Weekly Mail

1'1lE SCENE IN THE HOUSE. The House of Commons on Friday went Committee of Supply of Votes for the tn*In^ -Establishment, and, after the announce- iki-ent of the impending retirement of Field ji't'shall his Royal Highness the Duke of Cam- w bich was made by the War Secretary toJj Carripboll Banner-man), and suitably spoken U as reported in another column—the House Tr.eedwl to discuss the vote. The Hon. St. Brodrick (C. Surrey, Guildford) found with the Government for largely reducing Expenditure upon small arms ammunition, 0f ^oved to reduce the salary of the Secretary jtate for War by £ 100. ■^r r- »Y OODALL (Financial Secretary to the Office) assured the Committee, upon the "prity of the military advisers of the Depart- J^r that, for the Army generally and for the at home and abroad, the stores of small s Mnmunition were amplv sufficient, had vCAMPBKLL BANNERMAN sakl he Q,e discussed the matter with the Adjutant- °f the Army, who assured him that he ,ered that the stores of -mall ammunition %Va 6 111 a. satisfactory condition. The Reserve Sl?adily increasing year by year, :uid the .aniif.ieture had fallen. There could iI1"rrp;j- mto the field tliree army corps, a mount- strtj^ Mmen another force of the same 2nd *+i would be available in case of invasion, Ran-\ ro vr6re> hi audition, 171,000 men for a,) .Purposes, and there was sufficient 1?unitioll for the whole of those. told 1, ^1'I OCR (C., Manchester, E.) had been thy ^t. when the last naval manoeuvre.* began °f p ehciency of ammunition for the fleet was ■jur startling character. \v CHAMBERLAIN (L.U., Birmingham, g;v,lnw,an^0d to know what ordeis had been iureg to the Arklow firm of cordite manufac- OODALL replied that Kynock ton* Jc' ^ad accepted a contract to deliver 4CO c»dif Cordite within two years and 5,000,000 jvarirfe cartridges this year and 5.000,000 in the °H°Wil;g. did L,cSa.mberlain asked whether that ■^inisfo ,°" the grotesque absurdity of the fcTjpV)]' ri^|. statement. The great source of 1 was to put an end to all anxiety, 6prrt o, r°vi^e 'r'Hs than 5 per cent, of our pre- a, leJe PP'y in the course of the year. We l.ad W-ea^ti °^Ta hundred million cartridges, the Japanese, when they entered upon hoar.) Wlth China, had 700,000,000. (Hear, Vh^fT further discussion, m the course of h^^OODALL stated that the Government of eon; j- %Vere capable of producing 600 tons Rblp. f.Y)ri° year, and that the supply obtain- liiitit^j 1 ° K^S ^nd others was practically un- 'C., St- George's, Hanover- tfcallv exPreased the opinion that we had "i'lie O re3erve small arm ammunition. omuuttee divider!, when there were: — °r the reduction 132 Agaiust 125 Gril„i Majority 7 1 Caitie +, amUsetnent was created when the tellers 1'. j] "pii- table by the uncertainty of Mr. of the t\ -1S an<^ ^r" -^l £ e,rs-Doug,-as as to which of the frntitTe<T to announce the result 1Vlslon. The paper containing the haJiderl •^Vas tlrst, handed to Mr. Douglas, who it back (- |° Mr. Elfis, who, in turn, handed jpapfj.^ °^i At each transfer of the of the, tf cheers broke from the opposite side finally 'tous-e, and when the numbers were ^PPck ^Un°unced by the Opposition Whip the vOr-,ft?j n hailed their victory by long and Ml ns» Che^rs- Bioved S ^^IBPELI^-BA N"S'ERMAN at once -^roQ-ro P^prress should be reported. MV RSfr^'as accordingly at once reported. ^°veriin i then as^ked what course the did nt Proposed to take. What business The j-rrto proceed with? ^HAJsCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought the best oourse would be to take some Bill of a substantially non-contentious character, and this plan was adopted.

