round, that if you take off taxation from part of it you would destroy the equilibrium, it would be well to take off some from the other parts. But we cannot say that our financial system is in that happy condition. (A laugh). The leading principle, in selecting remissions of taxation, is to consider in what direction you can do the most good without nicely regarding whether it affects direct or indirect taxation. You ought to ask who it is upon whom all these taxes fall. It is not on the consumer or the producer, or this interest or that, but really and truly the whole burden falls on the whole community (hear)-and you should endeavour to make selections which will, on the whole, be most to the benefit of the public at large."

It is a long while since the House of Commons has heard such deliverances as this from a Minister of the Crown-honest, statesmanlike, independent. They are in perfect accord, too, with the passage in Mr Disraeli's speech to the working men of Glasgow, wherein he said that Conservatism favours no rank or class, but aims at benefiting equally the whole body of the people. We think, also, that there may be seen in this Budget evidences of a policy which is of some moment to the nation at large-a policy which, being honourable and manly, contrasts favourably with the insidious policy which would set class against class, and which flatters and favours any section of the community which may be thought for the moment to command the largest voting power. We trust that the electors will not fail to compare these opposite principles of Government, nor to congratulate themselves on the firm rejection which they lately gave to an offered bribe, and the votes by which they brought the authors of this Budget to power.

One of the first duties of the new

Administration has been to confer honours and rewards upon the brave officers and men who brought the Black War to such a satisfactory conclusion. It is not for us to say here how well and how hardly these distinctions were earned. The country thoroughly appreciates the service. But the sudden change of Ministry has prevented the public from becoming acquainted with some particulars which no doubt would have been put in a strong light had the late Ministers remained in office to answer before Parliament for their proceedings in respect of this expedition. The proverb, "All's well that ends well," will not always stand in the place of argument; for the good ending may have been reached by the valour and perseverance of the agents, in spite of gross incapacity and ignorance in planning, and of detrimental or useless instructions given by the designers to hamper the execution. Mr Gladstone stated in Parliament (what we can well believe) that "at the moment" (i.e., of Sir Garnet Wolseley's departure) "we scarcely had what could be called a plan, in consequence of the varying information and the state of circumstances that were reported to us from day to day. I am bound to admit that, until Sir Garnet Wolseley reached the Gold Coast, the amount of information which we possessed, and which, of course, was to be the basis of any determination to be arrived at, was scanty

so much so that I might even call it deplorably scanty." Just so; but perhaps the public would like to know why the information was deplorably scanty. We have colonies in that region, and many officials; the trouble with Ashanti has been for a long time threatening; would it have been too much to expect that her Majesty's Ministers should have informed themselves a little

concerning a part of the world where ugly complications were becoming every day more difficult of solution? Mr Gladstone has virtually admitted what, we fancy, will be laid to the charge of his Government, as soon as histories of the Black War shall be published, -namely, that Sir Garnet Wolseley, and his gallant and devoted staff, were sent out unsupported by troops to make an experiment upon the climate, and try how long English constitutions could bear up under African malaria. If they had all died, as some of them did, what matter? They would by their deaths have proved that it was of no use to send a larger force there, and Ministerial information would no longer have been so lamentably scanty. This is the most extraordinary use to which we ever heard of a distinguished leader and a staff of picked officers being put! Again, although the information was so "deplorably scanty," the Secretaries of State for the Colonies and for War thought proper to trammel the leader of the expedition with instructions. If they knew nothing about the country or its inhabitants, as Mr Gladstone admits that they did not, how could they possibly issue instructions adapted to the circumstances of the situation? It was almost a certainty that rules penned at home by Secretaries in their ignorance would prove to be no guide to a man on the spot, and able to judge for himself of the posture of affairs; and it was highly probable that the rules might prove simply ludicrous. Such they did prove. It is no wonder that Sir Garnet Wolseley, in a speech made since his return to England, said that if he had had a civil commissioner at his elbow he never should have got to Coomassie. He had only too good reason to know the retarding and paralysing power

VOL. CXV.NO. DCCIII.

of the ignorance of Liberal Secretaries of State fussing in London.

