Parliament met on Monday to hear the Queen's Speech, which
merely said that it had been summoned in obedience to the terms of the proclamation of June 28th, and that as all the necessary business had been transacted before the Dissolu- tion, it would not be necessary to detain it in Session at an unusual period of the year. In the Upper House, Lord Kimberley, who took the lead of the Opposition, declined to make any review of the political situation, remarking that the Queen's Speech offered no subject for discussion, and that the general views of the Opposition were well known. Lord Cowper made some remarks on the danger of having a Govern- ment in power for six months which might not have a majority at its back, though it had been enabled to turn out the present Government. Lord Northbrook and Lord Camper- down commented with some severity on "the conspiracy of silence," and Lord Salisbury did not feel called upon to defend what had not been attacked. The only important speech was made by the Duke of Devonshire, who compared the actual state of Ireland with that which Mr. John Morley predicted, and showed how completely his predictions had been falsified by the event ; and he pressed the question how far it was possible to place confidence in an administration of Ireland which had shown ignorance so complete of all the conditions of government in Ireland, and of the results to be expected from the policy which is just about to be reversed. The majority would, no doubt, restore Mr. Gladstone to power, but that would only enable him to attempt again that in which he has failed once already. Lord Herschell asserted the right of the Opposition to hold its tongue, and rebuked the supporters of the Government for antici- pating that the incoming Administration would be indifferent to the maintenance of order in Ireland. We hope that Lord Herschell's rebuke may be justified by the event. But whatever Mr. Gladstone's Government may do, when weighted by responsibility, there can be no question but that, in Opposition, it has palliated conspiracy and condoned crime.