RESIGNATION OF THE MINISTRY. THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT. The "Court Circular" of Sunday night con- tains the following: — "The Earl of Rosebery, K.G., First Lord of the Treasury and Lord President of the Council, arrived at the Castle and tendered his resignation to her Majesty, by whom it was accepted."

CABINET COUNCIL. There was little activity at Downing-street on Saturday morning, but preparations were made at an early hour for the holding of the Cabinet Council, formal summonses to which were issued by Lord Roseberv at nine o'clock. The hour of meeting was fixed for eleven. The Press Association states that Lord Tweedmouth and Mr. Arnold Morley arrived at Downing-street together at lialf-past ten on Saturday morning, and were followed ton minutes later bv Mr. Campbell-Bannerman, who drove across the Horse Guards' Parade. The right hon. gentleman's appearance by no means betokened a political crisis, for, as lie walked up the steps of Downing-street, he was merrily whistling. Up to this time nobody, except Mr. M'Arthur, had arrived at the \Yhips' Cffice, whereas Mr. Ellis usuallv makes a call at the Premier's residence some time before the Cabinet meetings. At a few minutes before eleven, the Chief Secretary for Ireland arrived, and by this time a. considerable numbeT of per- sons were waiting about in the vicinity of the Government office,?. Shortly after Mr. Mor- ley's arrival Mr. Acland, accompanied by the chief Liberal Whip, reached the Whips' Office, and passed in engaged in earnest conversation. Mr. Acland proceeded to the Cabinet chamber a minute later. The Home Secretary followed clocely, and Lord Ripon drove up precisely at eleven. The Lord Chancellor was the next arrival, and close behind him were Lord Spen- cer and Mr. Fowler. Lord Kimberley and Mr. Shaw-Lefevre reached Downing-street at 11.5, and then came the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer, Sir George Trevelyan, and Mr. Bryce, thus completing the Cabinet. During the meeting Mr. Ellis was summoned by Lord Roseberv from the Whips' Office, and remained for some time in consultation with the Ministers. The meetting lasted until 1.35. Mr. Campbeli-Bannerman left with Mr. John Morley and several other colleagues, but, after a short conversation outside the Treasury, the Secretary of State for War returned to the Premier's official residence, and Mr. John Morley also returned, having been fetched by a special messenger. A further conference then took place among the group of Ministers, who remained with the Premier. Shortly before tliree o'clock Mr. Arnold Morley and Mr. Campbeli-Bannerman left the Treasury, walked to SVhitehai-. jwi drove away in the same cab. Both gentlemen seemed in the best of spirits, and woro laughing and chatting gaily. Immediately after the adjourn. mtiit there was a great demand for Lord Tweedmouth, who had left by the private exit. Messengers were sent after his lordship, and he was found and brought back before he could well have lunched. Lord Tweedmouth, as the late Whip, is better acquainted than most of his colleagues with the significance of a dissolu- tion and of election machinery. His lordship went straight to the Premier's room, and re- mained there in close consultation. The fact that the Cabinet had tempora-rily adjourned indicated that there was a diversity of opinion as to what course should be adopted in the emergency, and this encouraged an expectation that the Government would not resign; but that idea has been discounted by the fact that, after the adjournment, Mr. Hudson, secretary r' of the Liberal Cential Association, was sent for to confer with Mr. Ellis, the Chief Government Whip. The Cabinet resumed its sitting at four o'clock, but, apparently, public interest had not been proof against the