We are not surprised at any inconsistency which Mr Gladstone may exhibit; but there certainly is great inconsistency between his behaviour towards Russia and America, and his behaviour towards the savages on the Gold Coast. In the former cases, where the disputes, and the nations with whom those disputes originated, were perfectly well understood, and where our honour was involved, he simply submitted to the demands of his opponents, acting for those occasions according to the maxim of "peace at any price." In the latter case, while possessing only "deplorably scanty" information about the place or the people (possibly about the quarrel also), he drew his weapon as rashly as on ordinary occasions he wags his tongue. We have every right to regard the Black War as a blunder throughout; for besides the admission of ignorance, which we have quoted from his speech in Parliament, we have also Mr Gladstone's manifesto of January last, wherein he speaks of "the unhappy war on the Gold Coast," and adds, "We shall, I hope, seek to draw from what has happened a lesson on the duty of avoiding in future the first entrance into equivocal and entangling engagements." We thought the lesson had been learned only too well when we allowed the Treaty of Paris to be torn up, and consented to pay tribute to America. But it seems that it is necessary now, in Mr Gladstone's opinion, to learn it over again. The war has ended fortunately for us, and Mr Gladstone is no longer in office-which are two reasons why much more may not be said in Parliament on the subject; yet the nation ought to understand and to remember that this war, which cost us many valuable lives and some

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treasure, and which might, for aught its authors knew, have been as "deplorably" unfortunate as their information 66 was scanty," was rashly undertaken by the Radical Government, and ought to stand against them whenever again the Radical party may ask for the support of the country.

We have no desire to trumpet Mr Disraeli's Government as excelling in virtue and talent, while as yet it has had opportunity to say but little for itself. It is sufficient for us at present if the accession of the Conservatives has brought to the land a sense of security and repose. To have done this is a far greater and worthier achievement than to have set people by the ears with vigorous legislation, or to have perplexed every one with fear of change. So far the acts and sayings of Ministers have been graciously received by the country. The Budget has shown ability, and is likely to prove a success. Something more will, no doubt, be attempted before the Session is closed, but there will be opportunity for speaking of that hereafter. It may be said now that Conservative Government is fairly on its trial-a saying which, for very many years past, would not have been true. Conservative Ministries, since the repeal of the

Corn Laws, have taken office, not to be tried, but as condemned and sentenced already; not suffered to exhibit their policy, or allowed a patient hearing for their arguments. They have now come in at the distinct call of the people. There is nothing to impede their work, and they have the advantage of replac ing rulers, who by many indiscretions have made themselves odious. We never doubted that such a favourable occasion would arrive, nor that the statesmen of our party would bear themselves becomingly, and render valuable service to the State when their time should come. We quite expect now that their administration will be thoroughly successful, but they have yet to justify our anticipations. Let them, however, be congratulated on the turn of fortune. After "working and waiting" so longand so patiently; after watching calmly while the Liberal flame burnt down to the socket,-they are at length afloat with a FAIR WIND. They have SET THEIR SAILS without noise or ostentation, but like men who know their work. Everything augurs well, and their friends express a hope as well as a wish when they cheer them with the cry of A GOOD VOYAGE!

THE excellent people of Coombe Lorraine as yet were in happy ignorance of all these fine doings on Hilary's part. Sir Roland knew only too well, of course, that his son and heir was of a highly romantic, chivalrous, and adventurous turn. At Eton and Oxford many little scrapes (which seemed terrible at the time) showed that he was sure to do his best to get into grand scrapes, as the occasion of his youthful world enlarged.

