Lord Salisbury made a happy speech at Norwich on Wednes-
day to the Norwich Central Conservative Association, which be commenced by a survey of the foreign relations of the Govern- ment, taken, not, he said, in boastfulness or by way of reproach to his predecessors, but only to show that the policy of the Conservatives has on this occasion actually been as pacific in its fruits, as a truly Conservative foreign policy always tends to be. Egypt is now settling down, and though the Anglo.Turkish Convention has not been ratified, the ends for which the Con- vention was framed have been gained by the disappearance of all bitterness and distrust. Then, again, Russia, which was on the very verge of war with us in 1885, has just acquiesced in the settlement of the Afghan line of delimitation, the cause of so alarming a dispute two years ago. Though the measures passed this Session will be very few, that is not the fault of the Government, but of the Opposition which has worked so hard to prevent the House of Commons from giving attention to any but a single subject. For them to accuse the Government of legislative sterility is like the conduct of a firm which was very anxious to supply the Great Eastern Company with palm-oil for greasing the wheels of their railway-carriages. This firm was so desirous to cut out its competitor,that it bribed the porters to mix sand with the palm.oll of the rival Company, the result being, of course, that the wheels did not turn smoothly, and that, till the trick was discovered, the rival firm was discredited. The Opposition had dealt in like fashion with the palm-oil of the Government.
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