strain of waiting, as Downing-street was then practically clear of all except the usual official traffic. The Lord Chancellor and Mr. Campbeli-Bannerman left together in clos-3 conversation, passing down the steps leading to the Horse Guards Parade. They wero followed in the same direction by Mr. John Morley, Mr. Shaw Lefevre, and Mr. Fowler. Mr. Acland was the next to leave, immediately previous to Lord RiDon and Lord Kimberley, who left logether. Earl Spencer. Mr Asquith, and Mr. Bryce walked towards Whitehall in company. Mr. Acland visited the Whips' office, and was joined there by Mr. Ellis, whom he subsequently left. Lord Tweed- mouth and Mr. Arnold Morley left together at six o'clock, passing down Downing-street into Whitehall. The inordinate length of the Cabinet Council is held to denote very considerable divergence of opinion. It is well known that a Large sec- tion of the Cabinet, with which the Home Secretary is particularly identfied, desires, for reasons which can be well understood, to retain office until certain measures which are far advanced shall have passed through the Com- mons. The other section of the Cabinet, which includes both the Prime Minister and Sir William Harcourt, are not so tenacious in their desire to prolong the existing uncertain state of affairs. No official statement was issued from Downing-street as to the result of the Cabinet Council. An inquiry at the office of Mr. T. Ellis. the chief Ministerial Whip, elicited the reply that there was no statement forthcoming. J Il;õing an interview Captain Middleton, of the Conservative Constitutional Association, said lie considered the political situation most serious. His opinion was that the Govern- ment had no alternative but to adopt one course. He had not heard anything as to the result of the deliberations of the Cabinet, but the Con- servative party were quite prenared for the dissolution whenever it might take place. Mr. Hidson, the chief organiser of the Liberal party, who had had a long consultation with Lord Rosebery at the conclusion of the Cabinet meeting, declined to express any opinion as to the present situation, in view of the statement to be made in Parliament to-morrow. LORD ROSEBERY AT WINDSOR. Lord Rosebery, at the conclusion of the Council, left London at 6.30 to inform the Queen of the result of the deliberate )ng. Lord Rosebery arrived at ,ç indsor at 7.30, and drove to the Castle in a Royal carriage on a visit to the Queen. His lordship dined with the Queen and members of the Royal Family. On Sunday morning he was up early, and attended the eight o'clock service at St. George's Chapel. His lordship walked alone from the Palace to the chapel and back. After breakfast he strolled in the castle grounds till shortly after ten o'clock, and then went to Frog-more, where the Queen was breakfasting with the Princess Beatrice, Princess Christian, and suite. Afterwards he attended a private service in Frogmore Mausoleum with the Queen and Royal Family. Subsequently, the retiring Premier had a private audience of her Majesty. A number of dispatches were received and opened by the Queen, and dispatches were also received at Frogmore from London by Lord Rosebery. He returned to the castle to lunob, and afterwards drove in a Royal carriage to Slough, whence he proceeded to town by the g train which reached Paddington at 5.55 on Sunday evening. His lordship reached Downing-street at 6.20, and was there at once joined by Mr. Asquith, Lord Tweedmouth, and Mr. Arnold Morley. In the meantime. there was unusual bustle and animation in the adjoining cffice appropriated to the Govern- ment Whips. Mr. Ellis was there, along with Mr. Hudson and an exceptionally large staff, who, it may be presumed, were engaged in arrangements with a. view to an approaching general election.