"Happen what will, I can always trust my boy to be a gentleman," his father used to say to himself, and to his only real counsellor, old Sir Remnant Chapman. Sir Remnant always shook his head; and then (for fear of having meant too much) said, "Ah, that is the one thing after all. People begin to talk a great deal too much about Christianity."

At any rate, the last thing they thought of was the most likely thing of all-that Hilary should fall in love with a good, and sweet, and

VOL. CXV.-NO. DCCIV.

simple girl, who, for his own sake, would love him, and grow to him with all the growth of love. "Morality "-whereby we mean now, truth, and right, and purity-was then despised in public, even more than now in private life. Sir Remnant thought it a question of shillings, how many maids his son led astray; and he pitied Sir Roland for having a son so much handsomer than his own.

Little as now he meddled with it, Sir Roland knew that the world was so; and the more he saw of it, the less he found such things go down well with him. The broad low stories, and practical jokes, and babyish finesse of oaths, invented for the ladies - many of which still survive in the hypocrisy of our good tongue-these had a great deal to do with Sir Roland's love of his own quiet dinner-table, and shelter of his pet child, Alice. And nothing, perhaps, except old custom and the traditions of friendship, could have induced him to

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bear, as he did, with Sir Remnant's far lower standard. Let a man be what he will, he must be moved one way or another by the folk he deals with. Even Sir Roland (though so different from the people around him) felt their feelings move here and there, and very often come touching him. And he never could altogether help wanting to know what they thought about him. So must the greatest man ever "developed" have desired a million-fold, because he lived in each one of the million.

However, there were but two to whom Sir Roland Lorraine ever yielded a peep of his deeply treasured anxieties. One was Sir Remnant; and the other (in virtue of office, and against the grain) was the Rev. Struan Hales, his own highly respected brother-in-law.

Struan Hales was a man of mark all about that neighbourhood. Everybody knew him, and almost everybody liked him. Because he was a genial, open-hearted, and sometimes even noisy man; full of life-in his own form of that matter-and full of the love of life, whenever he found other people lively. He hated every kind of humbug, all revolutionary ideas, methodism, asceticism, enthusiastic humanity, and exceedingly fine language. And though, like every one else, he respected Sir Roland Lorraine for his upright character, lofty honour, and clearness of mind; while he liked him for his generosity, kindness of heart, and gentleness; on the other hand, he despised him a little for his shyness and quietude of life. For the rector of West Lorraine loved nothing better than a good day with the hounds, and a roaring dinner-party afterwards. Nothing in the way of sport ever came amiss to him; even though it did-as no true sport does-depend for its joy upon cruelty.

Here, in his snug house on the glebe, under the battlement of the hills, with trees and a garden of comfort, and snug places to smoke a pipe in, Mr Hales was well content to live and do his duty. He liked to hunt twice in a week, and he liked to preach twice every Sunday. Still he could not do either always; and no good people blamed him.

Mrs Hales was the sweetest creature ever seen almost anywhere. She had plenty to say for herself, and a great deal more to say for others; and if perfection were to be found, she would have been perfection to every mind, except her own, and perhaps her husband's. The rector used to say that his wife was an angel, if ever one there were; and in his heart he felt that truth. Still he did not speak to her always, as if he were fully aware of being in colloquy with an angel. He had lived with her "ever so long," and he knew that she was a great deal better than himself; but he had the wisdom not to let her know it; and she often thought that he preached at her. Such a thing he never did. No honest parson would ever do it; of all mean acts it would be the meanest. Yet there are very few parsons' wives who are not prepared for the chance of it. And Mrs Hales knew that she "had her faults," and that Mr Hales was quite up to them. any rate, here they were, and here they meant to live their lives out, having a pretty old place to see to, and kind old neighbours to see to them. Also they had a much better thing, three good children of their own; enough to make work and pleasure for them, but not to be a perpetual worry, inasmuch as they all were girls-three very good girls, of their sort-thinking as they were told to think, and sure to make excellent women.

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