The Duke's gravest personal charge against Mr. Gladstone was that
he had taken none of his colleagues into his con- fidence in relation to Home-rule, but that he had opened " secret communications" with Mr. Parnell. We rather think that the Duke is misinformed as to the nature of the " private and confidential note" sent to Mr. Parnell in 1882. We believe that it had reference to Mr. Parnell's suggestion that after the Phcenix Park murders it might be best for him to retire from public life; and we do not believe that at that early date Mr. Gladstone had any intention of desisting from opposing Mr. Parnell's " object." But as to Mr. Gladstone's reserve towards his colleagues in 1885, the Duke of Argyll, who was one of them,—and who had so completely earned Mr. Gladstone's special gratitude between 1854 and 1860, that Mr. Gladstone wrote to him saying that "courtesy was too weak a word for the constant support the Duke had given him,"-es is an unimpeachable witness ; and it must be admitted that such untimely reserve towards his colleagues on so great a change of policy and purpose was ungenerous and hard to forgive. The Duke evidently has not forgiven it, nor has the Duke of Devonshire ; nor can we feel any surprise that the springing of such a mine on his colleagues alienated many of them.
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