Thursday, March 18th.—­A proposal to erect a military monument on a hill near Jerusalem was adversely criticised by Lord TREOWEN.  Lord SOUTHBOROUGH, as a recent visitor to the Holy City, thought that the Government would be better advised to demolish some of the recent buildings, including the ex-Kaiser’s ridiculous clock-tower, which had not even the negative merit of telling the time.

In consequence of his rather exhausting seance with the Liberal Party the PRIME MINISTER was looking a little jaded.  But he perked up wonderfully when Mr. WILL THORNE, a propos of a story that the Russian Soviet Government had introduced martial law into the workshops, asked whether he did not think that all able-bodied people ought to be compelled to work.  There was the old twinkle in his eyes as he replied that it would be very interesting to know if that was the view of the trade unions.  From recent information I gather that the bricklayers, at any rate, would not subscribe to it.

Upon the further consideration of the Navy Estimates General SEELY urged the re-establishment of the Committee of Imperial Defence.  Mr. LONG said the Admiralty were most anxious for it.  Mr. ASQUITH also approved, but from his ten years’ experience as its President entered a caveat against expecting the Committee to take upon itself executive functions.  “Had it done so,” he observed, “there would have been collisions, cross-purposes, waste of application, and in many cases something approaching to administrative confusion.”  Which things of course never occurred under his regime of—­shall I say?—­expectant watchfulness.

The rest of the debate was chiefly remarkable for Lady ASTOR’S bold declaration, “The sea belongs to England, and it could not be in better hands.”  Coming from a country-woman of Mr. DANIELS it was doubly exhilarating.

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[Illustration:  Captain. “’ERE LET’S PACK UP NOW; IT’S GETTING LATE.  BESIDES, THE KID WANTS HIS SHIRT BACK.”]

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    “DIRECT ACTION” AT PUTNEY.

    “When the Light Blues went out a second time R.C.  Barrett, of
    the winning trial eight crew, was at strike,—­Daily Paper.

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NEMESIS.

  Kindly the dentist was, for he
    Had obviously sought
  To keep his waiting victims free
    From apprehensive thought,
  Providing for those souls in fear
  The Comic Press of yesteryear.

  I read those jests of days agone,
    Those jibes at folly flown,
  And wondered should I light upon
    Some trifle of my own,
  A par well pointed in its time
  Or fragment of reputed rhyme.

  Could I retrieve some sparkling fytte
    Bedecked with jeux de mots,
  I fancied that the sight of it
    Might soothe my present woe,
  Reminding me how once I had
  Been quite a jocund kind of lad.