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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5044, 24 May 1877, Page 2

The telegrams received by cable have lately, in noticing what occurred in the British Parliament, more than once placed Sir H. D. Wolff’s name in contradistinction to that of the Hon. Mr. Gladstone. That is to say, Sir. H. D. Wolff has appeared as the champion put forward by, or self-selected for, tlie Conservative party as against the old Liberal leader. It may be remembered that not long ago Mr. Chaplin undertook tlie task, from the Conservative side of the House, of demolishing Mr. Gladstone. In the struggle which ensued Mr. Chaplin was “ infolix puer atqne impar congresses Aohilli.” Not so, however, Sir Henry Drummond Wolff, who has evidently measured swords with “The people’s William,” and come out of the encounter unscathed. The preliminary skirmishes to the battle are recorded by the papers to hand by the mail, which say;—“ Sir H. Drummond Wolff’s speech, an effective and loudly applauded attempt to show that the Liberal party were at least as much responsible for the condition of Turkey as the Conservatives, is to bo noticed, if for no other reason than that of the controversy which it has involved between himself and Mr. Gladstone, terminating with an explanation iu the House of Commons. Sir H. D. Wolff had called attention to the fact that in 1807 the policy of England in the East advocated by Mr. Gladstone was identical with that now pursued by the Government, and quoted a passage from a speech of Mr. Gladstone’s, in which Lord Stanley was praised because in the Cretan insurrection ho had enforced the laws of neutrality at the expense of mere calls of humanity. On Monday, March 20, Mr. Gladstone wrote a long letter to Sir H. D. Wolff, in which lie accused that gentleman of garbling his utterances recorded in Hansard. This letter he sent to the newspapers for publication before its destined recipient was able to see it. Sir H. D. Wolff drew the attention of tlie House on Monday to Mr. Gladstone’s disregard of Parliamentary custom, arguing that the House of Commons, and not the public Press, was the place in which tlie member for Greenwich should have made his charge. Mr. Gladstone excused himself on the ground that he was desirous of not trespassing on the time of the House, aud so the matter dropped. But Mr. Gladstone did not quite succeed in showing that Sir H. D. Wolff’s insinuation against his consistency in the matter of English policy towards Turkey was groundless.”