nt health and spirits. There had been a great roar of
triumph when he came into the House, and throughout his speech--clever,
biting, and adroit--his party kept up a ringing and well-organized
chorus of pointed cheers. The speech was a significant departure from
the ordinary stamp--a fact which Mr. Gladstone, who is notably a great
stickler for tradition, did not fail to notice. For the almost unbroken
tradition of the House of Commons is that the first night shall be one
of almost loving-kindness between the one side and the other. I remember
well _Punch_ indicated this once by representing Mr. Gladstone and Mr.
Disraeli beginning a Session by presenting each other with roses, while
behind their backs was a thick bundle of whips.

[Sidenote: The fray opens.]

But Mr. Balfour is independent of tradition, and demonstrated it at once
with a speech almost vehement, in part, in its attack. He had a whole
host of flings at Mr. Justice Mathew and the Evicted Tenants'
Commission--his hits, though sufficiently obvious, and almost cheap,
being rapturously received. Altogether, it must be said the Opposition
were in excellent form, and cheered their man with a lustiness which
did them infinite credit. The Liberals, on the other hand, with forces
somewhat scattered--the round Irish chorus being especially so, in the
remote distance--did not seem equally well-organized from the point of
view of the _claque_. With the dynamite prisoners Mr. Balfour dealt so
gingerly that it was evident he knew the weakness of the Tory case, and
was very apprehensive that Mr. Matthews would be found to have sold the
pass. The ex-Home Secretary, meantime, was still disporting himself
around the Red Sea or in the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb; and Mr. Balfour,
who has notoriously a bad memory, was left groping in the cobwebs of his
brain, trying to recollect which of the dynamitards it was Mr. Matthews
intended to retain and which to release. Attacking the action of Mr.
Morley with regard to the liberation of the Gweedore prisoners, Mr.
Balfour brought upon himself a series of sharp interruptions from Mr.
Morley; and there was some very pretty play, Mr. Balfour retorting now
and then with considerable skill and readiness. Altogether it was an
excellent fighting speech, and a good beginning. There were, in addition
to what I have mentioned, plenty of shots about the foreign policy of
the Government, especially in Uganda and Egypt; and it is needless to
say