e Premier, already sufficiently occupied with
the intricacies of English politics, let alone European.

The step must come from the Englishman in his own defence: English
politics must no longer be dominated by the votes or the threats of any
Irishman, and some method must be found, while safeguarding the Imperial
link, to force Irishmen to meet each other and settle with each other:
for the only result of ruling Tipperary from Downing Street is that
Westminster is ruled from Dublin or Belfast.

According to the "political correspondent" of the _Manchester Guardian_,
the tendency is towards an Irish Coalition. "The question," he writes,
"is not whether there will be a change. The old and anarchic system of
Dublin Castle seems to be definitely doomed. The question is rather what
the change will be. Speculation, which may or may not be partially
informed, concentrates upon the scheme of a new Irish Advisory Council.
I may offer a more detailed sketch of this scheme, of which I will only
say that some responsible Irish members think it is very likely to be
near the mark. An Irish Council, if created now, would probably be an
advisory body, resembling the Viceroy's Council in India. The
Lord-Lieutenant, who ought to be an active and energetic administrator,
would no doubt preside over it. As to the membership, it would have to
consist of representatives of both Irish Parties. It is thought possible
that some Nationalist and Ulster Unionist members of the House of
Commons would be on it, and would, of course, sit with it in Dublin. In
addition there might be responsible Irish public men (like, for example,
Sir Horace Plunkett), both Home Rulers and Unionists, who are not
members of the House of Commons or officially attached to a party. There
might also, in view of the educational problem of Ireland, be one or two
representatives of the Churches. This would form what is talked of as
the Irish Coalition, in which it is assumed both Mr. Redmond's Party and
Sir Edward Carson's would join."

The tribute which Mr. Birrell paid to the Irish Literary Revival and its
influence upon Irish life is worth quoting, for it indicates one of the
sources whence much may be hoped in the work of reconstruction.

"This period," he said, referring to the period immediately preceding
the rebellion, "was also marked by a genuine literary Irish revival, in
prose, poetry, and the drama, which has produced remarkable books and
plays, and a school