HOW THE DEFEAT WAS WORKED. Conflicting accounts having appeared of ihe antecedent details of Mr. St. John BrodncJis motion, the Central News is in a. position to vouch for the following particulars: — Not having received, in reply to his com- munication, which was in the nature of an ultimatum to the Secretary for VVar, such assurances as could, in the view of the Onpo. sition, be regarded as satisfactory, the hon. gentleman tliought the opportunity might be worked to the downfall of the Ministry. He conferred with several of his colleagues in the late Government, pressing forward his oonvio- tion that, properly organised, a motion in- volving a vote of censure .upon the War Offi e, and inter alia upon the Secretary of State, could be carried. But to ensure its succe-s the oo-operation of the Unionists and the obser- vance of strict secrecy were Absolutely iieeessai y. The project was brought to the notice of Mr. Balfour, and later to that of Lord Salisbury. The line now taken turned specially upon two considerations. First: Was it worth while bringing down th,] Government just now': Secondly Would the plan proposed be likely to si cosed? Both statesmen were distinctly pleased wi-h th" idea, and it was at least regarded as worthy of a trial. The underlying issue, concealment of War Office inefficiency in a possibly critical national emergency, was at all events one to justify the adventure, even if defeat only attended it. In particular, Lord Salisbury was tickled by i, and both lie and Mr. Balfour gaw heir as?Jant to the enterprise. This decision was communicated by his friends to Mr. Brodrick, who at oncf proceeded to arrange what he called a "full dress debate." The support in the division lobby of all the military members was secured, and Unipni^ts were privately urged, wherever possible, to stand by. At first the hon. member appears to have had an open mind as to the specific line the attaok should take. There were the proverbial three courses—an amendment, a definite vote of censure, and a motion to reduce the .salary of the Secretary for War. Mr. Campbell- Banneruian himself practically, though uncon- sciously, suggested the plan of atlack by jocularly saying, ''We'll bring on your grievance to-morrow move the reduction of my salary." The latter expedient was selected because under it no notice became necessary. So far, then, the first condition precedent of success, masterly reserve, favoured the operation. Mr. Campbeli-Bannerman had forgotten the matter before Mr. Brodrick revived it. The Whips were unprepared for a sensational "dress d&- bate." It is true Mr. Ellis had issued a five- line heavily "dashed" whip, but this has be- onvl come :t conventional tvpe of circular, which tLe daily emergency of the tight corners that Ministers a.re placed in has rendered ah-o- lutely essential to the preservation of the Government's existence for many weeks. The party had grown a little tired of the evensong of "Wolf," a-ii(t owing to the surprise arising out of the resignation of the Commander-in- Chief, coupled with the irresistible charms of an exceptional summer afternoon, and aided by the momentary inaction of the Whip guarding the Lobby door, a great number of the Government supporters left the House- Amongst these were probably a dozen Nationalists, who are known to have been in the House, but whose names do not appear in the division list. Had it not been for the casual arrival of a number of Liberals the majority against Mr. Cam,pbell-Bannerman would have been seventeen, the exact number, curiously enough, which, an horr after Mr. Brodriok opened his remarks, represented the available majority of the Government. Mr. Brodrick was quick to see the turn affairs were taking, and a further inducement to acoeCerate a division lay in the known absence unpaired of two of Mr. Campbell-Bannerinairs Cabinet colleagues. The Government did not suspect danger: their Whips did not sniff it. Several Radicals complained in the Lobbv afterwards that, had they known. "it would have been easy to spoil the Unionist game by keeping the discussion alive-" Mr. Brodrick's experiment proved the possibility which re- commended it to Mr. Balfour and Lord Salis- bury.

