e brilliantly exhibited.

On Lord Salisbury's resignation on the 11th of July 1902, Mr Balfour
succeeded him as prime minister, with the cordial approval of all sections
of the Unionist party. For the next three and a half years his premiership
involves the political history of England, at a peculiarly interesting
period both for foreign and domestic affairs. Within a few weeks Mr Balfour
had reconstituted the cabinet. He himself became first lord of the treasury
and lord privy seal, with the duke of Devonshire (remaining lord president
of the council) as leader of the House of Lords; Lord Lansdowne remained
foreign secretary, Mr (afterwards Lord) Ritchie took the place of Sir
Michael Hicks-Beach (afterwards Lord St Aldwyn) as chancellor of the
exchequer, Mr J. Chamberlain remained colonial secretary, his son Austen
being postmaster-general with a seat in the cabinet. Mr G. Wyndham as chief
secretary for Ireland was included in the cabinet; Lord Selborne remained
at the admiralty, Mr St John Brodrick (afterwards Lord Midleton) war
minister, Lord George Hamilton secretary for India, and Mr Akers-Douglas,
who had been first commissioner of works, became home secretary; Lord
Balfour of Burleigh remained secretary for Scotland, Lord Dudley succeeded
Lord Cadogan as lord lieutenant of Ireland, and Lord Londonderry became
president of the Board of Education (with Sir William Anson as
parliamentary secretary in the House of Commons). Mr Balfour's brother
Gerald (b. 1853), who had entered public life as his private secretary when
at the Local Government Board, and had been chief secretary for Ireland
from 1895-1900, retained his position (since 1900) as president of the
Board of Trade.

The new prime minister came into power practically at the same moment as
the king's coronation (see EDWARD VII.) and the end of the South African
War (see TRANSVAAL). The task of clearing up after the war, both in South
Africa and at home, lay before him; but his cordial relations with Mr
Chamberlain (_q.v._), and the enthusiastic support of a large parliamentary
majority, made the prospects fair. For a while no cloud appeared on the
horizon: and the Liberal party were still disorganized (see
CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN and ROSEBERY) over their attitude towards the Boers. Mr
Chamberlain went to South Africa in the late autumn, with the hope that his
personality would influence the settlement there; and the session of 1903
opened in February with no hint