The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-09 00:00:00

LONDON, 310ND.1 .1 UGU.,.7 9, 1869.

The session now immediately about to close has
been at once laborious and brilliant. It bas covered
with honour the new House of Commons—the out-
come of the enlarged constituencies. It has shown
to view the most powerful and popular Premier of
this generation at the head of the largest majority
ever known to have been at the back of a Minister
since the earliest reform of Parliament. If in popu-
larity Lord PALNIERSTON may be said to vie in
his day, with Mr. GLADSTONE in ours, the latter,
thanks to that serried and enormous majority, is be-
yond all comparison more powerful as a Prime Minis-
ter than Lord PALMERSTON in his palmiest days
could ever have even affected to be. It is in
this sense, therefore, that we have spoken—that we
have been justified in speaking—of Mr. GLADSTONE
as the most popular and powerful Premier of our
generation. Supported by the immense gathering
of Liberals at his back, on the benches to the right
hand of Mr. SPEAKER, the Leader of the Govern-
ment has been enabled to get through the chief part
of the work, undertaken, by him, to be done during
the present session of Parliament. And, considering
how vast, how vitally important, and in many ways
how wonderfully complicated very much of that work
was visibly in itself, before it was commenced, it is
matter for amazement and for congratulation that
so much of it has been accomplished, and ac-
complished, too, so very thoroughly. If nothing
else had been done this year by the Lords and
Commons, in Parliament assembled, than the pass-
ing of the Irish Church Bill, the session of 1869
would have been remarkable in the annals of the
Legislature. Herculean as that task was, it was ac-
complished within considerably less than half a year, in
spite of the most determined, and, for a while, it must
be added, the most impassioned opposition. Within
less than five months the particular work under-
taken was completed. It was on the Ist of March that
the bill was laid before the House of Commons by
Mr. GLADSTONE iu a speech as elaborate, as lucid,
and as comprehensive as he has ever delivered within
the walls of the Legislature. After passing through
a variety of vicissitudes, it—the Bill—finally received
the Royal Assent on the 28th July, and has, therefore,
now, for a week or two, been un fait accompli. Apart
from this one great achievement of the session, the Go-
vernment and the House of Commons have not been
idle or forgetful of the understanding between them
as to what legislative labours should be done,
if possible, or at any rate attempted. Attesta-
tions of this are visible in the New Bankruptcy
Bill, in the Endowed Schools Bill, in the Bill for the
Protection of the Funds of Trades' Unions, in the
Bill for the Superannuation of the Bishops, in the
Bill fcr the batter regulating the importation of
Foreign Cattle, in the Bill (Lord PENZANCE'S Bill) for
-Wowing the parties to give evidence in divorce cases,
ind in Mr. FAWCETT'S successful endeavour to fling
open the gates of Trinity College, Dublin, to Catho-
ies and to Nonconformists. Those and other reme-
lial measures have been carried through Parliament,
fide by side with the great measure already particu-
larised as the work of the session—the Bill for the
disestablishing and disendowing of the Irish Church
As a State institution. A flood of light has been
hrown, both in the Lords and in the Coin-
:Lions, on the complex question of Indian
finance, thanks to Secretary of State, the Duke