Show GLAD STONES ILLNESS the lightning bolt from serano sky which struck he english goitom mant in the defeat of the troops in afghanistan was by another no less severe stroke when glad tone was visited by a sudden i whose bearing it is difficult to calculate gladstone is in his seven year and in spite of a robua constitution ie is compelled to take his old ago in account if ho does not want to incur unpleasant consequences of his carelessness A glance at the political condition england will show that the illness ol 01 the premier could not leave conic cioe inopportune for li ia party alie parliamentary business Is in pile of the great zel which the premier displayed for its development much in arrears and it is expected that a great part of the leg isla tive of this season will have to fco postponed for the next the most important act which has yet occupied the attention of parliament the bill of compensation has recently been rejected in the house of lords wilh an overwhelming majority this measure caused during the in the commons eo pointed manifestations of the differ ances existing amongst the ranks of ho liberal party that the majority chich was at Glad stones disposition it bis accession to the government IM been diminished for more than one half the liberal party itself i in a process of fermentation which menaces it with immediate disruption and dissolution this fact could be the less to gladstone as it had been publicly declared that many liberals in the lower house voted for the bill only in the expectation that it would lo 10 defeated in the upper house any how the sama dissatisfaction which is disintegrating the party has already infected bome members of the cabinet and rendered its homogeneity a matter of serious doubt not only the marquis of has left the government but moderately liberal ministers the duke of argyll the lords ton and grandillo Gran villo and others who still cling tenaciously to the cradit ions of the whigs are commencing to vacillate so that the conservative party is already making preparations for a complete collapse of the governmental ern mentAl pirty these expella lions may be premature but they prove how little of the grand promises of the liberals has been realized in tho first three months of their but the disappointment of alie british has manifested itself not only on the field of domestic legislation the dissatisfaction has been aggravated by alie failure of Glad stones oriental policy the european concert chic was main bained in the berlin conferences is seriously disturbed and threatens to dissolve entirely there is no more idea of a concerted action of the signatory powers against the borle porle the whole oriental policy of glad atone has shown that he has ly misunderstood the disposition of the powers and of the porte even the don quixotic idea of a common naval demonstration is little likely to be realized as not only germany and austria refuse all operation cooperation co but aho france and italy leavo inclination to hazard on an expedition which would savor BO much of a fools errand A forcible solution of the oriental enigma is not to be looked for at this present conjuncture when germany is apparently on friendly terms with turkey and oleu oyeu austria has made approaches to an amicable understanding in this matter therefore Glad stones position is anything but enviable it is certainly very probable aliat these disagreeable experiences corn bained with the exhausting mental and physical exertions in parlia ment have contributed to prostrate the premier on the hick bed at a time when his energetic interposition in the unraveling of the political knot was especially needed with the great age of the illustrious patient his illness is important enough to arouse grave apprehensions concerning his recovery at all events it is more than probable that ha will have to be absent for the rest of tho parliamentary session which would be a great disadvantage for the liberal barty is in a rather chaotic condition the disunion and dissension in the ranks of the liberals so soon afier their victory at the polls must undeceive many british elec toni it is this disappointment on which the conservatives base their lopes for a speedy return to power tho british electors are naturally vacillating and fickle minded if we add the foreign complications which have arisen io the first three months of tho liberal government and tho palpable mistakes in interior at lairs we should not wonder if the silent watcher nt hughenden Hug henden bea conselia con seli ba growing hopes of re turning to the helm sooner llian ho was justified to expect after lii sweeping defeat in the elections of the easter week |