The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-14 00:00:00

PREMIER AND CIL4NCELLOR.

CAIRNS.-So affairs are pretty well settled, I sup-
pose. You, Stanley, and I form a triumvirate. I
am a believer in triumvirates.

DISRAELI—I rather believe in the Dictator or
Imperator ; but a triumvirate is often a convenient
concession. The thing will work.
CAIRNS—Not a doubt. Poor Chelmsford wept
when you gave him his dismissal.
DISRAELI—Yes, on the grand-maternal bosom of
his beloved Morning Herald. But tears were his
strong point at the bar, and you may forgive
him for being lachrymose when he makes his final
exit.

CAIRNS—What in the world shall I do with
Malmesbury ? Of course he'll want to behave as if
he led the Peers ; and, sitting on the woolsack, I
shall have no chance of pinching him when he be-
gins to make a fool of himself.
DISRAELI—Poor old "If Possible !" He's a
good fellow—the best ever produced by the race of
Harris. Don't be hard upon him.
CAIRNS—Not I. At the same time, I should like
to discover some way to prevent his ,making those
delicious blunders at which journalists will laugh.
You and I never make such blunders.

DisnAELL—Speak for yourself. I am sorry to
say that my taste for epigram occasionally leads
me into mistakes which I can't help laughing at
afterwards. "Ape and angel" is one case in point ,
" educating the Tories" is another.
CAIRNS.—Yes, the idea of educating a Tory is
ltnost too good. Teach Newdegate tolerance or
Manners common sense. Well, being a lawyer,
you see, I manage to avoid these little errors.
DISRAELL—To tell you the truth, I don't think
they matter much in my case. " The wondrous
boy who wrote Alroy" is supposed capable of ab-
surdity. They look upon being First Minister as a
good joke—but not likely to last.

CAIRNS.—They may find it serious and perma-
nent. By the way, I felicitate you on the plan
you have adopted with those recalcitrant judges.
The new proposal will work well. I suspect Cock-
burn is already exclaiming, " Sorry I spoke!"

DISRAELL—What should you have done if Cock-
burn had had to write to you instead of Chelms-
ford?

CAIRNS.—Sent him back his letter, endorsed,
" Pray reconsider this." But Chelmsford couldn't
bully a flea.

DISRAELL—He might drown it in his tears. He's
Walpole's only rival in that line.
CAlRNS.—Bouverie's speech was delightful.
DISRAELI—Very. He'd like to be back at the
Poor-law Board. I could see Gladstone wince
when he described the Liberals as a rabble—with
leaders that couldn't lead, and followers that
wouldn't follow. It was very hard on the people's
William.

CAIRNS-It was. But the Liberals have a flat-
tering unction, which they just now use pretty
freely. They say they permit you to be Premier
just as a precedent for Gladstone : when you have
had a few weeks of it, you are to be turned out, and
be is to come in.
DISRAELI —A charming scheme. One of their
resolutions, no doubt drawn up by Russell and
Coleridge, and agreed to at a Carlton Gardens
caucus. Let them try it. They'll find they're
dealing with a different man from the Earl.
CAIRNS —Why, he was not afraid of them.
DISRAELI—No, nor of anything in the world.
But he was too chivalrous to meet Russells and
Gladstones on equal terms. lie cared nothing for
office, and he detested strategy. I do care for office ;
and I am more than a match for the whole con-
clave in strategy.
CAIRNS—That I believe. But if they pass a
vote of want of confidence ?
DISRAELI—I hardly think they dare propose it.
I hope they will, however Quem Dens vult perdere,
you know. Assuming that they are so foolish, will
they get a majority in the present House ?

CAIRNS—I can scarcely judge.
DISRAELI—I think not. Bright, Lowe, Roe-
buck, Horsman, would be dead against them—and
that represents a large following. But if they beat
me, I wouldn't resign.
CAIRNS—No ?

DlsßAELl—Certainly not. I should announce
an appeal to the country—which, by the terms of
the Reform Act, must be deferred to 1869.
CAIRNS—And then ?

DISRAELI—WeII, then. Do you imagine the
new House will be in a hurry to destroy its
creator ?

CAIRNS—I can't say. We are in arather icono-
clastic state. By the way, you'll probably have to
make a bishop shortly. Who's your man ?
DISRAELI—I have not decided. But I don't
mind telling you, in the strictest confidence, that it
will be either ,laconochie or.Colenso.—Ecohes from
the Clubs.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT TRURO.— -A telegram de-
spatched from Truro at 1.30 this morning states :—A
destructive fire has been raging in the central and
most important part of Truro for the last three hours.
Three large warehouses and their valuable contents
have been totally destroyed—one belonging to a
grocer, another to a draper, and a third to an iron-
monger, all carrying on wholesale and retail businesses.
The fire is spreading rapidly to shops and dwelling..
houses, and the damage already amounts to several
thousand pounds. The two local engines are of
scarcely any use. Other engines have been tele-
graphed for, and great excitement prevails. The
wind is rather high.
THE ILLUSTRIOUS ORDER OF ST. PATRICK.•—The
announcement that the approaching visit of the Prince
of Wales to Ireland will be made the occasion of a
Grand Installation of Knights of the Illustrious Order
of St. Patrick and, amongst others, of his Royal
Highness, is exciting great interest among the Irish
people. So far as practicable, the coining
ceremonial will be the same as in 1821, the
Lord Lieutenant, of course, officiating as Grand
Master, in the absence of the Sovereign of the Order.
The Knights of the Order of St. Patrick at present, with
the dates of their admission, are as follows :—The
Duke of Cambridge, 1851; the Earl of Roden, 1821 ;
the Marquis of Clanricarde, 1831 ; Marquis Conyng-
ham, 1833 ; the Earl of I:iowtb, 1835 ; the Marquis
of Headfort, 1839 ; the Earl of Arran, 1841 ; the
Earl of Wicklow, 1842: Baron Farnham, 1845 ; the
Earl of Fingal!, 1846 ; the Marquis of Donegan,
1852; the Earl of Dartrey, 1855 ; the Marquis of
Londonderry, 1856 ; the Earl of Granar(l, 1857 ; Vis-
count Gough, 1857 ; the Marquis of Downshire,
1859 ; thegarl of Cork and Orrery, 1860 ; Baron
Dufferin and Clandeboye, 1863; Baron Lurgan,
1-864 ; the Earl of Charletuont, 1865 ; the Earl of
Dunraven, 1866 ; and the Marquis of Drogheda, 1867.
His Royal Highness will be created an extra Knight
of the Ordq poitieu keld by the 4ite rri,hoo
QQPN.A.