the National Library to bring out Savonarola's BibleI wonder if thou has seen it-such a multitude of its pages covered on their ample margins with the "notes of the great reformer, in such minute but perfectly clear Latin and Italian writing that, except here and there a line, it was quite beyond my eyeglasses to decipher.

When one gets up to Fiesole on the North or San Miniato on the South, Florence seems to lie below one like a great jewel as it were the effect of the brown roofs and the white buildings is such. Rome has nothing quite to equal the glory of the marbles with which the outside of the Duomo and two or three of the greatest churches here are decorated. Their colours seem fairly ablaze as the sun dies each evening across the Arno and hills beyond.

Another letter to the same correspondent, soon after their return home, alludes to two very different facets of life :

Scalby, March 26th, 1905.

This is my first visit since J. Wilhelm' passed away. It is the greatest loss to us up here since 1889-91. He was constantly with us and his many-sided mind found topics with my wife, daughters, son and myself all different, on which we discoursed eagerly. ("One of the most beautiful spirits it has been my lot to meet and commune with" are the words standing in the diary.)

It is a very arduous life into which one has somehow drifted. Within about 100 minutes the other day I found myself making a bow to the King in St. James's Palace, in the chair of the House of Commons (in the accidental absence of any other competent person) and then in rather a fierce controversy across the House, with our singular Prime Minister.

He was not yet to see the change of administration.

1 John Wilhelm Rowntree.

for which he hoped, but the indications of the whole year pointed to it. As the long reign of the Conservative forces in Great Britain began with the refusal of self-government to Ireland, so the disclosures with regard to Sir Anthony Macdonnell's1 appointment to the Permanent Secretaryship for Ireland contributed towards its downfall. A letter written from the House of Commons (February 22, 1905) says:

Of course the last gale blowing on the rickety edifice is from Ireland. You have no doubt followed it. Dillon's speech last night was a very well-arranged and heavy attack. Healy's was one of his most brilliant. tours de force which is, as you know, saying much.

Wyndham has quite lost nerve. Balfour quite staggered before us and almost compelled pity. I have seen no newspapers, but dare say the men up in the gallery hardly realised the real lie of things.

The main point to-day is that the Speaker perceives things are not as they were, and has acted upon it in giving Redmond the adjournment which he certainly would have refused last year.

The diary adds :-"Over Redmond's Government of Ireland amendment the interest was largely drawn away from the from the greater issue to the circumstances of the extraordinary action of Balfour and Wyndham in Dec., '92, inviting Sir Anthony Macdonnell (a declared Home Ruler) to join the latter as a colleague' in the Irish Office. The truth but not the whole truth dragged out bit by bit."

He did his part, as his manner was, to get at the facts, in a week of constant attention and considerable strain. "Not in bed before I a.m. four mornings

1 Now Lord Macdonnell.

1905]

WHITBY ELECTION

running but have stood it wonderfully well." The effect of another needless but drastic closure resolution is noted: "most lamentable on moral of House, paralysing the real play of debate, and rendering needless that give and take on the part of Ministers, which is the chief savour of the House. Home soon after II, rather sick at heart." After another night there follows:- "Heated debate at midnight on guillotine, spoke and collided with the Chair."

-

After John Ellis had been on Grand Committees for more than fifteen years-five as an ordinary member and ten as chairman-a ruling of his was for the first time questioned and brought before the House by Sir Frederick Banbury. The diary record of the incident is very brief:

1905. April 4. Motion of Sir F. Banbury came on 11.30. He and Galloway took up 20 minutes, then the accused Chairman made his defence, well received by a unanimous House.

The death of Lord Grimthorpe and the accession to the title of Mr. Ernest Beckett, the member for Whitby, caused a vacancy in that division, and was a call to action at his own door not to be refused. The following diary entries give a concise account of what happened ::-"Seeing various people for some days, meetings at Pickering, spirit excellent. N.E. Buxton chosen. Gave many days. Polling day (June 1st) much enthusiasm but machinery inefficient. Whitby declaration of poll a great surprise (a crowning mercy C-B. said). (June 5th). N.E. Buxton introduced by H. J. Gladstone and J. E. E., so ends rather a remarkable four or five weeks in our life story. Machinery

defect more than compensated for by feeling of the people.” 1

On June 7 Mr. Speaker Gully retired from the Chair. John Ellis wrote on returning from the House" Thanks to Speaker, a very dignified tone on the part of all the speakers. So ends his ten years. On the whole he has done well and above all not spared himself."

Mr. Lowther was elected Speaker on the day following, but Ellis was not in his place, having left for abroad —a trip necessitated by the state of his health. Though far from restored to vigour he returned to the House on July 20 and struggled on until August 8, when he left Westminster with a sense that the situation was "a

saddening one as regards the life and dignity of the House of Commons. The clouds are, however, breaking, and I am sure a better day is at hand."

1 The Whitby election resulted as follows:

CHAPTER XIII

IN OFFICE

A SADLY discredited Cabinet dragged out a feeble existence until December, 1905, and then resigned. The King sent for Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who consented to form a ministry, but the Liberal party being in a minority in the House a General Election became a necessity, and Parliament was dissolved early in January, 1906. Ellis had gauged the situation very accurately, as a letter of his written to his daughter in the previous November plainly shows:To E. M. E.

Now to politics; the "Times" and "Daily Telegraph" startled people on Tuesday by intimating clearly and in terms that Balfour had better resign without any further ado. The grounds were that at Newcastle ten days ago he made a despairing appeal for unity amongst "Unionists"; that J. C. took no notice of this at Bristol three or four days after and made a powerful speech going much beyond A. J. B., and that the party is not with the latter and consequently his position has become untenable. Day by day the papers have joined in with various cries. Our Leader has spoken at Stirling in a very sagacious manner (not making much of it), but the upshot is that there is a real "crisis" on, politically. No one knows how it will issue or what a day may bring forth. But one thing is quite clear, that the general election will be on us in January if not before.