CONTENTS OF No. CLXIII. Can the Old Faith live with the New? or, The Problem of Evolution and Revelation. By Rev. GEORGE MATHESON, M.A., D.D. History, Biography, and Travels.-The Congo, and the Founding of its Free State. Russian Central Asia, including Kuldja, Bokhara, Khiva, and Merv. France and Tongking. The True Story of the French Dispute in Madagascar. Les Origines de la France Contemporaine. The Rev- olution. Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ire- land. Civilization of the Eastern Irànians in Ancient Times. Studies Restudied. The Cyclades; or, Life Among the Insular Greeks. His- tory of the Christian Church. Autobiography of Henry Taylor. The Story of Chinese Gordon. The Real Shelley: New Views of the Poet's Life. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. Life of Frank Buckland. Fran- cis Bacon. The Dictionary of National Biography. Lives of Great Statesmen. Solon-Themistocles. Women of Europe in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. The Mahdi, Past and Present. Faithful Men; or, Memorials of Bristol Baptist College and Some of its Most Distinguished Alumni. The Reformers. Annals of the Disruption, Studies in Russia. Work and Adventure in New Guinea. India: Its Politics, Science, and Art.-Justice and Police. Imperial Federation. British Dairy Farming. Central Asian Questions. Military Manners and Cus- toms. To Canada with Emigrants. Sympneumata; or, Evolutionary Forces now active in Man. Physical Expression: Its Modes and Prin- ciples. The Common-Sense of the Exact Sciences. Our Common British Fossils, and where to find them. Miscellaneous. Belles Lettres, Poetry and Fiction.—Short Studies, Ethical and Religious. After London, or Wild England. Confessions of an English Opium- Eater. Characteristics, Political, Philosophical, and Religious. The Ingenious Gentleman, Don Quixote of La Mancha. Quest. For Good Consideration. The Poets' Beasts. Old Scottish Customs, Local and General. Days and Nights of Salmon Fishing in the River Tweed. The Field Sports of the North of Europe. On some of Shakespeare's Characters: Ophelia, Portia, Desdemona, Juliet, Imogen, Rosalind, Beatrice. Hard Knots in Shakespeare. Marino Faliero. Vagabunduli Theology, Philosophy, and Philology.-The Hibbert Lectures, 1885. Prole- gomena to the History of Israel. Expositions. Propædia Prophetica; or, The Use and Design of the Old Testament Examined. The Cunei- form Inscriptions and the Old Testament. The Religion of Philoso- phy; or, the Unification of Knowledge. The Self-revealing Jehovah of the Old Testament the Christ of the New Testament. Dissertations on the Philosophy of the Creation. William Tyndale's Five Books of Moses, called the Pentateuch. The People's Bible. A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians. A Translation of the Old Testa- ment Scriptures from the Original Hebrew. Works of Thomas Hill Green. The Logic of Definition: Explained and Applied. Knowl- edge and Reality. Myths and Dreams. American Presbyterianism : ART. I.-The Gladstone Government, 1880-1885. On the 8th of March, 1880, the first official announcement of the approaching end of the Disraeli-Beaconsfield Parliament was made. As soon as certain financial arrangements had been settled, the leaders in both Houses stated the dissolution would take place. It was not, however, until the 25th of the same month that the formal dissolution was pronounced, and an end was made of the ninth Parliament of Queen Victoria And now that the eleventh Parliament is on the eve of being elected, it may not be out of place to pass in review the work of that which will shortly terminate its labours. To do this properly it is necessary to take a preliminary glance at the issues which were before the country when the last general election took place. The foreign policy of Lord Beaconsfield, the policy which had involved this country in an Afghan war, and in a war in South Africa, that, while bolstering up an effete tryanny in South Eastern Europe, had brought this country to the verge of a war with Russia under the pretence of protecting fancied British interests, that had increased the expenditure and squandered the splendid surplus left it by the former administration, a policy of secret treaties, misrepresentation, and concealment, while it had appealed with considerable success to the class that loved fireworks and glory, had shocked the moral consciences of many in this country. At the same time, that policy had received the almost undivided support of the large Conservative majority in Parliament, and of the London daily press; the South African war had ended with the capture of the Zulu king, the unfortunate Cetewayo, peace had been restored in Europe, and the British army under General Roberts had exacted retribution from the Afghans for their massacre of the English embassy. With the glamour of a showy foreign policy still over him, Lord Beaconsfield thought the time had come when he might appeal to the nation for a verdict upon the course he had taken, and the legislative enactments he had added to the Statute Book. What