Mr. Walter's seat for Berkshire is seriously threatened, the Liberals
being irritated at his steady support of some of the worst acts of the Government. Yesterday week he attended a meeting of the Newbury Liberal Association, at Newbury, to defend him- self against his dissatisfied constituents. About 250 gentlemen were present,—Mr. George Palmer, M.P., in the chair,—and Mr. Walter made a long speech, the gist of which was that at first he was not at all favourable to the Turkish policy of the Government, and gave them fair notice that he would not sanction the spending cf a penny to prolong the existence of Turkey, but that afterwards, when it came to supporting or opposing the Anglo-Turkish Con- vention, and to a question of resisting Russia in Afghanistan, he changed his mind, and ought to be held free to do so, as there is " a very limited number of Englishmen sufficiently educated, or competent, to form opinions on those great lines of policy which influence our relations with foreign countries." Especially in regard to India, " there is so much ignorance, not only in the country, but in the House of Commons,"—might not Mr. Walter have added, and especially in the mind of the Prime Minister P—that an independent man has a right to his in- dependence ; and Mr. Walter had exercised his accordingly,—to go wrong. The meeting was not satisfied, and when Mr. Walter and his friends left it, amid mingled cheers and hisses, it was resolved to find a better Liberal to represent Berkshire, if possible.
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