The extraordinary speech of the debate was Mr. Gladstone'e. The
leader of the Opposition began the first part of his speech by justifying his own Government in not answering the French invitation; then exempted Lord Salisbury from censure, as having a right to decide ; and then sharply snubbed Mr. Robertson for talking of a constitutional and well-ordered State which we were bound to support, as a "miserable Monarchy." The House began to rub its eyes, but then Mr. Gladstone began to argue that past differences among the French did not signify--Sir J. Fergusson, of course, had meant present differences—that to avoid attending the centenary of the French Revolution was as offensive as it would be for the French to avoid attending a celebration in honour of our own; that the proceeding was only passed over by the French "because it excited their contempt ;" that he hoped such an act would never be repeated, and that "it was an act of folly, though free from the taint of malice,—an error of judgment of a very gross kind." The gradual decadence of the speech from statesmanship to Radicalism was exceedingly curious, suggesting to Mr. Goschen that his opponent had actually for- gotten at the close of his speech what he said at the beginning. It was exactly typical of the change which has come over ..Mr. Gladstone's politics since he formed an alliance with the party of Home-rule.
