THE SINGULARITY OF BRITAIN'S GREATNESS.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1194, 21 February 1880, Page 2

THE SINGULARITY OF BRITAIN'S GREATNESS.

W. E. Gladstone's Speech At Edin« BUhQH, 23th Novembsb, 1879. Depend upon it, you will find to your cost before you are five years older— you will know it better than you do to- day— that this empire ia an empire the daily calls of whose immense responsibilities ta&* and ove v task the energies of the } ablest of her statesmen. The cis not a country in the history of the world that has undertaken what w e have undertaken; and when I say what we have undertaken, I do not menu what the present Governraent have underta cu — that I will come to by-and-by — but whac England in its traditional established policy and position has undertaken. Thero is no precedent in human history for a formation like the British Government. A small island at one extremity of the globe peoples the whole earth with its colonies, but it is not satisfied with that. It goes among the ancient races of Asia and it subjects 240,000,000 to its rule there. Along- with all thh it disseminates over the world .a commerce such as no imagination ever conceived in former times and such as no poet ever painted. (Cheers.) And all tkis it has to do with a strength that liea within the nanow limits of those shores ; not a strength Jthat I disparage ; on the contrary, I wish to dissipate if I can tho idle dreams of tho&e who are always telling you that the strength of England depends — sometimes, they say, upon its extending its empire and upon what it possessed beyond these shores. Rely upon it, the strength of Great "Britain and Ireland is within the United Kiugdom. (Loud cheers.) Whatever it. to be done in defending and governing these vatt colonies, with their teeming millions, in protecting that unmeasured commerce, in relation to the enormous rf spousibilities of India — whatever is to be done must be done by the force derived from you and from your children ; derived from you and your fellow electors in the land; from you and the citi/ens and people of this country. (Cheers.) And where are they ? They are some three-and-thirty of persons ; they are a population less than the population of France, less than the population of Austria, less than the population of Germany, less than the population of Russia. But the population of France, Austria, Germany, and Russia find it quite hard enough to settle their own matters within their own limits. W s have undertaken to settle the affairs o" a fourth, or nearly a fourth, of the entire human race scattered over the world, and is not that enough for the ambition of Lord Beacoasfield ? (Laughter and cheers.) It satisfied Mr Pitt and Mr Canning, it satisfied Lorcl Grey and Sir Robert Peel.it satisfied Lord Pa uierston and Lord Russell and the late Lord Derby, and why cannot it satisfy —I do not want to make any invidious distinction between Lord Beaconsfit Id and his colleagues, for it teems to me they are nnw very much of one mind, and they move with harmony among themselves— why does not this satisfy the ambition of the members of the present Government ? I affirm, on the oontrary, strive and labour as you will— l speak after the experience of a lifatime, of whioh a fair portion has been spent in office— strive and labour as you will, in Parliament and in office, humau strength and human thought are not equal to the discharge of the dnties appe taming to Government ia, this great, wonderful, and world-wid« Empire. (Cheers.)