THE DIVISION. In the fateful division the m.^rity of 132 included one Radical—Sir C. —and one Parnellite—Colonol Nolan. rUle remainder wore all Unionists, and included Mr. Chamber- lain and 24 of his followers, rjnong them being Sir H. James and Messrs. Courtney, Collings, Heneage, T. W. Russell, and Lyttlston, a.nd Major Darwin. Tho minority of 125 was wholly Ministerial, and included 35 Anti-Par- rellites, among them being Captain DoueJan and Messrs. Sexton, J. F. X. O'Brien, and T. D. Sullivan. The Cabinet Ministers in the minority, besides Mr. Campbeli-Banner- man, were. Sir W. Harcourt, Sir G. Trevelyan, and Messrs. A. Morley, Bryce, and A. H. AelarjJ. Messrs. Asquith, H. Fowler, J. MorjBy, and Shaw-Lefevre were mot present. The Opposition leaders voting in the majority included Mr. Balfour, Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Gotohen. and Mr. Matthews. The party 'Whlrs officiated as tellers—Messrs. T. Ellis ancE"Mr. M'Arthur for Ihe Government, and Mr. Akors-Douglas and Sir W. Walrond for the Unionists. Some of the Parnellites were in the precincts of the House, but only one— Colonel Nohn—voted. Mr. Labouchcro voted with Ministers. BEATEN BY ABSTENTIONS. According to the "Da.ily Chronicle," which pretends to knowledge of the "true inward- ness" of the cause leading to the discomfiture of the Government, the defeat was partly due to several Liberal members who were paired from the dinneHhour having left the House a, short time before their pairs became opera- t.ive. A "black list" of these is being compiled. More unfortunate still, several mem- bers were abserxt unjjatred, in the belief that after the etaftemefnt about- the Duke of Cam- bridge a critical situation upon the Army Estimates was impossible. Among these, it was reported, were Mr. John Morley and MLr. Slhaw Lefevre. HOW THE WELSH MEMBERS WENT Of the members for Wales and Monmouth- shire four voted for the Government, viz. Mr. Egerton Allen, Pembroke Boroughs Mr. Frank Edwards, Radnorshire; Mr. D. Randell, Gower. and Mr. A. Spieer, Monmouth Boroughs. Colonel the Hon. F. C. Morgan (C.. Monmouth. S.) voted for the amendment, and Mr. T. E. Ellis was one of the tellers for the Government. Several of the Welsh members, including Mr. Be wen Rowlands, Q.C., Mr. Abel Thomas, Q.C., Mr. S. T. Evans, and Mr. W. Reea Davies, who were absent from Friday's division, were on circuit at Swansea. Mr. Rowlands on Saturday expressed a hope that the Government would not regard matters as sufficiently serious for resignation, and other member. poor-poohed the idea. that the Government could be forced to resign. CABINET MINISTERS GLAD. It is an open secret Ili, t several leading members of the retiring Cabinet rather wel- come tlie present opportunity of surrendermp' the carrg and responsibilities of office. Lord Rosebery has for some time, chiefly on account of the state of his health, been prepared for such a contingency, and Sir Win. Harcourt. with whom he had a confertncc on Sunday evering, has often of late, in conversation with his Parliamentary friends, admitted that he was not at all anxious to continue 111 office. ■ Opinions are divided as to whether the occa- sion of the present break up is likely to tell for or against Liberal prospects at the next election. Active Liberals openly express regret that the session ?houkl come to an end before any of their leading measures had become law, and, therefore, the rejection of any of them by the Upper Houso gave further ground for th>> threatened renewal of agitation against the veto power of the Peers. On the other hand, some supporters of the retiring Government think it better that defeat should have come upon a point in Supply not in- volving the general policy or any leading measure of the Government, rather than that they should have suffered reverse upon the Local Veto Bill or on the Welsh Disestablish- ment Bill—with regard to the latter of which two or thrao Liberal members for the Principality had expressed their determination to press certain amendments, even at the risk of defeating the Government. In view of the fact that there is aicw no chance this vear of passing tl-e Irish Land Bill, to which the Nationalist members attach special importance, peculiar interest is taken in the Cork election, which is fixed for Thursday next. Th? case is a. singular one, ss th- bye-election must so soon be followed by a general election; but it is expeoted that if the candidate returned an Thursday secures a good majority he may be retrmed -without ft contest when the dis- goh tion takes place.

LORD SALISBURY AND THE QUEEN'S COMMAND- LONDON, Monday. A Press Association, telegram sa-vs: — The Duke of Devonshire, accompanied by the duciiess, axrived in town shortly before

LOUD SALISBURY ACCEPTS THE PREMIERSHIP. Lord Salisbury on Tuesday accepted office in succession to the Earl of Rosebery, and is now busy in the construction of his Cabinet. There was much activitv- in nolifcical circles, but the all-absorbing topic is the new Cabinet, only a few of the names of which have so far transpired.

