The House of Commons has been greatly exercised this week
by indignation at the Irish obstructionists. The Members for Meath, Cavan, and Dungarvan, supported more or less by three other Home-rulers, have been availing themselves of the forms of the House, with the almost avowed intention of stopping business till the IIouse makes some concession to the Home-rule dream. The South-African Confederation Bill, for example, an admini- strative measure of which the House cordially approves, has been arrested by multitudinous amendments—seventy-three from Mr. O'Donnell alone—by speeches against time, and by counts-out intended only to embarrass the House. Mr. Parnell, again, has given notice of opposition to fourteen Bills, and the whole group avail themselves on all occasions of any chance of forcing a division, by motions to adjourn, or to report progress. On Wednesday, the House grew so angry that Sir Stafford Northcote for once a little lost his head, required that a sentence of Mr. Parnell's, implying that he wished to obstruct the Government, should be taken down, and asked that the Memberfor Meath should be " suspended"—that is, deprived of the right of speech and vote—till Friday, when
he would propose formal resolutions. Fortunately, Mr. Whit- bread and the Secretary for War intervened. Mr. Parnell, who had been ordered out of the House, returned, and immediately began obstructing again, and on Thursday the motion to silence him was discharged.
