning of the words " at present," drew back, and said, with almost Johnsonian emphasis,—" When her Majesty's Government submit a proposal to Parliament in a Bill, that is the proposal which they intend to make." In reply to Lord Oranmore and Browne, Lord Beaconsfield deprecated the attempt to " obfuscate " the purpose of her Majesty's Government, by attributing to them "a probable intention " of introducing at some future stage "amendments quite different from and contrary to the subject." If, indeed, Lord Oranmoro and Browne, or his friends, liked to propose amendments to the Bill, offering further endowments, either in this or the other House of Parliament, those amendments would certainly receive respectful consideration ; but at present, Lord Beaconsfield objected to having hypothetical Bills discussed, when the only Bill for which the Government was responsible was per- fectly clear and simple. These replies may be either intended to induce the Catholics to hesitate before they reject what they might amend into something tolerable, or merely to mislead the Liberals ; and of course, the suggestion that Lord Oranmore and Browne might like to endow a University intended for Catholics, was a sarcasm. But why waste speculation on a dead folly P The Bill, headless as it stands, was never meant sincerely, and can hardly be refitted with a head in Committee.
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