The speeches on Friday and Monday, on the Government side,
with the exception of Sir Stafford Northcote's, were compara- tively of minor importance. Mr. Bourke spoke of the idea that her Majesty's Government would abandon neutrality, except in defence of British "interests," as a "dangerous delusion," and accepted the Home Secretary's definition of those interests, but spoke warmly against the policy of dismembering Turkey, and punishing n "young monarch" who "had no part in the misgovernment and cruelty which bad occurred,"—quite a new notion of the continuous responsibility of Govern- ments. The Chancellor of the Exchequer on Monday was even more emphatic, declaring that the Govern- ment intended to be anxiously neutral, unless the direct route between Great Britain and India were attacked. He would not state precisely what the "direct route" was, but left it to be inferred that in his opinion it was the route through Egypt, and carefully expressed his agreement with those who thought that "imaginary dangers" might be turned into real ones by hastiness and panic. This was the substance of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's speech, which for the rest, was made up mainly of more or less amusing criticism on Mr. Glad- stone's change of front, summed up in a parody not unworthy of Punch :—
"The first that died was number three, Then followed four and five,— And naught but their vacuity
Has kept the two alive.
'How many are there then?' I said, If only two survive.
The statesman merely shook his bead, And answered, 'There are five."
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