In the Lords, Lord Granville's criticism on the Address was
in his usual vein of banter, but he seriously condemned Lord Salis- bury for accepting the Foreign Office, declaring that the work of that Department and of the Treasury could not both be well done, and that too much power was concentrated in one hand. He animadverted sharply on Lord Salisbury's speech at Guildhall, the result of which, he said, was that Russia felt herself insulted, Germany felt herself ignored, and Austria felt herself assured of British support, whatever she might do. As regards Ireland, be maintained that by rejecting Mr. Parnell's Bill, the Tories had made themselves responsible for the "Plan of Campaign." Earl Spencer did not go quite as far as this ; but he repeated over and over again, with unusual emphasis, his belief that " sharpening the law in Ireland only accentuated disaffection," ending with a statement that he had given up illusions, "and despaired of governing Ireland by what is called resolute government." Lord Spencer's speech was in one sense the remarkable one of the evening. It had throughout a ring of the deepest sadness, as if the speaker felt that his intellectual conviction and his feeling were hopelessly irreconcilable.
