A political crisis always brings one windfall,—a shower of coronets.
Among the pretensions to promotion which the troubles of last week have ripened are some that are incontest- able. Mr. Knatchbull-Hugessen has fairly earned his Privy Councillorship, if he cares to be called "Right Honourable," by four years' good official work and a respectable display of Parlia- mentary capacity. Lord Normanton ehanges his Irish earldom for the same rank in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which is of course a distinct step, socially and politically. Sir Robert Shafto Adair, brother of the present M.P. for Ipswich, has strong party claims, which are to be rewarded with a peerage ; he sat during two Parliaments as M.P. for Cambridge, and unsuccess- fully underwent no less than eleven contests in the Liberal interest, chiefly for county seats. We can understand why these promotions are made, and why they are desired. But why should Lord Portman choose as the reward of his services as Lord Warden of the Stannaries the almost imperceptible eleva- tion from a barony to a viscountcy? The ambitions of the aristocracy are very inscrutable, and only Mr. Disraeli has the key to them alL
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