THE NEW CABINET. LORD SALISBURY AS FOREIGN SEC- RETARY. The Press Association says that the following is an authorised statement of the appointments to the new Cabinet:— Priale Minister and") Secretary for Foreign Lord SALISBURY. Affairs J Lord President of the 7 Duke F DEVONSHIRE. Council ) First Lord of the 7 Right Hon. A. J. Treasury j BALPOUB. Secretary of State for 7 Right Hou. J. CHAM- the Colomes, BERi.AiN. Chancellor of tho Ex- 7 GIR M HICKS-BEACH. chequer ) First Lord of the 7 Right Hon. Gr. J. Admiralty ) GOSCHEN. Lord Salisbury, in addition to taking th-: post of Prime Minister, has also taken upon himself the office of Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Irresponsible, rum our" which had gamed "nme currency a-signi: g tli Foreign Secretaryship to the Duke of Devonshire are thus effectually disposed of. Lord Ivimberley 's successor has;, apparently, lost no time ill putting himself in touch with hi" new uid important duties, for at six o clock this evening a Foreign Office messenger arrived in Arlington- street bringing with him a number of des- patch boxesv such as are constantly passing between re ponsible members of a Government and their respective Departments. OTHER APPOINTMENTS. It is rumoured that Mr. Curzon, who has )e, travelled much in the East, and is especially familiar with questions connected with the wel- fare of our 'astern Empire, is likely lo become Secretary of State for India. There\s also a report current that the Lord-Chancellorship may lie conferred upon either Sir Henry James or Sir Richard Webster, with a peerage, but this siory ovtTlooks the fact that Lord Ilalsb irv, who held that exalted office in the last Adminis- tration, is in tlie enjoyment of the large pen- sion consequent upon his former tenure, and :s, doubtless, available for further Fervice. In this connection it may, perhaps, be significant to note that his lordship wae not among the Con- servative leaders who took part in the con- ference with Lord Salisbufffv this n tor rung. One of the foremost legal authorities of the Unionist party will probably ere long become Master of the Rolls in -ucce^s on to Lord Esher, whose resignation is not likely to be long ie- iaved. OPINIONS ON THE APPOINT- MENTS. The Central News says:—The universal feeling among Conservatives is certain to be one of profound satisfaction that Lord Salis- bury has again, combined the Premiership witih the office of Secretary for Foreign Affairs. All impression had grown up, and had become very general in the absence of anything like an authoritative denial, that his lordship's physical strength would not justify him in ore incurring the strain of conducting foreign JIL affairs and presiding over the Cabinet. His acceptance of the two offices, while it must be considered of great personal sacrifice, will, it is thought, strengthen tlie Cabinet and the party. It is understood that the Duke of Devonshire never entertained the ides erroneously imputed to him of pomg to the Foreign Office, and that it, was. in fact, the earnest desire of the Liberal Unionist leaders that Lord Salisbury should again occupy that most onerous of all the positions in the Cabinet. The return of S-r Michael Hicks- Beach to the post of Chancellor of the Ex- chequer. which he held in 1885, his caused some surprise, as it was thought that Mr. Goschen had an unanswerable claim to th< position. His acceptance of the Admiralty is regarded as a proof of his desire to facili- tate the difficuJi:, task which Lord Salisbury haa undertaken. Mr. Chamberlain's acceptanca of the Colonial Office is looked upon as a compromise, and is believed to indicate that one of the remaining posts in the Cabinet will be given to Sir Henry James. LORD SALISBURY'S TERMS. With reference to the reports which h-ivS been current as to the stipulations upon which Lord Salisbury was said to insist before- ac- cepting office, the Press Association is enabled' to state positively and beyond question that no proposal whatever with reference to condi- tions has been made by his lordship to Lord Ro-ebery down till a late hour on Tuesday ajtterntoon. It iia, meverthelti- considered probable that having now accepted office, bis lords!pro will seek from his predecessors, who arc supposed to command a majority in the present