Sir Henry James, in speaking last week to his constituents
at Taunton, appears to have been exceedingly reticent on the chief question of the day. He said that all possible caution ought to be used before entering on an Indian war of which the results might be so serious, but that if it were absolutely necessary, then "there would be a common consent and common desire on the part of every Member of the House, on whichever side he sat, to maintain our Indian Empire, and to cast the burden of that maintenance on those best able to bear it." That is an exceedingly safe utterance, and comes to little more than saying that he hoped we should be very careful to do right, and, if we were, everybody * unite to support doing right. On the next
evening Sir James discoursed at great length on Mr. Mellor's 'fill fdr amending the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1876, but on more general questions he does not seem to have given any opinion more explicit than the ambiguous one we have cited on the Afghan war. It will not be a good sign, if the election addresses of the winter are to be distinguished chiefly by Liberal caution, and by Conservative candour.
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