Mr. Herbert Gladstone made his maiden speech iu the House
during the Condoler debate, and the effort was exceedingly auocessful. He sat down amidst ringing cheers, and was told by Mr. Gibson, amidst general assent, that "the House recog- nised in him qualities which would lead to distinguished posi- tion." Some of his sentences wore very happy. He asked why Tories, who thought Russians incapable of truth, always believed them if they threatened India. He inquired why, when it was clear that India could not be hold without command of the sea, Russia should hold it more easily than the French or the Dutch, whom we turned out. The Russian object was not to invade Endia, which was impossible, but to gain some hold over us by keeping up alarm for India, and the Tories helped them in that. Lord Palmerston was very angry when the French occupied Algeria, because Algeria was one of the gates of India. That opinion sounded almost ridiculous now, and twenty years hence he could not but hope that the Oppo- iitiou would recognise the groundlessness of their present fears. The Roman Empire was strained, and at last destroyed, not by defeat, but by want of men ; and if we expand in all directions, that also might be the fate of the British Empire. Altogether, it was made evident that Leeds had not made a mistake, and that we have one more promising young Member in the House of Commons. There is no glut of them.
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