Lord Monck, who is a shrewd politician, with large experience
both of Ireland and of Canada, also wrote a letter to Thursday's Times, to advocate the establishment of Local Assemblies in every separate part of the United Kingdom,—Assemblies to which Parliament might delegate as much local work as it chose, retaining its present complete authority over all, and, of course, its present representative character in relation to all. The only objection to this proposal is that it would not in the remotest degree satisfy the Irish wishes and claims, and further, that as yet other parts of the United Kingdom are not ripe for it. Indeed, if the Union is to be really safe, it would be impossible at pre- sent to delegate even as much power to the Irish Local Assembly as it would be possible to delegate to the Scotch, or Welsh, or English Local Assemblies. And to give Ireland less of real independence than the other local sections would be certainly regarded by the Paruellite Members as a pure mockery, to say nothing of the fact that Ireland demands for her Assembly a thoroughly national character.
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