Mr. Henley's short and, as usual, rather strongly flavoured, coarse-grained
speech on Thursday night went even beyond Mr. Hardy's, as it argued that it was the duty of the State to set apart a fund for the propagation of what it deemed religious truth in any country under its rule,—that fund being originally subtracted, it seems, from the property of those who think the State's truth falsehood. In addition to this amazing doctrine, which we need hardly say Mr. Henley has never attempted to urge in relation to our Indian dominioni, where it would be infinitely more plausible, —Mr. Henley insisted on the old plea that the existence of the English Establishment was involved in the discussion. He also described Mr. Mill's and Mr. Bright's Irish land-scheme as respectively " rape " and "seduction ;" called Mr. Gladstone a "compound Fenian" for the way in which "he blends the violent and the gentle together," and combines a scheme of spoliation on which they (Mr. Bright and Mr. Mill) can "work their wicked will," and otherwise was what Mr. Henley usually is, full of rather coarse mother-wit ; but also, what he usually is not,—utterly desti- tute of either practical suggestion or moral logic.
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