dity with which he mastered the
complicated questions of Indian administration. In the autumn election
of 1885 he contested Central Birmingham against Mr Bright, and though
defeated here, was at the same time returned by a very large majority
for South Paddington. In the contest which arose over Mr Gladstone's
Home Rule scheme, both in and out of parliament, Lord Randolph again
bore a conspicuous part, and in the electioneering campaign his activity
was only second to that of some of the Liberal Unionists, the marquess
of Hartington, Mr Goschen and Mr Chamberlain. He was now the recognized
Conservative champion in the Lower Chamber, and when the second
Salisbury administration was formed after the general election of 1886
he became chancellor of the exchequer and leader of the House of
Commons. His management of the House was on the whole successful, and
was marked by tact, discretion and temper. But he had never really
reconciled himself with some of his colleagues, and there was a good
deal of friction in his relations with them, which ended with his sudden
resignation on the 20th of December 1886. Various motives influenced him
in taking this surprising step; but the only ostensible cause was that
put forward in his letter to Lord Salisbury, which was read in the House
of Commons on 27th January. In this document he stated that his
resignation was due to his inability, as chancellor of the exchequer, to
concur in the demands made on the treasury by the ministers at the head
of the naval and military establishments. It was commonly supposed that
he expected his resignation to be followed by the unconditional
surrender of the cabinet, and his restoration to office on his own
terms. The sequel, however, was entirely different. The cabinet was
reconstructed with Mr Goschen as chancellor of the exchequer (Lord
Randolph had "forgotten Goschen," as he is said to have remarked), and
Churchill's own career as a Conservative chief was practically closed.

He continued, for some years longer, to take a considerable share in the
proceedings of parliament, giving a general, though decidedly
independent, support to the Unionist administration. On the Irish
question he was a very candid critic of Mr Balfour's measures, and one
of his later speeches, which recalled the acrimonious violence of his
earlier period, was that which he delivered in 1890 on the report of the
Parnell commission. He also fulfilled the promise made on his
res