o real
possibility of return, and Mr. Whitley Stokes succeeded to the
appointment. Towards the end of Lord Lytton's governorship there was
again some talk of his going out upon a special mission in regard to the
same subject. But this, too, was little more than a dream, though he
could not help 'playing with' the thought for a time.

Meanwhile he corresponded with Lord Lytton upon various measures. He
elaborately annotated the drafts of at least one important bill; he
submitted remarks to be laid before the Council at Lord Lytton's
request, and finally he wrote an elaborate minute upon codification
generally. I need only say that, in accordance with what he had said in
his last speeches at Calcutta, he held that nearly enough had been done
in the way of codifying for India. He insists, too, upon the danger of
dealing with certain branches of legislation, where the codification
might tend to introduce into India the subtleties and intricacies of
some points of English law. Part of this correspondence was taking place
during the exciting events in Afghanistan; and he then observes that
after all codification is 'only a luxury,' and must for the present give
way to more important matters.

Fitzjames, of course, followed the development of the Government policy
in regard to Russia and the Afghans with extreme interest. He looked
with contempt upon the various fluctuations of popular sentiment at the
period of the Bulgarian atrocities, and during the Russian war with
Turkey; and he expresses very scanty respect for the policy of the
English Government at that period. He was occasionally tempted to take
to his old warfare in the press; but he had resolved to give up
anonymous journalism. He felt, too, that such articles would give the
impression that they were inspired by the Indian Government; and he
thought it better to reserve himself for occasions on which he could
appear openly in his own person. Such occasions offered themselves more
than once, and he seized them with all his old vigour.

A speech made by Bright provoked the first noticeable utterance.
Fitzjames wrote two letters to the 'Times,' which appeared December 27,
1877, and January 4, 1878, with the heading 'Manchester in India.'
Bright represented the political school which he most detested.
According to Bright (or Fitzjames's version of Bright, which was, I dare
say, accurate), the British rule in India was the result of 'ambition,
conquest, and crime.' We