NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE Government has suddenly collapsed, Lord Randolph Churchill at least having placed his resignation in the hands of Lord Salisbury, who, three weeks before the meeting of Par- liament, is now called upon to choose another Leader of the House of Commons, and, farther, to provide against the tactics of the most skilful of the guerilla leaders, who, with all the secrets of the Cabinet in his hands, will now, we may presume, attack his former colleagues from below the gangway. With the knowledge that Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Parnell also are in a state of high indignation against the Government, Lord Salis- bury has the prospect of a delightful Christmas. Lord Ran- dolph has resigned, nominally at least, because the Cabinet support Mr. Smith and Lord George Hamilton in presenting very high precautionary Estimates for the Military and Naval Services, which the Chancellor of the Exchequer does not approve. That other differences have emerged is hardly denied. It is generally believed that Lord Randolph supported a much more Liberal Local Government Bill than his Tory chief approved. Possibly, too, he may have been anxious to avoid the denunciation of the "Plan of Campaign in Ireland," though for that there is less evidence. When we went to press on Thursday, it was not yet known whether other resignations would follow that of Lord Randolph Churchill.
