The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-21 00:00:00

THE LATE EDITION of ,6 THE SUN " at
W. SMITH'S, " Camden Stores," 78, Park-street, Camden-

town.

LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1868.

Mr. GLADSTONE has given notice at last of his
motion about Ireland, but he does not yet seem to
have made up his mind on the subject, and has had
to put off stating the precise terms until Monday
next. What this may mean it is difficult to tell,
but it seems to indicate that all is not so easy as
the right hon. gentleman the leader of the Opposi-
tion hail hoped it would be. As the matter stands
at present the notice is so general in its terms that
it may serve for anything definite or not as the case
may be. At any rate, it is not by any means the indi-
cation of the despL rate onslaught on the Government
which some had supposed, and which indeed thy
were justified in so supposing, in consequence of the
outcry that had been made about it in certain quar-
ters. It is said, on very likely a good authority, that
Mr. GLADSTONE'S zeal has again outrun his dis-
cretion, and that he is likely again to find himself in
the unpleasant predicament of working without
followers, and of enduring the still greater mortifi-
cation of seeing those followers proceeding in quite
a contrary direction. Why he should have
given notice last night at all instead of
waiting till Monday seems strange, be-
cause he could then, according to his
explanation of yesterday, have put the " precise
terms" before the house in which he can bring on
the motion. Perhaps he thought that he had
better not commit himself all at once, or else there
would be no chance of his doing it at all. Among
his other reasons for delay he stated that he wished
to consult the convenience of the Government,
and he even hinted that Mr. DISRAELI might be
induced to give him a day for the purpose. This
suggestion naturally provoked some merriment, as
it might not unnaturally have been supposed that
that day six months would have been the most wel-
come one for the occupants of the Treasury benches.
We all know that Mr. GLADSTONE is never at a
loss for words, and it would not have taken him
longer than it did to make the brief statement of
yesterday to the house to embody, in a set form,
some expression of opinion regarding the subject in
hand. The remarks to which the House
of Commons listened were, however, exclusively
intended for the Liberal party. He spoke to the
house at them. He announced that he had fairly
started on his course, and that they must follow
him or take the consequences. The initiated know
very well what all this means, and will appreciate
the intelligence accordingly. It means, in plain
English, that in the space which intervenes between
Friday and Monday he is to cajole or coerce his
followers into making some sort of attack upon the
Government. With the recollection of the Tea-
room episode of last year in his mind he wishes to
be sure of his game this year, and, at all events,
rather more certain than he was then, and hence this
apparent inconsistency and mystification in his move-
ments. One thing is very certain, that those for whom
the hint is intended will take it, and the responsi-
bility of the affair will rest with them. There has
always been some sort of preliminary arrangement
made in this affair, and the lame and impotent con-
clusion makes one think that the result of delibera-
tion was not a very satisfactory one, so far as re-
garded the probable support of the party whose
services were reckoned on.

It is a pity that no candid friend warned Mr.
GLADSTONE of the want of tact which he displayed
last night, for he showed in a most unmistakable
manner the real meaning of the affair. Ile must
know what he thinks it is the best course for the
I louse to pursue with regard to Irish policy. Why
then does he not get up and declare it openly to the.
House instead of dilly-dallying after this fashion ?
The " precise terms" of a particular motion are
never of very much account when the aim of the
speaker is to direct a policy of national interest and
importance, or to enunciate his own independent
views, or give utterance to his spontaneous convic-
tions ; but it is far otherwise when the motion put
before the House is to settle the fate of Ministers,
and to revolutionise all existing arrangements. 'We
do not see that .anything has occurred to justify
Mr. GLADSTONE in his self-dictated course.
Nothing in the past, pr sent, or future can be put