that verdict would be was doubtful. To many it seemed probable that he would again return with a good majority; others thought that he would have a majority, but not a workable one; while others believed that this unworkable majority would be on the side of the Liberals. It soon became evident that none of these forecasts were correct. The nation was sick of a régime which sought to draw attention away from home reforms and domestic needs by a 'spirited foreign policy.' It had been educated, and one of its principal instructors had been Mr. Gladstone, who had pointed out, in speeches and in articles, how much required to be done in the way of legislation, to keep this country still in the van of progress. And the nation showed the value it attached to his teaching by hurling from power the Government of Lord Beaconsfield, and scattering to the winds the splendid majority which had supported him ever since 1874. The result of the first day's polls was a loss of fifteen seats to the Conservatives; the second showed a further loss, and by the end of the third day their majority had ceased to exist. Inspired by the example of Mr. Gladstone, who had gone to attack a stronghold of Scotch Conservatism, and of Lord Hartington, who had left a safe constituency to fight a doubtful contest in North-east Lancashire, the Liberals were not content with seeking to wrest borough seats only from their opponents, but vigorously, and in many cases successfully, contested several county constituencies. Thus it was that, when the fight was over, 353 Liberals as against 237 Conservatives and 62 Home Rulers were returned to sit in Parliament. Lord Beaconsfield did not venture to meet Parliament, but placed his resignation and that of his colleagues in the hands of Her Majesty before its assembling. There could be no doubt as to who should be his successor. During the period of Mr. Disraeli's premiership, Mr. Gladstone had formally resigned the leadership of the Liberal party in the House of Commons, and the choice had fallen on Lord Hartington. Her Majesty was therefore acting in a strictly constitutional manner when, sending for Lord Granville and for Lord Hartington, she asked them to form a Cabinet; but with all respect due to those noble lords for the services they had rendered to the Liberal cause during a period of much anxiety, and under circumstances which severely test men, it would have been an impossibility for either of them to have formed an administration from which Mr. Gladstone should be excluded, and it was an equal impossibility for the right honourable gentleman to have occupied a subordinate position. To both Earl Granville and Lord Hartington belongs the credit of recognizing these facts, and of setting aside any personal ambition they might have, in deference to the popular demand. On April 23, 1880, Mr. Gladstone was summoned to Windsor, and, after an interview with the Queen, undertook to form a government, with respect to which it may be said that while many of the members were old friends and colleagues, and attached to the Whig or older school of Liberals, the claims which the Radicals had to share in the councils of the nation were recognized, when the Premier invited Mr. Chamberlain to take the Presidency of the Board of Trade, placed the Post Office under the charge of the late Mr. Fawcett, made Sir Charles Dilke Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and gave the Vice-Presidency of the Committee of Council to Mr. Mundella. Perhaps the appointment which created the most surprise was that of Sir William Harcourt to the post of Home Secretary; it was certainly a return of good for evil which that right honorable gentleman could scarcely have expected, though it must be admitted that his presence in the House outside the Government would probably have proved a source of annoyance, and possibly of mischief, to it. Writing in 1878* Mr. Gladstone referred to no less than twenty-two matters connected with Home affairs requiring the attention of Parliament, and this list was subsequently extended by the addition of nine others. Such a programme *Nineteenth Century' for September. Nineteenth Century' for August, 1879. The matters referred to were (1) London Municipal Reform, (2) County Government, (3) County Franchise, (4) Liquor Laws, (5) Irish Borough Franchise, (6) Irish University Question, (7) Opium Revenue, (8) Criminal Law Procedure, (9) Responsibility of Masters for Injuries to Workmen, (10) Reduction of Public Expenditure, (11) Probate Duty, (12) Indian Finance, (13) Working of the Home Government of India, (14) City Companies, (15) Burial Laws. (16) Valuation of Property, (17) Law of the Medical Profession, (18) Law of Entail and Settlement, (19) Corrupt Practices of Elections, (20) Expenses of Elections, (21) Reorganization of Revenue Department, (22) The Currency, (23) Bankruptcy, (24) Banking, (25) Distress, (26) Charities and Mortmain, (27) Loans for Local Purposes, (28) Game, (29) Distribution as well as Redistribution of seats, (30) Savings Bank Finance, (31) Bright Clauses of the Land Act. |