House of Commons, some assurance of their co-operation and in obtain- ingo the necestsary vote on account and in carrying on such ot.her work of a more or less routine nature as may be necessary to bring the session to a speedy end. There is, more- over, reason to believe that on this point tha retiring Government and their supporters will not witidiold such help a.s they can fairly ba H'sked to rrive, for, indeed, it is obvious that the Liberal party could not. undllf any cir- cumstances, vote against the Estimates pre- pared under their own ausipiaes. Further than this the Liberals are not likely to go, and. indeed, they are understood to be resolved not to miss the opportunity of extracting some declaration, of policy from their successors. prior to the general election. MR. POSITUOm Many Liberal Unionists in the Citv arc by no means favourable to Mr. Cham- berlain accepting office in a Conser- vative Government, and, unless the right hon. gentleman is in a position to affirm that guarantees of a truly progressive policy have been secured from the incoming Premier, strong opposition will be shown to his entry into a Ministry which must be guided in essen- tial features by a predominant Conservjttive majority. Mr. Chamberlain has still a large Radical following in Birmingham and the Mid- lands, and some suspicion is entertained lest social legislation may be postponed if the Liberal Unionists surrender their indepnedonca by forming a part of a Cabinet dominated by Tories. At the same time, confidence is felt that Mr. Balfour will advise reasonable concessions to popular requirements, and will give due consideration to the views of Liberal Unionist leaders.

THE DISSOLUTION. It is generally supposed that Parliament will dissolve not before July 10 and not later than the 19th. The paramount need of the existing situation (remarks the "Evening Neiws'") is an appeal to the constituencies and a decisive verdict upon the rival polioses which have been be-fore the electors for three years past. Those who strive to postpone or defeat that appeal (says the "Timee") when the Ministers lately in office have declared that they cannot carry on the Government in the pretext Parliament, are acting in defiance of the spirit of the Constitution. THE DATE OF ELECTIONS. Now, for determining the date of the elem tions, the crucial date is that on which the writ is received. Aft-:>r that the times and seasons are determined by the Ballot Act, which, however, is not very easily interpreted, since the term "nomination'' is apparently un- known to the law, which speaks instead of "elections" and "adjourned election* In the case of borough elections, not less than two clear days and not more than three clear days must elapse between the receipt of the writ and the date of the nomination, and the poll must be taken not later than three clear days after the nomination. The limit of time for the county elections is very much wider. In these the nomination may take place any time up to the ninth day after the receipt of the writ, and the election may be postponed until six clear days after the nomination. If Parliament were dissolved on July 10 the earliest date for a county poll would be July 17, and the latest July 26. Monday, July 15. is the latest day for a dissolution, .if the elec- tions are all to take place before the beginning of August. Supposing this date were chosen, for dissolution, tlie dates would work out ar follows: BOROUGHS. dissolution, Monday, July 15. Writs received, Tuesday", July 16, Nominations, July 18 or 19., Polls, July 20 (earliest). Polls, July 22 (latest). COUNTIES. Dissolution, Monday. July 15. Writs received, Tuesday", July 16. Nominations. July 16-24-. Polls, July 22-31.

MR. D. A THOMAS AS A WRECKER. The Central News says:—There is strong reason for believing that but for the aggressive action of Mr. D. A. Thomas on Thursday night on the Welsh Disestablishment Bill the Ministers would not have treated the rebuff to Mr. Can-iplxll-Bannernian as seriously as they have done. TIILS is admitted very gene- radj by a majority of Welsh Radicals, who have strongly condemned the Welsh corner. A prominent mtimber of the party vehemently spolT" of the crisis as "the work of opportunists- hostility from a small self-advertising clique."

