a settlement by general consent in accordance, as I believe, with the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the people.

Is it not better to wait a little for a settlement by consent on lines which will conduce to permanent peace and prosperity than to try to force on the pages of the statute book a measure which must lead to bloodshed and civil war?  If party considerations veto the withdrawal of the Ministerial measure of home rule without the aid of a general election, then let us have a general election without one moment’s unnecessary delay.

     The times are too perilous to allow us even to contemplate with any
     other feeling than that of horror and dismay the Lord Chancellor’s
     appeal to go forward unflinchingly to civil war.

     I have the honor to remain, Sir,

     Yours respectfully,

     GREY.

     22 South Street, Park Lane, July 26.

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“A CLOUD OVER EUROPE.”

London Times Report, July 27, of Speech by Under Secretary Acland.

F.D.  Acland, Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, speaking at an open-air Liberal demonstration at Steyning, Sussex, on Saturday [July 25], said there was a cloud over Europe, the position there being far graver and more serious than the position in Ireland.  No one could imagine the disasters which a war in which a great European power was involved might bring to the whole world.  He hoped the power of accommodating the difficulties in the same way as in the Balkan trouble last year would be found effective.  The whole of the influence of this country would be used in the interests of peace.

* * * * *

[Illustration:  SIR EDWARD GREY, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. (Photo from Underwood & Underwood.)]

AUSTRO-SERVIAN CRISIS.

Statement in House of Commons, July 27, by Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

The House will, of course, be aware from the public press of what the nature of the situation in Europe is at the present moment.  I think it is due to the House that I should give in short narrative form the position which his Majesty’s Government have so far taken up. ["Hear, hear.”] Last Friday morning I received from the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador the text of the communication made by the Austro-Hungarian Government to the powers, which has appeared in the press, and which included textually the demand made by the Austro-Hungarian Government upon Servia.

In the afternoon I saw other Ambassadors, and expressed the view that as long as the dispute was one between Austria-Hungary and Servia alone I felt that we had no title to interfere, but that if the relations between Austria-Hungary and Russia became threatening, the question would then be one of the peace of Europe—­a matter that concerned us all.