We observe with pleasure that in the Liberal meetings which
are taking place in the provinces, a good deal of attention is devoted to the dead-set made by the Tories against Mr. Glad- stone personally, and especially to the unprecedented character of Lord Salisbury's attacks upon him. At New Barnet, for instance, in a very enthusiastic Liberal meeting last week, one of the speakers, the Rev. J. Matthews, dwelt on this curious sign of the times through a considerable part of a very able speech, expressing his fear that the acrimonious character of the personal criticism levelled at Mr. Gladstone might break down his health, as Canning's health under similar circumstances was broken down by a mixture of public anxiety and heavy personal obloquy. The people, said Mr. Matthews, ought to show the Prime Minister that their gratitude to him and confidence in him, instead of being ‹liminished by this obloquy, were only increased by it ; and that they would commit cheerfully to him a power of confining within practical limits the infinite expansibility of House of Commons loquacity, which they would not have felt equally safe in committing to Lord Salisbury. This is the sort of reply which the personalities hurled at Mr. Gladstone is provoking far and wide. The poisoned arrows of the young Tory marks- men are certain in the end to do most injury to themselves.
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