HOW MR. GLADSTONE RECEIVED THE NEWS. News of the resignation of the Government and of the alleged acceptance of the QuS summons by Lord Salisbury reached t>>„rpore t»llo„ Castle about M.pJt nine I'moX mrn1^ f bundIe of PaPers was brou dj into the saloon, where the company ™ finishing breakfast. Mr. GladstonT took « it wi offl V and without opening Algernon Wr i!* ? cabin on deck. Sie SwfflvTi J iavinS glanced at the paper. sMiftly followed him, and, overtaking him o* ie companion way, communicated the moment tT j^^nce. Mr. Gladstone dTd nS he hS^t S?U1"Se the surpTke whicf Mr. Gladstone visited the British Mus.-unt, on Tuesday morning, m company with Lor^ Rendel, whose guest he is at Carlton-aartiJ, J rom all that can bo ase^rtaim.H i there is no reason to sUPPose h8 intends to takli any active part whatever ir, „ to tak* present political to tl^; paign, by which k e electoral cam- Ton Mr. GM»ton» at r'2, n on Tuesd-nr mui, • Carlton (^adsten.Z Yiew t0 ascertaining if Mr. cxrnintr t>lor>+ ^ny active par? in th« bv |? ?ra,l paign. He was receive-i nitnl,r "j.i. J;rb>f?rt Gladstone, who stated defi- nr J. tbatf _ur. Gladstone had no intention V'rv, ?'^X.any further j>arc in public life. FT* i\ ,„„&»■>, *tand agaW for Midlothian. Indeed. Libert.] candidate was altead? Q MM constituency.

midnight last night from Cranbourne Court, Windisor Park, and it once drove to Devon- shire House, where, at eleven o'clock this morning, Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, in a light s'ut, called and had a twenty minutes' con- sultation with his Grace. There was a con- ference between Lord Salisbury, the Duke of Devonshire, Mr. Balfour. and Mr. Chamber- lain at noon. Lord Cranbourne arrived at 20, Arlington-street, while the Conference was going on, but did not remain long. Mr. Chaplain was amongst those seen in the neigh- bourhood, but he simply drove through the street, and did not coll. The Hon. Schomberg M'Donneil, Lord Salisbury's private secretary, drove away from the House while vhe conference was in progress, and in a short time returned with Mr. Akers-Douglas, whom he had fetched from the Carlton Club, and who remained till the close of the meeting. The consultation, which had commenced at noon, finished at 25 minutes past one. The Duka of Devonshire and Mr. Chamberlain returned together on foot to Devonshire House. The two statesmen, who were quickly recog- nised and followed by a straggling group of interested idlers, engaged in an animated con- versation throughout the whole of the distance, and appeared to be in the hest. of spirits. Air. Chamberlain remained to luncheon, and at half-past two he and the duke left in a. brougham for the Houses of Parliament. Naturally enough, the utmost reticence was observed as to what transpired among the Unionist leaders at Arlington-street. How- ever, it was intimated before the meeting that Lord Salisbury would, doubtless, go to the Queen fully prepared to undertake the forma- tion of a Ministry. DEPARTURE FOR WINDSOR- Leaving Arlington-street at 1.40, Lord Salis- bury drove to Paddington and caught the ordi- nary tra,in which departs at two o'clock. He occupied a compartment in the rear portion of the train, which was slipped at Slough and taken on to Windsor by another engine. The journey down was to occupy 35 minutes, and his lordship evidently did not expect a long audience with her Majesty, for he informed a representative of the Press Association at start- ing that he would leave the Royal borough at 4.25 on his way back to Lon- don. During the afternoon Arlington- street was practically deserted, and the main interest centred in the Houses of Parliament and the clubs. At the former members were eagerly looking forward to the statement ex- pected from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and at the latter the ofi.-iis was the main topic of conversation. Lord Salistnu'y returned to Paddington by 4.52, as he had expected, and drove direct to Arlington-street, arriving there simultaneously with Mr. Balfour, who had walked over from St. Stephen's to meet him. At a later period they were joined ;n their deliberations by the Hon. Sehomberg M'Donnell and Mr. Akers Douglas, the chief Conservative Whip. The four remained in consultation till about 6.30, when Mr. Balfour and the Chief Whip took their departure.