Mr. P. A. Taylor made an amusing speeeh against the
Game-laws on Tuesday night. The state of England had' reminded him of the state of the Balearic Islands before the- Christian era, when the rabbit was regarded as a sacred animal, and the inhabitants had to send to Rome for soldiers who had no religious scruples, before they could get rid of the plague of rabbits. He was seconded by Sir G. Campbell in his motion for the abolition of the Game-laws, and was defeated by a majority of 160 to 87. Thereupon, however, Sir W. Harcourt, who had noticed that many of the better landowners had admitted that the Game-laws needed amendment, proposed the omission of the word "not" in Sir W. Barttelot's amendment, the effect of which was to make it say that the Game-laws needed amendment; and Sir W. Harcourt was defeated only by the bare majority of 16 (135 against 119), many of the more thoughtful country gentlemen voting with Sir W. Harcourt„ The admission of many intelligent Tory squires that the Game- laws do stand in urgent need of amendment is a significant fact, as is also the majority obtained by those squires who are not intelligent over their more open-minded brethren.
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