The Mar q uis of Westminster, in movin g the Address, made a
sensible speech, gritty with facts out of place,—such as the number of beerhouses in England,—but clear, and containing one hint which, if it is inspired, is exceedingly noteworthy. He said, " In a clever article in Macmillan for October the qualifications for a War Minister were stated to be that he must be a statesman, yet a soldier; an able speaker, yet intimately acquainted with the details of the Army and its requirements; that he must be firm, yet conciliatory, and, above all, that he must remain a sufficiently long time in office. The article went on to speak of the difficulty of finding such a man. He believed, however, that the Govern- ment were strong enough to surmount all those difficulties." Is that Sir William Mansfield, or. Sir H. Storks—who is pretty safe for Ripon—or who ? Lord Roseberry echoed the royal speech, in a discourse which the Duke of Richmond called " conspicuous," but which reads feebly; and then the Duke of Richmond, as leader of the Opposition, criticized the Ministry, scolded Mr. Bruce for likening France to a housebreaker, hinted that Government had been weak about Russia, asked about our relations with America, touched the weak place about Greece, and noted the entire omission of any remark about the Navy, hinted that Mr. Childers' illness was illegal, quoted Recess speeches to show that the Cabinet did not know what it was at about the defences, but made no very serious attack.
