Lord Rosebery's departing honours were gazetted on Mon- day. Contrary
to all expectation he has given strength and vitality to the hereditary principle in the Legislature by adding four new Peers to the House of Lords. Imagine Lord Grey in the throes of the Reform agitation creating four new rotten boroughs. That is no false analogy from the Glad- stonian point of view, for the Home-rule party profess to consider it quite as great an anachronism for a man to legislate in virtue of his barony as for a patron to nominate Members of Parliament. The four new Peers are Sir Henry Loch, Mr. Herbert Gardner, Mr. Stern, and Mr. Williamson. The first is of course a well-earned and well-deserved official honour, but the last two are party promotions on the most old-fashioned and least reputable lines. There is no allega- tion that either Mr. Stern or Mr. Williamson has ever done anything worthy of reward but supply the party war-chest. It should be added that Lords Houghton and Carrington become Earls.
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