Mr. Fawcett made an excellent speech at Hackney on Wednes-
day on the prospects of the Reform Bill in the House of Lords. He reminded his audience that in recent years the House of Lords has never ventured to throw out a Bill sent up to it by treat majorities, and that, especially in the case of the Irish -Church Bill and both the Irish Land Bills, it has given way at the last moment. The one apparent exception, its rejection of the ' Compensation for Disturbance' Bill, is no real exception, because the Lords had this to say for themselves—that the majorities by which that Bill passed the House of Commons had been constantly dwindling, so that it passed its third reading by the minute majority of 13. Of course, the House of Lords asserted that the Lower House itself had come to doubt more and more -of the principle of the Bill since its introduction. In case, however, the House of Lords should reject the Franchise Bill, Mr. Fawcett declared his belief that it would be ad- visable to reintroduce it, and to send it up by a still larger majority to the Lords, and not to permit the House of Lords to determine for itself the time of dissolution.
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