The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-04 00:00:00

THE
,NEW THIRD LORD.

Mr. W. H. Gladstone, the Premier's eldest son, is a
young man who has been fortunate in political life.
He is 29 years of age. He entered Parliament in 1865
as a member for Chester, and at the last election was
returned for Whitby. The post of Third Lord of the
Treasury is now reformed as a Junior Lordship, with
a salary of £l,OOO a year, and the appointment
has been given to Mr. Gladstone jun. The
Telegraph says that " this nomination has been pressed
upon the consideration of the Premier by officials of
marked authority conversant with Mr. Gladstone's
merits, and it is also generally known that the in-
dustry and ability of the First Lord's son amply
justify the selection which has been made." But it
is none the less true that Mr. W. H. Gladstone must
be regarded as an exceptionally fortunate young poli-
tician.

THE RECENT APPOINTMENT.
Poor Lord Elcho is very sad indeed. He has been
pleading all these years for more sweetness about the
Metropolis, and ho had, until Mr. Layard came, to
deal with First Commissioners of Works -without
ideas of beauty, and caring nothing about improving
the dark places of London. In the member for
Southwark he had a man after his own heart,
one who really did appreciate beauty. While in the
midst of congratulating London and himself that at last
an YEdile worthy of the place had been obtained, his
Lordship's spirits have been laid low by Earl
Clarendon sendinc, Mr. Layard off to Spain. So there
is nothing left but to send a song of lamentation to
the Times. "I could hardly believe my eyes," Lord
Elcho says, "when I read of the transfer of Mr.
Layard to Madrid, and of Mr. Ayrton to
the Board of Works. A more successful
putting of square men into round holes has
never been effected." Mr. Layard is the only
man fit to have the place he has held : and he is
gone. As to Mr. Layards' successor "no name
would have less readily occurred to any ono who has
given a thought to these subjects, though there never
was a time in the whole history of this office when
the person choosers to fill it should have been 'more
carefully selected on account of special fitness." This is
complimentary to Mr. Ayrton.

TIINANT-RIGHT AGITATION.

Those readers who would like to peruse a dozen
columns of eloquence on tenant-right may derive that
enjoyment from the. Irish papers. The amnesty
agitators, who decreed that no meetings on the
land question should be held until the Fenian
prisoners were set free, have found some little
difficulty in carrying out that salutary. law. They
prevented the meeting at Limerick, but the gallant
army of 20,000 Fenians who destroyed one platform
could not be campaigning in several places at once,
and consequently two meetings were brought off at
Navan and Cavan. The former is called a successful
demonstration of 10,000 persons. The shops and
private houses were adorned with green leaves
formed into fanciful designs, and green rosettes,
ribands, and leaves, where other emblems could
not be procured, were worn by the inhabi-
tants. Banners and flags were profusely displayed;
nor did t&I newly-declared war between the tenant-
righters and the amnesty agitators lead to the Fenian
prisoners being forgotten. The meeting at Cavan
mustered between 13,000 and 15,000 persons, but the
demonstration was not thought so successful as that
at Navan, because few tenants were present. As to
the speeches, they differed neither in tone nor ability
from those of previous meetings; but it is noticeable
that one parish priest complained of the High
Sheriff refusing to convene the meeting, and ridiculing
him as an " evangelical itinerant preacher." A strange
outrage took place after the meeting at Cavan.
Whilst the Rev. James Dunne, a parish priest of
Belturbetz was returning in company with some of
his parishioners, shots were fired from a party in am-
bush. A man named Edward Morton was shot dead,
and several others were wounded. The horse in the
car in which the priest and curate were seated was
killed. What is the meaning of this deadly assault ?
Are the Fenians really about to carry out their threat
of shooting those who refuse to, agitate for an amnesty
before tenant right ?