LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE LATE LORD CARLINGFORD AND IRISH LAND LEGISLATION.
[To TeX EDITOR OF THZ " SPECTATOR:I SIE,—John Mill said that Mr. Chichester Fortescue's Irish Land Bill was the most important measure passed by the British Parliament since the Roman Catholic Emancipation Act, and although, like that and other Acts in the same direction, it has failed of its immediate object of giving peace to Ireland, it is upon the principles therein laid down that all further legislation with the same object is being carried on. I forget whether John Mill gave to Mr. Fortesone himself the credit which he deserved, alike for the principles which he laid down and the practical methods of carrying them out, but no one who heard the magnificent speech by which Mr. Gladstone introduced the Bill, and afterwards continued to defend its details, can wonder that the merits of the Bill itself, as well as their exposition and defence, should have been habitually attributed to that great orator, while the name of Mr. Fortescne almost dropped out of sight. But this was inevitable, for—as Mr. Hayward said to me when I was re- gretting the fact—Fortescue had not the physical power neces- sary to carry such a measure through the House of Commons, with all the powers of oratory needful for such an occasion- Those who were behind the scenes might sometimes recog- nise an indication that Mr. Gladstone was speaking from a brief that he had made his own rather than in bringing forward a scheme of his own origination, and I know that
such was the fact. When the measure was before the House of Commons I asked Mr. tFortescue whether, when they parted for the Recess after he close of the last Session in which the Disestablishmentf of the Irish Church had been .carried, Mr. Gladstone had given him his own views upon the Land question, and suggested methods of carrying them out, and he replied, "No; he said nothing more to me than that
I must prepare some measure of land reform." On this point Mr. Fortescue was quite explicit that he received no instructions whatever from him. During the discussion, which continued during the Recess, I can say of my own knowledge that the principal journal which eventually proved to have supported Mr. Fortescue's plans and proposals had its first inspiration from Mr. Fortescue. And when these were brought before the Cabinet as usual before the meeting of Parliament they were entirely accepted in preference to others which were also brought forward, he did not tell me
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