oubts Commander WEDGWOOD'S essential patriotism; he has proved
it like a knight of old on his body; but he is unfortunate in some of
his political associates, who take advantage of his good-nature. A book
with a preface by himself had been seized by the police on suspicion of
being seditious, and he loudly demanded to be prosecuted. But Sir GEORGE
CAVE was not inclined to set up a legal presumption that the writer of a
preface is responsible for the rest of the book. If he were, a good many
"forewords" would, I imagine, never have been written.

_Wednesday, November 21st._--By a strange oversight the Royal Marines
were not specifically mentioned in the recent Vote of Thanks to the
Services. Apparently the fact that this country is proud of them is one
of those things that must not be told to the Marines. But Dr. MACNAMARA
assured the House that the omission should now be repaired.

[Illustration: "His foil was carefully buttoned."

MR. ASQUITH.]

There has been a shortage of provisions in the city where _Lady Godiva_
suffered from a shortage of clothes. Mr. CLYNES was prompt with a
remedy. A representative of the FOOD-CONTROLLER has already been sent to
Coventry.

Conscientious Objectors found a doughty champion in Lord HUGH CECIL.
Rarely has an unpopular case been fortified with a greater wealth of
legal, historical and ethical argument. Only once, when he accused Mr.
BONAR LAW of holding the same doctrine as Herr BETHMANN-HOLLWEG, did he
lose, for a moment, the sympathy of his audience. But he soon recovered
himself, and thereafter held the House rapt with Cecilian harmonies.

To such a lofty plane, indeed, had the debate been lifted that Mr.
RONALD MCNEILL, tall as he is, had some difficulty in bringing it down
to earth again; and when the division was called the spell was still
working, and in a very big House the "Conchies" only lost their votes by
thirty-eight.

_Thursday, November 22nd._--Pending the introduction of the promised
censorship of Parliamentary Questions, Mr. JOSEPH KING is working
overtime. No story is too fantastically impossible to find a shelter
under his hospitable hat. To-day it was a secret treaty between the
Russian Government (old style) and the French Republic, by which Belgium
was to be compensated at the expense of Holland. Lord ROBERT CECIL
denounced it as an invention of the enemy. But I don't suppose the
denial had the smallest effect upon Mr. KING, who probably went off and
din