e passages that which
perhaps carried most conviction with his audience was the description
of the pre-war Navy as "a sort of pleasant service into which the
fools of the family could be put."

In the discussion on the Navy Estimates Rear-Admiral Sir REGINALD
HALL, resisting a proposal to hand over the coastguards to the
Board of Trade, surprised the House with the apparently reactionary
statement that "we do not want to run the Navy in water-tight
compartments."

Commander BELLAIRS, enforcing the point that administration
must depend upon policy, recalled the fact that in his time "the
Mediterranean outlook" had given way to "the North Sea outlook," and
expressed the confident belief that we should next have "the Pacific
outlook." Well, let us hope we may. At any rate the House agreed with
the FIRST LORD that the best way to ensure it was to keep the Navy
strong and efficient, for by half-past eight it had passed all the
Votes submitted to it.

_Wednesday, June 2nd._--Derby Day and an adjournment of the House of
Commons! Mr. BALFOUR might well rub his eyes and wonder if there had
been a revival of the Saturnian days when Lord ELCHO used annually to
mount his favourite hobby and witch the House with noble horsemanship.
But on this occasion the adjournment lasted only half-an-hour, and
had nothing to do with Epsom. Chivalry, not sport, was its motive.
The House merely wished to do honour to its Leader by assisting at the
presentation of its wedding gift to Miss BONAR LAW (now Lady SYKES).

At Question-time Lord CURZON sought information regarding the British
Naval Mission recently captured at Baku, and inquired whether the
Government intended to continue negotiating with people who were
keeping our men in prison. Sir JAMES CRAIG could not say anything on
the question of policy, but to some extent relieved the anxiety of
the House by stating that the last news of the prisoners was that they
were seen playing football.

The complications of the Peace Settlement continue to increase. Thus
President WILSON has consented to delimit the boundaries of Armenia,
although the United States shows no desire to undertake the mandate
for its administration. No doubt it is with the kindly intention of
helping those dilatory Americans to make up their minds that Turkey
has asked for an extension of time before signing the Treaty.

The placid progress of the Government of Ireland Bill through
Committee was broken this afternoon w