s, the
diminution of the majority in the House of Commons without its
natural compensation in increase of unity and discipline, and the
almost unbroken series of defeats at single elections in the
country.(301) In truth the government is approaching, though I
will not say it has yet reached, the condition in which it will
have ceased to possess that amount of power which is necessary for
the dignity of the crown and the welfare of the country; and in
which it might be a godsend if some perfectly honourable
difference of opinion among ourselves on a question requiring
immediate action were to arise, and to take such a course as to
release us collectively from the responsibilities of office.

The general situation being thus unfavourable, the ordinary
remedies are not available. A ministry with a majority, and with
that majority not in rebellion, could not resign on account of
adverse manifestations even of very numerous single
constituencies, without making a precedent, and constitutionally a
bad precedent; and only a very definite and substantive difficulty
could warrant resignation without dissolution, after the
proceedings of the opposition in March last, when they, or at any
rate their leaders and their whips, brought the Queen into a
ministerial crisis, and deserted her when there. If then we turn
to consider dissolution, what would be its results? In my opinion
the very best that could happen would be that we should come back
with a small majority composed of Irish home rulers and a decided
minority without them; while to me it seems very doubtful whether
even with home rulers counted in, we should command a full half of
the House of Commons. In a word, dissolution means either
immediate death, or at the best death a little postponed, and the
party either way shattered for the time. For one I am anxious to
continue where we are, because I am very loath to leave the party
in its present menacing condition, without having first made every
effort in our power to avert this public mischief.

If I have made myself intelligible up to this point, the question
that arises is, can we make out such a course of policy for the
session, either in the general conduct of business, or in some
departments and by certain measures, as will with reasonable
likelihood reanimate some porti